Lines that closed with the minimum of fanfare.....

[GS250]

I'd say the 11 mile long 'New North Main Line' that ran between Old Oak Common and South Ruislip via Hangar Lane is a prime example. It effectively lost its crown in the late 60s when daily GWR expresses were withdrawn in favour of the new electrified services from Euston to Birmingham. It soldiered on as a useful twin track diversionary route with one daily 'main line' train in each direction until about 1991. Maybe its 'death' occurred at this point as it was singled in places with speed restrictions imposed. Still got used for the daily parliamentary train and for diversions when Marylebone was shut. Finally succumbed in about 2018 when the section between Greenford and Old Oak was shut to make way for HS2 works. Don't recall any official final working or ceremony (unlike Moorgate) although I guess that's the nature of a 'ghost train' and a line that was slowly strangled.

Any others?

 

[Gloster]

The service from Newcastle to Washington, which saw the closure of Usworth and Washington stations, was withdrawn on 9 September 1963, the first withdrawal of a service as a result of the Beeching Report from a line that had not previously been proposed for closure. It was unusual and quick because there was not a single objection to the closure proposal, so it could go ahead without the usual hearings.

 

[D6130]

Derby-Sinfin?

 

[Harvester]

The 34 mile Tweedmouth-Kelso-St Boswells line. The route closed to passengers from 15/6/1964 and completely in March 1968. It seems it survived for so long because it was a useful diversionary route.

 

[Pigeon]

The Crudworth route. It just sort of faded out in confusion. I did Birmingham-York or reverse quite a few times in the 80s and made an effort to use a direct service if at all possible, rather than via Leeds or Doncaster, because I hate the ECML and didn't want to be in a train that got swamped with more passengers getting on at Leeds. Despite the definitive statements that are commonly made that the change between one direct route and the other took place on such-and-such a date, what I remember happening is that you basically never knew whether you would be going Crudworth or S&K until you actually got there. It wasn't until the track was actually severed that Crudworth became out of the question. Both routes were interminable trundles through endless slacks of one form or another, and there wasn't really any reason for most people to notice the difference. One gave you a better view of adjacent derelict trackage and the other gave you a better view of the cloud factories, perhaps, but it didn't seem to be enough for anyone to register it when Crudworth ceased to be.

 

[unslet]

I think you mean Cudworth. Agree with the sentiment,I think the severe mining subsidence didn't help its case.

 

[D6130]

I think you mean Cudworth. Agree with the sentiment,I think the severe mining subsidence didn't help its case.

IIRC, BR spent millions fixing the mining subsidence and upgrading the Cudworth route and then - within a couple of years of completing the job - changed their minds and shut it, having diverted the traffic onto the Swinton & Knottingley joint line as far as Moorthorpe.

 

[Lost property]

I think, to be fair, you could say this about a significant number of lines. Certainly those through Broadheath and West Timperley for example..although really, W.Timperley was never what you would call conducive to passengers due to its location.


.I could be wrong, but, didn't the closure of the line to Hayfield attract some attention ?

 

[zwk500]

The NNML only close for about half a mile of it's length though, as it's still open to Park royal from the Greenford direction for freight, and trains from Paddington could, in theory, use the West Ealing-Greenford branch to get to Ruislip.

Newhaven Marine also closed with the minimum of fanfare, having been effectively so in 2008 overnight and then limped on until 2020 or so when it was finally officially closed to turn it into a freight terminal. However, it did generate rather a large amount of fuss and fanfare in between the de facto and de jure closures!

 

[Taunton]

IIRC, BR spent millions fixing the mining subsidence and upgrading the Cudworth route and then - within a couple of years of completing the job - changed their minds and shut it, having diverted the traffic onto the Swinton & Knottingley joint line as far as Moorthorpe.

There were indeed various changes of mind on how to run from Sheffield to York, which seemed to go backwards and forwards, there being several options available. Notably once the Cross Country franchise came along however they found it more commercially advantageous to run via either Leeds or Doncaster rather than direct, as an Orcats Raid on existing East Coast and others revenue, something irrelevant in BR times, and thus the direct routes have just fallen away.

 

[nw1]

I think, to be fair, you could say this about a significant number of lines. Certainly those through Broadheath and West Timperley for example..although really, W.Timperley was never what you would call conducive to passengers due to its location.


