That brought back a few memories. I used to live on the opposite side of the road to Long Melford Station in the early 1970s. We used to play in the station and yard area where you could see the indentations of where the sleepers used to be. The retired (redundant?) Station Master still lived on the premises. We then moved to Cavendish where you could still find the end of the platform, despite the new-build houses. I caught the train from Sudbury to Marks Tey/Colchester from the old (through) station many times. The current station is on the site of the original 1800s station, which then became the goods yard. At one time you could see rails in the tarmac extending along a couple of roads.
Loved it. Thanks. We all live near disused railway lines unfortunately. Mine is the Malton to Driffield line. Closed to passengers in 1952, freight in 1958.
Sudbury's current station is located on the site of the old station's cattle dock, the original station building stood on the site of the car park entrance next to the Kingfisher and was demolished in 1991. The very first station was a terminus and was closed in 1865 when the second station opened (the branch line to Haverhill closed on 06/03/1967), and it stood on the site of Roys of Wroxham department store in Great Eastern Road.
Wonderful video! There is another interesting bit of lost line running from Lowestoft to Great Yarmouth as well. Plenty of old remnants of the line can still be found, such as the East Linear Park in Lowie (I used to walk it every day going to school way back when). The Park is the old line, Used to cut in across Barnard's Meadow Football Ground (Which also used to be Coal yards).
Several others too. Lots of it could be done, but it's a matter of manpower and money, and loads of established railways are desperate for that as it is.
Its always interesting learning about abandoned railways. There are a few in Warwickshire one is near where I live in Lapworth and evidence is noticeable if you walk along the canal outside the village of lowsonford where there once was a halt and a bridge spanning the canal.
I really enjoyed this one Lawrie, I live in Hadleigh so I was pleased to see you mention it. Long Melford station still exists as a private residence and the embankment along the A134 is still visible where it crossed over. Lavenham is where you should check out, the station long gone and a housing estate built on the site but the bridge the tracks passed under is still there, soot stained and all! Thanks mate. (PS I have a few vehicles you may be interested in too!)
An excellent way to expand the channel, evidence of what was is always of interest that chronicles the past from a different perspective that can only make history more complete.
Brilliant video!! Very enjoyable and great to see some more areas having remains of old railway lines, I recommend looking at Stumer in Suffolk the entire station is still there but the building itself is a private residence now and you are able to get a Brilliant view of the station from the road, there is also plenty of remains to see in Haverhill along the track bed such as old bridges and railway fencing found in the trees, Great Yeldham on the Colne Valley Line also has its station platforms remaining and station buildings such as Linton and Long Melford can also still be seen today 😀 I shall be interested to see more videos like this thankyou for sharing
My granddad worked on the fish docks of Ipswich on the J70's as a guard and my father worked part time before working as full time guard on the Ipswich line to Felixstowe and towards London before the terminal at Norwich was built.
That’s brilliant Lawrie. Myself and my sons love walking the old lines around Suffolk. It’s really exciting when you find some overgrown sleepers and buffers in the woodland.
We have an abandoned railways in Weymouth Dorset called the rodwell trail linking Weymouth to the isle of Portland and the harbour line from weymouth train station to around to weymouth harbour. The videos are brilliant 👏 and please more what’s broken now
Excellent! I live by the Stour Valley Line and every day cars queue all the way from Haverhill into Cambridge. The track bed is still 90% intact so the line could be, and should be, returned to use as light rail
Interesting! But for a foreigner such as myself not familiar with the local geography, a map showing the location of the line and highlighting your position could be of great help to get a more indept feel for the placement and scope of these railways.
A very interesting video, I'd definitely watch more. One thing I will mention, which you probably already know but anyway, when the Stour valley railway ran up to Haverhill it linked up with the Colne valley railway. The really interesting part though is that that is the second time the two lines met, they met for the first time at Chapel and Wakes Colne station which today is the East Anglian Railway Museum. If that had all been preserved it would of been a very interesting railway to operate. Two trains departing from the same station, running on two separate lines but arriving at the same station. We can but dream.
I have spent many hours of my life tracing old railroad lines on google earth: following the clean, straight breaks in the trees is a fun little activity. I love this, and I would definitely want to see more!
