Various photos of disused railway formations and structures from lines where I don't yet have enough pictures to set up an individual section.

Currently featuring: Aberbeeg, Aberystwyth VOR, Ashchurch, Aston Rowant, Aynho, Botanic Gardens (Glasgow), Birmingham Granville Street, Great Alne, Balloch Central, Blackpool Central, Blaenau Ffestiniog (LNWR), Blaisdon Halt, Bletchingdon, Boscarne Junction Exchange Platform, Bovey, Bowling Upper, Braughing, Brixham, Buchlyvie, Clifton Mill, Clydebank Riverside, Colwich, Fenny Compton, Flecknoe, Gelli Felen Halt, Gloucester T, Gogarth, Greenford, Helmdon (SMJ), Hulme End, Jamestown, Kells, Kelvinbridge, Kemble, Kenilworth, Kippen, Kirklee, Lincoln St Marks, Llangefni, Llangwyllog, Llynclys, Longville, Manchester Central, Manchester Exchange, Nancegollan, Newland, Northampton Castle, Old Oak Lane Halt, Portishead, Port of Mentieth, Ross on Wye, Rowden Mill, Southend East, Speech House Road, Stockton Brook, St Albans London Road, Teigngrace, Tetbury, Tipton St Johns, Tram Inn, Twenty Foot River, Tydd.

Various disused stations in central London. Currently featuring Aldwych, Blackfriars (1864), Euston (Underground), Marlborough Road.

The remains of various industrial and military railway systems.

Terminus of the GNR branch from Highgate, opened in 1873. The surviving building dates from the early 1900s when the station was rebuilt. For a short period the station was named Alexandra Park. During the 1930s London Transport planned to incorporate the branch into an extended Northern Line but the war killed off the scheme. The station closed in 1954 and after years of disuse the building is now a community centre.
OS Grid ref. TQ294900

A disused North Staffordshire Railway station on the Churnet Valley Line between Uttoxeter to North Rode. It was opened in 1849. The grade II listed station building is in Florentine style and is owned by the Landmark Trust.

All photos in this section have been kindly provided by Greg Scott.

OS: SK070427

The line from Aylesbury to Verney Junction was originally opened as the Aylesbury & Buckingham Railway, a single track line which was initially worked by the GWR. The line was later absorbed by the Metropolitan Railway and the track doubled. There were intermediate stations at Waddesdon, Quainton Road, Grandborough Road and Winslow Road. When the Great Central London Extension was opened, the line from Quainton southwards became part of the GW/GC Joint Line. This part of the line remains open for freight.
Engineer's Line Reference: MCJ2

Please see the "Oxford to Bletchley (LNWR)" section for pictures of Verney Junction. Quainton Road station is covered in "Railway Stations UK" (see links) as it is still open for occasional special trains.

The Banbury & Cheltenham Direct Railway was an amalgam of two branches that originated at Kingham (Chipping Norton Junction until 1909) on the Cotswold Line. They ran to Bourton on the Water (1862) and Chipping Norton (1855) respectively. The lines were both later extended to create a through route between Kings Sutton, south of Banbury and Cheltenham. Trains reversed at Kingham until 1906 when a loop bypassing the station was constructed.
Engineer's Line References: BNK (Kings Sutton - Chipping Norton), BKC (Chipping Norton - Kingham), BCL (Kingham - Cheltenham). Structure numbers on the line are a mixture of sequential numbers and mileage based references.

Opened in 1850 by the Buckinghamshire Railway, this line was worked from the outset by the LNWR who later absorbed the company. In addition to Verney Junction there were stations at Padbury, Buckingham, Fullwell & Westbury, Brackley, Farthinghoe and Banbury Merton Street. The line was experimentally worked by Derby lightweight railcars as part of the 1955 Modernisation Plan. New halts for the railcar service were opened at Radclive and Water Stratford. The experiment was not a success and Banbury - Buckingham closed to passengers in 1961. The Buckingham - Verney Junction section closed to passengers in 1964. The line closed to all traffic in 1966. Thanks to Greg Scott for working out the bridge number sequence.
Engineer's Line Reference: BVJ

The line from Barnstaple Junction to Bideford opened in 1855 as a broad gauge line. It was later extended to Torrington in 1872. The final section from Torrington to Halwill Junction opened as late as 1925. After closure to passengers in 1965 the line remained open for freight between Barnstaple and Torrington until 1982. The Bideford & Instow Railway Group are aiming to reopen a section of the line.

