Could Railways open again?

[PhotoKid]

Thinking in my head I know that the Ramsbottom to Helmshore line is nearly intact still. A bit of bridge work is all it would need to see steam (or any train) in Helmshore. But beyond helmshore station is blocked for a while by houses. Do you think theres hope for any old lines to be re-opened? :confused:


(if this threads been touched on before feel free to move it :thumbs:)

[galeforce1]

Hi PK,

I think when the petrol starts to run out we might again see a change of attitude, after all, it was largely the road lobby that killed off a lot of the branch lines by having most of the cash poured into road building. You (and a few other list members) might be interested in a new series of programmes that start on BBC Four tomorrow evening on this subject, below are a list of them:

DOCUMENTARY: Hindsight
On: BBC 4 (Freeview)
Date: Thursday 2nd October 2008
Time: 20:00 to 20:30 (30 minutes long)

Lord Beeching. Episode 1.
Eric Robson talks to Lord Beeching about his time as Chairman of the British Railways Board between 1961 and 1965, asking if he would have done things differently with hindsight.

TRAVEL: Railway Walks
On: BBC 4 (Freeview)
Date: Thursday 2nd October 2008
Time: 23:55 to 00:25 (30 minutes long)

The Peak Express.
Julia Bradbury takes a series of walks following the old tracks, overgrown cuttings and ancient viaducts of Britain's lost rail empire. She begins her exploration of Britain's lost rail empire in Derbyshire, the heart of the Peak District, with a walk along the popular Monsal Trail. Limestone cliffs and gorges abound, not to mention the tunnels and soaring viaducts of the Midland Railway - one of the most dramatic and unlikely main lines ever built.
(Stereo, Repeat, Widescreen, Subtitles)

DOCUMENTARY: Ian Hislop Goes off the Rails
On: BBC 4 (Freeview)
Date: Thursday 2nd October 2008
Time: 21:00 to 22:00 (1 hour long)

Ian Hislop takes a look at the notorious Beeching Report of 1963, which led to the closure of a third of the nation's railway lines and stations and forced tens of thousands of people into the car and onto the road. He investigates the fallout from the plan, discovering what was lost to the British landscape, communities and ways of life when the railway map shrank. Ian travels from Cornwall to the Scottish borders meeting those responsible and those affected.
(Stereo, Widescreen, Subtitles)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
Excerpt taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from http://www.getdigiguide.com/?p=1&r=16888

Copyright (c) GipsyMedia Limited.

[Rossday]

It might be alright if you can be sure of enough passengers to make it economicaly worth while. Put a park and ride station at Helmshore for the MetroLink and it may attract the people of Haslingden who jam up the bypass at eight o'clock every morning trying to get to work in Manchester.

Then again they've been pratting about bringing the MetroLink into Rawtenstall for years and seem to get no nearer:mad: so it would need a huge change in political will to get it off the ground.

[galeforce1]

Thinking in my head I know that the Ramsbottom to Helmshore line is nearly intact still. A bit of bridge work is all it would need to see steam (or any train) in Helmshore. But beyond helmshore station is blocked for a while by houses. Do you think theres hope for any old lines to be re-opened? :confused:

(if this threads been touched on before feel free to move it :thumbs:)

Interestingly, there have been a number of lines re-opened in recent years, and at the moment there is a campaign to get the Skipton to Colne line re-opened, and this looks like it might have a good chance of success. The line was converted into a walking route just like many of the ones around here, but as with all these things, if there is sufficient political will (and cash) anything is possible. If you look at the amount of cash spent to build just one mile of 6 lane motorway, a two track railway line, which has already been excavated, is good value in comparison. The main problem is (and always has been) that in the Departments responsible for Transport, there are several times as many people representing the road lobbies than the rail lobbies, and allocated cash tends to represent this. Check out the SELRAP website, the similarities between their line and some local ones isn't that great: http://www.selrap.org.uk/

Gridlocked roads and sky high petrol prices may be the only thing that ever reverses this situation, though interestingly, for a party that have generally been pro-road and anti-rail, the Conservatives are now proposing to build an high speed rail link from London to Scotland in place of a third runway at Heathrow if they get in power, now that is a big change of attitude, so maybe the branch lines will start to look attractive again if it means getting the poor folks off the roads so that the rich can drive their Chelsea Tractors around on less crowded roads once again! :bonk:

[renewablejohn]

Biggest problem is BRB Residury selling off every spare bit of old BR land as quickly as possible just look at the latest Pugh & Co auction this month.

http://www.roypugh.co.uk/auctions/list.x?a=20081016&v=manchester

[wadey]

Good point it's very hard to get the land back (and expensive) how long did they discuss the M65? However a better idea might be a "Light Railway" like Docklands.

[PhotoKid]

Good point it's very hard to get the land back (and expensive) how long did they discuss the M65? However a better idea might be a "Light Railway" like Docklands.

This one? I have seen a bit about it in the past. It seems like the most likely (but not best looking) option for anywhere the size of rossendale.

[3dom]

I can't see that the metrolink coming into Rossendale one of the reasons is that the Metrolink is part of Greater Manchester and Rossendale is in Lancashire.

