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Walking the Cotgrave Colliery Branch Line

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Skycloud2025

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One branch line in Nottinghamshire that is hardly recognisable is the former Cotgrave Colliery Branch Line. Now converted into a cycle / pathway, there is little remaining of this important coal route. My short video is attached below for those that may like to see it :)

 
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WesternLancer

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One branch line in Nottinghamshire that is hardly recognisable is the former Cotgrave Colliery Branch Line. Now converted into a cycle / pathway, there is little remaining of this important coal route. My short video is attached below for those that may like to see it :)

Just found this and enjoyed watching it, having walked a part of the route recently. Shame you can't get closer to the viaduct just to see this impressive 'modern' structure more clearly. I guess you need to go down into the fields below to see that, tho odes not look like a public right of way on that south side of the Trent.
 

Skycloud2025

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Just found this and enjoyed watching it, having walked a part of the route recently. Shame you can't get closer to the viaduct just to see this impressive 'modern' structure more clearly. I guess you need to go down into the fields below to see that, tho odes not look like a public right of way on that south side of the Trent.

Thanks for watching.

I did look at a road that kind of went over that way but it appeared to be private farm access. I went back earlier this year and did another film around what remains of Colwick Yard and sent the drone up near this viaduct so that will be included in that film :)
 

WesternLancer

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Thanks for watching.

I did look at a road that kind of went over that way but it appeared to be private farm access. I went back earlier this year and did another film around what remains of Colwick Yard and sent the drone up near this viaduct so that will be included in that film :)
Cheers, yes I just looked at the area on google maps satellite image and it looks like there is a clear farm access track / lane up past some stables etc there from which a view would probably be possible. If I'd looked at that before I would have tried to walk up there, esp if there was someone around to ask permission off if it was gated etc. I guess your Colwick Yard film not ready to post online yet?

In case you had not seen them there are some pics of the viaduct when new on the local photo archive site - given the picture credit is to Stanton Ironworks that suggests they may have been involved in construction (IIRC Stanton made pre cast concrete stuff too - so maybe parts of the viaduct built by them) - photo credit date probably a bit too early when it early c1950s):

1 of 3 or 4 similar images
eg
and
 

DB

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Is there anything in the way of railway or mining infrastructure left, or has it all been completely removed?
 

WesternLancer

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Is there anything in the way of railway or mining infrastructure left, or has it all been completely removed?
Some minor bits of railway infrastructure that you can see in skycloud's video as he highlights them - plus the rail over road bridges of course (rather obviously), and they have what I suspect are BR bridge codes stencil painted on them. There are still some bits of track left beside the path - rather improbably. And much of it is on decent height embankment so clearly you are on a railway line. Rail ballast is obvious to either side of the foot/cycle path and still has an air of relative freshness about it since the line closure was relatively recent (compared with say a Beeching era closed route conversion).

Done at the mine site I'm not sure that there is former coal infrastructure really, given it is now landscaped into a country park, but I didn't explore that recently - so drawing on memory of the site on a visit a few years back. Some canal infrastructure there too (Grantham Canal) - again shown in skycloud's short video.

From memory I seem to recall that work was undertaken to remove the colliery buildings etc quite promptly after closure in the early 90s.
 

WesternLancer

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Is there anything in the way of railway or mining infrastructure left, or has it all been completely removed?

This implies little in way of mining infrastructure and indeed at least some if not all of the area for colliery buildings is now taken over by new housing development. Details efforts to commemorate the site:
 

Skycloud2025

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Cheers, yes I just looked at the area on google maps satellite image and it looks like there is a clear farm access track / lane up past some stables etc there from which a view would probably be possible. If I'd looked at that before I would have tried to walk up there, esp if there was someone around to ask permission off if it was gated etc. I guess your Colwick Yard film not ready to post online yet?

In case you had not seen them there are some pics of the viaduct when new on the local photo archive site - given the picture credit is to Stanton Ironworks that suggests they may have been involved in construction (IIRC Stanton made pre cast concrete stuff too - so maybe parts of the viaduct built by them) - photo credit date probably a bit too early when it early c1950s):

1 of 3 or 4 similar images
eg
and
I've made a start on it howver other things keep overtaking it. I'm currently finishing off the Rufford Colliery Branch
 

DB

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Some minor bits of railway infrastructure that you can see in skycloud's video as he highlights them - plus the rail over road bridges of course (rather obviously), and they have what I suspect are BR bridge codes stencil painted on them. There are still some bits of track left beside the path - rather improbably. And much of it is on decent height embankment so clearly you are on a railway line. Rail ballast is obvious to either side of the foot/cycle path and still has an air of relative freshness about it since the line closure was relatively recent (compared with say a Beeching era closed route conversion).

Done at the mine site I'm not sure that there is former coal infrastructure really, given it is now landscaped into a country park, but I didn't explore that recently - so drawing on memory of the site on a visit a few years back. Some canal infrastructure there too (Grantham Canal) - again shown in skycloud's short video.

From memory I seem to recall that work was undertaken to remove the colliery buildings etc quite promptly after closure in the early 90s.
Thanks - must pay the site a visit some time when normality returns!
 

DB

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I've made a start on it howver other things keep overtaking it. I'm currently finishing off the Rufford Colliery Branch

I guess a lot more remains there in railway terms, given it's a recent closure?
 

jfowkes

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I always thought that the old line would make a great walking/cycle route into Nottingham from the east. "Just" needs a footbridge stapling to the side of the rail bridge over the Trent and you've got an opportunity for loads of people in Radcliffe to commute by bike instead of car/train/bus. Current cycle routes are all a bit rubbish in their own ways.
 
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