Barnstaple Town was one of two LSWR stations in Barnstaple, the other being Barnstaple Junction which is still open. Town station was located on the branch to Ilfracombe and replaced the eariler Barnstaple Quay station. It was opened in 1898 to serve as the junction with the narrow gauge Lynton & Barnstaple Railway. Both lines passed to the Southern Railway in 1923 and the L&B was closed in 1935. Barnstaple Town lingered on until 1970 when it closed along with the Ilfracombe branch. During the 1980s and 90s the station building was used as an Indian restaurant and the signal box served as a museum for the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Association. Both buildings are now used by Pathfield School Sixth Form. OS: SS557331

The Severn Bridge Railway ran between Berkeley Road and Lydney by way of the Severn Railway Bridge. It became part of the Severn & Wye Railway and later became a Midland/GW joint line. The section from Lydney to Sharpness closed in 1960 after two spans of the bridge were destroyed after being hit by the petroleum barges "Arkendale H" and "Wastdale H". Berkeley Road to Sharpness remains open for freight although it is not often used.
Engineer's Line Reference: SAW

Birmingham Curzon Street was the original northern terminus of the London & Birmingham Railway. The station opened in 1838 but closed to passengers in 1854 when Birmingham New Street was opened. Curzon Street remained in use as a goods station until final closure in 1966. Phillip Hardwick's entrance building survives today and is an imposing structure featuring Ionic pillars rather than the Doric style used at Euston. OS grid ref. SP078870.

The Carlisle Citadel Act of 1861 included a new loop between Bog Jn and Willowholme Jn to take goods traffic away from the station approaches. It was brought into use in 1877 and a joint undertaking made up from LNWR, CR, MR and GSWR nominees, known as the Goods Traffic Committee (GTC), was formed to administer the branch. In 1984 a freightliner train from Warrington divided when coming down Shap and the rear part free-wheeled towards Carlisle. The signalman in Carlisle PSB routed the front portion away from the goods avoiding lines, but the rear part was channelled through the goods lines. At the bridge over the River Caldew, close to Dentonholme Goods Depot, the remains of the train came to grief. The containers, which included dangerous chemical tanks, derailed on the bridge and caused extensive damage to the track and bridge structure, with some ending up in the river. The through line closed in 1984 but the section south of the damaged bridge remained open for a further ten years to serve the Metal Box Co. The line was first considered for reinstatement in 1999 to deal with a major increase in coal traffic through Carlisle. In April 2007 it was reported that Network Rail was toying with the idea buying back the trackbed. All material for this section has been kindly provided by Ralph Rawlinson.

The London Necropolis Company opened the cemetery at Brookwood in 1854. In partnership with the LSWR they ran funeral trains between London and Brookwood carrying both coffins and mourners. The LSWR main line was used for most of the journey but at both ends of the operation the Necropolis Company had their own lines and stations. The London terminus was on York Street (now Leake Street), adjacent to Waterloo station. When the LSWR required this land for expansion of Waterloo station in 1902 a new Necropolis terminus was constructed on Westminster Bridge Road.
At Brookwood the funeral trains passed through the main line station and reversed onto a line that ran through the cemetery. There were two stations within the burial ground, built to serve the Anglican and Nonconformist areas of the cemetery. The cemetery line fell into disuse during the second world war and was later lifted.
I can recommend J.M. Clarke's excellent book on the railway: The Brookwood Necropolis Railway, The Oakwood Press, ISBN 0-85361-471-7

The Bude branch opened in 1874 but only ran as far as Holsworthy at this time. The extension to Bude opened in 1899. Train services ceased in 1966.
Engineer's Line Reference: MJB

Cadeleigh (formerly Cadeleigh & Bickleigh) was an indermediate station on the GWR line from Exeter to Tiverton. After closure the site was used as a road maintenance depot by Devon County Council but the platforms and most of the buildings survived. It is now the home of the Devon Railway Centre.

Opened in 1839, the Aylesbury Railway was one of the first branch lines in the country. It was later taken over by the London and Birmingham Railway.
The line was almost dead straight and had very few civil engineering features. The original terminus in Station Street was closed by the LNWR in 1889 and replaced by a new station on the High Street.
There was one intermediate station at Marston Gate and four level crossings.
The line closed to passengers in 1953 and to all traffic in 1964.
Engineer's Line Reference: ACN

Dating from the early 1900s, this GWR main line was a relative latecomer. It survived as a through route until 1976, although the intermediate stations closed before this date. Now only the section from Honeybourne to Long Marston remains part of the network, but Toddington to Cheltenham Racecourse has been reopened as the Gloucestershire - Warwickshire Railway.
Apologies for the poor quality of some of the images, particularly the urban section through Cheltenham. I will replace these with new images as soon as I can.
Engineer's Line Reference: HCL (Honeybourne to Cheltenham)

A few pictures showing remnants of the metre gauge Chemins de fer des Cotes du Nord system in France. All pictures by Patrick Marks.