You should go and take a look at the Station House at Campsea Ashe (Wickham Market station). Only one half of a platform remains operational and the house itself was recently restored from the brink and now serves as a thriving local hub. The station used to be far larger with multiple platforms and sidings; worth a trip for anyone with an interest in historical railways.
All that remains at Halwill Junction here in devon is an 8 foot bit of platform, a few bridge abutments and some embankments. the station itself is gone toatlly bar that 8 foot bit of platform in the bushes. Very depressing.
This is quite a pleasant surprise as I'm a Suffolk native and I didn't even know about half of these. Very gratifying to see Suffolk getting some love on UA-cam finally as it's a glorious county. Also; do you know if that Thorpness Halt line is one of two spurs from the Leiston route? There was another line that ran into the top end of Aldeburgh way back when.
I'm pleased you enjoyed it. Suffolk's quite lovely. Thorpeness was on the Aldeburgh branch, leaving the East Suffolk line at Saxmundham, heading through Lieston (where it once served Garrett's) on to Thorpeness, and from there to Aldeburgh.
This is awesome! I particularly liked the Thorepness platforms and bridge at Sudbury. Any plans on a Norfolk video? E.g. Norwich City, Honing station is really cool with station remains (check out the nearby unsual bridge near there too) Aylsham North is a really cool section to walk with lots of bridges. North Elmham has track remains. Even Swaffham has an abandoned signal.
Would love to see the Ruston 48 on that section at the start. There are a few places like that near me where the rails still remain, and even a short touristy railway hidden in plain sight…
Nice to see Hadleigh station mentioned. I'm a local historian with many photos and information on the line. Its always been a very special part of the area for me. I'm in the process of doing a video tour of the line which will be available in the coming months.
Spent many a happy hour watching the shunting going on in the docks. A favourite site was the lock swing bridge. Would love an entire episode on the Sudbury to Bury and Sudbury to Haverhill lines.
Fantastic - I've visited some of those places, but didn't know about Thorpeness. Go up the coast a bit and there is all sorts from the Southwold Railway still about, and in Beccles there are remnants of the Waveney Valley Line & I think the old Yarmouth Line. There might be some odds and ends on the old Lowestoft to Yarmouth line (where they famously had some of the holiday coaches) So nice to see Suffolk where I grew up
Being a local this is a interesting video, we done walk from Raydon to Hadleigh a few years ago and it's well worth doing along the old rail track. It used to carry on into Capel St Mary but it's all gone now, Capel Station Garage is where the old station was.
This video was really really interesting as I'm just outside of suffolk so O can explore this quite easily❤😁👍.I have one question though, at 7:14 what song was playing in the background? 😅
@@lmm hi lawrie I tried to send you a video of the isle of man closed Railway don't know if you received it if you didn't it's well worth a look even though it's sad it's not running any more
That’s great please do the okehampton to Tavistock line lots of great bits of that left I think a lot of enthusiasts dream of that being re opened one day here in Devon
@@lmm it was an alternative line between Plymouth and Exeter ran by the southern would have been very useful when the sea wall was breached at Dawlish a few years ago, lots of viaducts and epic moorland views sadly closed like many other lines in the late 60s
Great video! Very interesting to explore abandoned railways and Clare station is definately my favourite part of this video. More videos like this would be excellent
Excellent video Lawrie. These old abandoned railways have always interested me. I'd love to see some more in depth videos of the old railways around Suffolk as that's Where I'm from. There another old railway you could look at a branch line from Mellis to Eye I believe it branched off the London to Norwich main line.
Interesting video, especially the Clare section, as I live locally. The route from Clare to Haverhill on on to Cambridge is still visible in many places with the section between Sturmer and Haverhill now being a public path. Haverhill station, now a Tescos, was known locally as Paraffin Junction and was also where the Halstead / Colchester Colne Valley line started, and this can also be easily traced over the Sturmer Arches bridge, through Birdbrook, Gt Yeldham, Hedingham and into Halstead. As a kid in the early 1960's, I remember travelling from on the line from Halstead to see Grandparents in Haverhill.
A lack of foresight? See far too many of these abandoned railways that could have been, as population changed into today. Would love to do that tour one day, looks great.
