My dad worked at A Winning when it turned coal and was made redundant when it closed. In later years the site was used as a cable repair shop were my dad gained employment again until it was closed after the miners strike in '84. After A Winning closed, the site also had sets of drainage pumps down the shafts to drain the workings to avoid flooding surrounding working pits. I grew up in South Normanton and have taken my own children a walk around the area to give some idea of the social and personal history of the area. The rails at 25:30 may be the remnants of the line that used to serve the ECP (Explosives and Chemical Products(?)) factory that still exists on the east side of the Erewash valley line. I heard my parents talk about a fatal explosion there many years ago. I believe that the factory still does a mandatory test of the warning siren every Sunday morning.
Really enjoyed that. Very atmospheric with the old pictures, some looking slightiy eerie, showing what we have lost in this country. Though to be fair, you can see much of it was in terminal decline by the mid 70s. I always think its astonishing how when you walk trails like this that much of the evidence of its previous life has been completely erased. Sometimes seems like there is more left of ancient civilisations then there is of our very recent industrial past.
Great video. My Grandad worked at Westhouses as a guard until his retirement in 1978. When I was a small boy visiting them from South Wales he used to take me there on a Sunday. I was allowed to explore the sidings and the locos. I remember riding in the cab of a class 20 on the lap of the driver. Oddly enough I went for a walk there only a few days ago . I can't believe how much it has changed.
I remember the class 20 English Electric engines that pulled the coal trains used to have a 'ghostly' whine sound to them. Used to scare me when they went past at night when I was a kid.
I am always saddened by these stories, to see all that railway infrastructure blown away, never to return. Luckily there are those plucky souls still resurrecting defunct lines where they can. All power to them. Nice video, mate. It's great that the routes can be walked as far as possible.
I worked in Alfreton in the late 70's and would usually drive out to Westhouses and have my lunch there. It was almost exclusively a Class 20 hide-out with hardly ever anything else on shed. Heady days. Thanks for dredging those memories up!
Just to give everybody an idea of how busy things were on the Erewash Valley line, when I was a signalman at Alfreton I checked the train register for a typical mid-week 24 hours in 1965: day shift - 105 entries, afternoon shift - 119 entries, night shift - 93 entries. Total 317 entries.
Hi Ant Great video, the spur on the footpath back to Alfreton went to the explosive works now ECP in the 70’s there were rail deliveries of explosives from the factory! Used to walk from Alfreton every Sunday down to the sheds at westhouses in the 70’s in my train spotting days. Walked from fordbridge lane car park on the trail every day during lockdown when it was allowed in both directions and used to work on common road at huthwaite so no tge walks from there as well. Well done pal brought back loads of memories👍
The large building at16:48 is where the A Winning shift is. The water is still being pumped to the other side of the brook and is filtered before being released back into the brook. It's to stop the water from the underground working from getting into the water table. The rails you found at 25:40 went into the explosives factory.
Another terrific video today. Always look forward to Monday video. Thank you for the time and effort involved with these. I sent you an email today. Please respond, Ant. See you on the next. Cheers mate! ❤️🇬🇧🙂👍🇺🇸
I've been exploring disused railways since I was very young ie late 1950's. Still exploring today also using gliders and light aircraft. Started in the coalfields of South Wales and North Staffordshire, then moved to West and South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and ex industrial North Bristol before moving on to East London and East Anglia. Plenty of exploring but there was very little tech in those days and certainly no drones! One route explored last year was Chappel and Wakes Colne in Essex to Haverhill in Suffolk walking as far as possible the whole route then using a glider out of Wormingford Airfield Essex to explore the Wakes Colne to Earl's Colne section. I hired a glider from another gliding club at Ridgewell Essex and explored the section from Birdbrook to Haverhill. Then I hired a light aircraft from Earl's Colne Airfield and combined a disused airfields flight with an aerial trip along the whole of the former Colne Valley and Halstead Railway. Disused airfields are similarly explored on foot and by air where possible. Really enjoy your videos and particularly your enthusiasm. I'm 71 now but still going strong but very glad to see the younger men and women taking on the important job of recording our industrial and transport history. Best regards to you Ant and keep going! John.
