Trivia: Buildings with never used railway infrastructure

[swt_passenger]

Do unused earthworks of which there are many across the country, or unused platforms, actually count as “buildings” in the context of the original question?

If the current British Library extension is the example of what we’re looking for, aren’t we supposed to be thinking about non-railway buildings with future railways allowed for? In which case my suggestion of Heathrow T5 probably doesn’t count either…

 

[dosxuk]

Weren't the express line tunnels which came to nothing on the Northern Line and the Piccadilly Line, rather than the District?

You may well be right. I am dredging up stuff out of my head that I read years ago.

I imagine you're thinking about the "deep-level District" proposals, that was intended to be an express service from Earls Court way to the Embankment area, but which ended up being taken over by the Piccadilly line.

There was an additional platform tunnel and associated works at South Kensington station to facilitate this, but this has now been lost to station developments, primarily the installation of escalators to the deep level platforms. The junction location can still be seen when leaving on an eastbound Piccadilly service though.

 

[Ken H]

I imagine you're thinking about the "deep-level District" proposals, that was intended to be an express service from Earls Court way to the Embankment area, but which ended up being taken over by the Piccadilly line.

There was an additional platform tunnel and associated works at South Kensington station to facilitate this, but this has now been lost to station developments, primarily the installation of escalators to the deep level platforms. The junction location can still be seen when leaving on an eastbound Piccadilly service though.

Yes. I think I conflated 2 things.

 

[steamybrian]

At Chessington South the up platform and buildings were built in the late 1930s for the proposed extension to Leatherhead. After the war the project was cancelled and the platform was never used.

 

[mjmason1996]

Haymarket station on the Tyne and Wear Metro has extended sections of platform beyond the official platform ends, originally built to fit longer trains that never operated.

 

[bramling]

Haymarket station on the Tyne and Wear Metro has extended sections of platform beyond the official platform ends, originally built to fit longer trains that never operated.

St James has some extra space at the eastern end of the station "box", with what look like run-off chambers veering away from the current running lines. I've not seen it written down anywhere, but it certainly appears like passive provision for launch chambers for any westward extension.

 

[snowball]

St James has some extra space at the eastern end of the station "box", with what look like run-off chambers veering away from the current running lines. I've not seen it written down anywhere, but it certainly appears like passive provision for launch chambers for any westward extension.

Am I right in thinking that subsequent byildings have precluded any easy westward extension?

 

[bramling]

Am I right in thinking that subsequent byildings have precluded any easy westward extension?

I've heard it suggested, but again I've never seen it confirmed as such. However I'm not sure if this would preclude a westward extension bypassing St James itself.

 

[Monarch010]

Lullingstone station on the Victoria to Maidstone line was started during the thirties to serve a proposed new London Airport but never completed because of the outbreak of war and the Green Belt Act in the post-war years.
The station buildings were demolished in 1955 although the platform structures are still extant.

 

[edwin_m]

Haymarket station on the Tyne and Wear Metro has extended sections of platform beyond the official platform ends, originally built to fit longer trains that never operated.

I was under the impression that specifically at Haymarket, it was to allow people to get to the lift, which obviously had to be underneath the surface building, but the useable bit of the platforms is further north so as to be on a straight track. All the underground stations have a section at one end that was walled off and never fitted out, to allow longer trains - Haymarket may be an exception.

 

[Snow1964]

I don't know if my mind is playing tricks but I seem to recall reading an article about the CLC Dingle Tunnel now used by Merseyrail which stated that a short section of parallel tunnel was built around the time the Liverpool Overhead Railway tunnel was constructed. This was to to enable the CLC lines to be quadrupled should the need arise without disturbing the LOR as there was very little clearance between the bottom of the LOR tunnel and the top of the CLC tunnel. Can anyone confirm this? I have done some searching and whilst there is quite a lot of material on old tunnels under Liverpool in particular the LOR tunnel I can't find any reference to this short section of parallel tunnel.

