Trivia: Lines/stations planned but never built or built but never opened

[Spartacus]

The Midland Railway had very firm plans to have a route from Royston Jn all the way to Bradford Forster Square, providing that much desired through Bradford route, though a third route through the Spen Valley would have been much less desired, and went as far as buying the land in Bradford, but all they managed on the ground was a double track main line engineered goods branch line to Dewsbury and an isolated single track goods branch into Huddersfield from Mirfield. There were also plans for second route from Thornhill to Huddersfield and then to Bradford via Halifax, which would have had to be very heavily engineered.

The LNWR also had ambitions to extend to Bradford, taking the Birstall branch NW, probably tunnelling through the head of the valley after Gomersal Colliery. The colliery was eventually served by the Leeds New Line and the LNWR never did reach Bradford.

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

Nickey Line From Hemel Hemspted to Broxmoor (now Hemel Hempstead)

 

[billio]

The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway had plans to extend its branch line from Sowerby Bridge to Rishworth as a quicker route towards Rochdale, but this extension was never taken forward and Rishworth remained the terminal station on that branch line.

There is a footpath along the first part of this route. The cuttings are If this line had been completednow substantially overgrown with large trees, but the scale of the construction is still apparent. I sometimes wonder what would be the impact of this completed line on the transpennine services we have today.

 

[AY1975]

There are a couple of other threads on this topic at www.railforums.co.uk/threads/trivia-lines-proposed-but-never-built-or-where-a-line-should-have-been-built.153074/ and www.railforums.co.uk/threads/trivia-useful-lines-never-built-because-of-geography.150587/

 

[muddythefish]

Bridgnorth to Wolverhampton was proposed; indeed the trackbed south out of Bridgnorth was built double track to take the intended line. Strange that it didn't happen and would have been more useful than the SVR line itself as many Bridgnorth people work in Wolves.

 

[Calthrop]

I hope you don't mind me mentioning these projects that are local to me in south-west France , but foreign for most of you !

There was a project to extend the line from Castelsarrasin to Beaumont de Lomagne to join the Toulouse- Auch line at Gimont. A good deal of work had been carried out - earth works, bridges, level crossings, even the crossing keepers houses were built - before work ceased. The houses are still there and are easily recognizable, all being the same design and already numbered ! Both of these lines are still open, the first for freight only, the second for both.

The line from Auch to Lannemezan, at the foot of the Pyrénées was less advanced but part of one important bridge at Chelan survives and is preserved to commemorate the resistants who lost their lives in action against the enemy on 6 June, 1944. The bridge abutments provided an excellent belvedere to ambush the German troops.

https://www.ladepeche.fr/article/20...nau-magnoac-l-histoire-du-pont-de-chelan.html

I have received the impression that in the more hilly / mountainous southern half of France, a significant number of intended standard-gauge lines were -- as with the routes which you mention -- largely constructed, with trackbed / earthworks / bridges / buildings in place; but track never laid, and line never opened to traffic. Plus several which were opened, but which proved to have a very short life. I can't cite any examples (impression gained from reading, a fairly long time ago, of material not now in my possession); but this is a picture which I definitely get.

 

[Mark62]

Has anyone mentioned North Berwick to Gullane line that was actively planned?

 

[DerekC]

Nickey Line From Hemel Hemspted to Broxmoor (now Hemel Hempstead)

As built in 1877 the Nicky Line did in fact go all the way to what was then Boxmoor for Hemel Hempstead station, with a goods yard connection to the LNWR, but passenger trains only ever ran as far as Heath Park Halt, close to the junction of St John's Road and Station Road. The line had been cut back to the gasworks, just short of the LNWR boundary, by 1896. However, oddly the LNWR connection was restored to supply coal to the gasworks in the 1960s when the Nicky Line viaduct across Marlowes was demolished.

What didn't get built was the Chesham and Hemel Hempstead Steam Tramway which was proposed in 1889 to make a junction with the Nicky line north of the LNWR and run along the main road (now the A4251) as far as Bourne End, then on reserved track up the valley of the Bourne Gutter (now followed by the A41 Berkhamsted bypass) as far as Hockridge, then on along the road through Ashley Green and down Lye Hill at 1 in 30 into Chesham.