The Wye Valley line ran between Chepstow and Monmouth and opened in 1876. Although constructed by the Wye Valley Railway the line was operated from the outset by the GWR who later absorbed the company completely. Closure between Tintern Quarry and Monmouth came in 1964, the remainder of the line withering away over the following twenty years. This section is not yet complete and more pictures will be added in the future.
Engineer's Line Reference: WYE

This section looks at closed stations on the Chiltern lines between Marylebone and Banbury/Aylesbury.

Currently featuring: Ardley, Aynho Park Platform, Blackthorn, Brill & Ludgersall, Dorton Halt, Haddenham, Ilmer Halt, Monks Risborough & Whiteleaf Halt, Ruislip Gardens, South Aylesbury Halt, West Wycombe.

Coming soon: South Harefield Halt.

Perhaps the strangest of all GWR stations? Dartmouth is a station without a railway. It housed a booking office and all the usual facilities but the nearest trains were on the opposite side of the River Dart at Kingswear. This was reached by connecting ferry. Closed in 1964, the building now houses a restaurant. OS grid ref. SX878511

This SE&CR branch ran to Addiscombe Road (later just Addiscombe) from Elmers end via Woodside Junction. The line from Woodside to Selsdon Road closed in the 1980s. Most of the branch was absorbed by the Croydon Tramlink but the final stretch to the terminus was abandoned. Most of the abandoned trackbed seems destined to be built over and indeed the terminus has already disappeared under a housing development.
Woodside was the only intermediate station branch. It reopened as a tram stop in 2000. The platforms were demolished and the building is boarded up and disused.
Engineer's Line Reference: EEA

Pictures of disused sections of the Ffestiniog Railway including the Dduallt-Tanygrisiau section now bypassed by the Llyn Ystradau deviation and the Tanygrisiau - Blaenau section before restoration. Pictures of the deviation construction can be found on my Narrow Perspectives site (see links).

Grovebury sand quarry opened sometime in the 1900s and was equipped with an internal 2 foot gauge railway system worked by diesel locomotives. A branch of the quarrry system crossed the River Ouzel on a sleeper bridge (now removed) to access a small wharf beside the Grand Union Canal where sand was transferred to narrowboats. The quarry system has now entirely disappeared with the exception of the wharf which remains extant, complete with track. OS: SP916236

Some pictures of Garston station, Merseyside. The station closed in 1972 but reopened again in 1978 as part of the Merseyrail Northern Line. It closed again 10th June 2006 when it was replaced by the new Liverpool South Parkway station which is located only a few hundred yards away but has the advantage of serving Merseyrail's City Line as well as the Northern Line. All the 2006 pictures were kindly provided by Mark Cleave.
OS grid ref. SJ405848

The Gloucester & Cheltenham Tramroad was a 3' 6" gauge horse drawn line constructed in 1811 to link Cheltenham with the docks at Gloucester. Closure came in 1861 after the arrival of the GWR and MR in the area. Most of the route has disappeared beneath roads and housing but a few traces remain. More pictures will be added to this section soon.

The Midland Railway accessed Gloucester Docks via a branch from Barton Street Junction which terminated at High Orchard Yard. The GWR access was via Over Junction with a yard at Llanthony - this line is covered by a sepatate section on this site. This section covers the remains of the internal railway system that served all parts of the docks and linked the two access branches. More pictures to be added soon.

Known as the Daffodil Line, this attractive route was opened by the GWR in 1885. Most of the line was built on the former Hereford & Gloucester Canal route which was closed in order to build the railway. The canal is under restoration and some of the former railway alignment may one day become a canal again. The line closed in 1964. So far I have concentrated on the Gloucester to Newent section of the line but I will cover the rest of the route as time progresses.
Engineer's Line Reference: LEY

The Glyn Valley Tramway was a 2’ 4½ “ gauge line opened in 1873 to link the slate quarries at Glyn Ceiriog to the Llangollen Canal at Chirk, a distance of approximately six miles. Initially the line was worked by gravity and horses but in it was converted to steam and re-routed through the Chirk Castle estate to meet the G.W.R. at Chirk Station.
The line closed in 1935. These pictures show the remains of the line at the Chirk end. I hope to photograph more of the route at a later date.
The Glyn Valley Tramway Trust are carrying out a feasibility study into reopening part of the Tramway. A link to their site can be found at the bottom of this page.