great video,the land arond the old westhouses shed was opencasted around 2015 which may explain the height differences around there,also the mystery bit of rail may be a leftover from the spur into the explosives factory
Round about 26 minutes, where you placed the 'I am here' marker , there was a spur/siding that was quite old , on the up side, from Blackwell to just short of Alfreton and Mansfield. A few years ago , maybe 2010-ish , it was used by Freightliner H.H. to load coal , that had been found to be easily accessible, maybe from somewhere near 'A' colliery. A temporary structure like a wall with a sloping bit on top was erected, possibly to prevent the shovelled coal from dropping onto the track. The wagans were loaded with a shovel . You may remember this/ I used to seeoperations there on my way to Toton and Ratcliffe/ Loughboro' and such. I can still remember the Westhouses sheds as seen from the Erewash , pretty sure they still stood when I first started going over the Erewash in the early 2000's , certainly in the mid 80's. Remember used to meet Westhouses men at Tibshelf and Sheffield. Great vlog, even though it saddens me to see what was taken for granted and would always be there. We know how THAT ended..............
Thank you for taking us through the history of the area Ant, great pics and drone footage. We should never have closed these mines. Thanks for sharing.
My grandad lived at 492 B Winning and worked at B Winning pre and post WW1, my father was born there. Love these videos. I lived in Tibshelf but moved away when I was 18 never to return. Need to come up and walk or cycle the 5 pits trails.
There's so many of these colliery lines around this area. Many of them have been converted to walking trails and nature reserves. It's amazing, and encouraging, that Mother Nature has really taken over so quickly, repopulating old and sterile waste heaps and tracks with new life. I'm now off for my regular afternoon walk on one of these trails just a little way from my home.
In the early 1960's I caught the train from Alfreton to North Wingfield a few times for train spotting on the main Sheffield to Derby line. I recall there were 4 tracks through Alfreton, two for the station, and two for freight just over the fence and east of the platforms. I presume the buried rail you found is a relic of the freight lines.
There was a spur which used to be the up freight between westhouses south junction and Alfreton station.i can remember in the seventies when they collected a couple of small van type wagons to go to Toton
Great video Ant. I live about a 10 minute walk away from the site of the old New Hucknall Colliery and have walked this route in completion too. So much history for a relatively short branch line. One point of note is that the GCR passed over the branch line near the pylons...you'll have passed the embankment to the left where the bridge started...worth a clamber up, if only for the random piece of rail that's still on that short stretch before disappearing briefly when the route hits the industrial estate at the top of Common Lane.
The Picture at 06:05 shows the South Normanton Coliery Spur. In later Years 1 Track of the GC went a bit further on into a head shunt just where the cutting starts and had a buffer there as beyond they had already started landscaping this GC Section, southwards. This pic possibly taken from the still extant 'old deck' which now accomadates the upgraded A614 - Now the Eastbound A38 Carrigeway
The picture at 06:26 is possibly a spoil train about to reverse up the GC New Hucknall spur. Part of a silly manouvre that was needed since the direct Midland line into New Hucknall had already been lifted. Looks like the Gaurds van may have been always left there to aid the reversal. I think it was in connection with tipping the waist further up the GC spur as I think New Hucknall Colliery had already gone.
@@TrekkingExploration Its been a tip for many years . Recently the machines have been up there which might be to do with new industrial development. Its a mess up there. The definition of the GC and the branch around to Westhouses have been long gone. Even the dirt track of the Westhouses spur is on a slightly different level. The footings of the footbridge were still present last time i was up there with Wobbly Runner as the footpath still exsists to that point.
