Colwall - Least Used Station In Herefordshire
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- Time to tick of another Least Used Station! This time, I drove all the way to Herefordshire - which only has 4 railways station in the whole of the county - to go and visit Colwall, and meet up (at a distance) with a familiar face ...
Paul Whitewick's Channel (Abandoned Railways) is here: / pwhitewick1
The ORR Estimates of Station Usage Statistics are here: dataportal.orr...
You can download my Least Used Station Map here: geofftech.co.uk...
Well thanks for having me along. A great day and a pleasure meet and help Steve whilst we were there too.
ha!
What was that app you used for side by side maps?
@@murdelabop no app as such, just go to your browser and type in "side by side maps", it's a feature on National Library of Scotland Maps.
@@pwhitewick : Thanks.
What a great surprise 😀 I subscribe to you and the UA-cam algorithm brought this up. For once something interesting.
Thank you for this video Geoff! I was actually in this area last year (I'm 17) because Ledbury is the twin town of my city in Sweden. We walked Malvern Hills and got to Ledbury by train from Paddington station in London. I didn't even realize we went through this station but it is so cool too see a station that I've actually passed through considering I'm from another country and only been to England once. (I have been an avid watcher of your channel for about 2-3 years now and I love your work!)
Hope you can come back in better times.
@@khemabandhu Beror lite, hade en lärare på högstadiet som är väldigt engagerad i vän-stads relationen mellan Strömstad och Ledbury så hon anordnar en högstadie resa cirka vartannat år, i år skulle ett helt gäng åka med buss till England för att fira 20 års jubileumet av twin town association men de blev ju inställt nu på grund av corona.
Ayy Stromstad fam!! I’m from Ledbury and always wondered if some of you folks have ever been here
That final drone shot of the train being eaten up by the tunnel was ace
Lovely to see you both in this video. And thank you for buying lots of biscuits for the food bank... often so much more appreciated than tins of tomatoes.
Shame that there used to be over 50 stations in Herefordshire, but most got shut down
I think there could be potential for 3 or 4 stations in the county, but they are way down the list when compared to other potential stations on open lines and with higher population.
Ross and Bromyard at the least could do with stations again. Especially considering how naff the bus service is now.
With the greatest respect the county is mostly fields and orchards.
I know the Hereford - Worcester line very well. As a child my Grandad would take my brother and I every summer on the train from Hereford to Great Malvern to walk the hills. In those days we travelled on a first generation DMU so we could sit behind the driver, it was always fun going through Ledbury and Colwall tunnels watching the white dot at the end getting bigger. Of course Ledbury tunnel has a tight bend at the end.
Once on the hills we would sit on top of the Worcestershire Beacon (the highest hill). From there you can see the trains emerging from Colwall tunnel heading for Worcester. You can follow the trains for miles from that point.
Pleasant distraction was indeed very welcome. Thank you!
Thank you both, this is such a good video, love how you donated and helped out the local food bank
'Hello, *I* am Geoff, and this is Paul... And this IS THE PARK BENCH' oops, wrong franchise...
lmao
That's funny ha
Weirdly enough because Geoff covers so many random rail facts he could still end his videos with the words "...and that was something you might not have known"
lmao seems matt and tom have been replaced
Random fact - the foot bridge actually came from down the line at Malvern Wells Station when it was demolished
Excellent stuff. Thanks Geoff and Paul. And a lovely drone shot at the end - this is what the public needs.
Well done guys. Really confused me for a moment, but a joy to watch. Thank you.
I've been waiting for this video for a couple of years being just down the road in hereford. Great to see you doing a video from my county
The shot of the 2 of you on the bridge looked like a album cover of a “boy” band. “New Tracks”
A Chain is 22 yards , the same length as a cricket pitch. Which leads me onto, I've visited Colwall. The local cricket club is next to the line. I had one eye on the game, and another on the 172's and HST's that were passing every half hour or so.
Beat me to it!!!!
Thanks Geoff, great Video. Im actually from Ledbury and use the train between ledbury and colwall often. Was awesome to see it getting some credit for being a rather beautiful Station. Let me know if you're ever back in the area, as there are a number of intresting facts about the line, and what is used to be.
I used to be a Guard on the North Cots Line. Colwall used to have a Permit To Travel Machine until very recently. I always thought the PTT machines were an NSE thing so quite surprised to see them here. Always remember making sure I only open 4 coaches on the HST.
