Old Railway tunnels

[ravintrainman 10]

actually that's a different bridge, the one over GNR mainlines on Hucknall Rd but part of The Leen Valley Junction so assume over one altered at same time?

Those pictures are the same bridge, the main structure of the houses is virtually unchanged, the ones on the left of the road are just visible through the bushes.

That is the bridge over the Leen valley lines to Bestwood, the one over the 'mainline' to Basford (North) is approached up a slope and the clearly seen houses, if they could be seen at all, would be on the left. The two bridges share materials and architecture so probably re built at the same time, to give better access to the Bestwood estate?

[ravintrainman 10]

The livery change to two-tone green, with full yellow ends (from half yellow ends) was introduced during the mid 60's - thus dating the pictures very near to the line closure date.

BR Blue soon became the standard livery, but many green examples were still around more than a decade later!

My twice daily Rathole visits in the mid 50's invariably produced only A8's, or L1's, on the Derby Friargate-Grantham workings...any departure from this came in to 'rocking horse droppings' territory.

Cheers

Robt P.

I would suspect that the picture was taken after the closure of Colwick shed as up until then most of the trips were still steam worked, 1967 or later

Pedant mode on>

The A8s were an ex North Eastern tank loco, the ones around here were ex great Central A5s. Comparison info and pictures here:

http://www.lner.info/locos/A/a8.shtml

http://www.lner.info/locos/A/a5.shtml

Pedant mode off>

[Ashley 288]

re the photos Ravintrainman,I was talking re later photo sent in by Cliff Ton, am pretty sure that one is of the GNR/LNER Hucknall Rd bridge just before Arnold Road, as main houses on other 2 now just seen on left instead of face on, ie picture took 90 degrees different, also Picture the past state Hucknall Road. have just been on google street view and seen modern view of still there bridge walls and (to me) those houses, but don't know how get pic on here.

[Cliff Ton 10,467]

Re: the confusion about which bridge is being widened

When I first posted the photo of a bridge being widened, I thought that was the same bridge as in my two comparison pictures.

But if you look at the widening photo again, there are TWO different bridges in that photo - there's the one in the foreground which is being worked on, and there is another bridge in the background which is the one in the old photo.

So I was half correct.

[taxi ray 170]

Regarding the photo from the 30s of Arnold road junction, the 2 houses on the left, the smaller 1 of the 2, my wifes aunt & uncle lived there in the late 50s early 60s, it was known as the railway house. They moved to Australia years ago, I will send the photo to them and see if they have any more, and as for the other house to the left of that the wifes brother in laws brother is living in that house now, and has been for about 10 years.

[philby 21]

Regarding the photo from the 30s of Arnold road junction, the 2 houses on the left, the smaller 1 of the 2, my wifes aunt & uncle lived there in the late 50s early 60s, it was known as the railway house. They moved to Australia years ago, I will send the photo to them and see if they have any more, and as for the other house to the left of that the wifes brother in laws brother is living in that house now, and has been for about 10 years.

Ray could you ask your relatives if the big house on the corner was a doctors surgery?

Its a house i know personally because it was a place i was seriously thinking about buying roundabout 2004.

i was actually working there ironically, decorating the place up to help the owner sell it. He was a local councillor who had a plot in ireland he wanted to build a house on, so needed a quickish sale. He was also interested in his history, Whilst there i traded him a copy of the 30's pic above for a print out of a map of the area dated 1919 that showed the rathole and all the other lines thereabouts.

[Ashley 288]

Not the actual Rathole Tunnel but the line leading to such and the Bagthorpe curve coming from the junction on the GCR, plus a very sad looking GNR single track, all that was left of the former main line that at one time carried over 200 trains a day. Basford & Bulwell, (Basford North) Station closed Sept 7th 1964 but goods traffic continued till the route closure sept 1967. photos would have been taken from Park Lane.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

What's that black stuff in those waggons??

[philby 21]

wow.

those two pics are exactly what i've been hoping to see of this area. we moved to gayhurst green in about 70/71 which is (or will be) just off to the photographers left beyond the allotment hedgerow.

its interesting to see that there are two lines on the right hand side, the furthest right one is in a little cutting compared to the one the oil tankers are on. this cutting was still in evidence right up until the area was re-developed in the early 80's.

it looks like the fence in the middle is the fence for the GPO now BT, premises, the long white wall in the background above the loco is the back wall of basford hospital.

now has anybody spotted the WW2 pill box?

no?

in the first photo on the right hand side there are three telegraph poles, just to the right of the middle one you can see something white peeking out from the bushes, it does look a little like a continuation of the little fence, but it isn't, its a small pill box that was used by all us kids as an army base!

[Ashley 288]

Phil, in early 1980's a few young bikers started coming in fox & crown, you'll know some, Mick Sirs (Sears) Pero, Muz,? after pubs shut they and (then) us used to go up the "banks", the various cuttings around and behind the gpo depot, many a good night was had sat around a bonfire there, often passing out till daylight!

[nnsc 131]

A view off the bridge today looking in the same direction.

[Ashley 288]

Looks nice, there must be photos taken from same spot when the railway looked less depressing? There were I think 4 lines under the bridge opening out into 7 at one time there also a turntable in that area? Don't recall the pill box mentioned but not surprised to hear of it. Railways were important during WW2, am told there was a road block/check point in the the area of those 2 houses mentioned, consisting of concrete filled oil drums and manned by the home guard, at least in the daytime, as wheeled away at night in case someone ran into them in the blackout! a similar arrangement was at Church Street Bridge over the MR, but no barriers on the Western Boulevard one alongside it!

