barclaycon 569 Posted December 6, 2015 Report Share Posted December 6, 2015 Good article about this station at the Disused Stations site: http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/b/bulwell_common/index.shtml He does a great job on researching the closure of railway stations. There are quite a few sections on stations from the Notts area there - including the Nottingham Suburban Railway. 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DJ360 6,734 Posted December 6, 2015 Report Share Posted December 6, 2015 Very interesting. I spent half my childhood on those sandstone embankments. Col Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted December 6, 2015 Report Share Posted December 6, 2015 Nottm Vic station pics are good to, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FLY2 10,109 Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 Great info. As I currently live very close to that area, I pass the old Station Masters house on St Albans Rd frequently. I cringe at what we could have today if all this was still present, and had been better utilised. As usual due to old rivalries, petty jealousies and a complete lack of forward thinking, the BEST railway ever constructed in this country was desecrated after barely sixty years of existence. Forget Brunel and the GWR. This was instigated by Sir Edward Watkin, the most enlightened and positive railway engineer ever. 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Merthyr Imp 729 Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 To be pedantic-ish, Watkin wasn't actually an engineer but a businessman or entrepreneur. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Watkin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FLY2 10,109 Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 Quite so MI, sorry for my gross misdemeanour. LOL He was the brains behind it though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
barclaycon 569 Posted December 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 Sir Edward Watkin was a visionary and a 'mover and shaker' who exerted a major influence on rail travel in the Victorian age. Whilst he may not have been an 'engineer' per se, he was a railway man through-and-through as evidenced by his achievements (the Metropolitan Railway, the Great Central, first attempt at the Channel Tunnel etc etc). So he definitely knew about 'railway engineering'. The dismantling of our railways and the Great Central in particular was incredibly short sighted and done with indecent haste. It's true that there was a lot of 'duplication' of routes - indeed Bulwell had 3 stations at one time. But the wholesale stripping of lines and the lack of vision with regard to future congestion and the value of infrastructure will go down in history as a major mistake. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PeverilPeril 3,290 Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 #4 Fly2 - just had a couple of drinks with Edward Watkin! And guess what? He was a chief surveyor for British Coal. He knew all about Sir Edwards' achievements. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Merthyr Imp 729 Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 Along with the Channel Tunnel Watkin was also behind the building of another great might-have-been - the Wembley Tower. It would have rivalled the Eiffel Tower, but construction never got past the first level and it was later demolished. The site was where Wembley Stadium now stands, 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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