Radford to Trowell Railway Line


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This was my local line when I was a kid, we used to meet up at the black path railway bridge at the back of Firbeck Estate and watch the trains go by, not that there were that many, even in the 50's and 60's.

I've heard once again, that this line is being considered for closure, is this true, has anyone got any information on this, it's been talked about since the days of Beeching, but it always managed to survive.

I took my son for a nottstalgic walk along the canal from Wollaton to the site of Trowell Moor Colliery the other day, which follows the line of the railway. I was very surprised at the number of trains using the route, but concerned about the condition of the track.

The bridge over the old canal is in a terrible state, I don't reckon that anything has been done to it since I was a youth:-

nottmeaster2009016.jpg

It was riddled with rust and looked very dodgy.

Further on down the line, I looked closely at the track, the up line was all 60ft track with 'clickety click' joints on old wooden sleepers, I recall it being replaced when I was a kid and the fishplates bore this out, being stamped 1960, nearly 50 years old then, amazing.

I can only assume that nothing has been done to update it in order to make an excuse to shut it down, but what do I know.

I'll finish with a pic taken off Trowell Moor Colliery Bridge, perhaps this could well soon be a scene of the past:-

nottmeaster2009024.jpg

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Hi Firbeck,

The line has been threatened with closure since the 60's. Some days it is busy but I think only when the main line at Toton sidings is congested at Attenborough junction.

If they close the line there may be an opportunity to divert a tram or two to Ilkeston.

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Why don't they simply build a new station on the site of the original one at Ilkeston, I noticed that there wasn't much left of the old one, but the track formations still allowed for new platforms.

In fact, by utilising the existing freight tracks, couldn't the whole of the Erewash Valley line be used as an extension to the tramway system, reinstating the stations to form mainline links, new ones on the Wollaton line, then putting in a connecting spur at Midland Station, they did it at Manchester, why not here.

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Come on now....its far too simple

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Isnt this the line that spurs off at Lenton North Junction? If so I cannot see a good reason why it should be closed. It allows trains to go north to the likes of Sheffield and Leeds without having to go via Toton so saving time and money. At one time it was fairly busy with freight but not now. I came down this line a few years back on my way to Norwich through Nottingham and it was my first time down it. Its singled at some point as you come into Nottingham.

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The freight workings to which you refer did not take this spur (which left the Lenton Jct lines just beyond Radford Station) but carried onward towards Basford, Bulwell and Hucknall on coal traffic. The spur is routed beneath Western Boulevard, past Balloon Woods and Coventry Lane to join the main line at Trowell Jct.

As the OP infers, a line of much interest to the 50's/60's gricers hoping for the occasional Kingmoor or Glasgow Corkerhill Jubilee...

Always surprising that Dr B******* missed it with his red pen...possibly because there are no stations!

Cheers

Robt P.

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The Trowell loop did carry some fast freight but not much in living memory, as stated most of freight through radford station were coal trains coming down from north notts though in later years only as far as newstead, the lines north of there being removed. As late as mid 1980's still busy though with "twinnies" (2 class 20's) often to be seen. A mate of mine's dad was a driver on that route in steam days and he reckoned it took him a whole shift to take empties back there with lots of waiting in sidings for passenger and other goods traffic to pass

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The Trowell loop did carry some fast freight but not much in living memory...

Can't recall ever seeing any freight on the line in the 50's/60's...

Vaguely remember a Holbeck Black 5 working a parcels, which seemed to be a Xmas time extra...

Cheers

Robt P.

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  • 9 years later...

 l was lucky enough to live on Kennington road, late 40s and 50s, our garden backed on to the railway line,l remember when there was e field across the line before the firbeck estate was built,  we used to go swimming in the water tower at Radford sidings, the traffic on the line was mostly 8fs taking empty wagons to Wollaton pit and returning with full loads,Express trains were usually hauled by Jubilees, l only saw one Beyer Garratt on this line, l and my mates used to walk the line, filling buckets with dropped coal, When coal trains were stopped at the Radford station junction. we used to climb in the wagons and throw coal out, which we collected later, The Flying Scotsman was seen on a special during the 1970s,there were some allotments near to western Boulevard bridge, and we used to go scrumping there, Those were the days before health and Safety, great times, l feel sorry for the youth of today, walking round, heads down  texting away

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l still have a love for the Steam locos, enjoying them at Great Central Ruddington and Loughborough. lve been lucky enough to ride footplate on the Duke of Gloucester, Canadian Pacific, Bahamas, witherslack, hall, black 5s, and some tank locos, My dad worked at Beeston creosote works, and l used to go there sundays riding on the Narrow Gauge steam loco, and the diesel ED 10, My Dad also fired the two stationery class 4 boilers there, and l used to enjoy throwing the coal in and enjoying egg and Bacon fried on the shovel

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