The Picture at 15:17 looks to be heading South West, about to cross Fordbridge Lane. The line on the left was a small loop that also crossed Fordbridge lane via a small Gas Works holding. The imense outcropping beyond Fordbridge Lane can be seen.
Suspect you're right about that building being used to drain the workings, you can see the mine water treatment ponds on the top right. Reminded me of Cresswell colliery which post-closure was used to pump the water out of Welbeck and Thoresby collieries. Had a poke about inside shortly before it was demo'd, the shaft was capped with a multitude of pipes protruding hither and thither. Lovely stuff again, pal. 👍
Great video Ant , I remember Westhouses being for sale in the Chesterfield Gazette in the 80's , it said " A large building that onced housed diesel locomotives " .if I had the money I would have bought it myself.
Ant, it must be nice to walk out your front door and trip and fall over History all day. Great narration, images and background music. I have U-tube playing as background noise when I build scale models, but when one of your vids is on, I don't get much work done as I'm watching much more that working --- but that's a good thing.... Thanks again for your time, work and posting. mike
Another beautiful walk and explore. Filming and drone excellent. Loved the before and after. Very nostalgic. Well done Ant. Brilliant again. Loved the wee culvert.
Loving your series on lost railways of the Notts coalfields. And kicking myself I never made the effort to see them when they were still operational and before they were buried by nature’s return.
My suggestion is to visit Fauld Crater. There are still rail from former RAF depot railway leading to gypsum mine where RAF ammo depot was. There was the biggest explosion in UK history. As I know there is even hidden somewhere entrance to underground tunnels.
Hi Ant, another great video the contrast of what was a thriving mining area to what it is now is staggering. Personally i prefer how it was in the old photographs, so much going on day & night, & the communities that relied on the collieries. Very interesting Ant thank you! ❤😊👍
Born and bred in Blackwell in the old colliery row houses next to A Winning colliery. Great memories of my days spent around the area . We knew most of the guys that worked in the engine sheds so we would be gladly let in for a look round all the locos in them . Is there any chance you could cover Shirland and Morton colleries in a future video. All the best to your great videos keep it up
Tku for another very interesting video. To help you locate the "random bit of rail" at the end. I think it may be part of a line that led to an explosives factory (Explosives and Chemicals Products was the trading name) which was served by rail from a spur which headed due south towards Alfreton from the south to east curve of the triangle of lines that led from the Erewash Valley Line to Westhouses depot. The line ran parallel to the Erewash Valley line down to the factory very close to the footpath on which you found it. The outline of the factory (which I think has now been redeveloped as an industrial estate) can be seen in your current day map of the area to the right of your "I am here point". Any OS map from the 1960s should show the railway line and the factory which I remember as a series of grass covered bunkers. The 1984 4th Edition Baker Rail Atlas shows the track in place but it was shown as disused in the 6th Edition of 1990 . Hope this helps.
Great video Ant. It's also uninteresting and overgrown now. As a current freight driver when I pass Blackwell sth I try and visualise how Great it once was. Are you doing any more Norfolk videos in near future. Nowhere near the industrial heritage of videos over this way and North East but its where I live nowadays Cheers Russ
As always a very interesting vid. Just a thought, but is it possible that the two lengths of rail you found were the remains of a "Catch point" which possibly would not have been drawn on an old map?
Nature has done a great redecorating job in obliterating all that history, nothing to show for all the blood, sweat and tears shed over the years just a little toy sized miner poking out of the ground. Shame about that concrete monstrosity tacked on to those glorious brick arches. Thanks Ant👍👍👍
The stupid thing about all this being pulled up power stations shut and the mines is that the coal is still they!!!! But we are not aloud to use it !!!
My grandad worked at Westhouses for 50 years as a guard. Brilliant video.
Very kind Robbie thanks for watching 🙂
My dad worked at A Winning when it turned coal and was made redundant when it closed.
In later years the site was used as a cable repair shop were my dad gained employment again until it was closed after the miners strike in '84.
