What preserved railway extension would you most like to see?

[Wirewiper]

Bring back the Stanmore Village branch, and have the only steam-operated heritage railway within Greater London*!

Never going to happen of course, as most of the route is now either a "Green Corridor" footpath or has been built on.

Perhaps Southall-Brentford could become a home for regular steam services at weekends, when it isn't required for freight?

* Edit - forgot about the Museum of Water & Steam at Kew which has its own narrow-gauge steam railway - my bad.

 

[The_Rail_WAy]

Wonderful question that has inspired me to post, despite 'lurking' for the first time in a while, so here 'my bit':

(1) Lakeside and Haverthwaite to Ulverston
(2) Ribble valley steam (Preston) both to Preston sidings, and further out from the dock.
(3) East Lancs to Bacup/Accrington and to Rochdale, also Bolton via Radcliffe.
(4) Wensleydale railway to Garsdale.
(5) Eden Valley railway to Applebey.
(6) Kirby Stephen to Tebay or beyond!
(7) *NOT PRESERVED* but Guildford to Cranleigh.
(8) Bideford - Barnstaple

 

[xc170]

Wonderful question that has inspired me to post, despite 'lurking' for the first time in a while, so here 'my bit':

(1) Lakeside and Haverthwaite to Ulverston
(4) Wensleydale railway to Garsdale.

Couple of decent suggestions there!

Would like the see the Lakeside and Haverthwaite extend but can't see it happening, I get the impression it's ran more as a commercial tourist attraction than an enthusiast lead heritage line.

Wensleydale needs extending to Garsdale though, with a permanent extension into Northallerton at the opposite end, that would make an awesome round trip, Leeds - Northallerton - Garsdale - Leeds!

 

[alexl92]

Some I would love to see are
- Middleton: Almost impossible bar a potential short extension into Middleton Park
- Aln Valley: Love what they’ve done so far, can’t wait to see where they go from here
- Derwent Valley LR: Lovely little line but I reckon if you could extend to a ‘somewhere’ it could have huge potential without losing the Light Railway feel.
- Wensleydale, Embsay and Ashburton as others have said


But the one I am personally most excited about is the Yorkshire Wolds Railway. Just 500 yards of track at present I think but they have a plan, and having travelled through this countryside every year as a kid, the idea of a steam railway running through it is really exciting.

 

[mushroomchow]

I can't see an extension to the Lakeside & Haverthwaite either, sadly - and it's an atrocious line which the Fairburns are wasted on. Slow as a snail in treacle, commercialised and with jobsworth staff. The boat is far more enjoyable than the train, but that doesn't stop me comfortably saying it had the worst "vibe" of any line I've ever ridden.

It's there to make money, which I'm afraid it's most likely to do in its current form.

 

[BigCj34]

I can't see an extension to the Lakeside & Haverthwaite either, sadly - and it's an atrocious line which the Fairburns are wasted on. Slow as a snail in treacle, commercialised and with jobsworth staff. The boat is far more enjoyable than the train, but that doesn't stop me comfortably saying it had the worst "vibe" of any line I've ever ridden.

It's there to make money, which I'm afraid it's most likely to do in its current form.

I remember cycling on the road adjacent to the line, I was going faster than the train! As for extending the line, the trackbed is intact up to the Leven estuary, so accessing the terminus can be achieved via the footbridge from Greenodd, but the viaduct has long gone. However extending the line south would involve a grade-separated crossing of the A590 so it is a non-starter.

 

[xc170]

I can't see an extension to the Lakeside & Haverthwaite either, sadly - and it's an atrocious line which the Fairburns are wasted on. Slow as a snail in treacle, commercialised and with jobsworth staff. The boat is far more enjoyable than the train, but that doesn't stop me comfortably saying it had the worst "vibe" of any line I've ever ridden.

It's there to make money, which I'm afraid it's most likely to do in its current form.

I did the Lakeside - Newby Bridge section in September, can't say I had any issues with the staff.

I agree about the slow speed and commercialisation though.

Sat there listening to announcements, well, more like a 10 minute advertisement over a PA system in a Mk1 just felt wrong.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Bring back the Stanmore Village branch, and have the only steam-operated heritage railway within Greater London*!

Never going to happen of course, as most of the route is now either a "Green Corridor" footpath or has been built on.

Perhaps Southall-Brentford could become a home for regular steam services at weekends, when it isn't required for freight?

* Edit - forgot about the Museum of Water & Steam at Kew which has its own narrow-gauge steam railway - my bad.

The Lincolnshire Wolds railway is possibly extending??

Another One which would be good is West Drayton towards Staines West? /Poyle/Colnbrook.Similar to the above mention Southall-Brentford.