.I could be wrong, but, didn't the closure of the line to Hayfield attract some attention ?

Hayfield is curious because it appears to have had a clockface hourly service (on the hour from Manchester) shortly before closing, with peak extras. (source 1965 LM timetable on Timetable World). Same applied to other closed lines in the Manchester area.

Quite a contrast to the typical Beeching closures of irregular and infrequent rural services - seems strange that lines which supported regular hourly services and which were close to large urban areas would be considered for closure. (I realise Hayfield is a short branch - in which case one might think it's hardly worth closing!)

 

[Cricketer8for9]

Did any of the 1920s and 30s closures go quietly? I would assume those closures were of routes which should never have been built and quickly became basket cases once motorised transport to the nearest town became feasible.

 

[John Luxton]

Liverpool Riverside to Edge Hill - Mersey Docks and Harbour Board?

Wasn't the last train a troop train with troops destined for Northern Ireland in the early days of The Troubles - February 1971?

 

[Irascible]

Not sure the NNL between OOC & Greenford Jct is actually closed yet, it's dashed in the SA & "temporary buffer stop" is noted.

Birkinhead docks?

 

[zwk500]

Not sure the NNL between OOC & Greenford Jct is actually closed yet, it's dashed in the SA & "temporary buffer stop" is noted.

Between the Relief lines and Park Royal it's definitely disconnected. https://goo.gl/maps/n5grfLQK6tc8PucC7

It's still accessible from Greenford Triangle to Park Royal for freight trains.

 

[lyndhurst25]

The Hunts Cross to Gateacre branch in Liverpool. Passenger services were “temporarily” withdrawn in 1972, with the locals promised that the line would be electrified and a modern new Gateacre station built as part of the MerseyRail network. Only plans changed and the line remains shut to this day. As this was only supposed to be a temporary closure, I wonder if BR even bothered to go through the formal closure legalities?

 

[30907]

Did any of the 1920s and 30s closures go quietly? I would assume those closures were of routes which should never have been built and quickly became basket cases once motorised transport to the nearest town became feasible.

My impression is that even into the 50s some closures went relatively quietly - certainly in terms of last day "celebrations" but also in terms of public opposition. That was not invariably the case - the Lewes to East Grinstead saga for example, and I believe the closure of half the IoW network was contested - but in other cases the traffic had already gone.

 

[zwk500]

My impression is that even into the 50s some closures went relatively quietly - certainly in terms of last day "celebrations" but also in terms of public opposition. That was not invariably the case - the Lewes to East Grinstead saga for example, and I believe the closure of half the IoW network was contested - but in other cases the traffic had already gone.

My understanding of the Lewes-East Grinstead closure is that the original closure was done fairly smoothly, it was only afterwards that the act was discovered and BR forced to reinstate the service. After that, of course, the 2nd closure was then far more contentious and had 'last day' services, headboards, strengthened formations, etc.

 

[GS250]

The Stanmore Village to Belmont section of the Harrow to Stanmore Railway was quietly closed to passengers in the 1950s. According to my Dad there wasn't an ounce of protest or fanfare. Definitely one of those sections of line that was built for a small but wealthy estate than of wider use to the area. By contrast when the remaining section was closed from Belmont to Harrow there was quite a large but empathetic farewell. The local buses made a lot more sense for this barely 2 mile run.

 

[Cricketer8for9]

Plus they went to Harrow town centre which the railway (or at least that railway) avoided.

 

[Bevan Price]

The Stanmore Village to Belmont section of the Harrow to Stanmore Railway was quietly closed to passengers in the 1950s. According to my Dad there wasn't an ounce of protest or fanfare. Definitely one of those sections of line that was built for a small but wealthy estate than of wider use to the area. By contrast when the remaining section was closed from Belmont to Harrow there was quite a large but empathetic farewell. The local buses made a lot more sense for this barely 2 mile run.

I think that Stanmore (BR) was considered "unnecessary" once London Underground reached there.
Leaving a one mile remnant between Harrow & Belmont seemed a bit strange.

Liverpool Riverside to Edge Hill - Mersey Docks and Harbour Board?

Wasn't the last train a troop train with troops destined for Northern Ireland in the early days of The Troubles - February 1971?