 

[rogercov]

There are earthworks east of Kent House station for a curve round to the line between Crystal Palace and Beckenham Junction. The railway map of London suggests there may have been a siding but never a through running connection.

Yes, I remember seeing that embankment on my journeys to Victoria many years ago.
Looking at the old OS maps, the 1870 map (surveyed 1863) shows the two main lines but no evidence of the embankment.
The 1895 map shows the embankment without tracks, labelled "old railway" and a disused station on the Crystal Palace line at the point where it would have joined. Therefore if there was a service, it was short-lived (1870-1890?).
Later, around 1910, a siding was built from the Kent House end, but it did not connect at the South end. It was gone by 1930.

 

[Dr_Paul]

This may have been mentioned before, but I'll raise it in case it hasn't. There used to be a bridge over the North London Line some way north of Acton Central. My dad told me that it was part of a projected new line from London to South Wales which never got off the ground, as it were. I've heard other people say that too. However, I've since discovered that it was the intended route from the Great Western at Acton down to Addison Road (Olympia), which was abandoned after this and a few other works had been done -- see this map -- and the line which ran from the GW Birmingham line across to the West London Line was built instead. I wonder why my dad and others were so sure that this was part of a projected new line: how did this rumour start?

 

[weepingwillowb]

"In 1846 the York and North Midland Railway Company obtained an Act of Parliament for a direct line from York to Leeds from a junction at Copmanthorpe via Tadcaster and Stutton to a junction near Cross Gates. Construction of the York end of the line duly commenced and Tadcaster viaduct was completed in 1848, but the line was a casualty of the end of the Railway Mania and the fall of George Hudson, and was abandoned in 1849." http://www.barwickinelmethistoricalsociety.com/11312.html

The viaduct had been built across the River Wharfe before the proposed line was abandoned, carried a siding to a nearby mill until 1955, and is still standing. https://www.transporttrust.com/heritage-sites/heritage-detail/tadcaster-viaduct

 

[Malcmal]

The Newcastle avoiding line is one I heard about. They apparently even bought up property in anticipation of building it - there is clearly a route through the housing to the East of Heaton depot so I don't this is an old wives tale:

 

[billio]

"In 1846 the York and North Midland Railway Company obtained an Act of Parliament for a direct line from York to Leeds from a junction at Copmanthorpe via Tadcaster and Stutton to a junction near Cross Gates. Construction of the York end of the line duly commenced and Tadcaster viaduct was completed in 1848, but the line was a casualty of the end of the Railway Mania and the fall of George Hudson, and was abandoned in 1849." http://www.barwickinelmethistoricalsociety.com/11312.html

The viaduct had been built across the River Wharfe before the proposed line was abandoned, carried a siding to a nearby mill until 1955, and is still standing. https://www.transporttrust.com/heritage-sites/heritage-detail/tadcaster-viaduct

There were a number of proposed railways near Tadcaster. One such was from Pateley Bridge, Knaresborough to the Rive Wharfe near Bolton Percy. This line was proposed in 1820 and notices appeared in the Yorkshire Gazette (20th September 1820) and the Leeds Intelligencer. Quite a prescient proposal for a route that today we can hardly imagine any great flow of traffic.

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

The Newcastle avoiding line is one I heard about. They apparently even bought up property in anticipation of building it - there is clearly a route through the housing to the East of Heaton depot so I don't this is an old wives tale:

Was planned by LNER

 

[John Luxton]

GWR St David's Branch Pembrokeshire

https://spellerweb.net/rhindex/UKRH/GreatWestern/Narrowgauge/StDavids.html

GWR new direct route to Looe abandoned due to WWII though construction had started

https://spellerweb.net/rhindex/UKRH/GreatWestern/Narrowgauge/StGermansLooe.html

 

[weepingwillowb]

There were a number of proposed railways near Tadcaster. One such was from Pateley Bridge, Knaresborough to the Rive Wharfe near Bolton Percy. This line was proposed in 1820 and notices appeared in the Yorkshire Gazette (20th September 1820) and the Leeds Intelligencer. Quite a prescient proposal for a route that today we can hardly imagine any great flow of traffic.

Perhaps it was the attraction of Tadcaster's breweries for 19th century real ale drinkers?

 

[03_179]

London's Victoria Line was originally intended to be to main line dimensions and link Lea Valley suburban services with the southern network somewhere in the Streatham area.

