bamber 128 Posted March 23, 2013 Report Share Posted March 23, 2013 I'm not 100% certain this is not a figment of my imagination but does anyone else remember a miniature railway that used to be somewhere in North Notts - I think on the way to Ollerton? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
.... 23 Posted March 23, 2013 Report Share Posted March 23, 2013 Think it must be this one you're referring to. I've mentioned it recently on here somewhere but can't remember where. http://www.sherwoodforestrailway.com/ EDIT: It's on post number 92 of this thread http://nottstalgia.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4886&page=5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
littlebro 234 Posted March 23, 2013 Report Share Posted March 23, 2013 Hi Bamber, There was a miniture railway near Edwinstowe I think, I have some photo's of it taken in 1959-ish. I will look them up. It was a ride-on gauge on the lines of the outfit that used to be next to the City Hospital. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bamber 128 Posted March 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2013 Hi Bamber, There was a miniture railway near Edwinstowe I think, I have some photo's of it taken in 1959-ish. I will look them up. It was a ride-on gauge on the lines of the outfit that used to be next to the City Hospital. Sounds like it. It isn't the Sherwood Forest Railway as I'm talking about the early 1970s. I seem to remember it running through a wooded area that was close to the main road. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paulus 541 Posted March 24, 2013 Report Share Posted March 24, 2013 There was also one on Valley Road, near to City Hospital or Fiveways Pub, anyone remember it ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Commo 1,292 Posted March 24, 2013 Report Share Posted March 24, 2013 Paulus, wasn't that on the Rec which was next to Fiveways? I never went on it but remember the track along the back of it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gibbo 04 188 Posted March 24, 2013 Report Share Posted March 24, 2013 Yep, I used to go on it when I visited my Grandma in Bestwood in the seventies as a kid....it used to be over the road from the High School playing fields. It's been gone for yonks now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,529 Posted March 24, 2013 Report Share Posted March 24, 2013 It's been discussed here before, but I can't find the thread. It used to fascinate me and I was jealous of the kids who got a ride on them. My dad worked just across the road from it. Looking at Google Earth from a few years ago, you can just about see the outline of where the track used to be. (This is the Valley Road one, which we seem to have drifted onto - not the one which started the thread!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimmy87notts 22 Posted March 24, 2013 Report Share Posted March 24, 2013 I remember that one near city hospital, but i NEVER saw any trains running, not once and i used to be one of the volunteers at Sherwood forest railway. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bamber 128 Posted March 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2013 Cheers Littlebro. It was 40 years ago but the wooded area matches my memories. I also remember there being an AA membership kiosk close by. Any more details? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NewBasfordlad 3,599 Posted March 24, 2013 Report Share Posted March 24, 2013 If memory serves the AA box was close to the Ollerton island on the 614. As to the Valley Rd site I never saw one near the 5 ways, but there was one at the junction of Hucknall Rd and Valley Rd. Behind the concrete mini police station that was. I still have it marked on my maps. On days that it was in steam children could go for rides free of charge. Colin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bamber 128 Posted March 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2013 Just had a quick look on Google maps and I "reckon" that the miniature railway was just behind the Ollerton island off the A614. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
littlebro 234 Posted March 24, 2013 Report Share Posted March 24, 2013 Though the track between Ollerton / Edwinstowe is no longer there I would not be surprised if the loco still exists somewhere and lets hope someone spots this thread. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NewBasfordlad 3,599 Posted March 24, 2013 Report Share Posted March 24, 2013 I have been giving this one some thought. From the early 70s onward I spent a lot of time at Proteus training camp and all over the surrounding area. If memory serves the AA box was on the right hand side of the Worksop Rd just above the roundabout. There was a greasy spoon style cafe there to with tables and chairs outside. I have this vague memory of sitting there in the summer drinking tea, smelling steam and listening to a train whistle. That is unless I am going barmy, I will ask next time I meet an old comrade. Colin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted March 25, 2013 Report Share Posted March 25, 2013 There was also one on Valley Road, near to City Hospital or Fiveways Pub, anyone remember it ? I remember the one at the Hucknall Road junction and remember clearly seeing it being used twice...once with just a lone guy chuffing round the track and once with a few kids on board. Five Ways Park was my stomping ground from '57, there was no track on there then...if there was at an earlier date I stand corrected...but then, two tracks a few hundred yards apart?