Long Potential Extensions

Getting around Melrose would indeed be a right pig to do. The Whitrope lads however have perhaps the most potential for expansion of all: Carlisle to St. Boswell's, with branches to Langholm and Kielder.

 

Rowsley to Buxton or Blackwell Mill

 

SVR to Stourport? They own the trackbed as far as Burlish but not sure how much the lines been built on at the Stourport end.

 

Not to forget the Corwen - Rhyl line, branching off at Denbigh toward Mold! Could have a right little network one day.

 

So close - out by one branchline! What the SVR *could* do, allowing for favourable weather conditions, a limitless money pool/pit, and stiff gins all round, is reinstate Dowles Bridge.

Can't get all the way to Woofferton but you could put back Bewdley-Wyre Forest-Brown Clee Hill- Cleobury Mortimer-Neen Sollars-Newnham Bridge.... (although you'd need to have a Chinnor style headshunt loop beyond the station at Newnham Bridge unless they changed the road alignment immediately before the bridge over the trackbed to get a loop in at the station.

Now that's the closing time-after-eight-pints in the King & Castle dream of champions.

What's the number for the Heritage Lottery Fund again?

 

Great replies guys.

Just thought I'd chip in and mention that a website I've spent many hours on is http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=6&lat=57.20557&lon=-2.54893&layers=6 where there's a modern Google satellite image with a historic map overlay - So you can follow track beds much more easily.

 

good site - just used it to check my memory, and, as I thought, move a couple of static caravans and it's clear to the other side of Newnham Bridge. I think there's one building that would need to come down as well in the depths of the forest, but in the great scheme of things, if we've got the money to put back the bridge we've got the money to buy that...

In fact, if it wasn't such a ludicrous idea (on the basis of cost, demand, and the fact that no one lives there), it would be a brilliant idea. Certainly would count as one of the most beautiful and unspoilt standard gauge preservation schemes.

But realistically, no chance.

 

Matt,
At the recent Q & A at Highley. It was proposed that a railway p/way engineering company are looking at using the trackbed from south of Sandbourne viaduct through to the tunnel as a training base. Ie lineside clearance, embankment/ civils work and relaying the track through the tunnel. I am not sure how much further past the tunnel can be relaid.

 

Churnet Valley.

Currently 5.5miles Leek Brook to Kingsley & Froghall, with access to the 4.5miles from LBJ to Ipstones.

Proposed Extension -:
1 mile North to Leek from LBJ
10miles West to Stoke from LBJ
4ish Miles South-East from Ipstones to Cauldon Quarry
> Plus 2ish Miles from Caldon Jcn to Waterhouses
5ish Miles South from Froghall to Alton Towers.

IF everything comes off, that's a network of over 30miles worth of track.
*Leek is progressing, with formal plans to be made public within the coming weeks.
*Stoke is under discussions between MCR and Network Rail.
*Cauldon is waiting for the ownership of the quarry to be full settled before talks recommence (and this ties in with Waterhouses too).
*Alton, we own upto Oakamoor Sand Quarry (aka Moneystone). Scoping plans have just gone in for converting the former quarry into a holiday park, which if successful would give an ideal reason to re-open this section. Beyond Moneystone the trackbed between Oakamoor and Alton is currently Council owned, and so further discussions will be required. Leek though is the main effort at present as it will finally give us a presence in a location that is actually somewhere instead of in the middle of nowhere!

 

Is the loco department located in a good position should this network come into fruition? - would LBJ become the most active place in all of railway preservation?

 

No, that would be Mr Reeder's imagination....

 

The MPD is based at Cheddleton, roughly a mile South of Leek Brook.
Steam wise we have 2x TKh, 2x S160 + 8F. 1x TKh is serviceable, and bot S160s should be running within 12 months.
Diesel wise we have 2x 33, 1x 47, 1x 25 and 2x 37. Both 33s run (though 021 is currently awaiting repairs) and the 47 should be running within 18 months.

Future service wise I can only see CVR operating the Leek - Froghall (and/or Oakmoor + Alton Towers) section regularly.
Ipstones will more than likely remain a 1 weekend a month operation until Waterhouses is reached (which wont be in the immediate future).
Stoke Line will probably become a gala only line, as this is mainly MCR efforts so they can re-introduce commuter service Leek - Stoke and also use it for moving freight to/from Cauldon.

So for what CVR want to do I would say yes we have enough, we just need to the money and manpower to get them all operational!

As for Leek Brook, Gala days could certainly become interesting once we've got it all opened!

 

The Bluebell owns the trackbed for a two mile extension to Ardingly and thence (via Network Rail) to Haywards Heath. The major engineering obstacle is the re-instatement of Sherriff Mill viaduct just outside Horsted Keynes.

With near-unlimited funds the Bluebell could go six miles south to the site of Culver Junction, and then another three miles into Lewes. But they really would have to be near-unlimited funds! The trackbed has been built on at Newick, about two miles south of Sheffield Park, and then again once into Lewes. There is also an infilled cutting to clear.

Tom

 

Why stop there? When you get to Waterhouses you can go down a gauge or so and rebuild the Leek & Manifold Valley as well...

 

Someone sends us a blank cheque we'll happily get on with it!

 

If we're talking real pie in the sky then in addition to Pickering to Rillington, there's Pickering to Scarborough via the Forge Valley line, and Pickering to Pilmoor and Malton (and Driffield) via Gilling.

 

Or Norden to Goathorn on the Fayles Tramway in the Purbecks.

 

With enough will the Brecon Mountain Rly could easily regain the 7 or so miles to Talybont-on-Usk, and with new bridges over the Usk and under the A40 (and repossessing someone's garden), the trackbed is clear for at least 8 miles to Talgarth; 15 miles in all. An extension south from Pontsticill to Cefn Coed of about 4 miles looks reasonably clear too.