In the 60s mum remembers running along the docks from Suffolk college which then was the civic college she was part of the first intake of students. She would use the docks as a short cut to get to the station to get back to Saxmundham so nan could pick her up to get home to Kelsale. Yes she did wear a short skirt heels and hope for wolf whistles from the dock workers and remember to look out for the engines otherwise they would blow their whistle at her. 😊
the only line I know of in my area, has only two peices of track still, one has a buffer still, and the bridge built in 1903 If memory serves still has rail, but where it went I have no idea, i believe it was part of the old trolly system we had here
Super but can I make a little correction - The Hadleigh branch was never to Colchester but Ipswich although most trains only ran to Bentley a staion long since gone. There was however a short spur joining the main line to Ipswich which was removed at a very early date. Sadly if it had been a later date of clousure this line could have enjoyed the same kind of use as the now short Sudbury branch does. Hadleigh has since grown with a very different type of population from back then. However crossing the busy A12 would have been a problem even as it was in late 1960s although there was still one train of just a parcel van (stabled at Bentley ) which ran twice a week until closure. The Driver or fireman when it was steam had to open & close the crossing gates which also included the other two at Bentley Church & Raydon Wood Station. On the sad Middy (Mid Suffolk Light Railway )although the section to Debenham was never completed there was some unofficial passenger use on this as far as it went. There might just be one or two now very old people from Kenton area who can confirm this. In those days Suffolk people were very "Happy go Lucky " not careing much for what the regulation railway books said.
Hi Lawrie. That was very nice video. In Czech republic, we have company, owned by ministry of industry and traffic, which is responsible for maintaining all railways by law. Unfortunately, they have strategy with national railway (passengers) company how to "obtain arguments" to close some branches. F. E. changing timetables in way, so you will miss next train on main line by 5 minutes, to make it unpopular and unused. or start "reconstruction" by diggin out rails and not put new back saying "we have no money". Even, maintaing company must secure all railways to be fit to use by law, no one cares. So we are observing more and more abandoned railways and buildings - which are very fast demolished rather than given to municipalities for use. Very sad and tearful... But there are exceptions. One railway was closed, traffic ceased due to not-rentability (-2.000.000CZK every year). 5 vilages and one company of "friend of RW" has bought it and re-openned passengers traffic. And guess what - they are just 200.000CZK bellow Zero per year. This sum covers thoose 5 villages to give citizens comfort of having train around. After a huge wave of critics, that maintaing company decided not to sell any more tracks, rather destroy them.
That's really sad. We were very lucky in the UK that so many railways were closed allowing people to privately buy them. The nationalised railway was misused here too, the person in charge had shares in Tarmac, so obviously wanted more roads!
@@lmm It was aviable in start, but after some time, when newspapers wrote some numbers from previous "state" management and new privat management, there was quite a big sniffing around thoose numbers. So now they want huge unrealistic money or rather change railways to cycklo path.
Come to Abergavenny, wales as there ones was a running train track but doesn't now and the tunnels are there but closed off its along the side of a hill or mounting
you might want to talk to Paul and Rebecca Whitewick here on youtube, They love doing Every Disused Station and such and i wouldn't be surprised if they would be happy to do a colab with you
In Ipswich near the station the old spur for the dock line still exists the level crossing has been removed but there was line either side of the road and the bridge and track and even a semaphore signal still remain there I believe most of the old lines are still in place there as network rail never removed it due to cost
Oh dear that’s a shame I knew it was there when the bacon factory curve was built I helped to build that can’t remember how many years ago now it’s funny how much things can change hopefully the old rails were still in good enough condition to be reused by a heritage or museum line
I know you only mentioned it once, but I thought Haverhill had a silent second H. My aunt lives there and had always referred to it as that, however as a local I'm sure he pronounced it correctly. However, I thought it was a bit too hilly to have a railway come into the village after visiting there myself
There's a lot of that stuff on Trafford Park where I work. The railway line around the site ceased operating 15 years or so ago. Do you reckon you can get some of those old lines reopened/rebuilt with a bit of prodding?
