Nottinghamshire Colliery lines bought by County Council

[brianthegiant]

Hi folks,
I'm trying to find out about the former colliery railway lines recently bought by Notts County Council from BRB residuary?
I believe it includes the lines to four collieries - Bilsthorpe, Calverton, Cotgrave and Clipstone,
from http://www.railwayramblers.org.uk/news/12news/12notts.htm and
http://www.nottinghampost.com/Count...old-colliery/story-14411292-detail/story.html

Almost £2 million could be spent on breathing new life into four former colliery railway lines. Nottinghamshire County Council is talking to Network Rail about buying the disused lines which served Bilsthorpe, Cotgrave, Calverton and Clipstone. If a deal is struck, the council plans to spent £1.7 million creating new routes for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. The authority is offering to pay up to £80,000 for the lines after Network Rail said it wanted to sell them. The development would also create safer crossings over the A614, A60, and A52.

Councillor John Cottee said: 'This is a one-off opportunity to make good use of four railway lines which have fallen into disuse and create valuable links between various towns and attractions across the county. The new routes would not only benefit people using them for recreational purposes; they will bring an economic boost by attracting more tourists to the county. They will also help reduce congestion by encouraging people to walk or cycle when making short journeys and improve access to employment and training opportunities in built-up areas for rural residents.'

The four railway lines run to 15.3 km (just over 10 miles). The 4.2 km Bilsthorpe and 1.2 km Clipstone lines would link the Southwell Trail with National Cycle Route 6 which runs all to the way to Cumbria and the Lower Linear Route which continues into Derbyshire. They would also create a route between Sherwood Pines Forest Park and Center Parcs, Vicar Water Country Park at Clipstone and the forest north of Rainworth. The 3.5 km Cotgrave line would provide a route to Radcliffe-on-Trent and the Trent river path into Nottingham. The 6.4 km Calverton line would improve links from the north of Nottingham, with National Cycle Route 6 to the south of Sherwood Forest, and attractions such as Burntstump Country Park, Papplewick Pumping Station, Calverton Forest Park and Samson Wood.

The council wants to find the £1.7 million needed for the project through external sources. A Network Rail spokeswoman said: 'We are in discussions with the council about a number of sales of redundant lines but those deals are not completed yet. Any money raised from the sale would be reinvested in the railway.'

From what I can make out:
Cotgrave: 3.5km so all the way from the Junction with the Nottingham Grantham line to the country park on the former colliery. Provides a crossing over the A52 at Radcliffe on Trent.
Calverton 6.4km so not the entire line from Broomhill Junction to the former colliery - I wonder which section is excluded? Might provide crossings under the A60 and over the A614
Clipstone 1.2km very short section of what was a complex rail network in the area - unclear which section this was?
Bilsthorpe 4.2km I guess this is the line west of Bilsthorpe, not the north -south line which was dismantled earlier. So it links Bilsthorpe with Clipstone forest & provides a crossing over the A614.

Do any of them still have tracks & sleepers or just ballast?
I know funding is being sought for conversion to greenway trails, just not sure what land the council now own as a result and the condition.

cheers, Brian

 

[thenorthern]

I know there was a junction at Clipstone where a line went down to Rainworth which finishes just before the A617 but previously ran past there. All the way the sleepers are still there with the ballast and a bit later on the track starts appearing after a while and I think there is a weighing thing there as well. It served the former Rufford Colliery that closed in 1993 I think.

I was at school in Rainworth for a time and I walked around there a couple of times and saw the track and walked up it a few times. The woods there though are a bit strange and not a nice to be and are full of burnt out cars so it would be nice if Nottinghamshire County Council could improve the woodlands that the lines run through.

 

[CallySleeper]

Here's NCC's report on the aquisition, dated 12th December 2011.

...Network Rail has approached the County Council with an offer of sale of four redundant
former mineral branch lines, before these are offered on the open market or sold
piecemeal to other interested parties

The Local Transport Plan (LTP) which came into effect on April 1 2011, sets out the
transport goals and objectives for Nottinghamshire for the period 2011-2026. The four
proposed routes as described in this report have been previously identified as the
highest priorities for acquisition so that they can become part of the multiuser/
greenway network. Each will help deliver the three LTP strategic goals, as well as
10 of the 12 LTP transport objectives, in the following ways:

....

