TRIVIA: Hardest Rail lines to reinstate

[LewFinnis]

The Dover sea front line to the Eastern Docks, particularly given the Western Docks re-development now going on!

 

[Mikey C]

It would take quite an effort to to reinstall the Greenwich Park branch line!

 

[Pete_uk]

Stonehouse to Nailsworth and Stroud. It would be great just to have a 143 running up and down.

 

[swaldman]

Here's a link to a picture of the connection. Scroll down a bit and you'll find it.

Hah - thank you!

 

[K.o.R]

How about the rest of the Waverley Line? I think part of it is under a large reservoir now.

 

[markindurham]

How about the rest of the Waverley Line? I think part of it is under a large reservoir now.

No, that's the Border Counties Railway, which met the Waverley at Riccarton Junction. Some of it is under Kielder Reservoir, but much remains, including the wonderful Kielder viaduct, which you can walk both over and under

 

[KAD]

Elgin to Buckie

 

[A Challenge]

Waterloo Necropolis Railway - I imagine you'd have to move graves in the cemetery and then there's the London end...

 

[swaldman]

Waterloo Necropolis Railway - I imagine you'd have to move graves in the cemetery and then there's the London end...

I think the London end is still there, isn't it? Apart from the station? (but the building exists, with a different occupant)

 

[shredder1]

Liverpool Overhead Railway!

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Liverpool Overhead Railway!

I'm not convinced about the difficulty of this. As I understand it, most of the route is still there and unobstructed. I've never been quite sure how the line got from the docks to Seaforth Sands, and there have been collapses in the underground section to Dingle, but those issues aside, I don't think that anything would have to be demolished to put the line back. For the line to be an overhead railway again, a new structure (uprights and deck) would have to be built - but that's not difficult, just expensive.

Expensive? Yes
Worthwhile? Probably not (a lot depends on the nature of Peel's plans for redeveloping the North and Central docks)
Difficult? No.

 

[shredder1]

I'm not convinced about the difficulty of this. As I understand it, most of the route is still there and unobstructed. I've never been quite sure how the line got from the docks to Seaforth Sands, and there have been collapses in the underground section to Dingle, but those issues aside, I don't think that anything would have to be demolished to put the line back. For the line to be an overhead railway again, a new structure (uprights and deck) would have to be built - but that's not difficult, just expensive.

Expensive? Yes
Worthwhile? Probably not (a lot depends on the nature of Peel's plans for redeveloping the North and Central docks)
Difficult? No.

Yes the expense would be the thing, I think it would have made a great tourist atraction had the original survived, but yes I take your point on its validity and possibly redevelopment strategies.

 

[Scouseinmanc]

I've never been quite sure how the line got from the docks to Seaforth Sands,
Difficult? No.

The station at Seaforth Sands was just a stones throw from the docks. The location is now within the Port of Liverpool Dock Estate & not accessible to the general public.

 

[J-Rod]

Another one for the pot - The Mumbles Railway. Not so much the physical logistics being difficult but the local political ones (i.e., the madness of Swansea council and their weird and wond...er... just weird schemes)

 

[XDM]

Waterloo Necropolis Railway - I imagine you'd have to move graves in the cemetery and then there's the London end...

Amagingly the entire branch line including the earthworks & two platforms half a mile from each other are intact. No graves in the way.
The line crosses a main road so a level crossing has gone.
A fascinating half hour amble from Brookwood station down exit.
There is also the branch on the up side to Bisley ranges. You can follow all of this, although the skew bridge over the Basingstoke canal is down. At brookwood cemetery you may, or may not, wish to see Dodi Fyad's memorial & those of many remarkable people.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Yes the expense would be the thing, I think it would have made a great tourist atraction had the original survived, but yes I take your point on its validity and possibly redevelopment strategies.

Perhaps if it had made it to the mid-1970s it might have been absorbed into Merseyrail, with extensions and connections to what is now Merseyrail. A Chicago-style "El'" of sorts...

 

[physics34]

Stoats Nest Junction to Coulsdon North sidings. Now the Coulsdon Bypass!

Sanderstead to Woodside. Bridges removed and embankments cut out (to make the line road level for trams)

 

[shredder1]

Perhaps if it had made it to the mid-1970s it might have been absorbed into Merseyrail, with extensions and connections to what is now Merseyrail. A Chicago-style "El'" of sorts...

Yes indeed, I`ve often thought that, Paris has similar of course.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

The Kirkburton branch would be tough to make a business case for... almost every bridge removed, houses or industrial units built all over the route, and it was a VERY round-the-houses way of getting from a large-ish village into Huddersfield. Apparently Rowley Viaduct survives hidden in the trees behind the Morrison's but you'd never know when you look from the A629 Penistone Road!

