The Nottingham Suburban Railway

[Ashley 288]

 other pages and photos to follow

[firbeck 859]

Interesting to look on the old 1885 map and see no trace of this railway, well there wouldn't be, it wasn't open until 1889, on the other hand, how long would it have taken to build all those tunnels and cuttings, it must have taken a few years.

Had the formations remained intact to this day it could have made an ideal tram route, the Circle Line of Nottingham, linking up from Bulwell, to Daybrook then round the suburban to Weekday Cross, but who would have forseen a future tram system when it was closed.

Incidentally, I have a vague memory of catching an excursion train to Mablethorpe from Daybrook Station in the 50's, why from there, I don't know, it must have been a pain to get to from Wollaton, no doubt it must have been one of my fathers cunning plans, nice to think that I must have actually travelled through Mapperley Tunnel by steam, no doubt hauled by one of those impressive K3's.

I also remember catching an excursion to Mablethorpe from Midland, on leaving the station we were shunted backwards into Low Level Station where a very gleaming K3 was waiting to take us on to our destination, wierd thing to do, but there was no connecting spur at Netherfield then. Obviously both trains started from other places, possibly Derby. I always recall the excitement of going off on these trips, never remembering coming back though, but I have a memory of arriving back at Mablethorpe Station and finding it so full of trains that I didn't know where to start looking for ours.

As an aside, for those who complain about the railways these days, our youth has just insisted on being given a lift to Witham from Braintree, looking it up on the net, it's only £2:10p return on the train, he's just gone off to the station in disgust, bloody bargain I think, it makes more sense than all the time and money spent driving the boggers around.

[Ashley 288]

Hi firbeck, have just looked up dates etc The Nottingham Suburban Railway Act was put to parliament on June 25th 1886, and work began with the sinking of a shaft for Sherwood Tunnel in June 1887, and the first paying passenger train left London Road Station on December 2nd 1889. (a Monday at 8.45am, lol) I am going to continue with rest of the story but in seperate topics as advised by Mick2me

[Ashley 288]

I got Ashley's Basford & Bulwell book from the library. Well worth a read if you can get a copy.

Fame at last! Have written history of GNR Basford to London Road , and of Lines North of Bulwell but of little interest to publishers (even the guy who did Basford and Bulwell) Hopefully my experience of local railways and researched history made a change from "photo collection" type of publication? Not that I had much experience! when a trainspotter never even went to the vic let alone likes of grantham or derby, was always either New Basford Station or somewhere near and only train rides I got were once a year to seaside or odd bank holiday excursions.

[denshaw 2,871]

If you continued along Colwick road towards Netherfield there was a bridge near the racecourse. That bridge was demolished mid seventies and is now the A612 Daleside Road East.

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

If you continued along Colwick road towards Netherfield there was a bridge near the racecourse. That bridge was demolished mid seventies and is now the A612 Daleside Road East.

I know where you mean, and that would fit Picture the Past's description.

In other words, about here Colwick

But wasn't that on the old Great Northern line? so they were wrong to say the photo is the suburban line

[denshaw 2,871]

I worked at Kings Motors on Colwick Road, which is on google earth now as Lifting gear hire. This was early seventies and there was a train line at the rear of the premises, this is now the A612.

[Ashley 288]

Are we talking about the bridge that was where the now gone Ginger Tom pub was later built? I remember seeing such but at time no real interest in railways then but my memory is of a brick arch? again I too have never seen a photo of such, only that it was demolished in October 1963. The bridge further along was indeed GNR, the approach to such is now a sort of travellers site,

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

I worked at Kings Motors on Colwick Road, which is on google earth now as Lifting gear hire. This was early seventies and there was a train line at the rear of the premises, this is now the A612.

Is that on the old Colwick road which comes to a stop at a dead end? For a while it runs parallel to the current Colwick Loop Road.

I have a vague memory as a kid going along there and when the road used to continue, it went up over the (now non-existent) railway line

This is as far as you can get now

Bridge

Weirdly spooky shot for me. On a totally different subject, I worked at Central TV on Lenton Lane for most of its existence, and I'm gobsmacked to see that old Central trailer parked here

[denshaw 2,871]

Not near the Ginger Tom. Further along Colwick Rd Ashley, the bridge used to swing to the right, over a railway line and you had a good view of the Racecourse. An old mate Pete Foster lives on that travellers site.

[Ashley 288]

I have now decided that photo IS of the GNR bridge that was where the travellers site is now and nothing to do with the NSR as stated on picture the past, the "new road" now runs on route of GNR with the remains of original road between that and race course in parts

[bamber 128]

Got me puzzled.

