Shortly after its dissuse, A friend of mine who worked for NR & Me went for a adventure down this branch and the remains of the "behind kellogs" way. He just so happened to have the required key to open that box and operate the crossing. To both our amazement the lights still worked! He quickly shut it off again but was a really funny moment
It's sadder to see no track at all where it used to be as then there truly is little hope of ever seeing it operational again. If there is track, there is always hope that as the world does it's best to get away from fossil fuels such track could be brought back into use relatively easily compared to having to lay it from new. All across Europe post the 60's many moth balled a certain amount of rails and stations but none to my knowledge ripped up so much of their network as the UK did making it practically impossible to be replaced to the same extent decades later when needed again. All for the betterment of private profit via a conservative government that knew the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Fascinating, as always. Abandoned lines are always slightly sad. I'd love to see this in use again, if only to justify the existence of those nine wig-wags!. Anyone with imagination would have had the trackbed repurposed as a tramway, to take people to the footy.
I decided to explore the rest of the area on Google Maps and it seems rail removal started in 2012 or 2014 in most places, and the 'main' line was still brush free in 2007/2008. Interesting stuff.
I used to deliver milk bottles to the dairy on Trafford Park and was fascinated by the lines that were on the estate. Went there earlier this year and what a change with the tramway being built.
I worked in Trafford Park as a boy (my Dad worked for Allens Transport on Westinghouse Rd) and a man (HGV driver for the same company) back in the 70's and 80's. It was always busy with shunters particuary at Cerestar and Kelloggs. I remember being held up at the crossing at Kelloggs on a daily basis, sometimes twice daily. I think the shunters used to shunt containers in/out of the container depot on Barton Dock Rd too ?. The shunters were part and parcel of Trafford Park and you never really noticed them, until they were gone. Fond memeories of good times.
Great video! That's probably the only cantilever crossing signal in the UK as a whole. Glad to see someone documented it before it disappeared! Some of the wigwags appear to still be in good shape as well! Looks like the crossbucks were recently replaced too!
Thanks! There are traffic signals on cantilevers in some parts of the UK but this is the first one ive seen with a WigWag! I think the crossing was upgraded in the 1990's with new halogen WigWags then closed in 1998. It all looks in surprisingly good condition!
I remember that line about 30+ years ago when I was a kid. Had occasionally thought about it but never bothered to find out exactly where it was. Interesting video. Thank you.
I remember it well. Worked in 'The Park' in the early 60s and well remember the tracks and trains of waggons. The Park is unrecognisable now but the tracks soon oriented me. Thanks for posting.
Network Rail should hold an abandoned crossings day where they go out and test abandoned crossings to see if they still function, and if they do the section of line the crossing is on gets restored and added to an "Abandoned" line
Interesting video, I remember this being a working railway and I've watched the remnants decline and gradually disappear over the last few years. Even though it closed in the late 90s there will still trains running until a few years ago on the section of track near Kellogs. The swing bridge over to the quays has been kept, it is now a pedestrian bridge over the Erie basin, doesn't swing anymore though (but that section of line was well out of use decades before the rest of the railway).
Large part of that railway line was intended to serve the MetroVick (Metropolitan Vickers) engineering works who made various electrical equipment for power stations, aeroplane parts for the war and rolling stock for British Railways and tram operators. Other odd end engineering items were television transmitters for the BBC at Sutton Coldfield when television first started in midlands the late 1940's. MetroVick factory (aka AEI which was the parent company) was based to the south of Westinghouse Road. They owned all the land between Mosley Road from the west through to the river near the present DB rail terminal. To the north of Westinghouse Road, the street names are all US naming were down to the origin of MetroVick being a USA company which copied american style street names and street layout. This was the local of shops and housing for the workers. Many of the houses have long since being pulled down and replaced by modern offices. Same for the factory when it became part of GEC Marconi when AEI was merged into GEC and eventually most of the factory, if not all of it was pulled down and the land used for other business.
Another fascinating video morthen 👍 9 wigwags is quite a lot, would have been interesting to see them all in operation once upon a time 🤔 looking forward to the next video 👍 keep up with the great work 😄
Ah! Just imagine what this would've been like in its glory days! This was a cool video showcasing abandoned railroad track. It's probably an impractical task, but it would be nice to see this turned into a tourist railroad. Not only would this interfere with traffic, but lots of the track has been cut off by industry, or guarded by gates. Thanks for sharing this video with us all! Regards, Joseph cheeseinthepie. 10/7/2018
There's a new tram line under construction from Pomona to the Trafford Centre that runs through this area. Not sure if they're using the old tracks though
well if it doesnt then people will have have the right to complain to the local council and the tram operator about wasting money and hurting local businesses when the line construction hurts local trade by forcing customers to go another way
BR's decision to scrap Speedlink wagon load freight effectively killed the railway in Trafford Park. I remember seeing a 08 and a single wagon crossing the big roundabout on my way to work just before it closed.
When we started going in the late 70s, we used to park a couple of miles from the ground amongst a mostly disused industrial area, and there were miles of disused rail tracks. In fact it could well have been this area, very hard to tell.
Fascinating stuff. It would be interesting to see if the Wig Wags are still operational if the crossing activation controls were pressed. I love these videos, keep them coming but after the lockdown, stay safe and thanks for sharing.