The remains of the superbly engineered Great Central main line.
Engineer's Line Reference: MCJ3

The Great Central found working the joint line with the Metropolitan rather restrictive and so the GW/GC joint line was built to give an alternative route to Marylebone. In order to join the existing GCR route with the new route a link line had to be built between Grendon Underwood and Ashendon. There were two intermediate stations on the line at Akeman Street and Wotton, although the former was an early casualty.
The Railway Archive website (see links) has several images of this line when under construction. Where appropriate I have indicated the image number in my caption so this can be typed into The Railway Archive search box.
Engineer's Line Reference: GUA

The North Cornwall Railway was promoted by the LSWR, who then absorbed and operated the line. It opened in stages between 1886 and 1899. Upon grouping it passed to the Southern Railway, then to BR Southern Region in 1948 and to the Western Region in 1963. Halwill to Wadebridge closed completely in 1966 and Wadebridge to Padstow followed in 1967. Wadebridge retained freight traffic via Bodmin until 1978.
Engineer's Line Reference: NCL

Some interesting pictures of the line in the 1980s can be found on Ron Strutt's site: http://ronstruttsrailwaypics.fotopic.net/

Hengoed High Level station served the Taff Vale Extension and crossed at right angles to the surviving Low Level station. Immediately to the east of the station is the impressive Hengoed viaduct. The trackbed through the station and across the viaduct now serves as a Sustrans foot and cycle path.

The Wycombe Railway's main line was opened between Maidenhead and High Wycombe in 1854. Brunel's original Wycombe Railway terminus in High Wycombe survived as a passenger station for only a short time because the extension of the line to Aylesbury and Oxford requred a new station on a different allignment. It was converted into a goods depot and the building survives today in comercial/industrial use. The line between Bourne End (Marlow Road) and High Wycombe closed in 1970.

When the single track Wycombe Railway route between High Wycombe and Princes Risborough was incorporated into the GW/GC joint line, the new double track main line took a different alignment in several places. There are three main sections of abandoned trackbed; the approaches to Temple End viaduct at High Wycombe, the formation between West Wycombe and Saunderton station and the little known Saunderton summit section. Recieved wisdom has it that, where the up and down lines take separate alignments between Saunderton and Princes Risborough, the up line follows the newer GW/GC formation whilst the down line follows the old Wycombe Railway alignment. This is only partially true. The down line uses more of the original Wycombe Railway alignment than the up line, but it also avoids the old summit by diverting into a new cutting. The old summit cutting can still clearly be seen.
Several interesting comparative views can be found in The Railway Archive website (see links). Where appropriate I have indicated the image number in my caption so this can be typed into The Railway Archive search box.
Photos of the GW/GC stations at High Wycombe, Saunderton and Princes Risborough can be found on "Railway Stations UK". (See links).

An intermediate station on the former LNWR route from Northampton and Peterborough. The station was closed to passengers in 1964 and closed completely in 1966.

All pictures in ths section were kindly provided by Greg Scott.

A 3 mile GWR branch from the Oxford - Banbury line. The junction station was Kidlington although the actual divergence was further north near Shipton on Cherwell. It was opened in 1890 and finally closed in 1954. As well as the terminus at Blenheim & Woodstock there was also an intermediate halt at Shipton on Cherwell, opened in 1929 to serve the adjacent cement works. After closure the terminus was converted into a garage and petrol station, in which form it survives to this day. I will add more pictures to this section soon.
Engineer's Line Reference: WOZ

The original Metropolitan Railway station at King's Cross was closed in 1941 when a replacement station (Kings Cross St Pancras) was opened nearer to the main line termini.
The station lay unused until 1983 when the former City Widened Lines platforms were reopened as Kings Cross Midland City. A new wall separated the reopened platforms from the Metropolitan platforms which remained disused. The station was later renamed Kings Cross Thameslink. Closure came on 9th December 2007 when a replacement station beneath St Pancras International opened. The booking hall and entrance on Pentonville Road has passed to London Underground to provide an alternative entrance to Kings Cross St Pancras Underground station.

Laira Bridge was opened in 1887 and carried the LSWR branch to Turnchapel over the River Plym. The GWR also had running powers over the bridge in order to access their Yealmpton branch at Plymstock.
All photographs in this section have been kindly provided by Chris Sampson and Greg Scott.
OS Grid Ref: SX501543

The North Western Railway (which became known as the Little North Western to avoid confusion with the much larger and better known London & North Western Railway) was authorised to build a line from Lancaster to Skipton. The first 10½ miles to Wennington opened in 1849 and in 1874 the company was absorbed by the Midland. When fully open passenger services were mainly between Morecambe and Leeds/Bradford but in 1966 they were rerouted from Morecambe via the WCML to Lancaster (reversal) and Carnforth to Wennington. Two years later this direct line to Wennington closed to all traffic.
All pictures in this section have been kindly provided by Ralph Rawlinson who retains copyright of the images.