[Ashley 288]

Got me puzzled.

[/quote

Still?

[Ashley 288]

Cliff Ton, (and anyone else interested) looking at that map you can see the old colwick rd must have had various divertions made with the coming of the railways, ones we don't think about having sort of accepted that "that's how things always were" having not known anything different? Colwick Crossing area stands out, and of course the bridge over the GNR area, going away from the NSR now but a classic example is at Bobbers Mill Bridge with the old route and former crossing site still to be seen, ditto at Beeston Station, though I remember that bridge being built. Talking of bridges I've still to fathom out how (not why) they replaced the GCR bridge over Valley Road, obvious answer was they built new one at side of old one but photos at time show new one considerably higher? which would alter gradients? also newer photos show no "swerve" in line, which one imagines would be needed if built side by side?

Was the same with roads too? in my bike days used to love exploring where old "bypassed" roads went, even these "bend straightening" alterations.

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

I've still to fathom out how (not why) they replaced the GCR bridge over Valley Road, obvious answer was they built new one at side of old one but photos at time show new one considerably higher? which would alter gradients? also newer photos show no "swerve" in line, which one imagines would be needed if built side by side?

You've probably looked at Picture the Past on this subject - if not, in the "Search" box put "Valley Road". You'll get quite a few irrelevant pictures, but a lot which show the old and new bridges at various stages of history.

This Two bridges is a good example of the old and new at the same time (they seem to have built the new one on top of the old one, as some of the other photos also demonstrate)

[Ashley 288]

Yes you're right, had seen no end of picture the past ones of it inc the 2 bridges one but never put 2 and 2 together, it's easy when you "see" (in my case for first time despite looking at pics many times) that the line was way above the original bridge thus allowing another to be put in without disturbing the route or level of the up and down tracks, that signal box was replaced by the one that lasted till after closure the other side of main lines at junction of line from the rathole

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

Not exactly a lot of new information, but an interesting version of the history of the Suburban Railway

And when you've read it, the rest of the site has some fascinating photos and stories of all kinds of Victoriana

Suburban

[Ashley 288]

bit out of date with what's left, the footbridge at thorneywood went years ago, can see alot of info came from a British Railways Journal article of december 1986

[mick2me 3,033]

THat site also carries a link to Bennerley & Bulwell Railway

[barclaycon 569]

I chanced upon this forum by Googling NSR so I'm a bit late with what you've all been talking about.

There's suprising little information about the Suburban Railway, so any pic or information is welcome.

Someone actually started a website devoted to the NSR :

www.nottinghamsuburbanrailway.co.uk/

However they haven't gone beyond the front page and nothing has been done with it since 2006.

Looking at your 'picturethepast' photos NTGM017600 and NTGM017601, I don't think that bridge was part of the NSR.

I think it's more likely to have been part of the line that went to Racecourse station.

Ashley. Where did you get those photo's and line diagrams from ?

Did they come from the David Birch book that came out recently ?

I haven't read it myself yet. Just wondered if it's worth the £20.

Re. Thorneywood. I visited the site of the station a couple of years ago and most of it has been swept away, but you can still get behind the houses at the north end and see the portal of the tunnel. I did try to see if I could find the tunnel that runs under the Coopers Arms up to Mapperley brickworks but it's completely covered now.

Keep up the interesting info.

[mick2me 3,033]

Welcome Barclaycon

Did you take a camera at all?

[barclaycon 569]

Welcome Barclaycon

Did you take a camera at all?

I'm afraid I didn't take a camera, although there was a website called nottinghamrail.com which had a few pictures but after checking just now it has apparently disappeared!

[barclaycon 569]

The Disused Stations website will be doing a feature on the NSR and also lines around Derby in the near future:

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/

It's a great site for enthusiasts of this kind of stuff.

I haven't worked out how to upload pictures above 50k on this forum, but I've got others I'd like to post.

[Ashley 288]

doubt there'll be any station pics we've not seen? didn't seem to be a popular route for pictures, but any welcome via photobucket site

[barclaycon 569]

doubt there'll be any station pics we've not seen? didn't seem to be a popular route for pictures, but any welcome via photobucket site

On the nottinghamrail.com site there were a few NSR rarities - some pictures of some of the stations being dismantled. But they were only of thumbnail size. I asked the site owner if it was possible to get larger images but he said not, that was all he'd been sent. There was also this evocative image of Thorneywood which was from the Evening Post: