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Great pics, that's how I remember Sherwood Rise Tunnel, would love to see pic of the "south" end of The Rathole and bridge under Arnold Rd, also the bridges on Meadow Lane, I recall the ones near the midland crossing but not sure re Lady Bay one (have picture of that)

Picture from construction of the railway from the book 'Victorian Nottingham - Volume 5'.

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Thanks for that, it doesn't ring any bells though, probably as taken from ground level? and of course 50 odd years before I saw it! It's funny despite the heavy engineering work around bagthorpe resulting in inclines, tight curves, cuttings and bridges there weren't/arent many photos took around there? I have one in a book of other end of the rathole which was a steel span carrying GNR line and had a great photo (lost/stolen by publisher) of a light B1 61381 entering it. in same book is pic of a J%65493 and coaches starting the climb the other side of Arnold Rd with bridge in distance

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Can't find one, following an initial search...should feature on any pre-1960's Ordnance Survey map.

Will have another dig...

The Suburban Railway was only around 4 miles long and ran from Trent Lane Jct at Sneinton to just beyond Daybrook station, via Thorneywood and Sherwood. The sudden closure took place in the late 50's due to the rapid deterioration of Thorneywood Tunnel...the southern portal of which used to be visible at the Carlton Road/Porchester Road traffic lights.

Cheers

Robt P.

H

Hello from Oz re Sherwood staion and the old Nottm suburban railway. I have an old 1951 Nottm map showing the route and layout. If you you would like the info please send an e-mail to ***************** and I can send the jpeg file,alond with other files, which are too large to upload here. John Tomlinson ex Mannvers layabout and newcomer to Nottsalgia. The one thing I am interested in is the old Nottm suburban line as I lived about 100 metres from Thorneywood station and am old enough to remember when the line was still open. As scratchie arsed kid I used to walk the line as a shortcut to Wells Rd to go conkering or to Sneiton Dale to go to The Dale cimema, such were the days. cheers John

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I think you're email address has been removed as a deterent to spammers. If any body wants to contact you the should initially do it via the PM system on here, that'll safeguard it.

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No need to post youir email here, The PM system works well for contact.

I have sent an email to your registered email address. You can send them to me,

and I will sort it.

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ash, i've been curious about how the rathole looked in its day for ages, as i've probably said, i lived in the area in the 70's and remember the disused railways. however the rathole and some of the bridges had already gone by this time. but when they finished the job in the early 80's i do recall that they re dug the area at the arnold road underbridge to use for tipper trucks, when they did this they exposed (as i thought at the time)part of a mysterious long lost tunnel!

on another note heres a link to some sets of photos, some of which seem to be taken in the area of park lane looking across towards the rat hole and arnold road-

My link

ps is the top photo taken on the valley road side or is it on the side where the gpo was later built? if its the gpo side that retaining wall could have been part of the remains i saw in 1982.

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Phil you can link any individual image for discussion copying the image address and using the picture.png button.

Great Railway resource that site.

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Fantastic pics on that link, one thing though, think "New Basford Turntable and Carriage Sidings" (1st photo in GCR section) refers to the turntable off The GNR top of Arnold Rd? was just saying the other day never seen a photo of such, That pic of mine is of the "north end of Rathole" I too "explored" that area when they were clearing it and drove under Arnold Road up the embankment and over Valley Road, had hell of a job doing 3 point turn to come back!

Seem to have drifted off The Sherwood Station topic but who cares!

ratholepage.jpg

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Good link there Phil, will get out on me bike now and look for some photo opportunities around here (Lincolnshire) I know most of the old branch line stations are still standing although now converted to houses but accessible from the road side

Plenty of railway pics to go through now

Rog

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Phil you can link any individual image for discussion copying the image address and using the picture.png button.

Great Railway resource that site.

sorry about that mick! i think that site or that chap whose photos they are has disabled the right click notebook thingy to stop anyone saving his pics, i know other photo hosting sites that let you do this, however i thought you'd all like to see those pics so i still posted them as best i could!

ashley- thank you so much for that great pic of the rathole! its weird to see and also to think how many times i walked over that spot without ever knowing what was underneath.

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just cooked this up to see where the tunnel was, in the modern landscape

nzomdk.jpg

i was able to get all JFK assasination by using the house in the background that still exists and is more or less exactly sideways on. the bushy area where i've put the photographer is probably all thats left of the cuttings visable in ashleys pic.

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Your projected Rat Hole northern entrance seems about right, but remember it was curved throughout...the southern exit was just upward of the B6064 symbol (around about where that red car is positioned!), then within a few yards it passed beneath Arnold Road and began to parallel the GC for the climb up to Bagthorpe Jct.

Some slight evidence of the original GC track line seems to also be adjacent to the same B6064 symbol...

The distance between the overbridge carrying the GC over Arnold Road and the underbridge carrying the Rat Hole line beneath was no more than 50 yards...

Cheers

Robt P.

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In addition:

To gauge the Rat Hole's curvature, consider my above confirmation of where the tunnel exit was located and refer to Picture 114 in Post #137 on Page 7...the sixth van behind the 9F is crossing Arnold Road overbridge!

Cheers

Robt P.

