Trivia: Creation of Dead-End Branches Through Closing of Through Lines

[Dr_Paul]

One of the problems that the Beeching Report addressed was that of unremunerative branch lines. However, it seems to me that as a result of both the Beeching report and other previous and successive decisions we have ended up with the creation of quite a few branch lines through the closing of sections of through lines.

I know of some of these stumps, such as:

Marks Tey > Sudbury (Sudbury to Great Shelford closed)
Witham > Braintree (Braintree to Bishops Stortford closed)
Hurst Green > Uckfield (Uckfield to Lewes closed)

How about some others?

 

[daodao]

Other examples include:

• Glasgow to Paisley Canal (not a Beeching closure, but partial re-opening)
• Romiley to Rose Hill
• Rose Grove to Colne (but Colne was originally a branch terminus, as the closed line to Skipton was originally a separate branch)
• Guide Bridge to Hadfield (but Woodhead was not a Beeching closure)
• Cromer to Sheringham
• Barnt Green to Redditch
• Penarth to Cadoxton
• the remaining line to Ilkley
• the remaining line to Stratford-upon-Avon
• Okehampton to Bere Alston closure has led to 2 dead end stumps

However, there aren't very many examples, as most branches did in fact close, and few are left.

 

[32475]

Manchester Piccadilly to Hadfield

 

[Bevan Price]

Kirkham - Blackpool South (South to Blackpool Central closed)
Newton Abbot - Paignton (Paignton to Kingswear closed, but later reopened as heritage railway)
Exeter - Barnstaple Jn (continuations to Ilfracombe & Bideford closed)

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Could Hazel Grove -> Buxton and Matlock->Belper be included in this category? (Buxton to Matlock section largely closed).

 

[Calthrop]

A kind of "intermediate" situation: formerly, Bourne End -- Marlow was a terminal branch off the Maidenhead -- High Wycombe through line. Closure of Bourne End -- High Wycombe meant no more through line; and Maidenhead -- Bourne End -- Marlow becoming the terminal or "dead-end" branch.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Two close to each other: Redditch (through line to Evesham and Ashchurch closed) and Stratford-upon-Avon (through line to Honeybourne and Cheltenham closed).

 

[abn444]

Slightly after Beeching but there is the Alton line. Formerly an "ox-bow line" off the South Western Main line, rejoining at Winchester, the line was cut back to Alton although the watercress heritage railway has taken over part of the section between Alton and Winchester

 

[Ken H]

Rose Hill, Marple - Macclesfield
Llandudno Junction - Blaneau Ffestiniog - (Llan Ffestiniog)

 

[Harvester]

Darlington to Bishop Auckland

 

[341o2]

West Kirby to Hooton
Plymouth to Bere Alston
Exeter to Okehampton

 

[randyrippley]

Exmouth

 

[jp4712]

Would you include Lichfield Trent Valley High Level? An interesting case where the railway beyond this terminus is open for freight and a few XC paths to retain knowledge for (frequent) diversions, but never the less it’s shown as a terminus on passenger maps.

And does Kirkby qualify twice??

 

[P Binnersley]

Bewdley on the Severn Valley was a terminus from 1963 to 1970 when the Severn Valley and Tenbury lines closed. Hartlebury - Bewdley (reverse) - Kidderminster closed in January 1970 and the Bewdley - Kidderminster section has since re-opened as part of the Severn Valley Railway.

 

[zwk500]

Hurst Green > Uckfield (Uckfield to Lewes closed)

In this neighbourhood you also had East Grinstead, which had one through route closed before Beeching (Hurst Green-Lewes), but had kept the Three Bridges-Tunbridge Wells connection that Beeching saw off, leaving only the East Grinstead-Hurst Green section.
Although Ashurst jn-Groombridge had closed, the line from Eridge through to Tunbridge Wells did survive and was connected to the Hastings Line, so it's debatable if Uckfield was only a stub south of Eridge.

Also, the Beeching axe cut the Cuckoo line back to just Polegate-Hailsham for 3 years, while there were arguments about whether or not to close the line completely.

(there is also a contested History about the role Beeching actually played in the Uckfield-Lewes closure, and whether or not the line might have survived were it not for a bad flood and a road-building scheme).

 

[LowLevel]

Ambergate to Matlock, formerly the route to Manchester and Buxton

Boston to Skegness, formerly the mainline to Grimsby via Firsby diverted on to it's former branch for the last few miles

Norwich to Cromer and Sheringham, the M&GN network

 

[AM9]

St Albans Abbey to Hatfield, - although they were two branch lines with a common terminus, the ability to travel through from Watford to Hatfield ceased in 1951.

