Bodmin & Wenford Railway, Wadebridge here we come ?

You mean when the GWS had a depot in the old engine shed.

 

Sustrans has done a great deal to preserve the integrity of former railway routes, preventing their piecemeal disposal to adjoining land owners. Parts of the Airdrie to Bathgate line and the Borders Railway have been facilitated by the fact that they were converted to multi-user paths. As for your forthcoming novel on cyclists in general, do remember to include a chapter where they are campaigning for more luggage space on all trains so that they can easily transport their cycles instead of clogging the roads whilst carrying them on car roof racks.

 

The GWS running on a Southern route beyond the exchange sidings near Nanstallon? Oh the irony!

 

Does that campaign include a willingness by cyclists to pay a surcharge for their bike - which is occupying the same space that a passenger would otherwise occupy? If not, then in effect all the other passengers must chip in to enable this "free" facility to be provided to cyclists. So perhaps that chapter might be quite illuminating.

 

Not sure of the history (Newbie in the area) but the NVR line from Wansford to Peterborough East (particularly Orton Mere to P. East) runs parallel with a cycle track, try Google Earth.

Sunnie

 

NVR was double track throughout originally.

 

Cycles would take less space if a more inventive way of hanging them were used. They could indeed be charged although to be fair luggage over around 10kg would have to be charged at the same rate.

 

Previous comments on this thread have been critical of "Nimbys" and they are not my favourite creature either. However having a little time to spare recently to visit but, alas, not to ride at a heritage railway "somewhere in the Midlands" prior to a family gathering crystalised my previous thoughts as to whether I would want one "in my back yard". Drive past the station and there is a panoramic view both of the attractive location in the background but also, unfortunately, of the mess in the foreground! There are tourist railways which take a deal of care either to tidy away things which will not receive attention in the near future or dispose of things which will never be restored. However these tend to be the minority. Don't be surprised if locals are only too aware of how gross some heritage railway operations can be.

P.H.

 

The Northampton and Lamport railway co-exists with a footpath- I am unsure whether it was previously double track though.

Chris

 

It was.

 

Much though I detest nimbys (why buy a house near a railway that you must have known might be reopened?), I have to say that the preserved railway movement doesn't always help itself in PR terms. They tend, in general, to store a load of junk in public view, that is highly unlikely to be restored during the next 40 years. People living nearby don't enjoy looking at a scrapyard. However, the BWR built a large shed for carriages down at Parkway, which alleviated this problem.

In this particular case, let's remember that North Cornwall District Council was very helpful in the early days of the BWR. When the county council took over from the old district councils, and went on to make such a mess of the new cyclepath cum railway project at Egloskerry, I certainly saw local government in a different light.

John

 

Not sure why they want to reopen to Wadebridge the best bit is beyond Wadebridge to Padstow the rest is a green corridor best left as a cycleway sometimes just best to work with what you allready have.

 

Having seen a Beattie well tank take a goods train down to Boscarne Junction, it was a splendid sight but it struck me that it would be really great to get onto actual L&SWR track!

You need to have goals in life, but this one will need a lot of patience.

John

 

To turn them from a somewhere to no where line to a somewhere to somewhere line.

 

Having visited Wadebridge do not see it as a must visit tourist town the line is only single line so a lot of work required which will be costly as well all other cyclepaths alongside railways have been on doubletrack formations everything is possibe with money but cannot see the cash strapped council wishing to fund this.

 

I remember many, many years ago there were objections in Steam Railway/Steam World to the Camel Trail as causing traffic. The argument was it would cause some 100,000+ vehicle movements. I can not remember the actual number but, suffice to say, with most cyclists coming in pairs it easily beat most heritage railways traffic figures. To me, with an open mind that put the bike in pole position.

I think the Padstow to Wadebridge section is, without a shadow of a doubt, economically better as a cyclepath than a railway and I would see no merits or prospect of that ever being converted. The Wadebridge to Boscarne is more marginal. To be honest a bit of hedgerow management is needed to get the best out of it. However, the formation is too narrow for train and bike (I think) and Bodmin would never sacrifice its link to the Camel Trail (nor should it).

There are bike trails along rail lines. Northampton, WHR have been mentioned. The Avon Valley Railway is another comparator and it does get a bit tight by the station there. Remember there is quite a volume of traffic along the Camel Trail and that includes some kiddies (less so in the inland bit). Be nice to see Network Rail accommodating a trail somewhere on a singled line (Buxton to Wye Dale?)

The other bit of the trail up to Wenfordbridge is a waste of cycling time.

 

There is also one on the up side of the line from Okehampton to Meldon as well.

 

Lets not be silly, if Bodmin and Wenford had the cash to buy the track bed there would be no argument - Cornwall council are so poor the would be glad of the funds and the savings of not having to keep up the path...