Stumbled across this vid mate , as a BT engineer and working in Trafford park for around 2 months in the summer around The mid to late ninetys or early 2000 I remember stopped at one of those crossing's the loco in use I think was blue/ yellow But I'm going back a few years now in used in see it a lot
I had a similar experience around 2006, waiting to turn right from Barton Dock Road to Park Road. The lights were red for longer than usual, then to my delight a train came alone, I think blue and yellow also. I’m really pleased to have seen that railway in use even just the once. Perhaps they were moving old gear out one last time, or some engineer was having fun.
I bet the concrete sleepers were added in the 1980s after the old bullhead rail and wooden ties gave out! 3:33 first time I've seen a UK crossing with high-mounted wigwags! They should use that more often, especially in Southampton!
New subscriber here! It's such a shame and infuriating to find warning signs, signals/wigwags and barriers left abandoned and in various states of fading, rot and decay! Would it not be a better for those who love the railways (including folks like yourself) to perhaps make an offer to Network Rail to purchase the disused wigwags, signs etc. for restoration and preservation?
I know next to nothing about trains, but this was in my recommended videos, and it's quite a nostalgia trip! I was brought up about five minutes away from these train lines, and very rarely remember the lines being in use in the mid-90s. However, I seem to remember they made a horrible racket whenever there was a train running. We'd often use that end of Trafford Park as a bit of a shortcut to beat the traffic on the A56, but it was always a gamble to see whether you'd get stuck with a train. There is a second bit of railway still in use much later than 1998 (and may still be in use today) in Trafford Park: there's a line which runs parallel to Barton Dock Road and has a crossing with Park Road (A5181). That crossing was notorious for holding you up at exactly the worst moments. It was about a 90 second drive away from home, and it always felt like we were stuck for hours whenever a train held us up. In reality, it can't have been more than a couple of minutes, but I'll always look back with mixed memories at those bits of track. I'm not sure if those two bits of railway are linked, but it's a wee bit interesting that there are two areas in Trafford Park where you could see slow moving trains.
There is a preserved line just like this one in Preston, it used to serve the old Preston dock basin which is now a marina. And you can ride a train along the route, some of which was re-routed after the docks closed.
Very interesting video. It shows one of those little parts of the past industries and football/leisure that used the railway and even although it's out of use for now, if not deterring parking et.c. in sensitive areas such as approaching fast roads junctions, it seems to be kept in place just in case it's needed again. That tantalising hope... It certainly helps point out that we have an industrial vent to us yet, as well as a history of it.
I used to drive to work through Trafford park daily in the 80s and although rare there were still the odd train rattling through the main section and near kellogs small shunters were quite common moving carriages in a ahort section. There used to be an abandoned steam emgine at the Barton end behind an old disused factory in the mid 70s I used to explore there as a teenager.
For 9yrs in the late 60’s and early 70’s I drove through Trafford Park daily and have driven through frequently since. It was claimed to be the largest private railway in Europe with links all the way down the Manchester Ship Canal to Liverpool. On one occasion I drove down Westinghouse Rd not far from this crossing and saw an entire tanker train lying on its side on the curve. It looked like a giant Hornby Dublo set! Whils t I never saw the steam locos in service (one of them Hamburg is preserved and used to run on the East Lancashire Railway in Bury)I used to admire the blue Rolls Royce engined diesels parked adjacent to the fire station hear Kellogg’s. They also ran several larger green diesels.Metrolink trams will soon be running in part along former rail tracks to the Trafford Centre. The wigwags were made and installed by Forest City Signs Park Rd Timperley, Altrincham. I knew they did road signage but not rail stuff. They have gone now, not sure if they are still in business.
Great video! I remember the goods trains well. I never thought it would come to an end. Virtually all manufacturing is gone now to what seems like modern day slave trade. Foreigners working for two Dollars a day! I’m nearly 60 now. Trafford park was so busy. In 1983 and onwards, the whole area was plagued with demolition. Everywhere! I don’t recognise anything now. That small piece of railway is all that is left of an era. Thanks for the video.
Hi great video on Trafford Parks railways. I was born in Davyhulme in 1957 My Dad worked for Massey Ferguson tractors in the parts department shipping tractor parts all over the world. Asda is there now. 😢 Anyway the railway was a hive of activity back then serving all the local industries including its own power station and steel works. It was a perfect playground for me at a weekend lol 😂 The last trains used to serve Cargill foods. The siding on Trafford Park road use to receive foreign VTG ferry vans for Italy if I remember!! The rail connection to the container terminal on Barton dock road has gone now. Car showrooms going up in its place 🙈 The chance of it returning is never as the metro tram line has just cut the last line in half near where I park my lorry at F&G commercials DAF dealership. BR wagon load freight killed most of the freight on rail. On Saturday just gone I did the Mersey ferry trip to Liverpool. 6 hours of fantastic information on the Manchester Ship Canal. Well worth a trip 😊Stevie.
Shame road transport effectively killed off wagon load freight on the railway, was this line served by the Manchester ship canal company as i remember them bringing traffic in to Trafford park where they detached and the main line loco's worked the train forward.
I live not far from here and the Wigwags are due to be renewed on Tenax Road, there are Mellor Wigwags and the other type (Similar to SGE traffic lights). It may be worthwhile asking one of the contractors if they can spare you one. The Metrolink track will be running from Old Trafford right through Trafford Park and up to The Trafford Centre.