The problem with reopening any of these is the fact that buildings and estates have built up blocking the lines from ever being complete. One or two however would make good heritage lines. I'd love to be able to do some with the docks.
awesome video, would love to see more! there are a few abandoned lines near me, a lot developed on now but i believe there is still an abandoned sidings local to me feel free to send a message and i will share the location.
7:00 not so the case back were i use to live the enbankment there bowed its final domination to make way for a new outter ringroad got lucky to scale it at the former bridge location near crossgates and walk it and what turned out to be a final time so im quiet pleased i found the lil stone bridge that acted as farmers crossing need to do the big bridge bit that carrys the a64 ring road 2 lane 1 direction part over the cutting witch im not even sure if you can get down there youd even be suprised an inosent bunch of bungalows out side 1 village occupie the former bardsay station site so if you go looking for it you would even know it was once a station as nothing remains well worth it is the remains of the crossgates weatherby railway branchline as linton road site is a carpark so you can walk to spofforth harrogate part is in bits so that im planning to really work on after crossgates weatherby has been done then an old one near to were me grandad and grandma live in Rothwell i might even push luck to get out to the intact track at wortley see if its explorable
Oh nice! Some industrial archeology with Lawrie. Excellent.
Quality stuff init
Laurie please do more I really bloody enjoyed this vid
Glad to hear it!
Great video, Lawrie, well researched and presented as usual. Give us more like this!
That we can do!
That brought back a few memories. I used to live on the opposite side of the road to Long Melford Station in the early 1970s. We used to play in the station and yard area where you could see the indentations of where the sleepers used to be. The retired (redundant?) Station Master still lived on the premises. We then moved to Cavendish where you could still find the end of the platform, despite the new-build houses. I caught the train from Sudbury to Marks Tey/Colchester from the old (through) station many times. The current station is on the site of the original 1800s station, which then became the goods yard. At one time you could see rails in the tarmac extending along a couple of roads.
Oh back in the day!
Loved this! Reminds me of watching "RailAway" as a child.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Loved it. Thanks. We all live near disused railway lines unfortunately. Mine is the Malton to Driffield line. Closed to passengers in 1952, freight in 1958.
Oh I've heard of that one!
I love rail walks and tours please do more
That we can!
You've started down this rabbit hole. Please continue!
That I shall!
Loved it! Please do more, and in-depth explorations! Many thanks!
That is the plan! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
would love to see more in my hometown of southwold and the old line to Halesworth
Oh yes indeed!
I enjoyed that 100 cent can you please do more like this thank you and hope you have a good day
We shall! Glad you enjoyed it!
Good one Lawrie. Much enjoyed.
Rob
Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
absolutely superb more please
That we can do!
Please do more of these these are awesome
Thank you very much
Sudbury's current station is located on the site of the old station's cattle dock, the original station building stood on the site of the car park entrance next to the Kingfisher and was demolished in 1991. The very first station was a terminus and was closed in 1865 when the second station opened (the branch line to Haverhill closed on 06/03/1967), and it stood on the site of Roys of Wroxham department store in Great Eastern Road.
I would love to see an entire episode of this devoted to the Middy alone.
That we could certainly do
please do more, always interesting to see what is left of the railways.
That we will!
Wonderful video! There is another interesting bit of lost line running from Lowestoft to Great Yarmouth as well. Plenty of old remnants of the line can still be found, such as the East Linear Park in Lowie (I used to walk it every day going to school way back when). The Park is the old line, Used to cut in across Barnard's Meadow Football Ground (Which also used to be Coal yards).
Oh really? I'll have to have a look at that
Yes, Lawrie, I did enjoy that video
Super! More to come then
Love this. Please more of that.
That we can do
Is it just me or are others watching this and wondering how much you could realay and create new preserved lines
Several others too.
Lots of it could be done, but it's a matter of manpower and money, and loads of established railways are desperate for that as it is.
Its always interesting learning about abandoned railways. There are a few in Warwickshire one is near where I live in Lapworth and evidence is noticeable if you walk along the canal outside the village of lowsonford where there once was a halt and a bridge spanning the canal.
Oh really? It's great discovering these things
I really enjoyed this one Lawrie, I live in Hadleigh so I was pleased to see you mention it. Long Melford station still exists as a private residence and the embankment along the A134 is still visible where it crossed over. Lavenham is where you should check out, the station long gone and a housing estate built on the site but the bridge the tracks passed under is still there, soot stained and all! Thanks mate. (PS I have a few vehicles you may be interested in too!)