[PhotoKid]

I can't see that the metrolink coming into Rossendale one of the reasons is that the Metrolink is part of Greater Manchester and Rossendale is in Lancashire.

Its a good point.

I wouldnt mind links to Burnley/Blackburn/Accrington to do shopping and go to work etc. If Manchester doesnt want us, they can have us :thumbs:

[3dom]

They has been links to Bury & Rochdale before and with old railway lines running in that direction in the past,

Bury wanted Rossendale to join them a while ago but for some reason It never came off, it could be that people didn't want to leave Lancashire but most people who live in Bury still call Bury as being in Lancashire.

[Lee]

It'd be a great idea, but the sheer expense and problems with land ownership would scupper the plans.

Rawtenstall is the furthest the trains will ever come and it may not get the Metrolink, if the congestion charge bid by GMPTE is unsuccessfull.

[3dom]

I think the Metrolink system should be built first then latter a congestion charge could be added just like what happened in London, Infrastructure first then charges later.

The only thing i can see is Manchester has a lot production / warehouse businesses which need to use the roads because there is no other way of doing business if the charge comes in these businesses will be forced to move out of Manchester due to heavy costs.

[beefy biker]

Over here they have been talking about laying some new track on a old route that only needs a 1/3 mile replacing that would give Southport a rail link to Preston but they say it will cost to much and not enough people will use it to make it worth while.

[beefy biker]

I can't see that the metrolink coming into Rossendale one of the reasons is that the Metrolink is part of Greater Manchester and Rossendale is in Lancashire.

The Metrolink runs to Altringham which is in Cheshire so way can,t it come into Lancashire

[3dom]

Altrincham is in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trafford)

[PhotoKid]

BBC 4 from now till 11 is age of steam programs :thumbs:

[3dom]

I'm recording it on sky +

[carole5001]

Brilliant lots of good footage, recording it as well as watching:D :notworthy:

[galeforce1]

Some of you might have noticed that there was a new series called "Yorkshire Steam" about the North Yorkshire Moors Railway listed as being on Yorkshire TV at 11.10pm, but Granada had something different at that time. Anyway, I found the said programme on the ITV Local website and just watched it, and very good it was too, the link for anyone else wanting to watch this is:

http://www.itvlocal.com/yorkshire/programmes/?player=YOR_Prog_15&void=89748

Please note that this service doesn't always work too well with browsers other than Internet Explorer, so if you are having difficulty with it try that.

[3dom]

If you have sky TV or a non sky satellite receiver I can tell you legally how to tune in all the ITV regions for when this happens again. I'll post this in another thread so not to lose track of this one.

[galeforce1]

No Sky here unfortunately, so the ITV Local site is the only option!http://www.rossendaleonline.co.uk/images/icons/icon9.gif

[galeforce1]

Hi All,

Just a reminder that there are another load of railway related programmes on TV again this evening, and below are a list of them:

DOCUMENTARY: Steam Days
On: BBC 4 (Freeview)
Date: Thursday 9th October 2008
Time: 20:00 to 20:30 (30 minutes long)

The Fishing Line.
Miles Kington travels on one of the most picturesque railways in Britain, from Fort William to Mallaig, built by crofters for the herring trade.
(Stereo, Subtitles)


TRAVEL: Railway Walks
On: BBC 4 (Freeview)
Date: Thursday 9th October 2008
Time: 20:30 to 21:00 (30 minutes long)

Discovering Snowdonia.
Julia Bradbury takes a series of walks following the old tracks, overgrown cuttings and ancient viaducts of Britain's lost rail empire. Julia walks along the stunning Mawddach estuary in north Wales. The area between Dolgellau and the coastal resort of Barmouth is one of the least visited parts of Snowdonia, but in the 1860s it received a great rush of holidaymakers, taking advantage of the new railway that connected the valley to the cities of England.
(Stereo, Widescreen, Subtitles)

DOCUMENTARY: Time Shift
On: BBC 4 (Freeview)
Date: Thursday 9th October 2008
Time: 21:00 to 22:00 (1 hour long)

Between The Lines: Railways In Fiction And Film.
Novelist Andrew Martin presents a documentary examining how the train came to shape the work of writers and film-makers. At first, locomotives were seen as frightening but they began to be accepted, until by the time of The Railway Children they had become a symbol of innocence and Englishness. He shows how trains made for unforgettable cinema in The 39 Steps and Brief Encounter, and how when the railways fell out of favour in the 1960s, their plight was highlighted in John Betjeman's films.
(Stereo, Widescreen, Subtitles)
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Marked By: 'Reminder: Time Shift' and 'Category: Documentary' markers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from http://www.getdigiguide.com/?p=1&r=16888

Copyright (c) GipsyMedia Limited.


Also at 11.10pm on Yorkshire TV is the second part of the 'Yorkshire Steam' series, and those of you who have satellite receivers should be able to receive this by following the instructions given earlier in this thread, those without can watch it at the ITV Local website: www.itv.com/local (http://www.itv.com/local)

[3dom]

Thanks I'll set my sky + for them.