I came across this a few years ago in a book called The Manchester Ship Canal Railway. The area had a very extensive railway network servicing all of the industries, the docks and mainline connections and a loco depot at Lode Wheel (could be wrong about that exact location?). I seem to recall that the local colliery railway was connected to the canal by inclined ramps to allow coal containers to be floated off wagons and towed by tug to waiting freighters. So much industry and inventiveness all gone now.
Hi, back in the late 80s/ early 90s I worked alongside Cammell Laird Shipbuilders on RN vessels and commercial ships sent in for conversion. The ‘conversions’ were usually completed within 24 to 48 hours using pre assembled parts taken direct from storage ie pre planned. One of these was a Baltic ro-ro car ferry converted to take railway wagons. I believe this line is being deliberately kept in a semi working state in case of National crisis or emergency - if it is near any kind of military base then this scenario could be correct.
Good vid mate,i used to see them chuffing around when i was a kid,i think it was the biggest estate in europe back then.I,m sitting on an avro's chair right now! cheers from a new sub.
I'm not a train enthusiast but was born in Stretford in the 60s about 1/2 mile from Kellogg's. I'm pretty sure the line you say was in use up to 1998 was disused quite a bit before then (the car park across the line looks older than 20 years). Trains were still running in Trafford Park at least to the late 90s or even into the 2000s across Park Road, near to Kellogg's and along Barton Dock Road - it was pain to be stuck there when a train was approaching as they were long and slow!. I live north of Manchester now but was down there today and didn't notice if the tracks are still cross Park Road, although a quick check on Google Maps shows they are!
There used to be trains running all over Trafford Park - bringing raw materials from the Manchester Ship canal right up to the factories and taking away manufactured goods back to the docks for export or onto the main railway system for distribution within the UK. I thought there still trains running later than 1998. I can recall being stopped near Kellogs by the odd train. Not very often but when you were stopped it was for a good 10 minutes or more. The train would stop, the driver would get out and activate the crossing lights, the train would then start off again ….. slowly, stopping again once the last carriage had cleared the crossing, at which point the guard would hop out and turn off the lights.
I live within sight of these. A reminder of the past. Used to be three trains daily from Salford quays to the trafffrod centre. Closed in about 2011 or 12. Trans are now being built to the Trafford centre here.
I worked in Trafford Park in the early 60,s and it was still a very active system.Companies such as Corn Flower Products (starch), Stewarts & Lloyds (now B.S.C. Corby I think)& Trafford Park Steel (where I worked), still received deliveries of goods by rail, with the M.S.C shunters (steam& diesel) providing the final part of the delivery chain.It was interesting but sadly things move on (progress?) & my only regret is that I didn't have a camera to record it! Could not afford one anyway.Great memories anyway.
It’s really sad seeing great examples of industrial marvel like this virtually abandoned an going to waste. These things were created to be used and it’s almost tragic seeing them going to waste like this. The fact there’s still traffic lights there looks like it could be fired up again tomorrow.
Nice one as always Morthren. Reminds me of rails that ran along/across one the roads to the east of Bedford (Cardington Road?). I only ever cycled that stretch a couple of times, and 'twas many years ago - probably late 1980s. What I remember most is being nervous where the lines crossed the road - at an angle - big danger of catching a wheel in a rut. Not too sure if the rails are still there. Someone will know.
In my experience, they are rare outside of docks/ports/shipyards, and within those areas tracks tend to be mainly for cranes as opposed to trains. Just my experience.
I've been there a few times in the past and there is lots of old disused sections of track still in place, including one bit that's half buried under a roundabout. And those remaining sections of track and crossing lights etc. should be removed and sold off to preservation groups instead of being left to rot. But then removing them costs quite a bit so that idea might not be viable. Some of the track at the old Agecroft power plant was sold off to a preservation group.
Has anyone seen the most ridiculous level crossing at Marton Gypsy Lane in Middlesbrough. Blocked off with concrete bollards but still has the barriers.
Saw lots of freight lines like this when i visited New Orleans, usually the case with this is they mothball route so its never officially closed so that it can be reopened in the future.
Another place I worked in a few times was Salford railway sidings, I can't remember much about the place, only it had an electric shunter and the track was connected to the main railway track. Yep I had a go of driving that one night, did not go on to the main line, would not and could not, the double gates were locked.
I remember seeing the train tracks in the 80's, I used to work in security at sterling green gate cables. I hated the place. Had a good over head crane in the work shop, which I of course could not resist having a go of during the evening. And no I had no idea how to operate it, but did with out crashing it. Yep it was fun.
I visited Old Trafford in the mid 2000s to see England vs Northern Ireland and remember the track was all still in place then and went to within a few hundred feet of the stadium.
Great video! I live not too far away in Wigan but I actually didn't even know any of this existed as I don't go round this bit of Trafford Park. Interestingly, these tracks are actually shown on Google Maps as grey lines giving them the appearance of an active line. I don't know if Google's system does this automatically or someone actually mapped out the line thinking it was still used.
Thanks! Google maps is the way I have found old tracks that are long abandoned. I think it is historical data that is used and overlaid as it is very thorough in the detail for most tracks and sidings. This one was found by complete chance when visiting Old Trafford
The tracks went into the Kellogg's factory and my grandad who was the founder and chief executive of it for many years had his office right behind one of the sets of rails and he used to say that sometimes he thought the wagons were going to or actually had joined him in his office.
Looked at a old map on line circa 1900 there was not a rail way installed around that time at Salford Docks and there are only three docks had been constructed and next to them is a race course later on the race course was demolished and a fourth dock was added .