Another Watersworks Railway that is trying to extend is at Kempton/Hampton Middlesex.

I think there was talk too of the Old North Woolwich line towards Silvertown?

 

[Hellfire]

Been mentioned before but Peak Rail extended to Bakewell would be top of my list. I'm a bit biased as I did a steam driving experience with them last week and they seem well set up. I was also surprised that on a cold February Sunday they were running four services and quite a few passengers were using them. Bakewell was very busy so I think the revenue would be there

 

[The Ham]

As a bit of an aside, but linked to the original question, what improvements would also be good to see to existing preserved lines and what benefits could they bring?

For instance could providing an extra loop mean that more services could be run which could allow a commuter stlye service to be provided in the peaks without impacting on existing steam services?

 

[xotGD]

As a bit of an aside, but linked to the original question, what improvements would also be good to see to existing preserved lines and what benefits could they bring?

For instance could providing an extra loop mean that more services could be run which could allow a commuter stlye service to be provided in the peaks without impacting on existing steam services?

Electrification of at least one preserved line to allow Roarers* to operate.

*Classes 81-85

 

[billio]

Extending the East Lancs railway through the yards at Buckley Wells to a new station on the Metrolink.
A shuttle service could run to Bolton Street and on to the Transport Museum. One of the frustrations with the ELR is that owing to the layout you don't see much of the preservation projects and the engine shed. This shuttle service would open these aspects up to the public and provide more movement and interest on the station at Bolton Street..
The next step might be to run a commuter service from Rawtenstall to the Metrolink station. However, if you think about the daily staffing implications (stations, signals, level crossings, train staff) it would be a complete non-starter unless it was heavily subsidised. It would be interesting to know if there is any existing "non-heritage" passenger traffic on the ELR or any heritage line for that matter.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Extending the East Lancs railway through the yards at Buckley Wells to a new station on the Metrolink.
A shuttle service could run to Bolton Street and on to the Transport Museum. One of the frustrations with the ELR is that owing to the layout you don't see much of the preservation projects and the engine shed. This shuttle service would open these aspects up to the public and provide more movement and interest on the station at Bolton Street..
The next step might be to run a commuter service from Rawtenstall to the Metrolink station. However, if you think about the daily staffing implications (stations, signals, level crossings, train staff) it would be a complete non-starter unless it was heavily subsidised. It would be interesting to know if there is any existing "non-heritage" passenger traffic on the ELR or any heritage line for that matter.

Above suggestion is good. It will be good too if and when they join the main line in the Rochdale Area, East of Hayward. I think they also had another branch going off northwards from just beyond Ramsbottom?

 

[AnthonyRail]

I'd like to see more of L&B railway track relaid.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Above suggestion is good. It will be good too if and when they join the main line in the Rochdale Area, East of Hayward. I think they also had another branch going off northwards from just beyond Ramsbottom?

That would be Stubbins Junction Stevie, where the line diverged via Helmshore to Accrington etc.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Electrification of at least one preserved line to allow Roarers* to operate.

*Classes 81-85

Sorry to diverge slightly from the purpose of this thread but imagine if a section of the former Woodhead Route was reinstated from Hadfield Station to a point just short of the western portal of Woodhead Tunnel. Extend the 25 KV overhead catenary from Hadfield and rebuild the former down platform for the heritage electric services to run into, perhaps on special occasions the trains could even continue to Dinting or Glossop if paths could be found? Go easy on me...I'm just fantasising of course

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Wonderful question that has inspired me to post, despite 'lurking' for the first time in a while, so here 'my bit':


(3) East Lancs to Accrington
(

...not forgetting to extend it beyond the town station and on to Peel Park - all rebuilt in time for Stanley's rise to the Premier league.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

That would be Stubbins Junction Stevie, where the line diverged via Helmshore to Accrington etc.

Oh, ok, thanks for that.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

How about linking up the Eden Valley Railway and the Stainmore Railway in Cumbria/Westmorland?

 

[John Casingena]

Battlefield line should be extended but how long can you wait wait a year and someone has build over the trackbed

 

[Iskra]

I'd like to see the Elsecar Heritage railway able to operate over its already constructed extension. The track is all there, but it needs work to bring it up to passenger standards.

 

[Enthusiast]

Bring back the Stanmore Village branch, and have the only steam-operated heritage railway within Greater London*!
* Edit - forgot about the Museum of Water & Steam at Kew which has its own narrow-gauge steam railway - my bad.

There is also the Royal Arsenal Narrow Gauge (RANG) railway under construction at Crossness Pumping Station. Last I heard they aimed to have a service running some time this year. Don't know how that's progressing.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

There is also the Royal Arsenal Narrow Gauge (RANG) railway under construction at Crossness Pumping Station. Last I heard they aimed to have a service running some time this year. Don't know how that's progressing.