After A Winning closed, the site also had sets of drainage pumps down the shafts to drain the workings to avoid flooding surrounding working pits.
I grew up in South Normanton and have taken my own children a walk around the area to give some idea of the social and personal history of the area.
The rails at 25:30 may be the remnants of the line that used to serve the ECP (Explosives and Chemical Products(?)) factory that still exists on the east side of the Erewash valley line.
I heard my parents talk about a fatal explosion there many years ago. I believe that the factory still does a mandatory test of the warning siren every Sunday morning.
Really enjoyed that. Very atmospheric with the old pictures, some looking slightiy eerie, showing what we have lost in this country. Though to be fair, you can see much of it was in terminal decline by the mid 70s. I always think its astonishing how when you walk trails like this that much of the evidence of its previous life has been completely erased. Sometimes seems like there is more left of ancient civilisations then there is of our very recent industrial past.
Great video. My Grandad worked at Westhouses as a guard until his retirement in 1978. When I was a small boy visiting them from South Wales he used to take me there on a Sunday. I was allowed to explore the sidings and the locos. I remember riding in the cab of a class 20 on the lap of the driver. Oddly enough I went for a walk there only a few days ago . I can't believe how much it has changed.
I like the music you put into this railway rambles, great stuff!
Dalescroft visit in 1972 with me dad, excellent 👍
Hello Ant - I always like to see the old Photos of the Locos (specially the one of the Steams Locos!!!) 🙂🚂🚂🚂
I remember the class 20 English Electric engines that pulled the coal trains used to have a 'ghostly' whine sound to them. Used to scare me when they went past at night when I was a kid.
I am always saddened by these stories, to see all that railway infrastructure blown away, never to return. Luckily there are those plucky souls still resurrecting defunct lines where they can. All power to them. Nice video, mate. It's great that the routes can be walked as far as possible.
I worked in Alfreton in the late 70's and would usually drive out to Westhouses and have my lunch there. It was almost exclusively a Class 20 hide-out with hardly ever anything else on shed. Heady days. Thanks for dredging those memories up!
I'm glad you enjoyed it Dave and thank you
Just to give everybody an idea of how busy things were on the Erewash Valley line, when I was a signalman at Alfreton I checked the train register for a typical mid-week 24 hours in 1965:
day shift - 105 entries, afternoon shift - 119 entries, night shift - 93 entries. Total 317 entries.
mining and railways left us a great legacy so glad some were able to catch them
Hi Ant
Great video, the spur on the footpath back to Alfreton went to the explosive works now ECP in the 70’s there were rail deliveries of explosives from the factory!
Used to walk from Alfreton every Sunday down to the sheds at westhouses in the 70’s in my train spotting days.
Walked from fordbridge lane car park on the trail every day during lockdown when it was allowed in both directions and used to work on common road at huthwaite so no tge walks from there as well.
Well done pal brought back loads of memories👍
Well done Ant cracking video great use of old and new photo's. You always amaze me with your choice of music.
Thanks very much Robert. Much appreciated
Thumbs up before watching. 😢 cos remember places like this where i lived .
Thanks Ant for doing all this investigating into our lost industrial history.Brilliant every time.😊
Another brilliant and informative video matey, never ceases to amaze when you add the old photos for context what used to be there!!!
Thanks very much Wayne. As long as I can find them I'll visit them
The large building at16:48 is where the A Winning shift is. The water is still being pumped to the other side of the brook and is filtered before being released back into the brook. It's to stop the water from the underground working from getting into the water table. The rails you found at 25:40 went into the explosives factory.
I love anything to do with trains especially steam. Loved that thanks Ant. Thanks for taking me along. Please take care
Back in the days when the "Great" was still in Britain. Very interesting video.
wonderful to see my old stomping ground. Well done as always.
The East Midland Designer Outlet was previously a National Coal Board Transport depot.
