Nottingham Suburban Railway - interesting feature

[barclaycon 569]

Disused Stations has done an interesting feature on the NSR.

All the stations on the line including Daybrook and London Road High Level and Low Level.

Worth a look:

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/t/thorneywood/index.shtml

(why doesn't Mick accept PM's anymore ?)

[Smiffy49 590]

Thanks barclaycon.

That's a very interesting and informative link.

Smiffy

[Karlton 582]

thanks barclaycon for some wonderful memories. walked across the foot bridge when I was a kid.all taken away. but not in us memories

thanx

[DavidA 153]

The footbridge survived into the 90's. I used to go across it quite often.

[loppylugs 8,429]

Thanks for a fascinating reminder of a system that had all but disappeared by the early 60s. I often rode the 39 trolley bus into town and wondered where the tunnels went that could be seen from Carlton rd. Bit out of touch with Nottingham in these days but it would seem to me that the route could still have potential if it existed today.

[Cliff Ton 10,467]

And for anyone who might have missed it earlier.....http://nottstalgia.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4886

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Walked through every tunnel on the Sub. I think I've mentioned it before.

[firbeck 859]

Walked through every tunnel on the Sub. I think I've mentioned it before.

Yeah and found the massive, original 'Sherwood Tunnel, Length #### Yards' sign in the abandoned station masters house garden. It was too big for us to carry away and on getting home decided it wouldn't fit in my old man's Austin A-40 either ( he was quite happy to go over and 'rescue' it ). I wonder what happened to that, probably flattened during demolition no doubt, makes you weep to think of the things that were lost, it would have looked great on my garage wall and saved for posterity.

Thinking about it, it was probably the only surviving railway sign of any type left on the whole length of the line and that would be circa Winter 1965/66 I reckon.

I just looked at the photo's of the Sherwood Station Masters house on the 'Disused Railways' site, it was exactly as I remembered it, but I reckon we went up there before construction work had started on the flats and access road. If I recall, the tunnel sign was propped up against the wall at the bottom of the walled garden, the house was empty, but the vegetable plot was much in evidence.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

I remember sitting on top of the north entrance to Ashwell's tunnel eating sandwiches and dangling our legs over. A few years ago while shopping at B & Q at Daybrook I decided to go up the embankment at rear and take a look. An old feller in a nearby bungalow came over to see what I was up to. When I told hime, he told me that when he first moved in there were all sorts of signal wires and pulleys still in his garden. Silly me I forgot to ask what he did with them.

[FLY2 10,108]

I heard a rumour years ago that when Burton on Trent steam shed was demolished, loads of scrap metal was bulldozed into the ash pits. This included Jubilee nameplates, shed plates, cutlery and many other items of interest. Absolute sacrilege .

[ChrisB 150]

I heard a rumour years ago that when Burton on Trent steam shed was demolished, loads of scrap metal was bulldozed into the ash pits. This included Jubilee nameplates, shed plates, cutlery and many other items of interest. Absolute sacrilege .

Well it's been submerged under a distribution centre now!

[StephenFord 866]

Re #11 - That too is sacrilege !

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Happened all the time.

[firbeck 859]

Happened all the time.

Can you recall our trip to Annesley after it had been abandoned, there was stuff lying about all over the place, nobody cared, apart from you and me. I particularly remember the two gorgeous railway carriage bodies that had been used as rest rooms and mess facilities, one had been hacked about, the other was in perfect internal condition, it was a pleasure to sit in it, dusty though it was, it was a first open with luxurious seats and dining tables, I heard it was burnt, sacrilege.

I still have all the signalbox logs and and rescued paperwork, including the photo found behind the Railway Act poster of an official Doncaster works pic of a K2 2-6-0.

What would have happened to these things, destroyed forever no doubt, yet had we been caught in there by the authorities, we'd have been done, no question about that.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

They'd have to had caught us first. I agree though. Like the dog in a manger. We don't want it but you can't have it!

My memory of Annesley was all the sticky grease and the pure sense of dereliction. Nearly 20 years later I worked with train crews who were at Annesley in the last years. They had amazing stories to tell. Some unprintable here. I wish I had written it all down. Aubrey Hirst was a guard there. He became my supervisor at Nottingham Carriage Sidings. The tales of the Clog and Knocker - Langwith Jc to Killamarsh and beyond. The day he was dragged sideways in his brake van over Bennerley Viaduct. He used to drive a Reliant Robin as if he was at Brands Hatch. He used to cut hair, but not very well. Lovely guy and long dead. These people had railway in their blood.

Two years ago I walked with my grand-daughter across the landscaped heap at Annesley and Newstead. She couldn't get her head around the fact that the site of Annesley depot was under there. Not even when I showed her photos of it when we got home.

[firbeck 859]

I do recall a very amusing story at Annesley Sheds involving my old man. When he got his Raleigh 2 seat moped in 1964, we used to go off every Sunday morning around all the local sheds when most of the loco's were 'At Home'. I remember going up to Annesley one Sunday and for some reason the old man actually went into the foremans office to ask permission to go round. The foreman was not very helpfull and refused to let us into the shed, talk about red rag to a bull, the old man went ballistic and called him a 'horrible, miserable, old barsteward' at which point the foreman threatened to call the police, which had no effect at all, off we went around the sheds with the foreman ranting and raving behind his little window, we never saw the police or anyone else for that matter, bottom line, you never messed with Dad, as you will recall.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Your Dad was a gentleman. Aright, he didn't suffer fools gladly. I remember when we came back from our sorties on the tandem He'd always come out to see our haul. By the way, what happened to that GNR number 6? Is it still there?