And the Kempton/Hampton Waterworks Railway, plus Epping-Ongar.

 

[33117]

I'd like to chuck a few of the smaller railways into the mix here:

(1)Rushden railway, I'd love to see them extend a bit more but sadly the bridge is gone at rushden & the trackbed was wiped out as well beyond the dual carriageway at higham ferrers.

(2)Chinnor, they've apparently got plans to expand beyond the old cement factory at chinnor.

(3)The stainmore railway have got extension plans & judging by the progress & excellent standards of work they've pulled off of so far at kirkby stephen east. Plus it's 1 of the most scenic railways in the country.

(4)Somerset & dorset, now their only a small outfit at current. They've restored midsomer norton to a really good standard & have so far extended up to the infilled cutting at chilcompton.
Next step for them is removing the spoil from the infilled cutting which won't be easy as it'll have to be done by road, then they apparently plan to extend through chilcompton tunnel & onwards although how much of the trackbed is left & what realistically can they do?

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Perhaps Southall-Brentford could become a home for regular steam services at weekends, when it isn't required for freight?

This plan was seriously considered when the Great Western Preservation group had most of Southall shed. The concept proved feasible when the steam Railmotor did a weekend. The Brentford branch does, however, now see freight on Saturday.

 

[John Luxton]

I think my priority project would be Llangollen to Ruabon. I just don't understand why the section from Ruabon to Llangollen was not safeguarded. Looking at the traffic and numbers of visitors turn up at Llangollen a mainline connection on the Shrewsbury Chester line would surely be very useful.

 

[Spamcan81]

If I might do a bit of speaking up for the sometimes despised-and-overlooked -- viz. here, in the often-regarded-as-dull more easterly parts of England where I was born and grew up -- something I'd love to see (it might well at this stage require magic, rather than a mere £30 million), would be: the Nene Valley Railway extended from its present western limit, the five or six miles or so onward to the station, in its proper and as-was site, at Oundle. For a good many years after the 1964 closure of the Peterborough -- Northampton through route, the line remained in use at the Peterborough end, as far as Oundle; for freight, and for beginning-and-end-of-term school trains serving Oundle's well-known public school. It's a beautiful little stone-built town: deserving in my view, more attention from visitors. And from my, admittedly verging-on-bigoted, type of railway-enthusiast POV -- this would make a preserved line of worthwhile length, and running from "somewhere to somewhere", rather than the present in my view rather absurd "somewhere to nowhere".

I do recognise reluctantly (having had this "take" expounded to me, by volunteers on this very line -- and as touched on by the OP) that re things pragmatic: very many of the visitors on whose fares preserved railways rely, prefer a "short-and-sweet" steam experience (say half a dozen miles each way) to a longer one -- and don't give a damn about sentimental old-style railway enthusiasts' concerns over "somewheres and nowheres".

Agree whole heartedly about extending to Oundle but I'd add a connection from Peterborough Nene Valley to Peterborough North.

 

[Aictos]

Agree whole heartedly about extending to Oundle but I'd add a connection from Peterborough Nene Valley to Peterborough North.

I would relocate the existing Peterborough NVR station to the former Peterborough East site with 2 platforms for the mainline services and a bay platform for the NVR with the NVR line being bi directional single line being independent of the NR lines thus giving a interchange with NR services at Peterborough NVR.

Especially as building a curve from Peterborough NVR to Peterborough NR will mean a tight curve unless trains used the Fletton Loop which I doubt will happen.

As to extending to Oundle, I would extend to Northampton!

 

[RichJF]

Horsted Keynes - Haywards Heath (preserved 4 Vep operated with a 73/33 in push-pull over the line)

Bodiam - Roberstbridge on the K&ESR

A physical connection/junction provided to the Spa Valley Railway at Eridge. Probably cost prohibitive but the line extended through Grove Tunnel back into Tunbridge Wells Central.

East Kent Railway reconnected to main line at Sheperdswell

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Horsted Keynes - Haywards Heath (preserved 4 Vep operated with a 73/33 in push-pull over the line)

Bodiam - Roberstbridge on the K&ESR

A physical connection/junction provided to the Spa Valley Railway at Eridge. Probably cost prohibitive but the line extended through Grove Tunnel back into Tunbridge Wells Central.

I think Bodiam - Roberstbridge on the K&ESR, is being done, there is the issue of a main road being crossed however.

Re Spa Valley, they are supposed to be installing a run round loop there, but I don't know if that has happened yet. All being well, I may be going down there in a few weeks, so will have a look. I think Getting back to Tunbridge Wells may be difficult. I suspect there is a supermarket in the way!