Brilliant 👍 - There's a couple more abandoned level crossings around that area, nevertheless its great to have a detailed look at one of them. Very confusing with wigwags everywhere; up, down, left, right & centre! Such a shame it will never activate again 😟😟
Thanks! I found this by complete chance after a mate got some free tickets to a Man U game. I'm not really into football but finding this along the way was an added bonus! I bet even though the crossing hasn't been used for 20 odd years, it will still all work. It would be really cool to see all those wigwags working again.
@@BrettCook: According to another poster, they were operational when someone who was able to open the controls visited the crossing, which is interesting...
The majority of that industrial estate has remains of the old track and there are several other smaller road crossings still visible. There is a new tram line being installed near by also
The rails on the crossing have been removed now. A pot hole in front of one of the rails cause significant damage to a car’s wheel, after that, they dug up the rails that cross the road and re-surfaced the whole section of road.
Years ago the Trafford Park Estate had its own electric tramway built by Westinghouse, whose factory was there in the green fields. At one time the Serpollet double deck STEAM tram (as used in Paris) was tried there. The electrics later became Corpy cars
I used to race against a train with my bicycle on Barton Dock Rd. when finished at work and wanted to get pass it before it reaches the crossing at the Kellogg` bakery
I think in this case there was no choice to put an overhead signal. With the track running parallel to the road, the train has to stop to activate the crossing which would block the signal if it was on a pole to the side. It's definitely unique!
I was there last year making deliveries to I think it was to XPO anyway I was amazed at how much rail is still there and not been uplifted by one of the many scrap dealers
There was a goods yard outside the docks office which is know a carpark and a single track ran under Barton bridge. I have looked at some oldmaps on line co.uk the rail system was huge the big engineering company,s had there own sidings with some of the track going in to the factory.
@@ellisbutler7956 Actually I know the crossing you mean. There was another crossing further along the track with has just recently been removed and the roadway completely redesigned. There's also another crossing near where this branch starts that I completely missed! Hopefully it'll still be there if I get chance to go back up there.
“Oooh a abandoned crossing, save me a signal” “Ok that’s good” “That’s good” “Th-that’s good!” “Ok alright ok” “ITS ENOUGH FUCKING SIGNALS MAN” "THATS ENOUGH SIGNALS-" "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!" "s t a h h h p"
Me too! This must look really extreme with all those lights and the alarms. The small electrical box by the pedestrian light was open, but it was just contactors and fuses.
There are so many small nuggets of history that remain unknown! Thanks for capturing this!
Shortly after its dissuse, A friend of mine who worked for NR & Me went for a adventure down this branch and the remains of the "behind kellogs" way.
He just so happened to have the required key to open that box and operate the crossing. To both our amazement the lights still worked! He quickly shut it off again but was a really funny moment
Can you make a video with that?
I wonder if they still work.
Hmm
Wow. Did the alarms still work too?
Hmm yes, ok.
I remember that train , I use to deliver beer to places there , and saw it , many times around 1990
It is sad to see disused track.
It's sadder to see no track at all where it used to be as then there truly is little hope of ever seeing it operational again. If there is track, there is always hope that as the world does it's best to get away from fossil fuels such track could be brought back into use relatively easily compared to having to lay it from new.
All across Europe post the 60's many moth balled a certain amount of rails and stations but none to my knowledge ripped up so much of their network as the UK did making it practically impossible to be replaced to the same extent decades later when needed again. All for the betterment of private profit via a conservative government that knew the price of everything and the value of nothing.
where there,s track there,s life.
I find it sad to think that once trains went down that branch and now...
I’m surprised they haven’t pulled it up! That’s what I was saying about it looking like it could be fired up again tomorrow.
Fascinating, as always. Abandoned lines are always slightly sad. I'd love to see this in use again, if only to justify the existence of those nine wig-wags!. Anyone with imagination would have had the trackbed repurposed as a tramway, to take people to the footy.
Thanks! It must be such a sight seeing all the wigwags working!
That's a brilliant idea (but will never happen) safety, risk assessment, company's moaning, community impact, sadly the list goes on and then money
@@morthren R.I.P
I decided to explore the rest of the area on Google Maps and it seems rail removal started in 2012 or 2014 in most places, and the 'main' line was still brush free in 2007/2008. Interesting stuff.
I used to deliver milk bottles to the dairy on Trafford Park and was fascinated by the lines that were on the estate. Went there earlier this year and what a change with the tramway being built.
Thank you for this - driven down the main road a few times and was intrigued by the abandoned rails. Mystery solved!
I worked in Trafford Park as a boy (my Dad worked for Allens Transport on Westinghouse Rd) and a man (HGV driver for the same company) back in the 70's and 80's. It was always busy with shunters particuary at Cerestar and Kelloggs. I remember being held up at the crossing at Kelloggs on a daily basis, sometimes twice daily. I think the shunters used to shunt containers in/out of the container depot on Barton Dock Rd too ?. The shunters were part and parcel of Trafford Park and you never really noticed them, until they were gone. Fond memeories of good times.
Great video! That's probably the only cantilever crossing signal in the UK as a whole. Glad to see someone documented it before it disappeared! Some of the wigwags appear to still be in good shape as well! Looks like the crossbucks were recently replaced too!
Thanks! There are traffic signals on cantilevers in some parts of the UK but this is the first one ive seen with a WigWag! I think the crossing was upgraded in the 1990's with new halogen WigWags then closed in 1998. It all looks in surprisingly good condition!
