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Brain Teaser - How many of today's narrow gauge lines occupy former standard gauge track beds?

Discussion in 'Narrow Gauge Railways' started by BiggerBob, Aug 15, 2016.

  1. Chris B

    Chris B New Member

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    Steeple Grange Light Railway
     
  2. SpudUk

    SpudUk Well-Known Member

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    Llanberis is too, technically I suppose. Well, it's now a narrower gauge then it was!

    Gartell Light Railway hasn't been mentioned yet, has it?
     
  3. GWR Man.

    GWR Man. Well-Known Member

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    Leadhills and Wanlockhead.
     
  4. BiggerBob

    BiggerBob New Member

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    Can I thank all those who have participated in answering the question.

    My final ”Mornington Crescent” contribution to the list stems from a recent visit to a line I must have driven past hundreds of times on the M6.

    I commend the Apedale Light Railway built over standard gauge colliery lines in North Staffordshire extending from the North Staffordshire Railways Apedale branch.

    Find Apedale on Barry’s superb map - http://barryknapper.com/NSRmap_zoomify/composite6.html
     
  5. pmh_74

    pmh_74 Well-Known Member

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    Hmm another thought, does the NG line through the old Woodhead tunnel count? With the tunnel now sealed up I'm unsure if anything remains either deep inside or at either end. But the original question did permit closed lines.
     
  6. Ploughman

    Ploughman Part of the furniture

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    The Embsay and Bolton Abbey was partially Metre gauge in the mid 70s with Banshee in residence.
     
  7. Paul Grant

    Paul Grant Well-Known Member

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    Alford Valley
    The railway formerly known as Mull Rail if the Balloch project gets/ got off the ground.
     
  8. Chris86

    Chris86 Well-Known Member

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    Rudyard Lake Railway @Paul Grant think all the Mull equipment is now there?

    Wells and Walsingham

    Both miniature but narrow gauge outline!

    Chris
     
  9. Seraphim

    Seraphim New Member

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    At Apedale, it is very difficult to match old maps the the current site. The topography of the whole area has been changed since the days of the Apedale Coal, Coke & Iron company in the 1920s by years of drift mining and spoil dumping. The consensus is that the current railway is probably just a little east of the old trackbed. This is evidenced by the continued existence of rails at the crossing in Apedale Road. When the railway extends accross the road, we will certainly be on the trackbed, passing to the west of the sawmill shown on the map (which is now a pre-cast concrete works).

    To answer one other post, there is now either no, or very little, narrow gauge railway left at Woodhead. The vast majority came to us at Apedale, including the most recent locos, wagons and a manrider.
     
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  10. pmh_74

    pmh_74 Well-Known Member

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    Yes I heard that most of the Woodhead line had moved on. Can't remember if there was any concreted in track anywhere there, if there was I guess that's about all that would be left.
     
  11. mache

    mache New Member

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  12. BiggerBob

    BiggerBob New Member

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    Thanks for the clarification. How far do you intend to extend the railway and to where and when?
     
  13. Penrhynfan

    Penrhynfan New Member

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    Would a study of the NLS overlaid maps at this link help?

    http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15&lat=53.0398&lon=-2.2787&layers=6&b=1

    The slider at the bottom of the LH window does what it says it does... The background map or satellite image can be changed in the drop-down box.
     
  14. Robin

    Robin Well-Known Member Friend

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    Re the second one, I had a ride on the 2' gauge Golden Valley Light Railway at the MRC today. According to their leaflet, much of the route follows the 1813 trackbed of the SG Butterley Railway which connected Butterley Ironworks to another ironworks at Codnor Park, so that's a yes.
     
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