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

[MP33]

When the Central line was extended, was there any fuss about the Seven Kings to Newbury Park service closing?

 

[etr221]

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

The replacement bus for the service (230A - no idea what it is now, in whatever form) went to Northwick Park Stn, not Harrow town centre (had change to a train for that)

 

[RJ]

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.

The last train was routed into Platform 1 at Paddington, as opposed to being tucked away at its usual distant corner of the station.

 

[John Luxton]

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.


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.

Yes there were no regular services just specials - but it still ticks the criteria probably due to the fact it had no regular services and just simply faded away. But it was busy during the heyday of the trans-Atlantic liners.

 

[Cricketer8for9]

The replacement bus for the service (230A - no idea what it is now, in whatever form) went to Northwick Park Stn, not Harrow town centre (had change to a train for that)

That may well be true, though if I’d been in Stanmore in the 50s and wanted to go to Harrow I’d have got the 114 and if I’d been at Belmont in 1963 I’d have got the 18. Both buses went via Harrow and Wealdstone station before heading to Harrow.

 

[GS250]

The last train was routed into Platform 1 at Paddington, as opposed to being tucked away at its usual distant corner of the station.

Was not aware of this. Cheers.

 

[steamybrian]

Newhaven Marine station and short branch.
When the last train ran no-one could use the station as it was inaccessible due to a dangerous roof.........!

 

[Springs Branch]

A couple in London - the closure of Broad Street.
- - - - - -
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.

How about the Croxley Green branch? I may have missed it at the time, but don't remember much fuss about withdrawal of the barely usable parliamentary-style service at the end.

Maybe there was some token objection (single line - token - geddit?)

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. . .

There were quite a few similar lines in the north-west which were more inter-urban connections than rural branch lines, and which just faded away with few people caring or inconvenienced. Random examples like Wigan to Chorley via Hindley; St. Helens Shaw St (Central) to St. Helens Junction and onwards to Warrington BQ; Ormskirk to Rainford Jn; Guide Bridge to Oldham.

The local settlements were almost always better served by existing local bus routes, and a good fraction of the secondary rail services had already been abolished pre-Beeching.

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.

The Hayfield branch seems to have been a particularly egregious example of closure enthusiasm. IIRC, BR's justification for closure was the dangerous condition of the short Hayfield Tunnel at the very start of the branch near New Mills Central, which required expensive repairs.

After the Hayfield branch and its two stations had closed, the hourly timetable between Manchester and New Mills Central was unchanged, the DMU having a long layover at New Mills in lieu of a trip up and down the branch - and conveniently parked off the main line inside the "dangerous" Hayfield Tunnel.

 

[Irascible]

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.

I really meant formally closed, but as you can still get from High Wycombe to Paddington I guess that is a triviality.

 

[Grecian 1998]

The Weymouth Quay branch is a candidate - no-one seems quite sure when it actually closed.

I did wonder if there were many protests about lines which closed in the 1950s, most of which had been lightly used even in the peak years due to running through the middle of nowhere. However, given that Upwey - Abbotsbury, Exeter - Heathfield (Teign Valley) and Fareham - Alton (Meon Valley) all attracted some protests, it seems that there was some opposition to closures at that time even where the line was clearly a basket case in passenger terms.

 

[LUYMun]

Unlike the West Croydon to Wimbledon line, which saw people overcrowding the 2 car 456 EMU's for the last journey, the Addiscombe branch line didn't attract much of an audience AFAIA.

 

[Recessio]

How about the Croxley Green branch? I may have missed it at the time, but don't remember much fuss about withdrawal of the barely usable parliamentary-style service at the end.

Maybe there was some token objection (single line - token - geddit?)

Croxley branch is what I thought of immediately. I may be wrong on this, but hadn't they already severed the line to build a bypass, before it was officially shut? (like how Newhaven Marine was "open" for decades after it was last used).

 

[Matey]

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

Not that I recall. Nor for the Ramsey(N) branch which had lost passengers services several decades earlier. Although the guard on the clearance train did place some fog detonators for the sole witnesses (My 6 year old son, a teddy bear and me)!

 

[MarkWi72]

South Staffs freight only line in 1991.

 

[Cheshire Rover]

West Cheshire Railway/CLC branch line from Mouldsworth to West Cheshire Junction. Closed in 1991.

 

[gg1]

South Staffs freight only line in 1991.

1993

I wouldn't really expect the closure of a freight only line to get much, if any, attention from the general public.

 

[MarkWi72]

1993

I wouldn't really expect the closure of a freight only line to get much, if any, attention from the general public.

1993, yes forgot that. Not sure why I thought 1991.

 

[Route115?]

Purley to Coulsdon North, which really doesn't count, there are other stations nearby, but the TUCC had to consider an objection.

I don't think that there was too much fuss about Holborn - Aldwych.

 

[D6130]

Purley to Coulsdon South, which really doesn't count, there are other stations nearby, but the TUCC had to consider an objection.

I don't think that there was too much fuss about Holborn - Aldwych.

I think you mean Coulsdon North.

 

[Route115?]

I think you mean Coulsdon North.

Correct!

 

[Rob F]

Nottingham to Melton Mowbray died with a whimper for a main line to London that had carried Anglo-Scottish expresses. It was never the most photographed line whilst open and I have never seen any photographs of last trains or track lifting through West Bridgford etc. Partly lives on as a test track.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Was there much complaint about the closure of Spalding to March?

 

[alf]

Andover to Andoversford via Marlborough?