I don't think Liverpool Riverside ever had "regular" daily passenger services serving local stations. Trains were mainly specials, mostly to/from London for transatlantic sailings - and most of those had ceased by the late 1960s - replaced by air travel.

 

[D365]

Was there any sort of 'farewell' to the St Ives (Cambridgeshire) line before it was decommissioned or later lifted?

 

[Andy873]

Two I can think of:

Cherry Tree (Blackburn) to Chorley, this line was constructed as a quicker way to get coal from Wigan to the East Lancashire mill towns. The stations (except the two mentioned) closed to passengers in 1960 and goods 1966.

My old line, North Lancs loop between Blackburn and Rose Grove (Burnley) via Padiham and Great Harwood. Closed to regular passengers Dec 1957 after the usual public meeting. The public were pacified by retaining the summer day excursions and wakes week holiday services, however the year Beeching brought out his report was the last year for the wakes week specials. It was quietly closed at the end of 1964.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

There were indeed various changes of mind on how to run from Sheffield to York, which seemed to go backwards and forwards, there being several options available. Notably once the Cross Country franchise came along however they found it more commercially advantageous to run via either Leeds or Doncaster rather than direct, as an Orcats Raid on existing East Coast and others revenue, something irrelevant in BR times, and thus the direct routes have just fallen away.

I'm not sure I'd class that as an Orcats raid, it's not as if there isn't plenty of demand from Leeds, Wakefield and Doncaster to destinations further afield.
I feel like "Orcats Raid" is one of those phrases people like to bandy about any time any station pair has more than one operator, but that's probably something for a different thread.

Back on topic, it's before my time (I did ride it, but as a baby in arms) but I can imagine there was much fuss about Clayton West (closed 1983) outside of the most dedicated track-bashers. Similarly Kirkburton, though that closed to passengers in the 1930s and I don't think track bashers had been invented then!

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

In BR days, under Sectorisation, InterCity sought to reduce the mileage where it was the primary user (and thus hit with the costs) to achieve 'profitability'. XC services were therefore diverted via Leeds or Doncaster, rather than the Cudworth route - another example being Cardiff services diverted via Bristol Parkway rather than the direct line via Chepstow.

 

[A0wen]

A couple in London - the closure of Broad Street.

GN services had been diverted in the mid 1970s when they were electrified and took over the Northern City Line - Moorgate station is a 5 minute walk from where Broad Street was. People wishing to get to stations on the North London Line could easily change at Highbury & Islington.

Most LMR services ended when the North London Line was electrified giving a much more useful North Woolwich to Richmond link and that really only left a few peak hours services which quietly died a death after being diverted to Liverpool Street.

The closure of the widened lines from Farringdon to Moorgate - I don't recall that getting much resistance, presumably because it is fairly easy to change at Farringdon onto the Met / H&C / Circle to get to Moorgate.

 

[zwk500]

The closure of the widened lines from Farringdon to Moorgate - I don't recall that getting much resistance, presumably because it is fairly easy to change at Farringdon onto the Met / H&C / Circle to get to Moorgate.

It didn't get much resistance although I do recall there was a clock on the platforms at one of the stations counting down to the last train and there was a reasonable amount of publicity about the closure. Although also didn't the platform extensions happen very quickly after the closure?

 

[High Dyke]

Bottesford West to Newark Northgate. Albeit only used for freight traffic in latter years.

 

[GS250]

It didn't get much resistance although I do recall there was a clock on the platforms at one of the stations counting down to the last train and there was a reasonable amount of publicity about the closure. Although also didn't the platform extensions happen very quickly after the closure?

It made the local news. Although to be fair so did the NNML when the last 'ghost train' ran.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

In BR days, under Sectorisation, InterCity sought to reduce the mileage where it was the primary user (and thus hit with the costs) to achieve 'profitability'. XC services were therefore diverted via Leeds or Doncaster, rather than the Cudworth route - another example being Cardiff services diverted via Bristol Parkway rather than the direct line via Chepstow.

Would that not just make sense anyway? To serve either (or both) the principal city of a region and/or a large town (now city) rather than running non-stop through a depressed and subsidence-affected backwater? Hardly a major conspiracy in the grand scheme of things.