Another terrific video today. Always look forward to Monday video. Thank you for the time and effort involved with these. I sent you an email today. Please respond, Ant. See you on the next. Cheers mate! ❤️🇬🇧🙂👍🇺🇸
Thanks very much Martin. I'm trying to stick with every Monday with the occasional less main one on a Thursday/ Friday
@@TrekkingExploration Don’t forget the email! And thank you again for the video!
@@TrekkingExploration I love them on Mondays. Toward the end of the week is great also!
I've been exploring disused railways since I was very young ie late 1950's.
Still exploring today also using gliders and light aircraft.
Started in the coalfields of South Wales and North Staffordshire, then moved to West and South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and ex industrial North Bristol before moving on to East London and East Anglia.
Plenty of exploring but there was very little tech in those days and certainly no drones!
One route explored last year was Chappel and Wakes Colne in Essex to Haverhill in Suffolk walking as far as possible the whole route then using a glider out of Wormingford Airfield Essex to explore the Wakes Colne to Earl's Colne section.
I hired a glider from another gliding club at Ridgewell Essex and explored the section from Birdbrook to Haverhill.
Then I hired a light aircraft from Earl's Colne Airfield and combined a disused airfields flight with an aerial trip along the whole of the former Colne Valley and Halstead Railway.
Disused airfields are similarly explored on foot and by air where possible.
Really enjoy your videos and particularly your enthusiasm.
I'm 71 now but still going strong but very glad to see the younger men and women taking on the important job of recording our industrial and transport history.
Best regards to you Ant and keep going! John.
Beautiful video 👍😀
Used to visit Westhouses, Shirebrook, Toton depot and Barrow Hill with my dad.
great video,the land arond the old westhouses shed was opencasted around 2015 which may explain the height differences around there,also the mystery bit of rail may be a leftover from the spur into the explosives factory
Round about 26 minutes, where you placed the 'I am here' marker , there was a spur/siding that was quite old , on the up side, from Blackwell to just short of Alfreton and Mansfield. A few years ago , maybe 2010-ish , it was used by Freightliner H.H. to load coal , that had been found to be easily accessible, maybe from somewhere near 'A' colliery. A temporary structure like a wall with a sloping bit on top was erected, possibly to prevent the shovelled coal from dropping onto the track. The wagans were loaded with a shovel . You may remember this/ I used to seeoperations there on my way to Toton and Ratcliffe/ Loughboro' and such. I can still remember the Westhouses sheds as seen from the Erewash , pretty sure they still stood when I first started going over the Erewash in the early 2000's , certainly in the mid 80's. Remember used to meet Westhouses men at Tibshelf and Sheffield. Great vlog, even though it saddens me to see what was taken for granted and would always be there. We know how THAT ended..............
Is it me or do those trains look like they have happy smiley faces........
Thank you for taking us through the history of the area Ant, great pics and drone footage. We should never have closed these mines. Thanks for sharing.
Always interesting classic old pictures
Thanks Ant, playing catchup this end. Appreciated, cheers cobber.
I wish they'd leave the level crossing as a kind of statue in memory of the old line.
A nicely narrated video!
THEY don't give a one to memories, but that's what's this is all about.
My grandad lived at 492 B Winning and worked at B Winning pre and post WW1, my father was born there. Love these videos. I lived in Tibshelf but moved away when I was 18 never to return. Need to come up and walk or cycle the 5 pits trails.
It is do sad to lose all of this heritage.
There's so many of these colliery lines around this area. Many of them have been converted to walking trails and nature reserves. It's amazing, and encouraging, that Mother Nature has really taken over so quickly, repopulating old and sterile waste heaps and tracks with new life.
I'm now off for my regular afternoon walk on one of these trails just a little way from my home.
thanks for this as i remember it as it was. By the way Ken Fairey was one of my teachers at Wellingborough Grammar School.