The LNWR line from Leamington Spa to Rugby was opened in 1851 as a single line railway. It was later doubled due to its importance as a freight route. The line was closed in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts. This section is still under construction and currently only covers the Leamington end of the route.
Engineer's Line Reference: RTS

The LNWR opened this branch in 1848 mainly to link Dunstable with the their main line at Leighton Buzzard. There was one intermediate station at Stanbridgeford. For many years the L&NWR provided a weekdays only service of seven trains each way, some of which ran through to Luton. It was operated for a long period by Webb 0-6-2 and 2-4-2 tanks, replaced in the early 1950s by standard 2-6-2Ts. Passenger trains were withdrawn in 1962 and (apart from the first 1¼ miles retained for sand traffic until 1969) the line closed to all traffic in 1967.
Many thanks to Ralph Rawlinson for providing historical information.
Engineer's Line Reference: DBM

This six mile line was opened by the Halesowen Railway in 1883 and later became a GWR/MR joint line. The major surviving relic is the station at Hunnington which has been converted into a house. The other intermediate station at Rubery has been demolished. The line was closed in 1964. A short section of the line is still (officially) open at the southern end to serve the Longbridge plant although there has been no traffic since 1995.
Unless otherwise credited, the pictures in this section have been kindly provided by Tim Wattison. Thanks to Ralph Rawlinson for providing historical information.
An excellent set of pictures of this line can be found on the "Photo by D.J.Norton" site. (See links).
Engineer's Line Reference: HND1

A few pictures of the remains of this famous narrow gauge line in North Devon. For more pictures of the line please see the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Society's website.

The oldest surviving purpose built passenger station in the world. Manchester Liverpool Road was the terminus of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway and was completed in 1830. In 1844 passenger services were transferred to Hunts Bank (Victoria) station and Liverpool Road was used for goods only. As a result the building survives largely unaltered and now forms part of the Manchester Museum of Science & Industry.
OS grid ref. SJ829978

Opened in 1911 to provide additional capacity after Manchester London Road (Piccadilly) station could no longer cope with the traffic volume. It closed in 1960 and lay derelict for ten years until it was converted into a parcel depot. This has since closed and the station is once again derelict although there has been talk of reopening it again to releive pressure on Manchester Piccadilly.
OS grid ref. SJ849976

Meldon Viaduct is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a superb example of Victorian railway engineering. The wrought and cast iron structure consists of six, ninety foot warren trusses supported by five tapered lattice trestles, the largest of which is 120 feet tall. It was originally built in 1874 for the LSWR main line between Waterloo and Plymouth and was later widened to double track in 1878. Following closure of the main line the viaduct remained in use carrying a headshunt for the adjacent ballast quarry. It is now looked after by the Meldon Viaduct Co and carries a foot and cycle path. OS: SX564923

Mitcham station was opened in 1855 by the Wimbledon & Croydon Railway. Unusually, rather than constructing a new station building, the railway made use of an existing structure dating from about 1830. The station closed in 1997 when the Wimbledon - West Croydon line underwent conversion into the Croydon Tramlink. The station was replaced by a tram stop on the new system. The station building has now reverted to residential use.

The "Little" North Western Railway (NWR) opened its line between Morecambe and Lancaster on Whit Monday 1848. Initially there were two stations in Morecambe (then known as Poulton-le-Sands) with the terminus just a hut at the end of the jetty. After the Midland absorbed NWR in 1874 they set about building a grand new station on the Promenade. It opened in 1907 and the following year the Heysham - Morecambe - Lancaster service was electrified.
Green Ayre station at Lancaster was built over a former shipyard on the south bank of the River Lune and lasted until passenger services were withdrawn. In 1957 a the only intermediate station was opened to serve a new housing estate at Scale Hall on the approach to Lancaster but was short lived. The following year a section of the line either side of this station was used for experiments in connection with the electrification of the WCML.
Electric services between Heysham - Morecambe - Lancaster were withdrawn in 1966 and, at the same time Morecambe - Leeds services were re-routed via Carnforth. Passengers between Lancaster and Morecambe then had to rely on the less frequent service over the former LNW route via Bare Lane. The last section of line to close was to White Lund, retained until 2.2.1970.
All pictures in this section have been kindly provided by Ralph Rawlinson who retains copyright of the images.

The Docklands Light Railway line to Island Gardens opened in 1987. Between Mudchute and Island Gardens the line made use of an existing single track viaduct dating from 1871 that had been built for the Millwall Extension Railway. The 1871 line ran to North Greenwich and Cubitt Town station which was situated immediately south of the DLR terminus. It closed in 1926.
In the late 1990s an extension of the DLR to Lewisham was commenced. The extension had to drop down to pass under the Thames so the new route diverged from the 1987 route just north of Mudchute station and descended to tunnel level on the eastern side of the old formation. New stations were provided at Mudchute and Island Gardens and the original structures were demolished. The Lewisham extension opened in January 1999. The 1871 viaduct is a listed structure and so survives today.