The best duo since Jordan and Pippen! Great to see you guys together ( Socially distancing of course). Great video!
1 chain was traditionally the length of a cricket pitch. My brother, who worked for the railways as a civil engineer, still talked about curves being a number of chains in the early 1970s. 1 chain is 20.1168 m. As children in the 1950s we learned a table of lengths. 12 inches one foot, 3 feet one yard, 22 yards one chain, 10 chains one furlong and 8 furlongs one mile.
Ahh the imperial 'system'
So happy to see Herefordshire! Such a lovely place. Missing my family from there as I'm from the US & couldn't visit them this year.
i was born in hereford im going there soon i will say uello to the whole county for you !!
Great video and I'm admiring the edit (and the drone footage) of the train in the tunnel at the end. Superb work Geoff.
More Paul and Geoff vlogs please, great energy and fun to watch. Subscribed to both.
loved this. one of your best Geoff and really looking forward to the Whitewicks
My head just exploded. 🤯 great work both
Officially my favorite video out of everything you've made just for the donations.
Yay, my two favourite railway enthusiasts presenting together! Loved it, you guys should do more 😄
Only just discovered this. I lived in Colwall as a child in the 1960s. Yes, it was double track with a Victorian wooden station building including a waiting room complete with fireplace and a three-legged station cat!
Watching these is a welcome distraction. Thank you!
From feeling fairly miserable today, now big smiles, really enjoyed the video for many reasons, thank you. Is there going to be a 'Semi-abandoned Railways' channel? :)
Fab! Arguably one of the prettiest 'least used' too!
Genuinely love the videos. Keeping me sane!
The station and the track were built by the engineer Stephen Ballard who lived in Colwall at The Winnings ( there is a plaque fir him there). There are photos found at his house at this website.
Hherefordshirehistory.org.uk/archive/herefordshire-images/herefordshire-railways/the-building-of-the-hereford-and-worcester-railway
Ballard, who was born in 1804 and died in 1890, was a member of a well-known Colwall family and among his enterprises in and around the village were a vinegar works, a farm, an ice works and a fruit cannery.
He also created Jubilee Drive on land he owned, linking the Wyche and British Camp with a scenic route for the public to enjoy.
Regarding land he pretty much donated his land to get the railway built. 'Take it at your own price'; and to those who feared that his generosity might be to their pecuniary disadvantage, he declared that so sure was he of the benefit that would ultimately accrue to all by its construction, that he would not hesitate to make a present of his land rather than that the project should not be carried out.
He did a lot of railway work, very interesting local man.
That was brilliant, recently found Paul's channel through yours. All good n thank you both for your content during these weird times
Very well done Geoff... the Whitewicks walk very very fast. Great channel collaboration :)
The only good thing to coming out of today THANK YOU
Two of the best railway video makers in the game in one video, fantastic!
I’m from Ledbury, the next town over from Colwall. This is honestly quite a surprise to see. I used to catch the train from Ledbury to Worcester every day for uni and there was always at least 15 people every morning at Colwall station. Most of them going to Worcester or Birmingham for work or uni.
Blimey Paul, the wife is looking a little rough in this one....
Hi Geoff. I live in Henderson, Nevada (born and raised in Pudsey, Leeds for 30 years) and I just love your videos. A part-time rail enthusiast, I do look forward to watching your videos!
Really good editing with that shot at the end
Great video! brought back many good memories of my grandmother and aunt who lived in Colwall, visited this station numerous times, the last in 1984. I live in the USA
Hereford-Birmingham trains are hourly, they're normally scheduled to leave Hereford at 39 minutes past the hour in the afternoons. Been far too long since I've sprinted down the street at 15:37 to catch the 15:39 to New Street lmao
This was a really good video. Wonderful. Thank you Paul, thank you Geoff.
What a lovely video! Definitely wasn't expecting that. Especially Paul. Hi Paul! :D
I love these. They're not abandoned but might as well be.
A superb video - great fun. Thanks guys. Lovely to see Paul - what a pity he didn't bring Rebecca along with him!
Ok, yes, driving to Least Used Stations. That might be useful to for the stations that only have 1-2 trains stopping each day.
And yes, I recognized Paul immediately. His channel is fun.