@@morthren I thought a "wigwag" was the forward and reverse lever on a mobility scooter.
I remember that line about 30+ years ago when I was a kid. Had occasionally thought about it but never bothered to find out exactly where it was. Interesting video. Thank you.
I remember it well. Worked in 'The Park' in the early 60s and well remember the tracks and trains of waggons. The Park is unrecognisable now but the tracks soon oriented me. Thanks for posting.
Network Rail should hold an abandoned crossings day where they go out and test abandoned crossings to see if they still function, and if they do the section of line the crossing is on gets restored and added to an "Abandoned" line
Interesting video, I remember this being a working railway and I've watched the remnants decline and gradually disappear over the last few years. Even though it closed in the late 90s there will still trains running until a few years ago on the section of track near Kellogs.
The swing bridge over to the quays has been kept, it is now a pedestrian bridge over the Erie basin, doesn't swing anymore though (but that section of line was well out of use decades before the rest of the railway).
I always love seeing old embedded tracks there's so much history to them
What a very interesting video this is.. Thanks for sharing
Large part of that railway line was intended to serve the MetroVick (Metropolitan Vickers) engineering works who made various electrical equipment for power stations, aeroplane parts for the war and rolling stock for British Railways and tram operators.
Other odd end engineering items were television transmitters for the BBC at Sutton Coldfield when television first started in midlands the late 1940's.
MetroVick factory (aka AEI which was the parent company) was based to the south of Westinghouse Road. They owned all the land between Mosley Road from the west through to the river near the present DB rail terminal.
To the north of Westinghouse Road, the street names are all US naming were down to the origin of MetroVick being a USA company which copied american style street names and street layout. This was the local of shops and housing for the workers. Many of the houses have long since being pulled down and replaced by modern offices. Same for the factory when it became part of GEC Marconi when AEI was merged into GEC and eventually most of the factory, if not all of it was pulled down and the land used for other business.
An overhead Wigwag? That's extremely rare!
yup
Can find the same at Southampton Docks rly also.
@@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf Whereabouts though? Is there a video of it on UA-cam?
Me: look a birdie
Friend: that's not a bird that's a wigwag
@@davidedwards8570 LMAO🤣🤣🤣
That Prius at 2:30 looked like it had been shoved out of the way by a train!
MrGreatplum it’s been hit it’s a trap
Meh. It was me with my seriously beefed up pumpcart!😂🤭
Great vid enjoyed it and well documented. Surprised so much of the old hardware is still there.
Another fascinating video morthen 👍 9 wigwags is quite a lot, would have been interesting to see them all in operation once upon a time 🤔 looking forward to the next video 👍 keep up with the great work 😄
Thanks southwest455! It really is a HUGE crossing!
Ah! Just imagine what this would've been like in its glory days! This was a cool video showcasing abandoned railroad track. It's probably an impractical task, but it would be nice to see this turned into a tourist railroad. Not only would this interfere with traffic, but lots of the track has been cut off by industry, or guarded by gates. Thanks for sharing this video with us all! Regards, Joseph cheeseinthepie. 10/7/2018
i'd like to see this converted to tram operation because it looks like that could be achieved easily and cheaply
There's a new tram line under construction from Pomona to the Trafford Centre that runs through this area. Not sure if they're using the old tracks though
well if it doesnt then people will have have the right to complain to the local council and the tram operator about wasting money and hurting local businesses when the line construction hurts local trade by forcing customers to go another way
@@blueshift7320 they are not using any of the old tracks it's all new tracks as well as completely new road layouts and new bridge over the canal.
This could have served the Trafford Centre no connected thinking
There’s a tram being Nikita somewhere else jearby
BR's decision to scrap Speedlink wagon load freight effectively killed the railway in Trafford Park. I remember seeing a 08 and a single wagon crossing the big roundabout on my way to work just before it closed.
I can remember well the days i see trains running around Trafford Park estate thanks for the memories.
When we started going in the late 70s, we used to park a couple of miles from the ground amongst a mostly disused industrial area, and there were miles of disused rail tracks. In fact it could well have been this area, very hard to tell.
Fascinating stuff. It would be interesting to see if the Wig Wags are still operational if the crossing activation controls were pressed. I love these videos, keep them coming but after the lockdown, stay safe and thanks for sharing.
Stumbled across this vid mate , as a BT engineer and working in Trafford park for around 2 months in the summer around
The mid to late ninetys or early 2000 I remember stopped at one of those crossing's the loco in use I think was blue/ yellow
But I'm going back a few years now in used in see it a lot
I had a similar experience around 2006, waiting to turn right from Barton Dock Road to Park Road. The lights were red for longer than usual, then to my delight a train came alone, I think blue and yellow also. I’m really pleased to have seen that railway in use even just the once. Perhaps they were moving old gear out one last time, or some engineer was having fun.
Perfectly correct.
I bet the concrete sleepers were added in the 1980s after the old bullhead rail and wooden ties gave out!
3:33 first time I've seen a UK crossing with high-mounted wigwags! They should use that more often, especially in Southampton!
New subscriber here! It's such a shame and infuriating to find warning signs, signals/wigwags and barriers left abandoned and in various states of fading, rot and decay! Would it not be a better for those who love the railways (including folks like yourself) to perhaps make an offer to Network Rail to purchase the disused wigwags, signs etc. for restoration and preservation?