 

[6Gman]

Rose Hill, Marple - Macclesfield
Llandudno Junction - Blaneau Ffestiniog - (Llan Ffestiniog)

The LNWR Llandudno Jn-Blaenau Ffestiniog branch terminated at Blaenau Ffestiniog. When the GWR branch from Bala Junction closed (1960?) a freight only (other than for special trains) link was made along the route of the narrow gauge FR line to allow access to the Trawsfynydd Power Station. I don't believe there was ever a through route Llandudno Jn - Ffestiniog - Bala and certainly no through services. So no new branch created.

 

[MadMac]

Leven-St. Andrews closure created two such branches, both of which subsequently closed.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Guide Bridge to Hadfield (but Woodhead was not a Beeching closure)

The withdrawal of through passenger services beyond Hadfield was a Beeching cut though wasn't it?

 

[Helvellyn]

Slightly after Beeching but there is the Alton line. Formerly an "ox-bow line" off the South Western Main line, rejoining at Winchester, the line was cut back to Alton although the watercress heritage railway has taken over part of the section between Alton and Winchester

Interestingly, pre-Beeching Alton-Fareham (Meon Valley Line) had also closed, so Alton is a case of a what is now a branch losing two former through routes.

 

[daodao]

And does Kirkby qualify twice??

Ormskirk ditto.

In Scotland, East Kilbride and Neilston were not termini originally. Lanark formerly had trains reversing in it en route to Muirkirk. The line to Larkhall is a new stub branch on a former through route.

The withdrawal of through passenger services beyond Hadfield was a Beeching cut though wasn't it?

No. Beeching proposed the closure of the Hope Valley line with retention of the electrified GC main line via Woodhead and the Midland main line via Bakewell. BR subsequently did the opposite.

Leven-St. Andrews closure created two such branches, both of which subsequently closed.

One branch, from Thornton Junction to Leven, will shortly be re-opened as a stub branch.

 

[david1212]

The closure of Afon Wen - Caernarvon made the line north from Dovey Junction an admittedly long branch.
South from Dovey Junction to Aberystwyth a branch after Aberystwyth - Carmarthen closed.

Are we including created branches that are freight only? If so Middlesborough - Boulby (potash mine) after Scarborough - Middlesborough closed. Regardless while short Seamer - Scarborough although Scarborough station was always single-ended?
Scarborough - Middlesborough went through Whitby but given the station was Whitby West Cliff was there actually a connection to the Whitby - Grosmont line or was this always a branch?

 

[daodao]

The closure of Afon Wen - Caernarvon made the line north from Dovey Junction an admittedly long branch.
South from Dovey Junction to Aberystwyth a branch after Aberystwyth - Carmarthen closed.

The Cambrian Railway lines to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli were separate operationally from the GWR line from Carmarthen to Aberystwyth and from the LNWR line from Bangor to Afon Wen. However, BR did run a summer Saturday through train from Swansea (High St) to the Cambrian Coast line in the 1950s. Similarly, Wrexham Central is now a terminus, but there was no regular through running of passenger trains between the GCR and the Cambrian Railway at this station.

 

[Taunton]

West Kirby to Hooton

That was just a branch that was closed. At West Kirby (old home station long ago) it served a separate station, and the two lines did not touch except through sidings.

 

[Falcon1200]

The Midland & Great Northern Joint Line beyond Sheringham, although of course part re-opened as the excellent North Norfolk Railway.

And the rebuilding of the Borders Railway created a new branch line, albeit it was formerly a main line!

 

[simonw]

Kirkham - Blackpool South (South to Blackpool Central closed)
Newton Abbot - Paignton (Paignton to Kingswear closed, but later reopened as heritage railway)
Exeter - Barnstaple Jn (continuations to Ilfracombe & Bideford closed)

surely these are examples of lines being shortened, not through routes being turned into stubs which is what the ok asked.

 

[Harvester]

Scarborough - Middlesborough went through Whitby but given the station was Whitby West Cliff was there actually a connection to the Whitby - Grosmont line or was this always a branch?

A steep loop line ran northwards from Bog Hall Junction south of Whitby Town station up to Prospect Hill Junction north of Whitby West Cliff station. So by means of a reversal trains could run from Whitby Town station to Whitby West Cliff, and then on to Scarborough.

 

[mike57]

What about Garsdale - Redmire - Northallerton, closed to passengers but had a sporadic freight service for many years after the 1954 closure to passengers of the whole route, and the closure west of Redmire in 1964 created the current dead end branch.

 

[Taunton]

A steep loop line ran northwards from Bog Hall Junction south of Whitby Town station up to Prospect Hill Junction north of Whitby West Cliff station. So by means of a reversal trains could run from Whitby Town station to Whitby West Cliff, and then on to Scarborough.

After the Whitby to Saltburn direct line was closed in the late 1950s due to a landslip (or the fear of one), the Scarborough to Middlesbrough service had to reverse no less than four times in quite a short journey, which must be a record. Immediately on starting at Scarborough, where the junction faced the wrong way, then at Whitby Prospect Hill, Whitby station, and Battersby. Fortunately the service had been changed to dmus not long beforehand.