Both of you take care over there.
Brilliant! :) Already subscribe to Paul's channel so it's great to see you both together!
Keep the good work up on distracting us from what's going on out there cheers my friend I appreciate your video. 😀😎☀️🌧️🌩️
Thankyou for doing this video, it’s one I have been waiting for for over a year now as a Herefordian!
I used to have the dubious pleasure of working the 17.22 PAD-HFD HST numerous times a week back in the day. We ALWAYS got delayed at Colwall tunnel because the London Midland as it was then coming the other direction was always late.
That's my dad climbing the bridge at the 10.23" mark! He's a train history nerd - I wish you'd spoken to him, he'd have given you all kinds of facts about the station and railways in the area. He might well have been hanging out with Steve (at a safe distance) as he also attends St Stephen's.
these stations at or near Nature Reserves are a great resource. I have not checked in to it on National Rail site but as a tourist knowing these stations for planning would be great asset
There's an interesting connection with Lady Foley and our station in Colwall. She refused to go through the tunnel and so arranged for a road to be driven through the Malvern Hills - Wyche Cutting, so she could stop at Colwall Station, take her carriage over the Malverns, and wait in her private sitting room at Great Malvern Station for the train emerging from the tunnel.
Woo! Finally, a station I've been to, and caught a train from. I suspect there's a peak in their usage around the time of EMFCamp.
It took me way too long to realise that wasn't actually Geoff!
A footbridge? I know a certain station that starts with a P that would love to have that footbridge
Ppppp…. Pilning?!
Avery the Cuban-American Polesworth?
poppleton?
Paris Austerlitz?
The only station in the US I can think of beginning with P is Pennsylvania Station at a quarter to four.
Have got a train from Colwall to Great Malvern station once or twice with the ramblers and walked back over the Malvern Hills to just below British Camp and along the Worcestershire Way footpath back to Colwall station from there. Great way of using public transport for walks.
Thank you for this video as used this as my starting point station loads of times as a teenager when you didn't have to plan your journey and could just jump on a train and work out a route to your destination as you went along.
Love it! What a kind thing to give to the food bank. Well done kind sir's. xxx
* Line opened from Malvern to Hereford in September 1861, so 1859 may have been the station build date - the original tunnel took two years longer to build than expected due to the strength of the rocks and cracking when explosives were used and so was cut by hand. Minecraft players may like to know that the rock is a type of Granite called Obsidian.
* Spot the 4 movement sensors in the 4' (when measuring platform length) these phone home when movement is detected. There was a problem here a few years ago.
* Original tunnel - cracks started to appear so a new tunnel was bored by machine, opened 1915 (I think), Old tunnel stored torpedoes during WW2 on racks (Colwall is about as far from the sea as it is possible to get) presumably the warheads were filled with explosives in Hereford. Tunnel now houses a bat colony, so metal grills at both ends and padlocked doors to keep the bats happy.
* Spot the green/black London Midland 'Way Out' sign, that someone forgot to replace when West Midland train (Orange / Purple signs) took over.
Colwall used to have a racecourse which raced up to 1930s. I believe there was an entrance into the course off the station exit. You can see the racecourse marked to the south on the map you showed. There are some photos of the course displayed in the hotel near the station.
Had no idea it was single track I haven't been further than Great Malvern and I figured Worcester was the end of single track. Great vid.
seeing an 802 in this station looks so weird
My thoughts exactly, looked lost and bewilderd.
Least Used Humanitarian Mission Starting Point
With relatives nearby I used to travel to and from Colwall in the days of steam
Once again a brilliant video. I love then enthusiasm you both have in the video and the way nothing can stop you - I love it! Keep up your great work.
Oh my looks gorgeous!!
1 chain = the length of a cricket pitch = 22 yards
Interesting about the Colwall stone, in my town there is a Stephen's stone that was supposedly thrown by a giant from one side of the forest to the other
Not changed much since I lived there nearly 30 years ago. If you wasn’t aware the Colwall tunnel as you face towards Great Malvern on the left hand side used to be a munitions store during the war.
From Hereford, is normally just used as somewhere to park when going up the malvern hills
Amazing geoff
you should come do a least used station in scotland
He will, but only after all of England is done.