I know next to nothing about trains, but this was in my recommended videos, and it's quite a nostalgia trip! I was brought up about five minutes away from these train lines, and very rarely remember the lines being in use in the mid-90s. However, I seem to remember they made a horrible racket whenever there was a train running. We'd often use that end of Trafford Park as a bit of a shortcut to beat the traffic on the A56, but it was always a gamble to see whether you'd get stuck with a train.
There is a second bit of railway still in use much later than 1998 (and may still be in use today) in Trafford Park: there's a line which runs parallel to Barton Dock Road and has a crossing with Park Road (A5181). That crossing was notorious for holding you up at exactly the worst moments. It was about a 90 second drive away from home, and it always felt like we were stuck for hours whenever a train held us up. In reality, it can't have been more than a couple of minutes, but I'll always look back with mixed memories at those bits of track.
I'm not sure if those two bits of railway are linked, but it's a wee bit interesting that there are two areas in Trafford Park where you could see slow moving trains.
imagine this as a preserved line, that would be cool!
Definitely
Nevermind a 'preserved line - it should be part of the Manchester Tram network. Can't believe it isn't.
There is a preserved line just like this one in Preston, it used to serve the old Preston dock basin which is now a marina. And you can ride a train along the route, some of which was re-routed after the docks closed.
I believe that the track and signals have not been officially closed too. You never know....!
They don't usually change the signals because the connection to the main line would need re signalling. It is cheaper to just leave it
Imagine activating the crossing lights and stopping all the traffic for about 3 minutes... (the time out limit for AOCL crossings, of course)
@@fetchstixRHD I'll buy the lockpicks lolol
Very interesting video. It shows one of those little parts of the past industries and football/leisure that used the railway and even although it's out of use for now, if not deterring parking et.c. in sensitive areas such as approaching fast roads junctions, it seems to be kept in place just in case it's needed again. That tantalising hope... It certainly helps point out that we have an industrial vent to us yet, as well as a history of it.
I used to drive to work through Trafford park daily in the 80s and although rare there were still the odd train rattling through the main section and near kellogs small shunters were quite common moving carriages in a ahort section. There used to be an abandoned steam emgine at the Barton end behind an old disused factory in the mid 70s I used to explore there as a teenager.
For 9yrs in the late 60’s and early 70’s I drove through Trafford Park daily and have driven through frequently since. It was claimed to be the largest private railway in Europe with links all the way down the Manchester Ship Canal to Liverpool. On one occasion I drove down Westinghouse Rd not far from this crossing and saw an entire tanker train lying on its side on the curve. It looked like a giant Hornby Dublo set! Whils t I never saw the steam locos in service (one of them Hamburg is preserved and used to run on the East Lancashire Railway in Bury)I used to admire the blue Rolls Royce engined diesels parked adjacent to the fire station hear Kellogg’s. They also ran several larger green diesels.Metrolink trams will soon be running in part along former rail tracks to the Trafford Centre.
The wigwags were made and installed by Forest City Signs Park Rd Timperley, Altrincham. I knew they did road signage but not rail stuff. They have gone now, not sure if they are still in business.
3:42 - I love how they retrieved the sign but decided to keep the signposts in situ.
Great video! I remember the goods trains well. I never thought it would come to an end. Virtually all manufacturing is gone now to what seems like modern day slave trade. Foreigners working for two Dollars a day! I’m nearly 60 now. Trafford park was so busy. In 1983 and onwards, the whole area was plagued with demolition. Everywhere! I don’t recognise anything now. That small piece of railway is all that is left of an era. Thanks for the video.
Oh my, its so sad that its closed! I would have loved to have gone and seen it activate! 😟
Look at one of my videos. I did a few of this line when it was busy
@@Isochest Sorry for the late reply - I recall watching your videos a couple of years back. Interesting stuff.
Hi great video on Trafford Parks railways. I was born in Davyhulme in 1957 My Dad worked for Massey Ferguson tractors in the parts department shipping tractor parts all over the world. Asda is there now. 😢 Anyway the railway was a hive of activity back then serving all the local industries including its own power station and steel works. It was a perfect playground for me at a weekend lol 😂 The last trains used to serve Cargill foods. The siding on Trafford Park road use to receive foreign VTG ferry vans for Italy if I remember!! The rail connection to the container terminal on Barton dock road has gone now. Car showrooms going up in its place 🙈 The chance of it returning is never as the metro tram line has just cut the last line in half near where I park my lorry at F&G commercials DAF dealership. BR wagon load freight killed most of the freight on rail. On Saturday just gone I did the Mersey ferry trip to Liverpool. 6 hours of fantastic information on the Manchester Ship Canal. Well worth a trip 😊Stevie.
Fascinating I’m surprised the signalling is still there
An interesting video of my hometown shame its been neglected for so long
Shame road transport effectively killed off wagon load freight on the railway, was this line served by the Manchester ship canal company as i remember them bringing traffic in to Trafford park where they detached and the main line loco's worked the train forward.
It was connected to the docks via a bridge near Sam Platt's pub. The bridge was relocated to No:9 dock during the redevelopment of 'Salford Quays'.
I live not far from here and the Wigwags are due to be renewed on Tenax Road, there are Mellor Wigwags and the other type (Similar to SGE traffic lights). It may be worthwhile asking one of the contractors if they can spare you one. The Metrolink track will be running from Old Trafford right through Trafford Park and up to The Trafford Centre.
