Ongar revisited
In 1989 London Regional Transport announced the return of a full weekday and weekend service to Ongar. It began on 30th October of that year, and a huge banner was strung along the fencing at the junction with Ongar High Street declaring the new services. By this time I had…
Barnstaple to Ilfracombe #3
The former railway from Barnstaple to Ilfracombe opened on 20th July 1874 – 150 years ago. It never reached its 100th anniversary, closing on 5th October 1970. By the time the anniversary year came about four years later, the line had been disused for that time and not long after,…
Barnstaple to Ilfracombe #2
This is the second part of the online guide to the Ilfracombe railway and features the stretch from Braunton to Willingcott. That is near near the summit of the line just south of Mortehoe. Although around half of the route through Barnstaple, Braunton and Ilfracombe now constitutes the Tarka Trail,…
Barnstaple to Ilfracombe #1
The Barnstaple and Ilfracombe railway opened in July 1874 thus 2024 is the 150th anniversary of the line’s opening. Despite opposition the line closed in October 1970 after British Railways had totally rationalised the line in an attempt to keep the costs of running it to a minimum. Ultimately the…
Alfred County Railway #2
Its three years since the publication of the first part of the Alfred County Railway feature. As detailed at the time a second part had in fact been prepared however there was a lot of missing gaps in terms of coverage of the section inland to Harding. Getting coverage as…
The Mumbles Railway 1804-1960
2024 is the 220th anniversary of the opening of the Mumbles railway, said to be the world’s first ever passenger carrying line. Although the line began tracklaying in 1804 services to the quarries concerned did not begin for some time whilst passenger services did not start until 1807. Thus 25th…
Give my regards to… Broad Street
Broad Street station (1865-1986) has the dubious honour of being London’s only main line terminus to be erased off the map completely. The station was deliberately run down and had a dreadful appearance to say the least. The roof leaked like a sieve and that’s very evident in this post!…
Stockport Tiviot Dale
Stockport Edgeley (nowadays plain Stockport) was so named because Stockport had another station not too far away. This was the one known as Tiviot Dale (alternatively Teviot Dale as it was sometimes called). The route was operated by the Cheshire Lines Committee and formed part of the old route from…
A Tollesbury miscellany
Its sixty years or thereabouts since the Kelvedon and Tollesbury Light Railway saw its final train movements. These would have been the demolition trains that worked for a good length of time taking up tracks and removing any infrastructure a railway once had. Trackage extended for more than 3¾ from…
Give my regards (to Broad Street)
Forty years ago in 1983 a noted pop star gave his regards to Broad Street! The iconic London railway terminus was given a few minutes of fame just a couple of years before bulldozers moved in and razed the entire station to the ground. Give My Regards to Broad Street…