Walking the old railway lines after closure.

[Ashley 288]

On the modern photo you can just see the "graded" (I think that is the term? ploughed back to a low angle) embankment behind largest building in photo, seems there is right of way through, or was when wife and I did it 10 years ago, you can see worn path leading up embankment , at the top you can see the 2 routes, the NSR is as someone said now garden extentions but the GNR continues as a footpath this then goes as a proper made walk under Arnot Hill Rd leading to Greendale Rd not sure of rest of way but eventually you get to go under Arno Vale Rd via an underpass and then to site of north end of Mapperley Tunnel Weaverthorpe Rd/Woodford Rd all via paths (not back gardens etc) one thing I did notice on other photos of the same "flight" (1928) was the "main road" seemed to turn right where the now motorcycle shop is with the now main road to Mansfield a narrower minor one then?

[Rob.L 1,088]

Ashley, have a look at http://nottstalgia.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12022&hl=%2Bmapperley+%2Btunnel and you'll see recent (as in taken on the day they were posted) photos of what is now termed the "nature walk".

Gets a bit confusing when two threads cover the same topic!

[Ashley 288]

Also gets confusing when Thackerays Lane gets moved to Carlton,lol

[firbeck 859]

Wotcha Pete. I remember you borrowing that CKPR sign from Keswick station on one of our school autumn trips to the Lake district.

Can you remember what I said at Edale station in 1966 when we were on that Easter youth hostelling trip? We took a trip to Manchester for the day. As we wanted to keep our tickets, we jumped off the train at Edale and legged it. However. I slipped and fell down on the platform, ripped my jeans and cut my leg. I can't print on here what I said.

Noooo, you'd left your plimos, these days called trainers, at Hathersage Youth Hostel.

We were staying at Edale YHA intending to climb Kinder Scout, we woke up to find snow covering everything. The warden thought it a bad idea to attempt anything so you and I decided to bog off to Manchester to investigate Ashton Under Lyne trolleybuses and the various station termini, pics not able to download yet.

On the way back, hauled by a Class 5 from Manchester Central, you decided to go on to Hathersage, so we could go on to the YH to get your gear back. Not having a relevant ticket, we got off at the front of the train and legged it off the end of the platform through the cattle dock, where you had your fall. We limped to the YH, got the plimies and decided to get the train back from Grindleford. The staff there got very funny about us buying half fare tickets back to Edale, crap, we were only 15 and still at school, why not! Mission accomplished we eventually got back to Edale on half fare tickets. More railway adventures followed the next day when we caught a succession of trains to Buxton, starting off from Edale by sitting at the front of the train in an LMS guards brake with it's front panoramic windows and sticky out observation bays, looking across the low tender of a Standard Class 2, the fireman lighting up the tunnel with fire as we blasted through Cowburn.

Incidentally, the Edale waiting room sign now adorns my shed.

[StephenFord 866]

The sticky-out observation bays were duckets ! Yes, I remember doing a similar trip through Cowburn, but in the other direction I think.

[Ashley 288]

Some people were forgetful, one easter weekend about 8 0f us with youth club leaders went via train to whalley bridge c/w with large tent, we hitch hiked to edale from there then sort of camped fri night till the monday am say sort of as someone, not me, left tent poles in boot of the car they got a lift in! came home via half price bus (I was 16) after long walk to get such, not the best w/end camping

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Ayup Pete. I started that easter hike 2 days before my 15th birthday and must have been 15 when we got to Edale. We started at Dore and Totley station and crossed Totley Moor in a thick mist befoe arriving at Leam Hall too early so we sheltered from the rain in a derelict barn in the middle of a field. I think the next day we walked to Castleton and the day after that to Edale.

Two things stand out from that week. One was the guy who pointed a shotgun at us after we accidently trespassed on Grouse Moors near The Cat and Fiddle. The other was walking along the railway line and coming to a signal Box at a place called Ipstones. Did someone put the letters S and H in front of the name?

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Pete. I've tried to PM you but I think your in box is full.

[firbeck 859]

Can you remember what I said at Edale station in 1966 when we were on that Easter youth hostelling trip? We took a trip to Manchester for the day.

Bilbraborn at Edale observing the arrival of the train for Manchester Central.

[LizzieM 9,507]

There's no stopping you now you've cracked this Photobucket lark Firbeck!

[Commo 1,292]

Lizzie, you beat me to the congratulations, but I was delayed because I was reading the Evening Post excerpts re the Last Trolleybus!

[StephenFord 866]

It's a "Mickey Mouse" (Firbeck, Bilbraborn and the rest of the steam cognoscenti will understand). Well, now you've cracked it, let's see a few more ! Excellent stuff that brings it all back.

[Ashley 288]

Picked a nice day for it

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Rain never bothered us in those days. A bit of rain mixed with railway grease always guaranteed a good telling off from me mum. Another photo to make my wife laugh. Good job she still loves me.

[firbeck 859]

Ashley. We tried to return them but someone had 'borrowed' the ruddy signal box. LOL.

​We often 'borrowed' artifacts from SBs. Usually the acid batteries in the basement had been tipped over by yobbos making them dangerous places to enter. The Bakelite labels on the levers were removable and described what the lever did. In Leen Valley Junction Box were brass labels above the set of levers referred to. Such as 'Up line from Basford' and 'Down line from Daybrook'. The little sign on the basement door which said, 'No unauthorised materials to be stored in here' was fastened to my shed door for years.