It was supposed to go to Crystal Palace but a number of cave in and deaths stopped it.

 

[Bill EWS]

There was the proposed GWR route to Rugby from the north of Fenny Compton. A quarter mile or so was built but had to be aborted when the LNWR brought a case against them and won. You can still make out the embankment running off from the Up Main side of the track by the curve north of Fenny Compton. I believe the junction signal box had also been built.

 

[Bill EWS]

Just googled this interesting web page about GWR Rugby bnach proposal.
https://spellerweb.net/rhindex/UKRH/GreatWestern/Broadgauge/OxRug.html

 

[John Luxton]

Another planned but as yet unbuilt like for which some infrastructure exists is the Ffestiniog Railway's proposals to reopen the Dinas branch which would take a passenger shuttle train from Blaenau Ffestiniog to the bottom of the Llechwedd Incline. A second track was provided at Glan-y-Pwll level crossing and an additional bridge portal provided.





More info at festipedia

https://www.festipedia.org.uk/wiki/Dinas_Branch_1976
John

 

[AlistairCowell]

Back in the 1930s, Northern Hights was planned on the London Underground network as part of the New Works programme, which would have connected the Northern City Line with the rest of the Northern Line.

Then WWII intervened and only the Mill Hill branch was completed. The rest was postponed, only to be cancelled after the war.

Northern City Line remained unconnected from the rest of the LU network until 1975 when it was converted to become part of the BR network.

 

[TrainBoy98]

I read in a very old book that one of the pre-grouping companies (LBSCR IIRC) was planning a more "direct" line to Worthing, through Washington and Findon but can't seem to find anything about it now...

 

[AlistairCowell]

The eastern circle of the Glasgow Subway was proposed twice, in the 1940s and around 2007.

The 1988 extension involves having branches to Maryhill and Glasgow and a much smaller eastern circle through just Gorbals Cross and High Street stations.

What rolling stock would have looked had Glasgow Subway being extended?

 

[AMD]

An extension of the Deeside line in the NE of Scotland was started from Ballater to Braemar, and reached Bridge of Gairn 2km west of Ballater before the work was stopped, reputedly one of the objectors was a one Queen Victoria.
A dislike between the North British and Highland Railway also put paid to an extension of the Fort Augustus railway, as a line down the side of Loch Ness was mooted over many years.

 

[Catracho]

The Newcastle avoiding line is one I heard about. They apparently even bought up property in anticipation of building it - there is clearly a route through the housing to the East of Heaton depot so I don't this is an old wives tale:

I have some info about that project in an obscure Word document on my hard drive, unfortunately I can't remember what webpage I originally copied it from:

To enable express passenger trains and goods trains to bypass Newcastle station a plan was drawn up in 1918 for a new railway bridge across the Tyne. On 18 September 1919 the NER Estate Agent was authorised to negotiate with Newcastle Corporation for the necessary land to build a bridge situated near St. Anthonys to carry a line from north of Heaton to Washington. This commenced with north and south connections to the main line at Benton Bank, crossing the Heaton - Tynemouth line east of Walkergate station, and the bridge was to be constructed across the Tyne gorge at two and a half to two and three quarter miles from the beginning of the new line. The line would then continue parallel to the Pelaw - Washington route, but almost one quarter of a mile to the east of the 1848 line, finally connecting with it north of Washington station. Various connections were planned; north of the Tyne there were north and south connections from the new line to the Riverside branch between Walker and Carville. South of the Tyne there was to be a lengthy connection from the new line Wardley, northwards to join the Gateshead to South Shields line near Hebburn, and later a proposal for a connection from the south end of the new bridge to join the South Shields to Gateshead line near Felling. Finally there was to be a connection which ran from the Pontop and South Shields line at Beamish to join the East Coast main line between Birtley and Chester-le-Street.

In April 1922 a price of 35,000 pounds was agreed for the land purchased from Newcastle Corporation and a further stretch of land was purchased from Lord Northbourne for £36,550 in December 1926. However, under the LNER the plan was allowed to quietly fade away.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I believe there was a plan in the late 80s for a chord between Streatham Hill and Streatham to divert all suburban traffic from Norbury to Victoria via Streatham.

The Northern and Eastern Railways original mainline to York.