Oh really? Thanks for that - drop me an email at Lawrie@lmm.media thank you!
An excellent way to expand the channel, evidence of what was is always of interest that chronicles the past from a different perspective that can only make history more complete.
Thank you, I hope you enjoy the next ones we do
More please very interesting 👍
That we can do!
Brilliant video!! Very enjoyable and great to see some more areas having remains of old railway lines, I recommend looking at Stumer in Suffolk the entire station is still there but the building itself is a private residence now and you are able to get a Brilliant view of the station from the road, there is also plenty of remains to see in Haverhill along the track bed such as old bridges and railway fencing found in the trees, Great Yeldham on the Colne Valley Line also has its station platforms remaining and station buildings such as Linton and Long Melford can also still be seen today 😀 I shall be interested to see more videos like this thankyou for sharing
I shall do just that!
Yes please, more vids like this 👍
That we can do
My granddad worked on the fish docks of Ipswich on the J70's as a guard and my father worked part time before working as full time guard on the Ipswich line to Felixstowe and towards London before the terminal at Norwich was built.
Oh really? Must have been amazing back in the day
That’s brilliant Lawrie. Myself and my sons love walking the old lines around Suffolk. It’s really exciting when you find some overgrown sleepers and buffers in the woodland.
I know that feeling well!
it is so sad on how much railway has just been lost to time yes do some more of this type of railway video
Isn't it just. We shall do more!
We have an abandoned railways in Weymouth Dorset called the rodwell trail linking Weymouth to the isle of Portland and the harbour line from weymouth train station to around to weymouth harbour. The videos are brilliant 👏 and please more what’s broken now
What's Broken Now will return before too long.
Glad uoi enjoyed the video!
Excellent! I live by the Stour Valley Line and every day cars queue all the way from Haverhill into Cambridge. The track bed is still 90% intact so the line could be, and should be, returned to use as light rail
Very interesting episode, it's nice to also get the bigger picture of the railway, not just locomotives and rolling stock.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Been interested in disused railways sine I was a kid, more of this please, great vid 👍
That we can do
6:50 That bridge looks gone to me, though the abutments are still there!
Well, yes. Remains of bridge
Interesting! But for a foreigner such as myself not familiar with the local geography, a map showing the location of the line and highlighting your position could be of great help to get a more indept feel for the placement and scope of these railways.
I am lucky having come from the area, but like so many forget not everyone has a idea where we are
Yes indeed
Its the finding of royalties free maps that's the issue.
The bramley line was fun to explore
Is it?
I liked it i found toilets they were the only remains of coldam station
Yes , please do more.
That we shall!
A very interesting video, I'd definitely watch more.
One thing I will mention, which you probably already know but anyway, when the Stour valley railway ran up to Haverhill it linked up with the Colne valley railway.
The really interesting part though is that that is the second time the two lines met, they met for the first time at Chapel and Wakes Colne station which today is the East Anglian Railway Museum.
If that had all been preserved it would of been a very interesting railway to operate.
Two trains departing from the same station, running on two separate lines but arriving at the same station.
We can but dream.
Ah the madness of the railway age 😂
Go for it, Lawrie. I'm watching from the states, and I'm enjoying it.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I would be great to see some off them back especially on the dock or the preserved station
Wouldn't it just
i hope to see more of this video.
That we can do!
Lawries marvelous misadventures...?
Oh that's a good one
You could be the Suffolk Geoff Marshall !
What a fantastic video! So marvellously spoken throughout
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
I love stuff like this. I explore abandoned railroad lines and structures in my area in NJ. Yes, please more like this.
That we can do
I have spent many hours of my life tracing old railroad lines on google earth: following the clean, straight breaks in the trees is a fun little activity.
I love this, and I would definitely want to see more!
Hours can be lost following the old lines 😂
You should go and take a look at the Station House at Campsea Ashe (Wickham Market station). Only one half of a platform remains operational and the house itself was recently restored from the brink and now serves as a thriving local hub. The station used to be far larger with multiple platforms and sidings; worth a trip for anyone with an interest in historical railways.