[philby 21]

great minds think alike nnsc!-

i drive up and down park lane quite often, so this morning i pulled up and grabbed a quick snap. nottstalgia could be making the people in brittannia avenue paranoid!

you're right to call this area the banks ash, but this section's full name was bottom banks and the park lane bridge was always known to me as simply bottom bridge.the GCR line was known as top banks with halfpenny bridge being top bridge.

in fact i never heard that bridge called halfpenny bridge ever, until it was referred to as such on this forum.

another memorie-

ash, you mentioned the bikers riding around the banks, well my first ever motorbike solo was done here on a 175 yamaha scrambler, me aged 15, and a couple of mates borrowed it after capping off school one afternon. because it belonged to a lad called julian dennis, who wasn't allowed to have it at his house, it was kept at his mates house,neil mills on wallis street. we just knocked on the door, told the woman who answered it that julian (the rightful owner) had sent us for his bike and we just rode it up and down from the GPO to northern bridge all afternoon! me on the back at first, then under peer pressure, i drove it on my own from the GPO to park lane bridge at the wild speed of 15-20 mph because i was actually terrified to be driving.

we did take it back to where it was kept, cheekily told neil mills's mum "julian says thanks for keeping it here!"

some years later i told julian about this, and he said he remembered running out of petrol once, although he was sure he'd filled up the tank.

must have been the same day!

[Cliff Ton 10,467]

Apologies if this photo has been posted before somewhere on this site, but the pictures of the Rathole from Park Lane (old and new) reminded me of this one which is the reverse view.

Park Lane bridge is visible in the distance above the final coach in the train approaching the camera

[Ashley 288]

Another nice picture, as I said must be loads? when you compare that last picture with those of the area in a run down state it does make you think? (at least it does me). Used to be a newsagent named Don Beecroft on Nottingham Rd (between Valley Rd and Vernon Rd)who was a well known photographer, heard when he died his collection of god knows how many local railway/loco shots went in the bin!

Anyone know what the staff level is now of the railways in this country? In 1939 it was 555,337, of which no doubt a lot lived in the 49,774 houses owned by the railways, one way or another they played a part in the 1,158,318,000 passenger journeys or helped move 254,496,000 tons of freight in that year.

[Ashley 288]

Just been looking at the old B/W pictures, enlarged them best as I could and could make out the GCR bridge over Arnold Road also that it appears the "GNR Mainline" (single track) ends approx where it goes under the GC with some sort of fence/barrier across the route? (note the "appears" and ? as very blurred). No trace can be seen at all of the 3 lines, one of which lead to the turntable that was in the far corner of the fenced off triangle of land just before above mentioned bridge, though a signal post for such remains, As Phil mentioned the later wall of the "Basford Hospital For Infectious Diseases" clearly seen, (my uncle was in there with scarlet fever as a kid pre war, when I got it about 1955 just off school 2 weeks)

In Cliff Tons BR era pic, those sidings/turntable line can be seen, indeed possibly more than 3 then? that doesn't sound as far fetched as at first sight as just up The GN after it crossed Hucknall Road a third main line was added ("the goods line") requiring much digging out of embankments and Edwards Lane Bridge extending because the route was that busy, as far as I know the last "expansion" (new pit routes excluded) of the railways in Notts?

[nnsc 131]

Here's a view of the Park Lane bridge that must've been taken at the same time that Ashleys photos were taken.

[Ashley 288]

Great, thanks for picture, I remember that house, guess maybe a crossing keepers one from pre bridge era? and a guy who'es car landed in it's garden down the embankment after getting airborne going over the bridge! Also clearly seen is the footpath/right of way or whatever that far as I know still exists (mentioned previously elsewhere) You can also just see one of the ornate chimneys and part of roof of Basford and Bulwell Station in the distance,also I think ditto the goods shed? the factory there appears far larger than I recall? to say mid to late 1960's the area seems very isolated looking. keep em coming!

[denshaw 2,872]

Would the factory have been Whitley Reed engineering on Park Lane?

[mick2me 3,033]

I have some Hi Fi Loudspeakers made by Whitley in Notts (Mansfield?)

Same firm?

Must be pretty rare now?

[denshaw 2,872]

Don't think so Mick they were into heavy metal, might have even been Whiteley Read.

[Ashley 288]

Seem to recall (now reminded) the factory was Whitely Read? I have some loudspeakers that are into heavy metal! but know what you mean, all girders and profile cutting etc, think there was actually a line running into their works?

[philby 21]

wow. more memories.

that factory is indeed whitley reads. once, and only once mind, me and 4 or 5 mates were insane enough to climb right onto those thin asbestos rooves, running around and watching cars driving up and down park lane. we got up there by climbing up the cranes ladder that was at the back, then up onto the cab top, and then up onto the roof itself.

knowing what i do now, that its by the grace of god none of us run over a weak part or broke through just by running about still makes my blood run cold!

also i remember kids straddling that black pipe in front of the bridge and scooting all the way across, although by then both ends had a metal fence around them, but you could squeeze through where it didn't quite meet the concrete of the bridge.

any ideas what the black hut may be? apart from that and the track this pic is how i remember this area, also it looks like as i have long suspected the bridge has been replaced.

[Ashley 288]

Re the bridge, replaced as in another one in it's place? Park Lane was closed to traffic for ages maybe 20? years ago whilst something going on in the area of the bridge but about 12 years ago some sort of wide bridge remained, know that as I cycled under it, assumed at time it was the original one? as regards the black hut who knows, land around railways tended to have all sorts of sheds, buildings etc, some original ex railways ones, later lock up garages, workshops or allotment sheds etc.

[Cliff Ton 10,467]

think there was actually a line running into their works?

Certainly seems to have been the case in the early 60s