Newhaven Marine station is situated on a very short branch off the Seaford branch at Newhaven Harbour. The station is sometimes known as Newhaven Harbour platform 3 and it is situated just a couple of minutes walk from Harbour station. It is not technically closed but is certainly disused. A single weekday parliamentary train departs from the station at 18.52 but it is unadvertised and cannot be boarded at Newhaven Marine due to unspecified safety issues with the platform. The last time the station was used by passengers was in 2002 when the line from Newhaven Harbour to Seaford was closed for engineering works.

The Newquay Harbour branch dates from 1849 when it formed part of the Treffrey mineral tramway which was later incorporated into the Cornwall Mineral Railway. The CMR was later absorbed by the GWR and the harbour tramway survived as a branch until 1926. Access to the harbour was via a steep, rope-worked tunnel, the upper end of which is now buried beneath a supermarket. The harbour lines at the lower end of the tunnel were horse worked.

The branch line from Tolcarn Junction in Newquay to Chacewater was a relative latecomer, being completed in 1905, although the route from Newquay to East Wheal Rose had existed as a horse worked mineral line since 1849. The line had stations at St Agnes, Perranporth and Shepherds, the latter literally being in the middle of nowhere. There were also several halts although most were very badly sited relative to the communities they purported to serve. The line was closed to all traffic in 1963 but a short section has reopened as the Lappa Valley Railway.
Engineer's Line Reference: TNQ

Opened in 1991, this 3 foot gauge tramway lasted only until 2004. The 3 car tram was built by Harry Steer Engineering of Breaston, Derbyshire. The centre car was fitted with a diesel engine and the train could carry up to 56 passengers. After closure the tram was sold for scrap.

The former GWR branch serving Gloucester Docks was the last of the three docks branches to go, finally closing in the mid 1980s. The site of Llanthony Yard and Quay is currently being redeveloped and will become the Gloucester campus of Gloscat. Most of the course of the branch was converted into a cycle path during 2007.
Engineer's Line Reference: GLD

This former cross country line has had mixed fortunes: Cambridge to Bedford closed completely, Bedford to Bletchley remains open to passengers and freight, Bletchley to Newton Longville is in use for engineering trains, Newton Longville to Claydon is mothballed, Claydon to Wolvercote Junction is open to passengers and freight, but singled, Wolvercote Junction to Oxford is closed. This section covers the Oxford - Bletchley section of the line. For pictures of Bicester London Road and Islip please visit "Railway Stations UK" (See links).
Engineer's Line Reference: OXD

Constructed during 1917/18, this line connected the ironstone quarries at Wroxton with the GWR just north of Banbury. As mineral lines go it was very substantially constructed with bridges, level crossings, gradient posts and signal boxes. During the 1950s most of the route was converted to double track. There was an extensive fleet of steam locomotives and two motive power depots. In later years the line was worked by Sentinel diesels. The line closed along with the quarries in 1967.

Situated on the western outskirts of Caerphilly, this former junction connected the Barry Railway with the Rhymney Railway and the Alexandra Dock & Railway Company.

OS grid ref. ST136860

An intermediate station on the former GWR "Golden Valley" line from Pontrilas to Hay on Wye. The line was built between 1876 and 1889 but was a financial failure and closed in 1898. The GWR came to the rescue in 1901 and reopened the line. It survived as a passenger line until 1941 and goods until the 1950s.

A few pictures of the former GWR Plymouth - Yelverton line in Devon, covering the section between Clearbrook and Yelverton. All pictures were kindly contributed by Ian Barnett.
OS grid references are estimates.

The former GWR/BRW freight loading banks and oil siding at Penzance. All photographs courtesy of Malcolm Kewn.

A few pictures of the Penrhyn Railway's terminus at Port Penrhyn near Bangor. Unfortunately I omitted to record the date of my visit but it was the mid to late 1980s.

The line from Princes Risborough to Oxford was opened by the Wycombe Railway but later became part of the GWR. It provided a useful diversionary route for Oxford - London expresses but was eventually closed between Thame and Morris Cowley in 1967. The line between Thame oil depot and the Watlington branch divergence was closed in 1991 and lifted a few years later. Much of it has now been converted into a Sustrans foot/cycle route known as the Phoenix Trail. Morris Cowley to Kennington Junction remains open to serve the BMW plant.