I did a video there!
@@lmmJust watched your video, nicely done! I was the designer of the Station House refurbishment project.
@@across8339 oh super! Great work done there!
All that remains at Halwill Junction here in devon is an 8 foot bit of platform, a few bridge abutments and some embankments.
the station itself is gone toatlly bar that 8 foot bit of platform in the bushes. Very depressing.
I feel the same way looking at Thorpeness. Such a shame
More lost railways please!
That we can do
This is quite a pleasant surprise as I'm a Suffolk native and I didn't even know about half of these. Very gratifying to see Suffolk getting some love on UA-cam finally as it's a glorious county. Also; do you know if that Thorpness Halt line is one of two spurs from the Leiston route? There was another line that ran into the top end of Aldeburgh way back when.
Ah, actually the internet says it's a spur from the Saxmundham line. Wasn't as difficult to find the answer as I thought 🙃
I'm pleased you enjoyed it. Suffolk's quite lovely.
Thorpeness was on the Aldeburgh branch, leaving the East Suffolk line at Saxmundham, heading through Lieston (where it once served Garrett's) on to Thorpeness, and from there to Aldeburgh.
Very interesting you should have a look as some of the forgotten railways of North Norfolk
There's loads all over East Anglia!
Yes! More please. Thanks John
We shall do!
Very interesting do more please Rutland has all sorts of branch lines would be good to see them covered 😀
Glad you enjoyed it!
This is awesome! I particularly liked the Thorepness platforms and bridge at Sudbury. Any plans on a Norfolk video? E.g. Norwich City, Honing station is really cool with station remains (check out the nearby unsual bridge near there too) Aylsham North is a really cool section to walk with lots of bridges. North Elmham has track remains. Even Swaffham has an abandoned signal.
Would love to see the Ruston 48 on that section at the start. There are a few places like that near me where the rails still remain, and even a short touristy railway hidden in plain sight…
Oh really?
Where's that?
I'd love to take the 48 to the docks again
Very interesting. More please
That we can do
Good to your still making interesting content around Suffolk Lawrie
We try our best!
Nice to see Hadleigh station mentioned. I'm a local historian with many photos and information on the line. Its always been a very special part of the area for me.
I'm in the process of doing a video tour of the line which will be available in the coming months.
Spent many a happy hour watching the shunting going on in the docks. A favourite site was the lock swing bridge. Would love an entire episode on the Sudbury to Bury and Sudbury to Haverhill lines.
The swing Bridge still has the railway on it!
I was thinking episodes on them certainly!
Fantastic - I've visited some of those places, but didn't know about Thorpeness.
Go up the coast a bit and there is all sorts from the Southwold Railway still about, and in Beccles there are remnants of the Waveney Valley Line & I think the old Yarmouth Line.
There might be some odds and ends on the old Lowestoft to Yarmouth line (where they famously had some of the holiday coaches)
So nice to see Suffolk where I grew up
I'll add them to places to have a look at!
Being a local this is a interesting video, we done walk from Raydon to Hadleigh a few years ago and it's well worth doing along the old rail track. It used to carry on into Capel St Mary but it's all gone now, Capel Station Garage is where the old station was.
Yes it is. I never realised until I made this video
As a suffolk resident I'd like to see more especially if locomotives or track remain.
Several ideas in the pipeline
@@lmm be great to know would love to explore them myself
This video was really really interesting as I'm just outside of suffolk so O can explore this quite easily❤😁👍.I have one question though, at 7:14 what song was playing in the background? 😅
Yes please lawrie more of these vids 👍👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@lmm hi lawrie I tried to send you a video of the isle of man closed Railway don't know if you received it if you didn't it's well worth a look even though it's sad it's not running any more
Really liked this "off track" expedition. Thanks! :)
You're most welcome
please do this again it was very fascinating and well shot.
Lots more lined up
More like this please Lawrie, like the Mildenhall branch
That we can do
Most enjoyable video, excellent....more like this one, thank you very much! 👍🏻👌🏻👏🏻
That we can do!
