What would you do to a plot of land on your heritage railway?

For me it would be Leekbrook junction on the Churnet Valley.

As you can see this is pretty much how i would have it. The original shed was a single road but what i would do is to make it two road shed but not have the outside road. It would try to look NSR style on the outside but inside it would be like the Engine House at Highley on the SVR. It would incorperate a shop, restaurant, toilets, conference room to hire out for partys/business/schools. This would give the churnet a really good facility to visit, with trying to get some locomotives from NRM to fill. NSR tank engine would be great obviously. This would be a great place for photographers and enthusiasts who could hear the locos working really hard up the bank.
All the original signal boxes would be re built but it would be a new station to an NSR design poss pipe gate.
The parking would be on the old sidings and the area around it.

What would you do?

 

If there was the room, build a carriage shed at Alresford and a locomotive shed (for out of service locos) at Ropley. Too much stuff is suffering by being outside - not just at the MHR either.

 

I thought that was part of the overall plan in the cutting at Alresford, long term I might add.

Regards
Chris:

 

Build a miniature railway because we could afford to run it as the reduction days of operations of the standard gauge railways feed in

 

Doing it already...



Still to be added is a loop line around the Platform and a headshunt northwards from Allerford Junction. Oh and complete the 300 yards of the East Chord. Then consider a second track as sidings along the Barnstaple.

At Williton, to construct a spur from the North Yard into Sherrings Yard for storage of heritage carriages and other stock.

And if I had my way - and the money - to lay broad gauge track along the former up line from Dunster towards Minehead to allow a BG demo train to operate from Dunster Station towards Minehead...

Steve

 

By its nature the question assumes a railway already exists ... but if it didn't I'd build an LNWR line. All I have to do is win the Lottery!

Regards

 

The NVR is ex-LNWR.

 

Nominally this is true, but they haven't restored it as LNWR.

 

Aaah, broad guage! I really like Didcot. The real icing on the cake would be having the north side demonstration line as dual gauge. After all, The Western had the 'master gauge' for 57 years of its lifespan.

Regards,
Ian

 

Don't forget the fledgling Northampton and Lamport and the Pontypool and Blaenavon.

Personally, I'd add a few acres of flat land to Bridgnorth, SVR.

 

Would certainly benefit from it.

Regarding the SVR - proper locomotive preparation and disposal facilities at Bewdley would be useful - so perhaps excavate the rock siding by a few roads length and build a 2 road shed (think of Machynlleth for a similar idea) with proper pits, coaling and watering facilities.

 

Why not restore the Barnstaple Line to Broad Gauge if you have the money? With a connection at Norton, be a reason to get off there.

 

At the Bluebell, I'd extend south from Sheffield Park - obviously re-instating the A 275 bridge. After a few hundred yards, build a kick back siding to the old dairy site on the opposite side of the main road, and re-site the loco works there. In turn, that would allow the existing loco works to be redeveloped as an engine shed extension, probably getting another half-dozen engines under cover. The southern extension would also provide storage space well out of the way to berth the stock from in-coming charters.

More seriously, as soon as the Turner's siding shed (aka Woodpax, aka Operation Undercover phase 3) and the East Grinstead extension are completed, we need to think about Operation Undercover phase 4, which is another big carriage shed at Horsted Keynes.

Now, about that lottery win...

Tom

 

I'd agree with most of that. I'd like to see a few things at the Bluebell.

1. Install a Turntable/Triangle (whatever's cheapest) possibly in the triangle at Horsted or at Sharpthorne/West Hoathly for a turntable. (I did see in Steam Railway that the line were looking into buying Hither Green's but not sure of its truthfulness)

2. Loco Shed/Works increased. (I think some locos are still at Horsted in the carriage sidings after the Anniversary Display last year). Maybe in the future more land on the estate next to the line at Sheffield Park could become available so maybe something like Swanage with Herston Works.

3. Getting back to Haywards Heath (a personal one for me) but after East Grinstead of course.

4. Increase in Carriage storage.

A few of them are being worked on. Maybe if I hit the jackpot

 

I'd be doing something similar, although with the large chunk of farmland either side of the embankment south of Sheffield Park. On one side of the embankment I'd have a completely new loco depot, huge new works and running shed and provide the site with its own water tower, coaling dock and turntable, all built in the style of Brighton Works. The other side of the embankment would house the biggest carriage running shed of any preserved railway, capable of holding all the railways stock with plenty of space for future aquistions. Alongside would be the best carriage and wagon workshops in the country, fitted out to do any work neccesary. That done and operational, i'd be rebuilding the current loco shed and works as a large exhibits museum much like the engine house at Highley. The sheds at Horsted would become extra museum space and indoor workshops and stores for Signalling and Permenant Way departments. Oh how we can dream!

Daniel

 

I'd move all the engineering functions to HK and turn SP into a tourist centre. I'd extend the current engine shed and the Bessemer Arms at SP which would vastly improve the site and install a 70ft turntable. I'd then take over more of the Woodpax site for additional carriage storage. At HK, I'd build a new engineering workshop on the down yard for loco and C&W and cover the up yard where much of the future carriage and wagon projects are stored in the open. I know that HK station area is 'covered' by a Grade 2 listing, but other Grade 2 sites have been changed and I don't see why this can't be done to HK too. Then a 70ft turntable at KC which would finish the project.

Regards

 

that thought sprung to my mind too with referance to the orriginal post. Time will tell!........

 

Unlikely - there are operational reasons for wanting the loco repair facilities and the loco yard in the same location (such as having repair facilities and fitters available for small repairs). And I can't see the loco yard moving from SP, especially with all the infrastructure in place (water tower, wash out pit etc). In addition, during heavy snow SP generally remains accessible, but HK often gets cut off. So it's hard to imagine the loco facilities moving from where they are - especially not now we have a nice shiny new shed to put rolling stock away in at the end of the day, also at SP!

Tom

 

Selling plots of redundant railway land for residential use can be a nice little earner.

The MHR sold off part of the stub of the Basingstoke and Alton Rly at Butts junction a few years back for a healthy sum.

The property developer involved bought the land on condition of planning application approval and site levelling work which was paid for by the MHR.

The deal was sucessfully concluded, however when i drove past the site last year, no developement had yet been built, so it seems the MHR were canny enough to get the deal through before the financial downturn that has come about in recent years!