Fascinating places signal boxes were. The Goods Yard box at Low Level Yard was very interesting. By the time I started work on the railway, most of the levers were out of use.

I remember the train drivers strikes of 1984 and 1985 when all we had to do was clean the mess room and ops cabin as absolutely nothing was moving. It gave us the opportunity to explore the derelict parts of London Road Low Level station, then walk all the way up the bank to the bridge over Meadow Lane, and beyond to the GNR bridge over the Midland Line at Trent Lane. We even walked as far as where they were building the Colwick loop Road over the trackbed of the GNR line.

One of the first, a hoard of wagon labels from Daybrook goods shed:-

Then from Pinxton:-

Then some of the artifacts you mentioned:-

Inc the bridge number from Bullwell Viaduct:-

Just a few bits for all to see.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

We could have started our own collector's corner. I still say the best one was that CKPR bridge number mentioned on an earlier post. If only the convenience of digi cameras was around in those days.

[philby 21]

Thanks Phil,

Those lads fair bit younger than me, mostly nick names but you may know some? Steve Naylor, Pero Pearson, Muz, Mick Sirs & Scaz plus others, who's name I forget, all local, yes knew Gayhurst, had a "friend" lived on there called Tracey, nice girl! That "road" you mentioned would be that ramp I drove up after going under Arnold Rd, remember also walking from wrecked New Basford station up to Valley Rd earlier but access to bridge looked like anzio beach , coils of barbed wire everywhere!

ps. I recall 2 bridges over Arnold Rd

steve naylor seems to ring a very faint faraway bell ash, but i can't put a name to the face. the arnold road bridges had all gone before i moved there, its the park lane bridge we called bottom bridge, which thinking about it must be the only bridge left today in the area.

[Ashley 288]

A Bridge Too Far? phil As I recall 2 bridges over railways on Park Lane? the remaining one now over a footpath but once over a 200+ trains a day mainline and the one round the bend, over the connection from the GNR to the GCR northbound, then there was the Brooklyn Rd Bridge plus the 2 over and 2 under Arnold Rd, to say nothing of the Kersall Rd bridge and the Leen Valley Junction bridges over Arnold Rd and Hucknall Rd, also "Marble Arch" and a farmers level crossing!

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

It's hard to believe there was so much railway around there. From Basford crossing to the junction of Arnold Road and Hucknall Road. One was spoilt for choice. I imagine the reliance on coal traffic was the demise of many of these lines. Also, once the coal traffic was much reduced, 3 main lines up the Leen Valley would be somewhat superfluous.

[.... 23]

I was following this thread with interest recently. Like Rob L, the old railway at Daybrook is in my vicinity (a mile down the road from where I live) and I took a walk on there a few months ago - the first time probably since I was a kid. It's very easy to access, just walk behind B & Q on Mansfield Road and it's at the far end of the car park. You can walk easily up on to the old embankment and get a good idea of how it used to be. Further along there is a bit of 'art' a sculpted seat etc. There is some lighting as it turns into a cutting to pass underneath the road at the very end of Thackerys Lane.

One curious thought for me when climbing up there is that looking over to the Gedling Borough Council offices you can view the site of where Arnold Mill would have stood, quite close by. That building was hugely influential in Arnold's development as a town and roughly doubled the population overnight when it opened.

I had a dig around in the area that has been built over the Daybrook Station on the west side of Mansfield Road but it's hard to get a feel for how it would have been. A straight pedestrian walkway stands on what would have been the trackbed.

[Cliff Ton 10,457]

One curious thought for me when climbing up there is that looking over to the Gedling Borough Council offices you can view the site of where Arnold Mill would have stood, quite close by. That building was hugely influential in Arnold's development as a town and roughly doubled the population overnight when it opened.

I think we've used this photo before somewhere, but this would have ruined the views in Arnot Hill Park.

[.... 23]

Apparently K, that drawing is the only know image of Arnold Mill and it was actually drawn after the mill was demolished. Arnot Hill House (the original Arnold Urban District Council offices) still in the park was the residence of one of the two owners, Robert Davison and John Hawkesley (Hawksley, I think). The present park would have been the grounds of the house and the pond was used for the mill.

[philby 21]

I think we've used this photo before somewhere, but this would have ruined the views in Arnot Hill Park.

it would certainly ruin the view of that pyramid behind it!

[philby 21]

A Bridge Too Far? phil As I recall 2 bridges over railways on Park Lane? the remaining one now over a footpath but once over a 200+ trains a day mainline and the one round the bend, over the connection from the GNR to the GCR northbound, then there was the Brooklyn Rd Bridge plus the 2 over and 2 under Arnold Rd, to say nothing of the Kersall Rd bridge and the Leen Valley Junction bridges over Arnold Rd and Hucknall Rd, also "Marble Arch" and a farmers level crossing!

if i remember rightly ash, the bridge round the bend that connected the GNR to the GCR was brooklyn bridge.

[Ashley 288]

you know phil you and I have similar sense of humour! only I was going to say a mountain! lol

as regards the bridge round the bend I meant the one that in later years was on the route after the car breakers (Atlas Spares?) under park lane before the later gayhurst road/drive or whatever?