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,529 Posted March 25, 2013 Report Share Posted March 25, 2013 Five Ways Park was my stomping ground from '57, there was no track on there then...if there was at an earlier date I stand corrected...but then, two tracks a few hundred yards apart?? Now that PB has said this, I've looked at Streetview again, and maybe it wasn't the Fiveways roundabout; it might've been the next one along at Hucknall Road junction At a glance, they now look very similar. And it was the Hucknall Road roundabout near where my dad worked, which explains why I knew about the railway Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bamber 128 Posted March 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2013 The Valley Road railway was run by Nottingham Model Engineers Society. It seems the track has moved to the Nottingham Transport Heritage Museum at Ruddington. http://www.nsmee.org.uk/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
.... 23 Posted March 25, 2013 Report Share Posted March 25, 2013 There is a 'Valley Road Model Engineering Society' listed on the net. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alan (Wack) Walker 14 Posted March 25, 2013 Report Share Posted March 25, 2013 There was also one on Valley Road, near to City Hospital or Fiveways Pub, anyone remember it ? I remember it! next to the five ways pub and island. then one day it was gone? cant remember the year? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Michael Booth 7,364 Posted March 25, 2013 Report Share Posted March 25, 2013 The miniature railway was on a grassy area next to the Five Ways pub which was situated near the Edwards Lane/Valley Road island. I lived just off Valley Road from 1960 - 1967 and would often see the train running during the summertime. It was very popular with the children in its day. I can remember leaving the City Hospital after my wife had given birth to my first child and visiting the Five Ways pub. I had a glass or two to celebrate the birth of my son. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
denshaw 2,878 Posted March 25, 2013 Report Share Posted March 25, 2013 It was not next to five ways, it was junction of Hucknall road/ Valley road. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,529 Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 Agree with denshaw. Not Fiveways. Poohbear's photo in #21 shows the outline of where the track was - especially the stretch alongside Valley Road. My dad worked for many years at one of the shops on the Valley Road/Hucknall Road roundabout, and the railway was across the road from where he was. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 This has been talked about on here a few years ago. I remember the Ollerton miniature railway back in the 50's, it always used to start up at Easter Weekend when we would inevitably be staying at my uncles house in Edwinstowe. If you look on Google Maps, satellite mode, it started roughly where the Ollerton tourist information centre now is and ran parallel to the Worksop Road, I don't recall it being a very long journey. The loco in the photo looks to be some sort of Britannia Class hybrid, but I can't remember much about it, except going for a run up the track a few times when I was little. I recall going past the Valley Road miniature railway site many times when we used to go for tandem rides with my dad, usually on a Saturday or Sunday morning, surprisingly, it never seemed to be in use, I don't ever recall seeing it running at all as I'm sure we would have stopped and gone in, which we never did. If you like that sort of thing and you're ever visiting deepest, darkest Essex, go to the Audley End Railway near Saffron Walden, www.audley-end-railway.co.uk, look on 'About us', 'Enthusiasts'. The railway runs for 1.5 miles through woods, tunnels and over the River Cam, it's really superb, they also have lot's of different gauge tracks as well, worth a visit, just ignore the Tudor Palace across the road. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Michael Booth 7,364 Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 I phoned my sister up at lunchtime and asked her if she remembered the miniature railway on Valley Road. "Yes", she replied, "It was near the Five Ways pub". "Ah, gottcha denshaw" I thought. Then my sister said, "No, it wasn't there, it was further up by the City Hospital. It was a childrens park that was near the Five Ways pub." "Are you sure, definite, positive, absol..." "Yes", she interrupted, "near the City Hospital." So folks, I got it wrong, despite living there for years. I looked on Google Maps today and the two plots seem identical. Despite being wrong on this occasion, isn't it good how we can discuss a topic on Nottstalgia and come up with the correct answer. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
.... 23 Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 Been racking my brain on this one too for a while. I've even tried to recall it as I drove up Valley Road this lunchtime! I'm still not clear so I'll settle for the majority vote. I thought today how similar the two parks are in many ways. Both seem to have obstructions to the layout of a railway though in the form of tennis courts etc. but I guess the line wasn't that big. The one thing I do remember clearly though is that I never got to have a go on it as a youngster! (shame). The only time I ever used Valley Road park was for the odd (very boggy) game of football. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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