DarloRich
Veteran Member
I will say the Island Line
I will say the Island Line
Between Norwood Junction and East Croydon, on the down side, there is a lengthy disused line with sleepers tied to it to prevent its being used. It's been like that for years, and I guess may, like the long-disused siding at Herne Hill, one day be brought back into use.
There are fairly lengthy bits of the sidings of the former engineers' yard at the country end of Wimbledon. They have been disconnected from the main line for many years, but have never been lifted. The two long sidings on the London side of Wimbledon are electrified but don't appear to have been used in ages.
I've not been there for a few years, but there were at that time still some remnants of the ground-level lines in the Spitalfields goods depot near Vallance Road in East London, and a dead and long disconnected level crossing on Cold Blow Lane near New Cross, a remnant of the line to the Surrey Docks. I also saw odd fragments of the Silvertown Tramway and its branches to depots and wharves. All these may have been redeveloped by now.
There is a fairly long branch through the trading estate at Trafford Park that looks pretty derelict and indeed impassible when looked at on Google Earth. It branches off the yard at the west end, turns to the north then crosses a roundabout and runs alongside several roads. Perhaps someone here knows something about the history of this line, the trading estate there doesn't appear to be that old, judging by the buildings.
Indeed they have. The Silvertown Tramway alignment was followed almost presisely by the elevated DLR Woolwich line, works for which removed the old remnants, while a bit further east towards North Woolwich there were indeed odd spurs across roads, but those have recently gone with the works for Crossrail, which have involved various adjustments to adjacent roads.I also saw odd fragments of the Silvertown Tramway and its branches to depots and wharves. All these may have been redeveloped by now.
There may be short sections of track at training locations?
I thought, post-Merseyrail, a through loop connection survived at Ormskirk?
Or via the Central (Northern Line) to James St (Wirral Line) non-passenger connection, thence via Rock Ferry/Hooton, or Bidston/Shotton.
I thought, post-Merseyrail, a through loop connection survived at Ormskirk?
It might have for a while, but it's not there now, I am 98% certain (and will check this week when I go there).
The Southport connection was removed a while back. Connections between Merseyrail and the rest of the network are now at Bidston, Chester, Hunts Cross and possibly Ellesmere Port (never been there so not 100%).
Some more cheating, I feel.
Who owns this piece of track in Hamble?
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.8...4!1s9nbRj9RsZIGBf3W4--_CJw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
There were still odd bits of track left on the Spurn Head Railway when I drove up there a few years back
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Part of the short branch that used to serve the BP oil depot , has been disused for many years as far as I know but the oil terminal remains open
Is the Akeman Street branch still extant, albeit disconnected?
Indeed they have. The Silvertown Tramway alignment was followed almost presisely by the elevated DLR Woolwich line, works for which removed the old remnants, while a bit further east towards North Woolwich there were indeed odd spurs across roads, but those have recently gone with the works for Crossrail, which have involved various adjustments to adjacent roads.
One extraordinary leftover, although of the old Port of London Authority system rather than the national network, is right alongside the runway at London City Airport, where dockside tracks, and various sets of points, inset in concrete were left when the airport was built.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5046013,0.0620029,115m/data=!3m1!1e3
Theres about a 100 metres of line at HMS Sultan, Gosport owned by Network Rail for their apprenticeship scheme.
There were still odd bits of track left on the Spurn Head Railway when I drove up there a few years back
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Part of the short branch that used to serve the BP oil depot , has been disused for many years as far as I know but the oil terminal remains open
Well, yes technically there is rail, sleepers and ballast owned by NR on site, but its purely for training, has never seen a train, and is nowhere near any real railway.
For about 15 years after the Glasgow electrification was done it was not only unconnected to other parts of the national system but the North Clyde and South Clyde networks were unconnected to each other. There was only one heavy maintenance depot and the new air braked EMU stock needed to be transferred between the two sides, but all the 1960s diesels there were vacuum braked. Fortunately a few of the old Caledonian Railway 4-4-0s remained in stock, still with their original Westinghouse air brakes, so there was a regular procession of the oldest hauling the newest. Eventually, at the end of steam, some Class 20s had to be adapted for the job.Its not physically isolated, but the OHLE on the Great Western between Paddington and Heathrow Airport is a completely enclosed system, whereas the rest of the national OHLE network is all interconnected at various points.
There's a section of track, and abandoned level crossing next to Sainsbury's RDC at Hams Hall near Birmingham, with a buffer stop just beyond the crossing. I'm guessing it was associated with the power station that use to exist there many years ago?.
No, it isnt actually that old and the level crossing works. Not sure what its purpose is/was though.
What about the Waterloo and city line?
The only way stock can be transferred is by a crane over a hole
Theres about a 100 metres of line at HMS Sultan, Gosport owned by Network Rail for their apprenticeship scheme.
Actually, until a few years before 1994 the W&C was connected, via a short underground tunnel and a vehicle lift to the sidings behind the Windsor side of Waterloo station, which was lost when the Eurostar terminal was built. The stock used to be got out for overhaul, and there are pictures around of it running on the main line. Way back in steam days, an overzealous locomotive, in an event worthy of Thomas the Tank Engine (well, probably Percy actually), managed to overshoot its stopping point and fell down the vehicle lift shaft, ending up in such an awkward position that it had to be cut up in situ to remove the wreckage.Since 1994 it has been owned by London Underground.