Thanks for that. Mellor Wigwags are really rare these days. I'll definitely try to get a look at that if I can.
I came across this a few years ago in a book called The Manchester Ship Canal Railway. The area had a very extensive railway
network servicing all of the industries, the docks and mainline connections and a loco depot at Lode Wheel (could be wrong about that exact location?). I seem to recall that the local colliery railway was connected to the canal by inclined ramps to allow coal containers to be floated off wagons and towed by tug to waiting freighters. So much industry and inventiveness all gone now.
Hi, back in the late 80s/ early 90s I worked alongside Cammell Laird Shipbuilders on RN vessels and commercial ships sent in for conversion.
The ‘conversions’ were usually completed within 24 to 48 hours using pre assembled parts taken direct from storage ie pre planned. One of these was a Baltic ro-ro car ferry converted to take railway wagons.
I believe this line is being deliberately kept in a semi working state in case of National crisis or emergency - if it is near any kind of military base then this scenario could be correct.
Good vid mate,i used to see them chuffing around when i was a kid,i think it was the biggest estate in europe back then.I,m sitting on an avro's chair right now!
cheers from a new sub.
Very well done,T/P always interesting.
It must have been amazing to see this crossing in operation. I wonder if the line will ever come back into usage again?
Sadly, its unlikely, but It was a great line
I'm not a train enthusiast but was born in Stretford in the 60s about 1/2 mile from Kellogg's. I'm pretty sure the line you say was in use up to 1998 was disused quite a bit before then (the car park across the line looks older than 20 years). Trains were still running in Trafford Park at least to the late 90s or even into the 2000s across Park Road, near to Kellogg's and along Barton Dock Road - it was pain to be stuck there when a train was approaching as they were long and slow!. I live north of Manchester now but was down there today and didn't notice if the tracks are still cross Park Road, although a quick check on Google Maps shows they are!
There used to be trains running all over Trafford Park - bringing raw materials from the Manchester Ship canal right up to the factories and taking away manufactured goods back to the docks for export or onto the main railway system for distribution within the UK.
I thought there still trains running later than 1998. I can recall being stopped near Kellogs by the odd train. Not very often but when you were stopped it was for a good 10 minutes or more.
The train would stop, the driver would get out and activate the crossing lights, the train would then start off again ….. slowly, stopping again once the last carriage had cleared the crossing, at which point the guard would hop out and turn off the lights.
MarkJT1000 yes, I stopped for one around 2006. Good times.
I live within sight of these. A reminder of the past. Used to be three trains daily from Salford quays to the trafffrod centre. Closed in about 2011 or 12. Trans are now being built to the Trafford centre here.
Very nice video and fun to watch. Have a nice day.
I worked in Trafford Park in the early 60,s and it was still a very active system.Companies such as Corn Flower Products (starch), Stewarts & Lloyds (now B.S.C. Corby I think)& Trafford Park Steel (where I worked), still received deliveries of goods by rail, with the M.S.C shunters (steam& diesel) providing the final part of the delivery chain.It was interesting but sadly things
move on (progress?) & my only regret is that I didn't have a camera to record it! Could not afford one anyway.Great memories anyway.
Fantastic find. Really enjoyed this.
Your videos are addictive.
It’s really sad seeing great examples of industrial marvel like this virtually abandoned an going to waste. These things were created to be used and it’s almost tragic seeing them going to waste like this. The fact there’s still traffic lights there looks like it could be fired up again tomorrow.
Nice one as always Morthren.
Reminds me of rails that ran along/across one the roads to the east of Bedford (Cardington Road?). I only ever cycled that stretch a couple of times, and 'twas many years ago - probably late 1980s. What I remember most is being nervous where the lines crossed the road - at an angle - big danger of catching a wheel in a rut.
Not too sure if the rails are still there. Someone will know.
Thanks! I'm sure there are still plenty of disused tracks and sidings still out there.
In my experience, they are rare outside of docks/ports/shipyards, and within those areas tracks tend to be mainly for cranes as opposed to trains. Just my experience.
Very interesting. There are a few disused lines and crossings around Poole, especially near the docks and ferry terminal.
I've been there a few times in the past and there is lots of old disused sections of track still in place, including one bit that's half buried under a roundabout. And those remaining sections of track and crossing lights etc. should be removed and sold off to preservation groups instead of being left to rot. But then removing them costs quite a bit so that idea might not be viable. Some of the track at the old Agecroft power plant was sold off to a preservation group.
Has anyone seen the most ridiculous level crossing at Marton Gypsy Lane in Middlesbrough. Blocked off with concrete bollards but still has the barriers.
"Once upon a time in a land that time forgot…"
Saw lots of freight lines like this when i visited New Orleans, usually the case with this is they mothball route so its never officially closed so that it can be reopened in the future.
Another place I worked in a few times was Salford railway sidings, I can't remember much about the place, only it had an electric shunter and the track was connected to the main railway track. Yep I had a go of driving that one night, did not go on to the main line, would not and could not, the double gates were locked.
Great video! Good work!
I found out about these Level Crossings about 3 weeks ago and was looking for a video
I remember seeing the train tracks in the 80's, I used to work in security at sterling green gate cables. I hated the place. Had a good over head crane in the work shop, which I of course could not resist having a go of during the evening. And no I had no idea how to operate it, but did with out crashing it. Yep it was fun.
Once i was on the bus to the traford centre, I thought to myself "Why is there a railway line there?" and you've an awswered my question!