The Wotton Tramway, later known as the Brill Tramway and eventually the Brill Branch of the Metroplitan & Great Central Joint Railway ran from Quainton Road to Brill in Buckinghamshire. For its last few years the line was an unlikely outpost of the London Underground system. It closed in 1935.
Waddesdon Road station was situated about a mile and a half north of Waddesdon, at the point where the tramway crossed Akeman Street (A41). Nothing remains today but the station site can be identified by the widened verge next to the road to Quainton.
Westcott was the next station and it has survived much better than any other. As well as the station house the timber station building also remains.
Wotton station was situated near to the GCR station of the same name. The station house remains but all other structures have gone.
Wood Siding was the penultimate station on the branch As well as being the only station in the country named after its siding, Wood Siding was an exeptionally remote and improbable station. Shortly after the turn of the century the GWR's new main line was constructed and passed under the western end of the station, somewhat shattering the tranquillity of the location.
The terminus at Brill was situated some considerable distance from the village itself at the bottom of a steep hill. Other than the station house, little remains today.

This short branch line was opened between Radley and Abingdon in 1856. It was originally broad gauge but was narrowed in 1872. The line was worked b the GWR who eventually took it over completely in 1903. Passenger services were withdrawn in 1963 but the line remained open for freight until 1985.
Engineer's Line Reference: ABN

A short branch constructed between the wars to link RAF Bicester with the former LNWR Oxford to Bletchley line. The line was closed on 28th August 1957.

This one and three quarter mile branch ran from Wendover station on the Metropolitan & Great Central Joint Line to the RAF camp at Halton. It was constructed by German POWs and opened in 1917. The line closed in 1963.

Ruabon to Llangollen was opened in 1862 and the line was extended to Corwen in 1865. By 1869 the line had reached Morfa Mawddach, the junction with the Cambrian Coast line just south of Barmouth. The GWR had absorbed the route by 1896. The line was a victim of the Beeching Report and though goods services ceased in 1964 with passenger services lingering on for another year. The Llangollen to Ruabon section continued to carry goods until 1968 after which the track was lifted.
The section between Llangollen and Carrog has reopened as the Llangollen Railway and plans are in place to extend to Corwen. The 2 foot gauge Bala Lake Railway uses the trackbed between Llanuwchllyn and Bala Lake Halt. The former junction stations at Ruabon and Morfa Mawwdach remain open as unstaffed halts.
I will add more pictures to this section at a future date.

Rushden was the only intermediate station on the Midland Railway branch from Wellingborough to Higham Ferrers. The line opened to goods in 1893 and to passengers in 1894. Closure to passengers came in 1959 but goods services lingered until 1971. The station now serves as a social club and museum. There are plans to reooen a section of line in the future.

The Ryde Pier Tramway opened in 1864 in order to transport passengers and luggage to and from the Pier Head where the steamers from the mainland called. At this time the main line railway terminated at St Johns and in 1871 the tramway was extended from Pier Gates to St Johns. When the main line trains were extended to the Pier Head in 1880 the tramway extension was closed and the service was cut back to the pier section only.
Originally horse worked, the line was converted to electric traction in 1889. For its final 12 years of existence it was worked by Drewry diesel railcars. The line finally closed in 1969.

The 4 foot gauge Saundersfoot Railway consisted of two main mineral lines and a number of small branches. One main line connected Stepaside Ironworks, a mile east of Kilgetty station to Saundersfoot Harbour, running along the coast through a series of short tunnels. The other line ran from Saundersfoot Harbour to Reynalton. It went up an incline from the harbour, passed beneath the GWR station in a tunnel and contined in a north westerly direction to Broadmoor and Thomas Chapel. The line then swung west to Reynalton.
The line finally closed in 1939.

The closed southern section of the Ryde - Ventnor line on the Isle of Wight. So far only the Shanklin - Wroxall section is covered here but I hope to add pictures of the Wroxall - Ventnor section soon.

An internal dock railway system served by the Severn & Wye/Severn Bridge Railway and later the Great Western & Midland Joint Companies.

Some pictures of Shoreditch London Underground station, most of which were taken on the last day before closure. The station has been closed to allow the northern extension of the East London Line to gain access to the former Dalston Junction - Broad Street trackbed.
OS grid ref. TQ339821

This station, (originally named Smethwick Junction), was opened by the GWR in 1867 and closed in 1996. It was replaced by Smethwick Galton Bridge station in 1995 but lingered on for a further year with a parliamentary service due to an administrative problem with the closure process. OS grid ref. SP012892

Somers Town Depot was the Midland Railway's goods terminus next to St Pancras station. The Euston Road end of the site has been redeveloped and now houses the British Library building. A separate coal depot existed on Pancras Road.