This reminds me that when the Marylebone approach was being built under the Lords Cricket ground (the adjacent practice pitch, not main field) they built the second tunnel for quadruple tracks, to avoid ground having to be dug up twice, but of course the second half of Marylebone station never got built so the extra pair of tracks were never needed, and the parallel tunnel has never seen a train.

 

[Ken H]

This reminds me that when the Marylebone approach was being built under the Lords Cricket ground (the adjacent practice pitch, not main field) they built the second tunnel for quadruple tracks, to avoid ground having to be dug up twice, but of course the second half of Marylebone station never got built so the extra pair of tracks were never needed, and the parallel tunnel has never seen a train.

which is why Marylebone Stn is lop-sided.

 

[172007]

The viaduct at Tadcaster never carried a train, or did it? And the GWR built a viaduct off the Oxford-Birmingham line in the Birmingham area that was never used either, I believe.

The building you mentioned I immagine is the branch off the Didcot Chester line at Bordesley over to Curzon Street. Was never completes as off the top of my head the LNWR and Midland wouldn't allow a viaduct to go over their lines or something to that effect. The viaduct at the Bordesley end was used for stabling / shunting livestock van I understand.

 

[Ken H]

The building you mentioned I immagine is the branch off the Didcot Chester line at Bordesley over to Curzon Street. Was never completes as off the top of my head the LNWR and Midland wouldn't allow a viaduct to go over their lines or something to that effect. The viaduct at the Bordesley end was used for stabling / shunting livestock van I understand.

This one?

 

[John Luxton]

This reminds me that when the Marylebone approach was being built under the Lords Cricket ground (the adjacent practice pitch, not main field) they built the second tunnel for quadruple tracks, to avoid ground having to be dug up twice, but of course the second half of Marylebone station never got built so the extra pair of tracks were never needed, and the parallel tunnel has never seen a train.

Since I posted last night I have been checking through books and this is a quote from Jim Moore's 1998 book "Underground Liverpool" published by the Bluecoat Press: referring to the crossing of the CLC Dingle Tunnel by the LOR Dingle Tunnel: "A condition of construction was that the Overhead Railway Tunnel was to allow for a second Cheshire Lines Tunnel to the east of the existing tunnel - but the (tunnel) was never built." The "allow for" comment probably refers to a short section of tunnel. Still trying to find out where I read that comment. It may have been a magazine article. I am sure the article I read stated that there was access to this short section of tunnel from the CLC tunnel.

Perhaps someone who works for Merseyrail / Network rail and has access to the tracks may be able to confirm or deny whether this tunnel section exist or at least a sealed entrance exists?

 

[edwin_m]

Didn't City Thameslink (possibly in its earlier incarnation as Holborn Viaduct) incorporate some infrastructure for a station on the never-built Fleet Line?

 

[swt_passenger]

Didn't City Thameslink (possibly in its earlier incarnation as Holborn Viaduct) incorporate some infrastructure for a station on the never-built Fleet Line?

Mentioned in post #2, but I think that was just fairly normal station future proofing.

 

[172007]

This one?View attachment 113042

That's the one I am thinking of yes.

 

[Gloster]

That's the one I am thinking of yes.

There is more on warwickshirerailways.com under GWR - Banbury to Wolverhampton - Bordesley - Duddeston Viaduct.

 

[mjmason1996]

I was under the impression that specifically at Haymarket, it was to allow people to get to the lift, which obviously had to be underneath the surface building, but the useable bit of the platforms is further north so as to be on a straight track. All the underground stations have a section at one end that was walled off and never fitted out, to allow longer trains - Haymarket may be an exception.

You could be right, might be getting mixed up with Monument station.

 

[2192]

The British Library is due to get an extension with Crossrail 2 shaft and tunnels in the basement.

I hope they keep the railway books in it -- Dewey ref 625 & 385 mostly.

