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Rob, I knew where Bestwood Station was, (though nowhere near the A610? lol) just never saw it in use or a photo of it, Remember for years the station building at road level stood either derelict or part converted to a house, not sure what the end result was? think the former station masters house had been long since sold off and a private dwelling, also remember the 2 bridges over the road.

Clif, it's funny, but when I explored the dive area long after your photo was taken I'm pretty sure the brick retaining walls seen in the nnsc photo were still there? also on that photo the main line embankments appear a lot lower than on your photo? though that may be different camera angles? Once saw at Victoria Baths a model of the layout, could do with seeing it again! or a 26" (or whatever) to the mile map

That was a looong time ago, I was involved with the building of that layout when our clurooms were in the back of the, then private, Bulwell Youth Club! We were turfed out when the council took over running the youth club, gave us two weeks notice if I recall correctly! Although to be fair we have had a good deal of help and support from the council since.

So thinking back it's 30 or so years ago. At one of the shows we held in the Youth club before moving to Victoria leisure Centre, we and another layout were having a 'longest train' competition, I ran an 80 wagon freight behind a single Wrenn 8F, when a second 8F was added we managed 100! Any more and the wagons started to pull inwards on bends and derail. The layout was stored after moving out of the clubrooms and by the time we had new premises it had not taken very well to a couple of years in an unheated, damp building. Much of the steel track had taken a fairly heavy coating of rust, and the scenery, much of it coloured plaster, wasn't too good either. I wanted to restore the layout as I felt it had years of life left but the committee of the time disageed, so it was part dismantled. The other side showing the Bulwell Common station area was kept for another couple of years renamed as a 'fictional' St Albans Road.

Regarding Bestwood Station, passenger services were witdrawn on Sept 14th 1931, final closure to all traffic on 17th Feb 1964. Information taken from 'The great Northern Railway in the East Midlands' by Alfred Henshaw published by the RCTS but now out of print I believe although there were still some copies available earlier this year. There are a couple of pictures of the station booking office and houses and one showing the end of the platform above one of the road bridges.

There are also some pictures of Butlers Hill station, as indeed there are of almost everywhere on the GN (in the east midlands) in one or other of the four volumes, along with sketched track plans.

I can't help feelimg that the picture taken with the 8F and wagons is actaully working on some kind of relaying. There only appear to be sleepers around the wagons and both lines are intact, the first thing removed on dismantling is the rails as they have more value as scrap or for re-use. You couldn't get sleepers out first anyway! I suspect a spot re-sleepering actvitity, the like of which still happens today, to replace life expired (rotten) timbers.

Also by the time the line was closed and dismantled steam locos would not have been involved. Cowick was about the last steam shed in the area and I last remember seeing 8Fs on the GC whilst on my way back to school (High Pavement) from Northern baths. By this time their allocation was usually shown by a scrawled COLK where the shedplate should have been.This was, I think 1967, as most steam disappeared from this area in that year, to be replaced by mostly, what beame, class 20 and 25 diesels on the GC.

I remember walking to Bulwell Common from New Basford after total closure in, I suspect, 1969 as track removal was underway, so would discount steam on track removal.

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A junior boy’s memory. In the late 40s, one Saturday morning, this young lad and his brother would be squeezed into a taxi along with baby brother’s pram and all the luggage plus mam and dad and

A P.Bucket test? or a rail photo with a difference. It was so difficult to do I didn't have the heart to break it up so I framed it!

The dive

BulwellCommonDive.jpg

Following on from my previous reply just looked a bit further upthread and saw this picture, diesel (class 25)on the link to the GN, with, I think, the signal arms removed from the GC signals showing that it was closed. So even more certain that the 8F was taken earlier.

Also another question comes to mind of the shot across Bulwell Common yard, what is the DMU doing there? I think it's one of the 'Derby Heavyweights' which became class 114, always worked the Grantham-Nottingham service and most of the Lincolnshire lines.

There was no work for them north of Nottingham, unless they worked the Nottingham-Sheffield stoppers in it's last couple of years? The only time I recall seeing one north of Victoria was on a Sunday working to Derby Friargate, I think the weekdays were steam worked to the end. But that would have joined the mainline at Bagthorpe Junction, unless diverted up the chord to Bulwell Common for some reason, engineering works on a Sunday?

These pictures are fascinating but seem to raise even more questions!

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just to add that the buttresses for the dive (as i now know its called) survived at least until 1981-82.

they were still there when lots of us kids used the old lines as scrambler bike trails, i remember it particularly, because once it went around our school that some loony was going to jump across the gap there!

so that night there was a crowd of about 30 odd of us waiting to see him do his evel knevel impression, he turned up, trundled his bike up to the edge,and despite us all egging him on to jump he(wisely)thought the better of it and rode off!

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Getting away from the dive etc here,s an interesting pic, title said LNER bridge over Coventry Rd Bulwell 1929, though the LNER crossed Cinderhill Rd? or was the latter then called the former? either way I'm lost as regards where photo took from etc!

covroad.jpg

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Reckon you are both right...

Suggest the pic is of the LMS bridge...GN bridge crossing Cinderhill Road, further south - past Leonard Street.