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your right about the underbridge, i should have added that was still there right up until 1982, but nearly filled up, to the point i hit my head on the bottom once going through and the harmiston rise side was filled to the top with a small gap you could crawl through, once through that the incline up to bagthorpe junction was still as it was minus track.

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To establish the exact alignment of the GN from Basford North to Bestwood Junction, draw a straight line on your modern-day map from the Oakleigh Street joining of Vernon Road to the deadend of Belconnen Road, just beyond Hucknall Road...

The other GN route, coming down from Bulwell Forest, ran closely beside (and slightly below) the eastern side of Hucknall Road until - just before the crossroads - it curved beneath the Arnold Road extension and joined the line from Basford North at Bestwood Jct signalbox, sited almost at Belconnen Road end.

Cheers

Robt P.

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Re your pic phil, The incline up to the GCR was behind (to the left) of those (red roofed) older council houses as seen in pic 113 so as stated because of the curve the rathole exit would have been lower down arnold rd. If I'm correct the GCR mainline was roughly in line with Fenton Road and the GCR down to GNR connection was where that large warehouse to the left can be seen? the embankment on which that was built was massive, once over arnold road it as it carried at one time 8 lines including prior to 1901 the up GNR to GCR connection, that connection was later cut GNR end once the rathole and incline finished and used as a siding.

If anyone confused by this "up" "down" talk (I know I was!) "up" was/is leading to London, "down" away, (I think! lol)

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Obliged to disagree...slightly.

Have been on Google Street, and can confirm that the remnants of the GC embankment are still there...immediately below the Beaver & Tapley factory. Judging the distance from memory that means the Rat Hole line, having passed beneath Arnold Road, would have begun it's climb at that factory site. Stand by my 'red car' assertion in #142.

Having stood there twice-daily on about every schoolday for almost seven years, I can also confirm that the downward distance to the Barlock Road junction looks exactly right, including allowance for the lower GN traffic overbridge.

Cheers

Robt P.

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Am a bit confused by the "red car" comment, there are I think 2? also am I making a mistake in assuming that big factory/warehouse is on route of bagthorpe curve? I think I am right though given that the incline was at end of those earlier council houses? also heading further north the mainline ran between Gayhurst Road and Orville Road more in line with fenton road? Anyway here is an official survey map which shows the wider embankment of the of the route to the GNR ( I was wrong in earlier post, those sidings were in fact Basford side of Arnold Rd) I doubt that factory/warehouse would fit on a twin line embankment SWScan00040bagthorpe.jpg

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if I may venture a comment on the satellite image?

I think the line of the rathole is the curved green strip around the back of the BT depot.

looking at a slightly wider view it's obvious which is the more recent, ie after the GC closed development.

Fenton Road would roughly align with the embakment up to Bagthorpe Junction as i think the line came out a little wide of the GC alignment and had to turn back in slightly to run more or less parallel to it, although it still came in at a bit of an angle at the junction.

The road leading to the front of the large industrial unit is roughly on the line of the Bagthorpe Junction-Basford North chord. For many years apparently, before it was incorporated into the factore premises, there was a signal post laying in the weeds at the side of the road.

My reasoning behind the curve being the line of the tunnel, is that when the site was redeveloped, they wouldn't build on top of the tunnel, which would be pretty shallow in that area, it seems to be have been left as a green strip.

If you pull out a bit further it's possble to see the site of Basford North (more factory units) and then take the GN alignment across Hucknall Road to Leen valley junction. The large factory area off Arnold road between Belconnen Road and Wyton Close, being part of the site of extensive sidings.

Following this line the site of Daybrook station is found under Comet on Mansfield road, then behind B&Q on the other side of Mansfield Road is the junction for the Suburban Line, following the line of Worcester Road towards Thackerays Lane, the green line between Grange Road and Woodthorpe Ave. leads to the bridge under Woodthorpe Drive then follow the tree line through Woodthorpe Park, where Ashwells tunnel was/is and we get back to Sherwood station!

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Re the curved green strip, yes that makes sense but only as far as where it meets phil box's drawn line, (later housing on Mallard Close etc built after tunnel removed, filled in etc) if you look on that copy of old survey map I included the tunnel itself appears straighter than the cutting parts of the route so anligning route further up Arnold Rd (sorry not better qual, but if you if you copy such you can send it to yourself then enlarge etc) I thought I was right re the warehouse/bagthorpe curve, it used to be some trade outlet with no fencing around such, you could drive behind it and park up, one night I was questioned by the police up there, (the young lady thought it quite amusing) Other points of interest on that map are proof bagthorpe curve bridge was in fact 2 seperate one, kids used to walk over Arnold Rd one foot on each span, one day one slipped and quite badly injured in fall. Also seen is a bit of The Leen Valley Line and the footpath crossing The GCR via "halfpenny bridge"

plus the turntable that was titled as "New Basford" in daveseastmids album, spoke to him via email, he said unsure of this area as photos took by his father, has another 4,000 in total to put on his site!!!

Re the GNR/NSR route ravingtrainman, I mentioned this elsewhere but walking or cycling you can still get all the way from Arnold end of Mapperley Tunnel to site of Cinderhill Rd GNR bridge following GNR route with very little use of public roads, mostly it's footpaths, jitty, paths through new housing etc on actual alignment , quite an interesting trek, not alot of relics left but some to be seen.

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