That’s great please do the okehampton to Tavistock line lots of great bits of that left I think a lot of enthusiasts dream of that being re opened one day here in Devon
Oh really? I'm afraid I don't know anything about that line
@@lmm it was an alternative line between Plymouth and Exeter ran by the southern would have been very useful when the sea wall was breached at Dawlish a few years ago, lots of viaducts and epic moorland views sadly closed like many other lines in the late 60s
I'd love to see more! Love seeing this kind of stuff
That we can do!
Great video! Very interesting to explore abandoned railways and Clare station is definately my favourite part of this video. More videos like this would be excellent
That we can do!
Excellent video Lawrie. These old abandoned railways have always interested me.
I'd love to see some more in depth videos of the old railways around Suffolk as that's Where I'm from.
There another old railway you could look at a branch line from Mellis to Eye I believe it branched off the London to Norwich main line.
Oh yes! There's the Framlingham branch too, but I don't think there's enough that remains to do a video of.
Some day I have a dream of being able to get an abandoned row like some of that and relay a bit of track to play on
Me too. Me too
Excellent video and insight. I agree with others, we deffo need more 👏🏼
That we can do!
Petition for part 2
Petition noted
You guys should do more of these little documentary style videos this is awesome
We're planning to!
Interesting video, especially the Clare section, as I live locally. The route from Clare to Haverhill on on to Cambridge is still visible in many places with the section between Sturmer and Haverhill now being a public path. Haverhill station, now a Tescos, was known locally as Paraffin Junction and was also where the Halstead / Colchester Colne Valley line started, and this can also be easily traced over the Sturmer Arches bridge, through Birdbrook, Gt Yeldham, Hedingham and into Halstead. As a kid in the early 1960's, I remember travelling from on the line from Halstead to see Grandparents in Haverhill.
I hope to take a closer look at it in the future.
A lack of foresight?
See far too many of these abandoned railways that could have been, as population changed into today.
Would love to do that tour one day, looks great.
I really liked this would love to see more of it
That we can do!
That is really interesting... sadly much the same has happened here in the States.
Yes, I think it's more extreme with you guys
You need to do the miltary railway in Portsmouth
Oh that would be a good one
In the 60s mum remembers running along the docks from Suffolk college which then was the civic college she was part of the first intake of students. She would use the docks as a short cut to get to the station to get back to Saxmundham so nan could pick her up to get home to Kelsale. Yes she did wear a short skirt heels and hope for wolf whistles from the dock workers and remember to look out for the engines otherwise they would blow their whistle at her. 😊
Ah back in the day 😂
the only line I know of in my area, has only two peices of track still, one has a buffer still, and the bridge built in 1903 If memory serves still has rail, but where it went I have no idea, i believe it was part of the old trolly system we had here
Oh really? That's quite cool
Super but can I make a little correction - The Hadleigh branch was never to Colchester but Ipswich although most trains only ran to Bentley a staion long since gone. There was however a short spur joining the main line to Ipswich which was removed at a very early date. Sadly if it had been a later date of clousure this line could have enjoyed the same kind of use as the now short Sudbury branch does. Hadleigh has since grown with a very different type of population from back then. However crossing the busy A12 would have been a problem even as it was in late 1960s although there was still one train of just a parcel van (stabled at Bentley ) which ran twice a week until closure. The Driver or fireman when it was steam had to open & close the crossing gates which also included the other two at Bentley Church & Raydon Wood Station.
On the sad Middy (Mid Suffolk Light Railway )although the section to Debenham was never completed there was some unofficial passenger use on this as far as it went. There might just be one or two now very old people from Kenton area who can confirm this. In those days Suffolk people were very "Happy go Lucky " not careing much for what the regulation railway books said.
By all means keep this going
That we can do!
Hi Lawrie. That was very nice video. In Czech republic, we have company, owned by ministry of industry and traffic, which is responsible for maintaining all railways by law. Unfortunately, they have strategy with national railway (passengers) company how to "obtain arguments" to close some branches. F. E. changing timetables in way, so you will miss next train on main line by 5 minutes, to make it unpopular and unused. or start "reconstruction" by diggin out rails and not put new back saying "we have no money". Even, maintaing company must secure all railways to be fit to use by law, no one cares. So we are observing more and more abandoned railways and buildings - which are very fast demolished rather than given to municipalities for use. Very sad and tearful... But there are exceptions. One railway was closed, traffic ceased due to not-rentability (-2.000.000CZK every year). 5 vilages and one company of "friend of RW" has bought it and re-openned passengers traffic. And guess what - they are just 200.000CZK bellow Zero per year. This sum covers thoose 5 villages to give citizens comfort of having train around. After a huge wave of critics, that maintaing company decided not to sell any more tracks, rather destroy them.