Awe that's good about Ken 😌
Thank you for watching ☺️
In the early 1960's I caught the train from Alfreton to North Wingfield a few times for train spotting on the main Sheffield to Derby line. I recall there were 4 tracks through Alfreton, two for the station, and two for freight just over the fence and east of the platforms. I presume the buried rail you found is a relic of the freight lines.
You know you could be onto something there I'll have to try and see where the other two lines would have been on what side of the fence
They went through some gates into what was the explosives factory.
There was a spur which used to be the up freight between westhouses south junction and Alfreton station.i can remember in the seventies when they collected a couple of small van type wagons to go to Toton
Stuart is right as below, I just left a similar comment 👍
Quality as always don’t know how you do it top man 👍👍
Very interesting video Ant, thank you.
Thanks!
Very kind Thomas thank you 🙂
Great video Ant.
I live about a 10 minute walk away from the site of the old New Hucknall Colliery and have walked this route in completion too. So much history for a relatively short branch line.
One point of note is that the GCR passed over the branch line near the pylons...you'll have passed the embankment to the left where the bridge started...worth a clamber up, if only for the random piece of rail that's still on that short stretch before disappearing briefly when the route hits the industrial estate at the top of Common Lane.
Westhouses was my local depot for spotting. Can anyone remember "Dippy david" used to try and stop anyone spotting from the road bridge.......
The Picture at 06:05 shows the South Normanton Coliery Spur. In later Years 1 Track of the GC went a bit further on into a head shunt just where the cutting starts and had a buffer there as beyond they had already started landscaping this GC Section, southwards. This pic possibly taken from the still extant 'old deck' which now accomadates the upgraded A614 - Now the Eastbound A38 Carrigeway
The picture at 06:26 is possibly a spoil train about to reverse up the GC New Hucknall spur. Part of a silly manouvre that was needed since the direct Midland line into New Hucknall had already been lifted. Looks like the Gaurds van may have been always left there to aid the reversal. I think it was in connection with tipping the waist further up the GC spur as I think New Hucknall Colliery had already gone.
I've been walking around the wasteland today beside the colliery sidings it's like it was all just scooped up and dumped
@@TrekkingExploration Its been a tip for many years . Recently the machines have been up there which might be to do with new industrial development. Its a mess up there. The definition of the GC and the branch around to Westhouses have been long gone. Even the dirt track of the Westhouses spur is on a slightly different level. The footings of the footbridge were still present last time i was up there with Wobbly Runner as the footpath still exsists to that point.
Another great vid Ant l do enjoy watching what you do thanks for making it.
The Picture at 15:17 looks to be heading South West, about to cross Fordbridge Lane. The line on the left was a small loop that also crossed Fordbridge lane via a small Gas Works holding. The imense outcropping beyond Fordbridge Lane can be seen.
17:31 is heading to Westhouses past A Winning, having just gone over Fordbridge Lane
Suspect you're right about that building being used to drain the workings, you can see the mine water treatment ponds on the top right. Reminded me of Cresswell colliery which post-closure was used to pump the water out of Welbeck and Thoresby collieries. Had a poke about inside shortly before it was demo'd, the shaft was capped with a multitude of pipes protruding hither and thither.
Lovely stuff again, pal. 👍
Thanks very much indeed. It's interesting to know that a long time after closure attention is still required in such ways to old pits
Great video Ant , I remember Westhouses being for sale in the Chesterfield Gazette in the 80's , it said " A large building that onced housed diesel locomotives " .if I had the money I would have bought it myself.
I used to deliver the gazette
Lots of paths ive cycled with my son here. There is so much on and around the Teversal and Silverhill trails to see.
Another superlative video and lots of information about the area. Thank you for your effort.