It is therefore proposed the lines are acquired by the Council, using the existing LTP
capital programme allocation in order that they can be restored at a later date into
Greenway routes. Once acquired, they will be managed as part of the Council’s green
estate.

Feasibility work, funded through the LTP, has been undertaken into the potential costs
and benefits of acquisition of the four lines. The studies investigated site ecological
characteristics, undertook survey work of all the structures associated with the lines and
estimated the outline costs for restoration. The outcomes of the feasibility studies,
including benefits and characteristics of the four lines, are summarised in Appendix 1...

 

[yorkie]

Does anyone have any more information about this?

Has anyone explored any of these routes?

 

[Intercity 225]

I walked a small section of the former Calverton route almost a year ago but no work to convert it to a proper footpath had been started at the time - not sure if any has commenced since. There was still ballast in place which was unpleasant to walk over in addition to significant amounts of undergrowth to tackle. It's going to require some serious work to bring it to a condition that's suitable for anyone of a less exploratory nature!

 

[Ploughman]

Are they definate "Country Paths"?
Or is there any development that may provide an additional tram route?

 

[Doctor Fegg]

I believe Bilsthorpe is now a cycleway (NCN 645). Not aware of work being underway on any of the other three but I may have missed it.

The Railway Ramblers club is often good on this sort of work - here's their latest news page: http://www.railwayramblers.org.uk/news/16news.htm

 

[Intercity 225]

Are they definate "Country Paths"?
Or is there any development that may provide an additional tram route?

There could be a small market from Calverton who would consider rail for travelling to Nottingham and I suspect that a parkway near Seven Mile House where the A60 crosses the route would be well used by Ravenshead & Papplewick residents if it existed.

However, considering the combined population of all three villages totals less than 15k, I would expect that the costs involved in creating such a link would far outweigh the return so it's not anything I can envisage happening at any point in the foreseeable future. All three villages already have regular bus services and these are more than capable of handling the public transport needs of the area right now.

 

[HowardGWR]

There could be a small market from Calverton who would consider rail for travelling to Nottingham and I suspect that a parkway near Seven Mile House where the A60 crosses the route would be well used by Ravenshead & Papplewick residents if it existed.

However, considering the combined population of all three villages totals less than 15k, I would expect that the costs involved in creating such a link would far outweigh the return so it's not anything I can envisage happening at any point in the foreseeable future. All three villages already have regular bus services and these are more than capable of handling the public transport needs of the area right now.

I agree with that. Having lived in the area once, I have often wondered whether it would have been kinder, in the long run, to have dealt with these mining villages in the same way as the mines. Demolish and grass it over. If you look around the estates tacked on to erstwhile rural villages, it seems like the folk there are economically, environmentally and socially stranded. I haven't been back in years, so my views may be outdated.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

That was actually planned (and commenced) in County Durham: https://sites.google.com/site/waggonways/category-d

 

[Kneedown]

I agree with that. Having lived in the area once, I have often wondered whether it would have been kinder, in the long run, to have dealt with these mining villages in the same way as the mines. Demolish and grass it over. If you look around the estates tacked on to erstwhile rural villages, it seems like the folk there are economically, environmentally and socially stranded. I haven't been back in years, so my views may be outdated.

Papplewick and Ravenshead are rather affluent villages these days, and rather desirable places to live, although Hucknall is slowly expanding to swallow up Papplewick.

 

[ashworth]

Papplewick and Ravenshead are rather affluent villages these days, and rather desirable places to live, although Hucknall is slowly expanding to swallow up Papplewick.

That whole area would have been very well served by rail if a station had been provided at Linby on the Robin Hood Line. Unfortunately, Linby is now situated in the middle of a long single line section where timekeeping is difficult even if trains are only delayed by a few minutes.