The former terminus station was built in 1839-40 for the London & Southampton Railway, to the design of Sir William Tite. The LSWR added the large South Western Hotel which rather dwarfs the station. The line was later extended into the Ocean Dock Terminal to allow boat trains to terminate on the quayside.
OS grid ref. SU425110

Opened in 1869 by the Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway, this short disused line links the Newquay branch with the St Austell - Parkandillick freight line. The line closed as a through route in 1966 although St Dennis Junction remained in place until 1982 to serve the branch to Meledor Mill which joined the route just south of the junction.
There have been several proposals over the years to reopen this section and reroute the Newquay branch trains via St Dennis to St Austell.

Opened by the Nailsworth Railway in 1867 this Gloucestershire branch line has become part of the Midland Railway network within a year. Intermediate stations were provided at Ryeford, Dudbridge and Woodchester. The short branch from Dudbridge to Stroud (Wallbridge) was opened in 1885. Passenger traffic ceased in 1947 but the line remained open for freight until 1966. Motive power in the latter years consisted mainly of BR Standard Class 2 2-6-0s and Swindon D95xx diesel hydraulics. Much of the line was converted into a cycle path in the 1980s.
Engineer's Line Reference: NAI

The eastern section of the North London Line opened in 1863. It was built by the Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway, later becoming part of the Great Eastern Railway.
This section also features a few pictures of the eastern end of the former Silvertown Tramway.
The line closed on 9th December 2006 as it had been made redundant by the opening of the DLR extension to King George V. Although North Woolwich and Silvertown stations closed permanently, the DLR platforms at Custom House remain open.
The North London Line platforms at Canning Town and West Ham will eventually be incorporated into the DLR extension to Stratford International.

Situated in a picturesque location in the Wye Valley, Symonds Yat station was on the line between Monmouth and Ross on Wye. The station closed in 1959, although the attractive timber station building survived for many more years. The station site is now a car park, although many recognisable station features remain.
OS grid ref. SO561157.

When the Cornwall Mineral Railway line to Newquay (later absorbed by the GWR) was built in 1874 much of the route utilised the existing trackbed of the horse worked Treffry Tramway, dating from 1949. However, a large section of the original route was bypassed in the Luxulyan Valley and another shorter section of the original tramway was bypassed at Toldish between St Dennis Junction and St Columb Road. The reason for bypassing this latter section was to avoid having to enlarge Toldish Tunnel to main line dimensions. Having been abandoned for over 130 years the tunnel still remains remarkably intact.

The Midland Railway's Gloucester Eastgate station was opened in 1896, but the Tuffley Loop line had been built some years earlier, with trains having to reverse into the old MR terminus. The station and line closed on 1st December 1975, partly as a cost cutting exercise and partly due to local pressure to reduce the amount of level crossings in the city. Very little of the route remains.

Various shots of the Welsh Highland Railway route taken during the years 1989 to 1994 when the line was completely derelict. The pictures are presented in sequence, travelling from Porthmadog at the south end to Dinas at the north end. When picture captions refer to the view looking north (N) or south (S) this means towards Dinas or towards Porthmadog respectively rather than geographical north or south - the sinuous nature of parts the line makes this necessary.

In 1923 the LNER opened a loop off the former GCR Neasden-Northolt line to serve the British Empire Exhibition held at Wembley Hill in 1924 and 1925. A station was opened to serve the exhibition consisting of a single platform adorned with a concrete canopy and buildings of the same style used for most of the exhibition buildings. The station went through several name changes in its first few years of existence including Exhibition Station (Wembley), Wembley Exhibition & Exhibition Grounds Station. Signalling was controlled from Neasden and colour lights were installed from the beginning. Trains ran from Marylebone every eight minutes and traversed the loop in a clockwise direction thus obviating the need for time-consuming reversals. After the closure of the 1925 exhibition the line was retained to serve the Stadium and the station was renamed Wembley Stadium in 1928 (not to be confused with the current Wembley Stadium station which is the former GCR Wembley Hill station).
The line once again saw heavy usage during the 1948 Olympic Games but was otherwise only used on match days. It did not appear in timetables. The last train ran in May 1968 although the official closure did not come until September 1969. The station was demolished in the 1970s.

Just a few pictures of this former light railway in Somerset. I hope to cover the line in more detail soon.
Engineer's Line Reference: WCA

Low Level Station was opened by the Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway in 1854,later becoming part of the GWR. It lasted as a passenger station until 1972 whereupon it was converted into a parcels depot. This closed in 1981 and since that date the station has remained unused and derelict. The buildings were listed in 1986 and various proposals have been mooted for the future use of the structure. It is currently (2006) being converted into a retail/leisure complex which apparently requires about 90% of the station to be demolished. OS grid ref. SO920989