What's your dream obscure railway restoration project?

Southern end of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton line.

Start at Shawford Jct (where a new interchange station would be built naturally), over the Hockley viaduct to Winchester and on to Kings Worthy throught the tunnell at Chesil, then some new earthworks to curve up to the abandoned Mid Hants Line and then on to Ichen Abbas and then Alresford.

Pickup some LSWR ironclad coaches that are rotting around the country, the T1 bolier from Bittern and then send them to Eastleigh with a pile of cash. A GWR tank and a couple of Hawksworth coaches would go amiss ether.

 

The obvious one - Rowsley - Bakewell - Monsal Head - Peak Forest; the not so obvious - Bank Road Tramway, Matlock (based on San Francisco). The not so politically correct - Buxton LNWR to Ashbourne - hikers / riders / cyclists wouldn't thank me for this one.

Finally the Ashover Light Railway

 

Scarborough-Whitby, and Leek and Manifold would be my choices.

 

Stoke - on - Trent to Fenton, Bucknall, Milton, Stockton Brook, Endon and Leek Brook Junction to link up the CVR to the National Network. Continue into Leek while you're at it.

If there's a few mill. spare, the North Staffs Loop Line would be good.

 

Ok, the Mid Wales has three votes! Lets dooo-oo it! (As Lord Flashheart would say)

Gorseddau would be neat too, but since we've got oodles of cash (allegedly) lets not have passenger trains as such, just a DeWinton and some slate trucks.

 

The Dinorwic Quarry Railways and The Padarn Railway complete with all 5 tramway engines and small quarry hunslets \/

 

Galltymoelfre Tramway?
SLNCR?

 

Bolton to Bury including those amazing viaducts which still exist as for rolling stock..
Horwich works 1008 and some L & Y stock and the Met Cam 1955 DMU's.
A Double track ELR from Burrs to Rawtenstall would be good.

However back in reality... i'll settle for some signals at the Rawtenstall end and why dont they reopen Stubbins / Ewood Bridge

 

SLNCR would be eligible for 'peace money' and grants from both jurisdictions as it would be cross border. There are also a number of items SLNCR rolling stock still around. There was a plan to rebuild part of the line about 5-10 years ago, but unfortunately it came to nothing They had an outline agreement to borrow 'Lough Erne' too. Beautiful countryside would make it a winner in my eyes.


Keith

 

A major city station re-expanded and retro fitted back to its 1939 glory and associated loco sheds and goods sheds as a major heritage steam complex, with through lines for the modern railway. Manchester Central, Gloucester Eastgate, Glasgow St Enoch spring to mind as completely lost but a contender for surviving but heavily rationalised would be temple meads. Midland Junction double track headshunt on oxford road bridge all the way to the 1835 office buffers as a working broad guage centre, with iron duke and firefly and co.

 

Hey Adrian

You just pinched one of my favourites.

I like the line around Rhayader where it goes up that wide valley on the opposite side to the A44 and then swings under the road and into the hills towards Llanidloes.

Scenery all along that line is fantastic but would be too remote.

Cheers Dave

 

The Liverpool Overhead Railway, plus all those ocean liners to look at!

Dave

 

Blackpool Central, on any summer saturday between about 1948 and 1961!

Actually, any summer Saturday between 1890 and closure would do!!!!

Ian King

 

What dream ?????

The full restoration of Kirkby Stephen East shed and goods yard, The line to Tebay and the Summit run............

But I'll be happy to just get the station fully open and a service on what we've got now...................................

Watch this space!!!

 

The curve across the canal from Tyseley old goods yard , (line 5) as proposed to feed into the Tyseley incinerator and recycling centre.
Taken just a little further (about 7ft across the road. I reckon) to reconnect with the buried tracks of the wirerope works., up to the eastern corner,
and then an extension ( about 70f t ) up to my back door.

If Next and Argos wanted to use it as well, I would be quite happy to have a door on their side of the fence in return for some rent.
Cant think what to run on it though.
And theres something on the other side of the mainline that might make a good museum thing , with a bit of winnowing and a couple of strokes..

 

I'd personally take a little-used section of Network Rail (Clarbeston Road-Fishguard Harbour, which only sees two trains a day at the moment), redouble it as far as Letterston Junction, and reinstate all closed halts and stations and rebuild Goodwick Shed. Not content with having achieved that, I would reinstate the bay platform and shelter at Clarbeston Road whilst adding watering and coaling facilities, therefore creating a pretty much self-contained railway. I would then (wait for it!) incorporate a steam service all day, only giving way for the Arriva Trains Wales boat services. I'd say that would be a 15 million quid price tag. I think I'll start the share issue straight away \/ !

 

the hundred of manhood and selsey tramway. it has everything you need for a light railway- engines obtained from anywhere (the manning wardles), some very unusual engines (my favourite peckett and the ultimate light railway engine that's better than a terrier- selsey) and a few railbus combinations. add to that a complete disregard for any sort of permanent way, next-to-no actual traffic, and one terminus across town from the mainline station (chichester) with the other on a beach (selsey). this is a company that in 1934 had 2 operational engines, 2 useable carriages one decent railbus and 8 wagons. it ran illegally until 1924, when following the death of a fireman in a crash it changed their name in 1924 to the west sussex light railway, but despite this managed to carry over 100,000 passengers a year after WW1. all of this was considered perfectly normal for it's owner, the legend that is colonel stephens

 

Relaying Hopton incline on the Cromford & High Peak in Derbyshire.

Back in the 60's I stood at the top of Hopton incline on a misty morning and listened in awe to the "gunfire" exhaust of a J94 climbing towards me, and only right at the top appearing out of the mist. I think those who frequent the Foxfield line might understand.
Never since have I heard a steam locomotive make such a noise.

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