Geoff you should check out the Coryton branchline in Cardiff. It's got an interesting history as a failed freight line of the Cardiff Railway, reduced to single track and a block end. The terminus station Coryton was once called Asylum as it served the nearby mental hospital! It has 6 stations some of which you can stand on and see the next station along the line and currently no Sunday service. Also has two stations in one suburban street, I believe the only such place in the UK. It is to be upgraded in future and electrified as part of the South Wales Metro/Cardiff Circle Line project, re-extended and dualed!
This is my favourite least used station so far
A chain is 66 feet and is divided into 100 links. A bicycle chain has 116 links. 25 half-links in a new chain measure 10 inches; replacement is recommended before the old chain measures 10 1⁄16 inches.
LOL. Took me several solid seconds to realize something was wrong.🤣🤣🤣
The University of Birmingham Wayfarers (Hiking Society) brought about 50 people, all on one train, to Colwall in October last year before walking to Malvern Link.
A nice station for one so little used, well kept and with reasonable facilities. That stone was a bit disappointing though 😁
Is there a way to give 2 x thumbs-up? Loved it.
What a wonderful guy doing the foodbank
Geoff's LMS car at a GWR station
7:03: A ticket machine that doesn't accept cash doesn't count as far as I'm concerned.
10:46: A chain is 1/80 of a mile, 20 metres or the approximate length of a typical railway carriage.
What service would I run on this line? I'm thinking:
• 1tph IC9 London - Hereford Express
• 1tph R165 Worcester Shrub Hill - Hereford all stations
• 1tph Birmingham New Street - Great Malvern
Know the station well as my uncle used to live in Upper Colwall. The tunnel was used for storing explosives during the war
I've been stuck on that bloody station at eleven at night...until the first train the the morning "THIS TRAIN WILL TERMINATE" before mobile phones...... British Rail RIP..
One chain was also the length of a running rail, from my days on BR Civil Eng. Building Dept at Waterloo, worked near to the old water lift from the Drain (Waterloo & City Line)
Awww. I miss the 170 from my line. Was such a good train
Great to see you back Geoff
Given the opening of the video... I just have to say it... Geoff looks different at the start of this one!!
Ahh. A Least Used Stations video. Nature is healing.
petition for tfl extend the central line to Colwall station
Hourly service each way from Birmingham New Street to Hereford (reduces in evenings, less on Sunday) from West Midland Trains, currently Class 170 as seen, Class 196 Next year, plus 6 GWR trains a day to Paddington, (3 early morning) & 5 from Paddington (3 in the evening) currently reduced by 1 each way thanks to COVID-19). No freight due to weak bridge at Worcester.
Merry Christmas
I can't believe you didn't know the length of a chain. The distance between the two sets of stumps in cricket is one chain.
There are 80 chains in one mile, and ten chains in one furlong.
That might be new knowledge for you. You haven't known it furlong.
Nigel Geary-Andrews 22 yard/66 feet in 1 chain.
@@greatwesternrailwayadventures Yes, indeed there is.
What a beautiful place
Geoff - my wife and I only recently found your channels and love the least used journeys (when rail service resumes we are heading to Colwall). During the horrendous time with lockdown and now all in our native US, to be honest, we needed something that fun, unifying, human and scenic. All the Stations and Least Used have quite literally kept us sane (and we haven't even bashed in our coffee mugs yet). So thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
We found your trip through America video and saw you made a brief foray to Colorado. As a fellow rail enthusiast can I make a suggestion for the future of "oddest railways" and you could enjoy 2 in our former home. The Durango to Silverton narrow gauge is among the most scenic and for those who hate heights, most nauseating rail journeys you will ever take. And then the Cog Railway to the top of Pikes Peak is such a strange experience, the way the train works and the heavy climb to 14,110 to look out at America from the Rocky's out...the song America the Beautiful was written there. They are both great train trips I loved and loved taking other on.
Thanks again for your videos. Right now, our (and our kids) sanity is down more to you than the medications we take!
great jobs guys enjoyed it
I'm coming here when you can go on trains again. Only 3 stops away
wow. Station gardens... That's what I now miss at every german tram and train station... Like ones where people could actually plant and grow foods on their daily commute waiting times. I mean, they pass on there anyway, why not growing some food?
"Do you want to go for a walk Paul?"
The first 'least used' station I've actually used.
Walked along the ridge from Great Malvern to Colwall and got the train back.