 

[matacaster]

Holmfirth branch although very short is missing a viaduct and some of the track bed and all of the station area has been built on.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Holmfirth branch although very short is missing a viaduct and some of the track bed and all of the station area has been built on.

It's been mentioned a couple of times, so it must be considered difficult for the reasons you cite...

A real shame the alignment wasn't protected, or even better the line not closed at all. Though in the 1960s the road was king and the traffic chaos on the A616 that we see today would've been unthinkable. Nowadays though, the line would do a roaring trade I reckon.

 

[matacaster]

The Kirkburton branch would be tough to make a business case for... almost every bridge removed, houses or industrial units built all over the route, and it was a VERY round-the-houses way of getting from a large-ish village into Huddersfield. Apparently Rowley Viaduct survives hidden in the trees behind the Morrison's but you'd never know when you look from the A629 Penistone Road!

I would commend a walk on the old trackbed parts of which are accessible (and indeed a cycle route over a viaduct near deighton) despite the missing bridges. The line doubles back on itself at deighton (it heads out from Huddersfield in opposite direction to Kirkburton!) and goes behind the old ICI / Syngenta chemical works. You can get onto the old trackbed near deighton and also in places from the road which runs parallel (but higher up) to the Syngenta works. You can also get onto the old line near what used to be called the Royal and Ancient pub at Bradley.

The line crossed Wakefield Road, Hudds at Waterloo where the bridge is missing and then goes across behind the new care home parallel to Fenay Bridge Lane. You can get onto this part of the old trackbed down some small paths.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I would commend a walk on the old trackbed parts of which are accessible (and indeed a cycle route over a viaduct near deighton) despite the missing bridges. The line doubles back on itself at deighton (it heads out from Huddersfield in opposite direction to Kirkburton!) and goes behind the old ICI / Syngenta chemical works. You can get onto the old trackbed near deighton and also in places from the road which runs parallel (but higher up) to the Syngenta works. You can also get onto the old line near what used to be called the Royal and Ancient pub at Bradley.

The line crossed Wakefield Road, Hudds at Waterloo where the bridge is missing and then goes across behind the new care home parallel to Fenay Bridge Lane. You can get onto this part of the old trackbed down some small paths.

I've walked parts of it round Far Dene. It's certainly less of a challenge than Holmfirth, but it was such a silly route to a fairly insignificant village (though the Textile mills there were the main reason it existed)* that even if it was just a case of putting the track down, it wouldn't wash its face financially in a million years.

*= AIUI there were plans at some point to extend to Barnsley, but this never got off the ground. The Clayton West branch also had a planned but unbuilt Barnsley extension.

 

[FordFocus]

Eminently doable. There's space alongside the road. As per Wikipedia: "A 1996 study commissioned by Warwickshire County Council and Stratford-on-Avon District Council concluded that reinstatement to Stratford station is still feasible, but would require the re-modelling of Evesham Place roundabout and replacement of the cycleway alongside Seven Meadows Road and the footpath between Sandifield Road and Evesham Place to be converted into railway."

Great news

thank you good Doctor!

 

[backontrack]

I suppose the Meltham Branch?

 

[randyrippley]

The Portland line might be a bit difficult.....
the Radipole viaduct has long gone, much of the route is a road and finding a route across the causeway and past the site of the former naval base could prove to be insoluble

 

[47434]

Despite the claims of SELRAP, I think Skipton to Colne will present a number of issues - not least having to tunnel or bridge the bypass in Colne and twice in Earby where level crossing formally were.

Clearly not in the league of some but is certainly topical at the moment

 

[433N]

Around 2010, I had the misfortune to have to wait a few hours for my daughter in Galashiels and spent the morning walking the old railway taking photos before work on the Borders Railway started. My only thought was 'nah' and couldn't really conceive that the work to reinstate the railway would happen.

 

[BurtonM]

Woodhead line, yes there's a nice preserved trackbed, but you've got a national park to contend with as well as whatever remedial work the tunnel might need, if it's even possible, and if the tunnel is big enough for modern standards.
Croxley Green (not as part of LU) as you'd need to un-sever the terminus from that dual carriageway.
Weymouth Harbour probably wouldn't get past the Health and Safety Executive.

 

[njamescouk]

has the solway junction railway had a mention? need a bridge over the solway firth for starters...

https://www.railscot.co.uk/companies/S/Solway_Junction_Railway/

http://www.cumbria-railways.co.uk/viaduct1.html

https://canmore.org.uk/site/67045/solway-viaduct