Cinderhill Road began beyond the pictured LMS bridge.

Useful 'rule of thumb' could be that the two bridges were at either end of the later long line of prefabs!

Cheers

Robt P.

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Agree that the picture is the LMS (ex MR) bridge. I have a picture taken from the other side of the bridge in the 1960's, there is what looks like a Ford Anglia, 105E, van passing underneath.

I thought I remembered the GN embankment being much higher confirmed by this picture:

http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?action=printdetails&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM008156&prevUrl=

Edit: According to the linked photo it was demolished around 1979, so I must have driven under it a good few times but never remember the LMS one.

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Yes that was my guess, but didn't put such very well, not helped by my typo which read "though" instead of "thought"! Awhile back I put up pics of the Midland/LMS bridge and enquired re other bridges on the route in Bulwell, however never got any pics of those, http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq154/Ashobel/NTGM010465.jpg

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Lord Such,

Your 10465 pic is the LM bridge pictured from the Cinderhill Road side.

Sure we established this, when you first posted it...

Compared to the GN bridge, always seemed to be devoid of regular traffic.

BTW: Saw a light Deltic, in the distance, passing Bingham westward yesterday afternoon.

Did you see (or even better,hear!) it passing ROT?

Cheers

Robt P.

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Yes, think I have that book, it's funny how we assume (me anyway) certain aspect to photos? had thought for years that pic was looking north(ish), probably because I always lived south of there? sounds daft but did same thing on some bagthorpe photos and ditto east v west with old valley rd bridge, sort of have to turn my memories around in my head! didn't see yesterdays train but did see and hear long before that 2 class 37's head and tail of 3 yellow carriages really going for it heading east this morning on the embankment which is about 40 yards from us

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Also rather thrown by the direction of the photo...

The absent GC overbridge would have given a clue.

Also, hadn't realised the 'cut and cover' aspect to part of the construction.

Tend to forget how common it was in early railway tunnelling.

Cheers

Robt P.

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Re the Cinderhill Road LMS (MR)bridge, it didn't go anywhere anymore. It used to go to Bennerley but was closed many years ago, the last traffic was proberbly from Bulwell colliery closed before nationalisation, and possibly Sankeys flower pot works.

Just through the bridge on the left was a footpath which crossed the Mansfield line by a footbridge you could the get up to Highbury Road. I don't know if it is still there.

The LNER (GNR) bridge was much taller, a red brick arch.

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Re the Cinderhill Road LMS (MR)bridge, it didn't go anywhere anymore. It used to go to Bennerley but was closed many years ago, the last traffic was proberbly from Bulwell colliery closed before nationalisation, and possibly Sankeys flower pot works.

Just through the bridge on the left was a footpath which crossed the Mansfield line by a footbridge you could the get up to Highbury Road. I don't know if it is still there.

The LNER (GNR) bridge was much taller, a red brick arch.

the footbridge and jitty are still there, brian.

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This one is one of my favourites, not just about the railway but about the way of life at that time. People enjoying themselves on the Common walking and playing football, the industrialness of the railway itself even the Golden Ball looks to be in fine fettle etc . Notice 'the dive' in the middle right of the photo, I wonder where the photographer was standing when taking this picture?

BulwellCommon.jpg

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As suspected, your picture was the work of well known Nottingham GC photographer Tom Boustead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA-xrkpwz1g

Your shot is at 4m 58s...

His 'ultimate' picture (which doesn't seem to be included) is the classic shot of a 9F heading out of Sherwood Rise tunnel on Woodford-Annesley empties. This picture has often scored heavily in national Railway Magazine 'all time favourite' polls.

Cheers

Robt P.

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As suspected, your picture was the work of well known Nottingham GC photographer Tom Boustead.

Cheers

Robt P.

Thanks for the info Rob, I did wonder where these pictures came from.

nnsc

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Yes lovely picture though don't think that's the "dive"? if you go back to post 77 the photo there shows such a lot further away from Bulwell Common Station? also if the line to it were to turn to go under where that fence was the bend would be virtually 90 degrees, Re the footbridge over the Mansfield line, is it the same one? the one I remember was like cast concrete? that looked a lot later than the date of original lines also?

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Quite clearly the single track on the extreme right is the beginning of the descent to the 'dive'.

It's commencement was beneath the station overbridge, and features on #55.

The lower line, which turned off parallel, led to the headshunt.

Cheers

Robt P.

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Quite clearly the single track on the extreme right is the beginning of the descent to the 'dive'.

It's commencement was beneath the station overbridge, and features on #55.

The lower line, which turned off parallel, led to the headshunt.

Have a look at post 75 where I added a map. You can just see the features mentioned above

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My mistake, I was reading such as if the "dive" was the bridge under the main lines, not the incline down to such. I did of course recognize the line on the right of photo as the latter but wrongly assumed that nnsc had assumed the line curved in the other side of that fence and went under there,

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Getting away from the dive etc here,s an interesting pic, title said LNER bridge over Coventry Rd Bulwell 1929, though the LNER crossed Cinderhill Rd? or was the latter then called the former? either way I'm lost as regards where photo took from etc!

covroad.jpg

I used to walk past those old cottages, are they still there?

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