 

[0161]

The Arndale has an escalator well for Picc-Vic. In fact, I believe it's the only infrastructure ever built for Picc-Vic.

Apparently there is a "platform of sorts underneath what was Top Shop/Chlas Olsen.
I could be totally wrong, but the ultimate nail in the coffin for Picc-Vic was that when they started to look under the city centre, there was a plethora of different tunnels all from different eras for different purposes. The biggest one, the BT tunnel, runs from Blackfriars Road in Salford to Ancoats, and was a state secret until the 1990s, as it had cold-war ramifications. Would we have benefitted from Picc-Vic, though? Would trains coming from say Glasgow been able to use the tunnel and continue south? Either way, stuff going North out of Piccadilly is still a huge issue today 40 years on.

 

[Efini92]

The Arndale has an escalator well for Picc-Vic. In fact, I believe it's the only infrastructure ever built for Picc-Vic.

Wasn’t there 3 stations built?

 

[snowball]

Would we have benefitted from Picc-Vic, though? Would trains coming from say Glasgow been able to use the tunnel and continue south?

No, it was for much more local trains such as Bury, Bolton via Radcliffe (would have been reopened), Alderley Edge, Macclesfield, maybe Buxton. Some versions of the proposal might have included Rochdale via Oldham?

 

[Mikey C]

At Hackney Wick on the A12 (ex A102(M) ) East Cross Route built in the 1970s, as well as the railway bridge over the northbound carriageway used by London Overground services to Stratford is another bridge over the road, which has never been used!

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[LOL The Irony]

Wasn’t there 3 stations built?

As far as I'm aware, it's the only bit of the entire project ever built.

Apparently there is a "platform of sorts underneath what was Top Shop/Chlas Olsen.
I could be totally wrong, but the ultimate nail in the coffin for Picc-Vic was that when they started to look under the city centre, there was a plethora of different tunnels all from different eras for different purposes. The biggest one, the BT tunnel, runs from Blackfriars Road in Salford to Ancoats, and was a state secret until the 1990s, as it had cold-war ramifications. Would we have benefitted from Picc-Vic, though? Would trains coming from say Glasgow been able to use the tunnel and continue south? Either way, stuff going North out of Piccadilly is still a huge issue today 40 years on.

It wasn't the BT tunnel itself, but rather the Guardian Telephone Exchange. That however, wasn't what killed it, but the cost of the project when it was taken over by the council caused it to be cancelled.

 

[snowball]

As far as I'm aware, it's the only bit of the entire project ever built.

I think it could perhaps be argued that the 1980 BR Bury station, now Metrolink, was built with Picc-Vicc in mind?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I think it could perhaps be argued that the 1980 BR Bury station, now Metrolink, was built with Picc-Vicc in mind?

Nah. Reckon it was built so that the town bus station (previously at Kay Gardens) could be alongside the BR station as Bury was being redeveloped in the late 1970s.

 

[LOL The Irony]

I think it could perhaps be argued that the 1980 BR Bury station, now Metrolink, was built with Picc-Vicc in mind?

Perhaps you could, but it still couldn't be included in this thread, as it was used by both heavy & light rail. Plus, I think this is more likely;

Nah. Reckon it was built so that the town bus station (previously at Kay Gardens) could be alongside the BR station as Bury was being redeveloped in the late 1970s.

 

[DelW]

At Hackney Wick on the A12 (ex A102(M) ) East Cross Route built in the 1970s, as well as the railway bridge over the northbound carriageway used by London Overground services to Stratford is another bridge over the road, which has never been used!

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www.google.co.uk

I should think the most likely explanation is that the second span, and the widened area alongside the railway, were to accommodate a north-westward extension of the east cross route. Similarly the north end of the west cross route has unused stub-ends of slip roads on the north side of the Westway roundabout.
The north end of the M23 has a large unused bridge originally built to carry the since cancelled extension of the motorway over the southbound A23.
However we're getting into unused road rather than railway infrastructure here!