That's really sad. We were very lucky in the UK that so many railways were closed allowing people to privately buy them.
The nationalised railway was misused here too, the person in charge had shares in Tarmac, so obviously wanted more roads!
@@lmm It was aviable in start, but after some time, when newspapers wrote some numbers from previous "state" management and new privat management, there was quite a big sniffing around thoose numbers. So now they want huge unrealistic money or rather change railways to cycklo path.
Come to Abergavenny, wales as there ones was a running train track but doesn't now and the tunnels are there but closed off its along the side of a hill or mounting
Oh really?
you might want to talk to Paul and Rebecca Whitewick here on youtube, They love doing Every Disused Station and such and i wouldn't be surprised if they would be happy to do a colab with you
That's a good idea
In Ipswich near the station the old spur for the dock line still exists the level crossing has been removed but there was line either side of the road and the bridge and track and even a semaphore signal still remain there I believe most of the old lines are still in place there as network rail never removed it due to cost
Yes indeed.
All the track in the exchange yard has now gone. I know, cause I was part of the team which removed it!
Oh dear that’s a shame I knew it was there when the bacon factory curve was built I helped to build that can’t remember how many years ago now it’s funny how much things can change hopefully the old rails were still in good enough condition to be reused by a heritage or museum line
@@gmaster5754 freightliner relaid the yard when they took it over, so it was in good condition and had endured little use
I know you only mentioned it once, but I thought Haverhill had a silent second H. My aunt lives there and had always referred to it as that, however as a local I'm sure he pronounced it correctly. However, I thought it was a bit too hilly to have a railway come into the village after visiting there myself
I've always known it as Haverhill to with an H. Never heard it called anything else
You could have done more walking of the track bed showed a map etc features bridges
I thought that, but if I wanted to do a series on each line, I'd cover that then. Don't want to give all the good stuff away in the first episode
Very well documented and music 5*****. Could you not ask the council or community for a look inside....
There's a lot of that stuff on Trafford Park where I work. The railway line around the site ceased operating 15 years or so ago. Do you reckon you can get some of those old lines reopened/rebuilt with a bit of prodding?
The problem with reopening any of these is the fact that buildings and estates have built up blocking the lines from ever being complete.
One or two however would make good heritage lines.
I'd love to be able to do some with the docks.
Are we going to see ruston 48 here???
Do you think a railway like this could be restored and become a working railway again one day?
It's possible, but it's finding money and manpower to do it, and there are many established railways crying out for that at the moment.
I love trying to find remains of railway lines on google maps as it can be very obvious
Oh yes, some of them are clear as day!
I wonder if you would collaborate with the Tim Traveller on this
Worth a look
awesome video, would love to see more! there are a few abandoned lines near me, a lot developed on now but i believe there is still an abandoned sidings local to me feel free to send a message and i will share the location.
Oh really? Drop me an email at Lawrie@lmm.media
@@lmm hi, I'll have a look on Google earth later (=
7:00 not so the case back were i use to live the enbankment there bowed its final domination to make way for a new outter ringroad got lucky to scale it at the former bridge location near crossgates and walk it and what turned out to be a final time so im quiet pleased i found the lil stone bridge that acted as farmers crossing need to do the big bridge bit that carrys the a64 ring road 2 lane 1 direction part over the cutting witch im not even sure if you can get down there youd even be suprised an inosent bunch of bungalows out side 1 village occupie the former bardsay station site so if you go looking for it you would even know it was once a station as nothing remains well worth it is the remains of the crossgates weatherby railway branchline as linton road site is a carpark so you can walk to spofforth harrogate part is in bits so that im planning to really work on after crossgates weatherby has been done then an old one near to were me grandad and grandma live in Rothwell i might even push luck to get out to the intact track at wortley see if its explorable
Oh really?