Thanks very much Sarah as always. I'm actually back there doing a little more as I type 😉
Another brilliant video Ant,absolutely fantastic and informative of a now lost era👍
Another quality video Ant,keep `em coming,thanks
Ant, it must be nice to walk out your front door and trip and fall over History all day. Great narration, images and background music. I have U-tube playing as background noise when I build scale models, but when one of your vids is on, I don't get much work done as I'm watching much more that working --- but that's a good thing.... Thanks again for your time, work and posting.
mike
Another beautiful walk and explore. Filming and drone excellent. Loved the before and after. Very nostalgic. Well done Ant. Brilliant again. Loved the wee culvert.
I live 5 mins from Westhouses, its crazy to think all of that used to be there.
Home ❤
Loving your series on lost railways of the Notts coalfields. And kicking myself I never made the effort to see them when they were still operational and before they were buried by nature’s return.
The track you found south of Blackwell South Jn I believe led to sidings for Alfreton Explosives and Chemical Co. The site is now EPC-UK.
Great video as usual a few years ago there was soon fantastic footage of Westhouses shed with steam and diesel unable to find ,removed ?
My suggestion is to visit Fauld Crater. There are still rail from former RAF depot railway leading to gypsum mine where RAF ammo depot was. There was the biggest explosion in UK history.
As I know there is even hidden somewhere entrance to underground tunnels.
Hi Ant, another great video the contrast of what was a thriving mining area to what it is now is staggering. Personally i prefer how it was in the old photographs, so much going on day & night, & the communities that relied on the collieries.
Very interesting Ant thank you! ❤😊👍
Born and bred in Blackwell in the old colliery row houses next to A Winning colliery. Great memories of my days spent around the area . We knew most of the guys that worked in the engine sheds so we would be gladly let in for a look round all the locos in them . Is there any chance you could cover Shirland and Morton colleries in a future video. All the best to your great videos keep it up
Thanks very much I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm looking at maps this evening so I shall include this in the Search 🙂
great vid, keep em coming mate
Tku for another very interesting video. To help you locate the "random bit of rail" at the end. I think it may be part of a line that led to an explosives factory (Explosives and Chemicals Products was the trading name) which was served by rail from a spur which headed due south towards Alfreton from the south to east curve of the triangle of lines that led from the Erewash Valley Line to Westhouses depot. The line ran parallel to the Erewash Valley line down to the factory very close to the footpath on which you found it. The outline of the factory (which I think has now been redeveloped as an industrial estate) can be seen in your current day map of the area to the right of your "I am here point". Any OS map from the 1960s should show the railway line and the factory which I remember as a series of grass covered bunkers. The 1984 4th Edition Baker Rail Atlas shows the track in place but it was shown as disused in the 6th Edition of 1990 . Hope this helps.
Blackwell station masters house still survives on Tibshelf Road.
I used to call at Blackwell cable workshops back in early1980's,now its owned by HW Martin?
Great video Ant. It's also uninteresting and overgrown now. As a current freight driver when I pass Blackwell sth I try and visualise how Great it once was.
Are you doing any more Norfolk videos in near future. Nowhere near the industrial heritage of videos over this way and North East but its where I live nowadays
Cheers Russ
Sad how these yards and sheds just laying silent today, same happned here in south africa, lots of railways abandoned.
As always a very interesting vid. Just a thought, but is it possible that the two lengths of rail you found were the remains of a "Catch point" which possibly would not have been drawn on an old map?
Thanks very much. There's a video coming soon about that rail, solved it 😉
@@TrekkingExploration .. Great ... Please don't keep us in suspense too long
The track on the right going from Alfreton towards Westhouses could possibly have served the explosive factory
have you got any plans of coming back to wales
Nature has done a great redecorating job in obliterating all that history, nothing to show for all the blood, sweat and tears shed over the years just a little toy sized miner poking out of the ground. Shame about that concrete monstrosity tacked on to those glorious brick arches. Thanks Ant👍👍👍
Don’t forget the Tories too, they helped as well.
The stupid thing about all this being pulled up power stations shut and the mines is that the coal is still they!!!! But we are not aloud to use it !!!