The old station site near the level crossing at Linby, if it had been re-opened has a huge field at the side of it, locally known as the station field, which could have been used for a large car park. In addition to serving the villages Linby and Papplewick it would also have made a good park and ride site for affluent area of Ravenshead. In addition to this, the location of the station site at Linby would have been far more convenient and accessible than Hucknall station for many residents in the north of Hucknall and indeed, linked by the Hucknall bypass, the large estates to the west of Hucknall. Also Linby is very accessible from the M1 to serve an even wider area as a park and ride facility for Nottingham.

Also there is a large development of more than 3,000 houses to be built in the next 10 years between Hucknall and Newstead, many of which will be within walking distance from Linby. If Linby station had been opened it could have developed into one of the busiest on the line. Now that Hucknall has the tram, the car park at Hucknall station is now full to capacity often before 8am.

Unfortunately the re-opening of the station at Linby was never really seriously considered and Newstead took priority. I can see why as the County Council and government wanted to see it as part of the regeneration of the old mining village areas. However, Newstead is only very lightly used with an hourly service, and even now despite improvements to the area is not a place where people feel safe about leaving their cars.

 

[najaB]

That whole area would have been very well served by rail if a station had been provided at Linby on the Robin Hood Line.

Is there a particular reason that a station at Linby is impossible now?

 

[ashworth]

Is there a particular reason that a station at Linby is impossible now?

The single line section from Bulwell to Kirkby is very long. Even with the two passing loops, which are occasionally used at Moor Bridge and Newstead timing is very tight to maintain the half hourly frequency during the day. To reduce delays alternate trains don't stop at Bulwell or Newstead. This section of the line was done on the cheap. The line between Bulwell and Hucknall needed to be singled to accommodate the tram track but north of Hucknall to Newstead, through Linby, double track was in position but they singled it. Linby is right in the centre of this single line section and unless line speeds are greatly increased a stop at Linby would now allow for a reliable half hourly frequency.

 

[najaB]

Linby is right in the centre of this single line section and unless line speeds are greatly increased a stop at Linby would now allow for a reliable half hourly frequency.

Would additional signal sections and a passing loop at Linby help?

 

[ashworth]

Would additional signal sections and a passing loop at Linby help?

There's space for double track from just north of Hucknall station right up through Linby to Newstead or even beyond which is a stretch of at least 3-4 miles. It always used to be double track even when it was only used for coal traffic after originally closing to passenger traffic in the 1960's. The double tracks were left in place but then it was singled when it was re-opened as the Robin Hood Line. A station at Linby has never been in the plans and even with all the new housing planned close by it isn't included in any future planning. This will just put even more pressure on the traffic around Hucknall and add to the problems of Hucknall Station car park being full to capacity every morning.

 

[Kneedown]

There's space for double track from just north of Hucknall station right up through Linby to Newstead or even beyond which is a stretch of at least 3-4 miles. It always used to be double track even when it was only used for coal traffic after originally closing to passenger traffic in the 1960's. The double tracks were left in place but then it was singled when it was re-opened as the Robin Hood Line. A station at Linby has never been in the plans and even with all the new housing planned close by it isn't included in any future planning. This will just put even more pressure on the traffic around Hucknall and add to the problems of Hucknall Station car park being full to capacity every morning.

It doesn't help that the only bus service is the 141 which only runs hourly.

 

[ashworth]

It doesn't help that the only bus service is the 141 which only runs hourly.

The 141 bus also doesn't run now in the evenings and hasn't run on Sundays for years. Even worse the fares suddenly jump by a large amount once you travel over the boundary from Hucknall into Linby. It's £7.10 return to Nottingham (£6.20 with Mango Card) from Linby compared to just £4.30 (£4.08 with Mango Card) just a couple of stops up the road over border in Hucknall! That's even more than Trent Barton charge from all the way from Kirkby in Ashfield. It's only £4.60 return to Nottingham by train from Newstead further up the Robin Hood Line from Linby. But that's all another issue that perhaps does not belong to this thread.

 

[Intercity 225]

I'm due to be visiting the area over the Christmas period so will try and pop down to the former Calverton route and see if any progress has been made since my last visit.

Also, does anyone know when the track to Calverton was singled and when it was last used? And does anyone know why the singling was done in the first instance? I always thought that when the pit shut down it would have made sense to either close the line altogether or leave it double tracked pending removal - the point of converting it to a single line for a period always confused me a little.