I visited Old Trafford in the mid 2000s to see England vs Northern Ireland and remember the track was all still in place then and went to within a few hundred feet of the stadium.
Yes I think that's where it branched off from the main line. A lot of that section has been removed now though.
Cycling over that crossing is a nightmare, hard to not go flying ;)
Great video! I live not too far away in Wigan but I actually didn't even know any of this existed as I don't go round this bit of Trafford Park. Interestingly, these tracks are actually shown on Google Maps as grey lines giving them the appearance of an active line. I don't know if Google's system does this automatically or someone actually mapped out the line thinking it was still used.
Thanks! Google maps is the way I have found old tracks that are long abandoned. I think it is historical data that is used and overlaid as it is very thorough in the detail for most tracks and sidings. This one was found by complete chance when visiting Old Trafford
Still some tracks on Barton Dock Road, Towards the Kelloggs factory
The tracks went into the Kellogg's factory and my grandad who was the founder and chief executive of it for many years had his office right behind one of the sets of rails and he used to say that sometimes he thought the wagons were going to or actually had joined him in his office.
All gone now
Looked at a old map on line circa 1900 there was not a rail way installed around that time at Salford Docks and there are only three docks had been constructed and next to them is a race course later on the race course was demolished and a fourth dock was added .
Probably one of the only section of main line railway running at street level in the UK
Brilliant 👍 - There's a couple more abandoned level crossings around that area, nevertheless its great to have a detailed look at one of them. Very confusing with wigwags everywhere; up, down, left, right & centre! Such a shame it will never activate again 😟😟
Thanks! I found this by complete chance after a mate got some free tickets to a Man U game. I'm not really into football but finding this along the way was an added bonus! I bet even though the crossing hasn't been used for 20 odd years, it will still all work. It would be really cool to see all those wigwags working again.
I wonder if the track side box was opened the signals could be operated? Or has all the power been disconnected?
@@BrettCook: According to another poster, they were operational when someone who was able to open the controls visited the crossing, which is interesting...
The majority of that industrial estate has remains of the old track and there are several other smaller road crossings still visible. There is a new tram line being installed near by also
Used to see the shunters on this with all the Kellogg's wagons full of cereal boxes.
You mean my breakfast getting delivered?
Amazing old infrastructure
The rails on the crossing have been removed now. A pot hole in front of one of the rails cause significant damage to a car’s wheel, after that, they dug up the rails that cross the road and re-surfaced the whole section of road.
Years ago the Trafford Park Estate had its own electric tramway built by Westinghouse, whose factory was there in the green fields. At one time the Serpollet double deck STEAM tram (as used in Paris) was tried there. The electrics later became Corpy cars
0:11, Brilliant day for The Rams.
I would love to see a video of the crossing in action. It may look quite old but it would be worth it.
Me too!
The line was used until 2011 to carry freight services to Trafford Park.
I think this is very interesting.
Nee sub here, Very impressed with how you produce these videos, thanks
I used to race against a train with my bicycle on Barton Dock Rd. when finished at work and wanted to get pass it before it reaches the crossing at the Kellogg` bakery
3:49 that's unusual because level crossings in the UK don't have overhead signals.
I think in this case there was no choice to put an overhead signal. With the track running parallel to the road, the train has to stop to activate the crossing which would block the signal if it was on a pole to the side. It's definitely unique!
Plus that big curve.
yes
I was there last year making deliveries to I think it was to XPO anyway I was amazed at how much rail is still there and not been uplifted by one of the many scrap dealers
There was a goods yard outside the docks office which is know a carpark and a single track ran under Barton bridge. I have looked at some oldmaps on line co.uk the rail system was huge the big engineering company,s had there own sidings with some of the track going in to the factory.
Lots of similar abandoned rails here in America
oh I'd LOVE to get the signals & signs!
Fascinating!
Used a lot when we had the industrial revolution
I just had a look at this on Google Maps and the wigwags are now gone!
Are you sure you're looking in the right area? I've just looked and they still seem to be there goo.gl/maps/in2mYybjSW32
Hm, I must have been looking at another set of tracks then
@@ellisbutler7956 Actually I know the crossing you mean. There was another crossing further along the track with has just recently been removed and the roadway completely redesigned. There's also another crossing near where this branch starts that I completely missed! Hopefully it'll still be there if I get chance to go back up there.
@@morthren Okay!
Considering this is right beside the road, I'm surprised it hasn't been utilised as part of the tram network in Manchester.
3:42 It looks this sign has been used as some sort of safety notice board now
Looks like it might still work, if you could open that grey box where the control buttons are! 😜
Nathan N Farnell must have been buttons at both ends of junction depending on direction ?
I’m thinking of cracking it open and having a see if I can get it to work. Worth a shot, right?
Gergus008 Don’t forget to film it!
I think it would, as long as power is still connected.
@@Gergus If you do, please film but watch it can't you got prosecuted for it? lol
and some of the wigwags are quite high up
“Oooh a abandoned crossing, save me a signal”
“Ok that’s good”
“That’s good”
“Th-that’s good!”
“Ok alright ok”
“ITS ENOUGH FUCKING SIGNALS MAN”
"THATS ENOUGH SIGNALS-"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!"
"s t a h h h p"
Would have loved to see inside the locked box. Aand if it still functioned
Me too! This must look really extreme with all those lights and the alarms. The small electrical box by the pedestrian light was open, but it was just contactors and fuses.