What's your dream obscure railway restoration project?

Living about halfway between Carmarthen and Aberystwyth: obviously I'd love the Carmarthen to Aberystwyth line to be re-instated!

As it is, if I want to travel by rail, I either have to drive 24 miles to Carmarthen station, or 27 miles to Aberystwyth! Does anyone else on this forum live further away from a mainline station than me? (There must be some who do!) Would be interesting to find out! If the line was re-instated, my nearest station would be Llandysul, 5 miles south of my home.

In fact, I live nearer heritage railways than the main line (I'm 5 miles north of the narrow gauge Teifi Valley Railway [2 foot gauge steam railway], about 20 miles north of the Gwili Railway, and 27 miles south of the Vale of Rheidol).

I just wish it was feasible to re-instate Carmarthen to Aberystwyth, I'd love to be able to travel by train. Even the bus service seems terrible in Ceredigion - so no public transport for us then, we must drive everywhere!

(Sorry - I haven't read through the whole thread, so this line may have been mentioned before ? :-k )

 

ady - that was mine as well - my variation on it was to build a shed at Morfa (plenty of room there in the old triangle), and pinch the GWS railmotor (and with my Euromillions get a second power bogie built to avoid down time!). You'd have to replace at least Arthog bridge (it was raised from its original position to stop the bottom rusting - I suspect it wouldn't be safe for a train weight now!), and the track bed is still prone to flood damage. The trouble is - much as I'd love to have been around when trains still ran here - rebuilding it would ruin a fantastic walk. Its also heavily into SSI status so rebuilding a railway might not be allowed even if it was more practical thaN a chocolate fireguard!

I used to work up there for an outdoor activity centre 10 years ago based in Arthog - the guy that set the centre up told us that pre closure they used to canoe upstream to Pen, and if the punters were too tired to paddle back (or it would be against the wind/tide), they'd stick the boats in the van, and the doubles on the tender and hitch a ride back to Arthog. Never thought to ask if they ever had problems with canvas boats catching sparks! The station sign for Arthog still survives on a industrial site in the village.

Fascinating area history wise - Fairbourne has links to the family that owned the McDougall flour operations.

 

A Southern Electric museum. There have been plans for one for decades, but it never seems to happen. Instead, we have classic and unique units semi-forgotten in open storage all across the country, with many rotting away and vandalised, in places far from their third-rail home.

 

Leek and Manifold would be lovely but I doubt we'd get it past the cycling and rambling interest groups...

So how about the Bishop's Castle Railway? A line that would serve the very practical purpose of linking Craven Arms with a pretty town full of wonderful pubs.

 

Whitby-Robin Hood's Bay.
Rosedale
Bank Top branch on the Foxfield

 

For me it would be Torrington-Bideford-Instow!

A stretch of line that never should have closed!

Or, if im really lucky, the Bideford, Westward Ho! and Appledore railway! (or atleast bring up the locos from the bottom of the sea!)

Rob

 

Sorry I haven't replied before, it was one of those things to be done at some time and got lost after hoolidays, virgin.net collapsing for a couple of weeks etc....

Many years ago, the small diesel shunter at Didcot GWS had "All brakes to be pinned down when decending Dogger Bank" painted on the cab side. It's also appropriate for me (as a ex TOPS clerk) as "Dogger Bank" was the slang used on TOPS in the 1970's and 1980's for the dummy location wher new vehicle records were initially loaded or where scrapped vehicles records were placed after breaking up of the vehicle and before deletion from the system.

Cheers, Neil

 

I remember that well! It also had a large key in the side at the time...

 

I hope someone has a picture of this!

 

Almost the same idea as me.....but interchange would be at Kingsworthy where a new Mid Hants- Main line station would be built. Add in a second depot at Kingsworthy too
Mid Hants trains would use the loop line platform at Shawford....and DMU's could be used to reinstate the SND line as far as the main line to Salisbury....where a purpose built extra line would take Mid Hants trains into Andover.
And while we are at it....reopen the old double track as far as Farnham...with Mainline trains on one line...and Mid Hants on the other.....Mid Hants could handle all the "off Peak" traffic...
The bridge over the motorway would be interesting!
Yep....money is no object...and watch out for the pink elephants!

 

Well for me i'd love to open the Tees Valley Railway (Middleton In Teesdale - Barnard Castle) but since industrial units are on site and Tees Viaduct is gone its only a dream.

 

Kemble - Tetbury as a complete period 7ft gauge GW branch line!

Nice interchange with Network Rail service.
Lots of formation still there.
In an area which would attract tourists
Motive Power exists at Didcot & the NRM.

 

The North Sunderland Railway Chathill - Seahouses. Theres little if any develepment on the line and it had a seperate bay platform at Chathill. Seahouses was right in the village centre and a few yards from the beach. Easy peasy!

 

Re-instating double track between New Romney & Dungeness, and extending from Hythe to Sandling Junction or even to Folkestone

 

My dream shouldn't be at all obscure ... I would like to see a former LNWR line restored. Of the two that have been preserved the Nene Valley Line hasn't got any sort of provenance (a funny sort of railway) and I have doubts about whether the Amlwch line will be viable.

Regards

 

Do explain?

 

Nothing wrong with the NVR, I personally am not the biggest fan in the world of the foreign stuff but it still boasts a decent length,turntable, nice stations and 'City of Peterborough'

 

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Yes the foreign stuff, but also the GNR signals and the non-LNWR signal box (RSC?). It's all a little odd, a strange confection and not at all LNWR. More theme park than preserved railway.

Sorry if this offends, but it does seem peculiar to me

Regards