 

[Irascible]

I don't think that there was too much fuss about Holborn - Aldwych.

London was definitely aware of that one, no-one seemed to care though. Epping-Ongar was more under the radar.

 

[Recessio]

London was definitely aware of that one, no-one seemed to care though. Epping-Ongar was more under the radar.

I think apart from commuters from Epping, most Londoners only ever ended up out that way if they fell asleep on the train...

 

[Cricketer8for9]

And slept-walked from the Epping terminator to the Ongar shuttle?

 

[The exile]

Unlike the West Croydon to Wimbledon line, which saw people overcrowding the 2 car 456 EMU's for the last journey, the Addiscombe branch line didn't attract much of an audience AFAIA.

Being longer, it of course had a larger catchment of immediate locals taking their last (and first?) trip on the line. Can’t remember what time the last Addiscombe ran, but IIRC the last train on the West Croydon ran at a very civilised time (I was one of the crowd on it, having paid my farewell to Addiscombe earlier in the day)

 

[AY1975]

The Weymouth Quay branch is a candidate - no-one seems quite sure when it actually closed.

As I recall the last regular boat train ran on it in 1987 and the last charter train in 1999, but it remained nominally open until a few years ago. There have been several threads on it on these forums over the years.

 

[zwk500]

As I recall the last regular boat train ran on it in 1987 and the last charter train in 1999, but it remained nominally open until a few years ago. There have been several threads on it on these forums over the years.

This post from the Closed/Under Threat Stations thread is as close to the answer as I remember it getting.

Closed/Under Threat Stations Watchlist

Similar to the New Stations Calendar thread, I thought it would be a good idea to start a Closed/Under Threat Stations master thread. With the number of stations mothballed recently due to infrastructure issues and therefore temporarily closed by stealth, combined with stations which haven't...

www.railforums.co.uk

My research regards Weymouth Quay. (Excuse Caps as it's how I list all My Station History Reserch Data on my Excel Spreadsheet).

"WEYMOUTH QUAY STATION CLOSURE HISTORY.
26th SEPTEMBER 1987 WAS THE DATE OF THE LAST REGULAR SCHEDULED PASSENGER SERVICE.
THE LAST TRAIN WAS A 'ONE OFF' CHARTER SERVICE WHICH RAN ON THE 2nd MAY 1999.
NETWORK RAIL DESIGNATED THE WEYMOUTH QUAY TRAMWAY AS "OUT OF USE (TEMPORARY)" FOR A
PERIOD OF 2 YEARS AS FROM 15th JANUARY 2007.
FROM 18th FEBRUARY 2007 TO THE 17th FEBRUARY 2009 NETWORK RAIL HAVE IMPOSED A SHORT-TERM
NETWORK CHANGE TO THE WEYMOUTH QUAY TRAMWAY. THE STRETCH OF TRAMWAY TO BE CLOSED TEMPORARILY
FOR THE 2 YEAR PERIOD IS FROM MELCOMBE REGIS LEVEL CROSSING TO WEYMOUTH QUAY STATION .
A FURTHER 2 YEAR "OUT OF USE (TEMPORARY)" PERIOD STARTED FROM THE 1st APRIL 2009.
NETWORK RAIL PROPOSED THE CLOSURE OF WEYMOUTH QUAY TRAMWAY IN 2013.
THE WEYMOUTH AND PORTLAND BOROUGH COUNCIL’S MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE AGREED A RECOMMENDATION TO SUPPORT, IN PRINCIPLE,
NETWORK RAIL IN PUTTING THE DISUSED WEYMOUTH QUAY TRAMWAY PERMANENTLY OUT OF USE, ALLOWING NETWORK RAIL
TO PROCEED WITH THE PROCESS OF PUTTING THE DISUSED WEYMOUTH QUAY TRAMWAY PERMANENTLY OUT OF USE.
ON THE 2nd FEBRUARY 2016, DORSET COUNCIL MET AND AGREED ON A RECOMMENDATION TO SUPPORT PUTTING THE DISUSED
WEYMOUTH QUAY TRAMWAY PERMANENTLY OUT OF USE AND INFORMED NETWORK RAIL OF THAT.
NETWORK RAIL HAS INDICATED IT'S INTENTION TO START THE PROCESS OF PROGRESSING TO PERMANENTLY OUT OF USE STATUS
FROM THE DATE OF THIS COMMITTEE.
NETWORK RAIL ISSUED A PERMANENT ‘OUT OF USE’ NOTICE 12th APRIL 2016.
WEYMOUTH QUAY TRAMWAY AND STATION WAS NEVER OFFICIALLY CLOSED, BUT PERMISSION WAS GRANTED TO AVOID IT.
(SEE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION E-MAILS). DUE TO THE FACT THAT
NETWORK RAIL TRANSFERRED OWNERSHIP TO DORSET COUNTY COUNCIL AND THAT THE QUAY LINE HAD NOT BEEN USED FOR MANY YEARS.
A CLOSURE NOTICE WAS NOT REQUIRED UNDER THE RULES OF THE 2005 RAILWAY ACT."

As I say my research.

 

[Bedpan]

Croxley branch is what I thought of immediately. I may be wrong on this, but hadn't they already severed the line to build a bypass, before it was officially shut? (like how Newhaven Marine was "open" for decades after it was last used).

Me too. I think there was a replacement taxi service after the line had been severed, and so when the "line" formally closed it was simply a taxi service that was withdrawn.