Very interesting. I went over the GCR from Woodford to Nottingham in 1963; what struck me then was the sheer number and volume of the iron ore trains; we passed a lot of them and Nottingham Victoria was full of them too. I also travelled over the Banbury - Woodford Halse line, now discernible as a well wooded embankment.
Nice to see a green Class 37/0 working here - presumably on the York - Bournemouth service. Beeching did so much damage though, in such a short fell swoop. Closing the GCR was short-sighted vandalism, bordering on the criminal. At least Mrs. Thatcher by 1979 knew what had to be done and she never touched the railways....
Geoff Adams Yes, that would have been what was commonly known as the Great Central 'Birdcage', due to it's tangled steel structure. That bridge stayed in place until around 6-7 years back when Network Rail removed it.
Stuart Gray Actually it was Mrs. Thatcher’s, anti rail, government were the ones who closed the electrified MSW line through the Pennines in the 1980s. Another short sited closure. But I agree with you that the Great Central should never have been closed. I think that for some lines closure probably made sense. However, I think that there should have been a ban on building on track beds for at least 20 years after closure. Rather than the 5 years given to the MSW route was given. That line would be very useful today.
Helvellyn DCS I'm not sure her administration was 'anti rail' per se, but certainly when Privatisation was mooted to her in the early 80's she rapidly dispensed the Minister who said it to the sidelines (according to Christian Wolmar's book). I live in Woodford btw and I regularly walk the trackbeds and it's lamentable, day on day...... Especially in the face of HS2, which is happening just a few miles across the fields....😑
Very interesting. I went over the GCR from Woodford to Nottingham in 1963; what struck me then was the sheer number and volume of the iron ore trains; we passed a lot of them and Nottingham Victoria was full of them too. I also travelled over the Banbury - Woodford Halse line, now discernible as a well wooded embankment.
I too remember the constant flow of heavy freight trains though Nottingham Victoria in the early 1960s.
Nice to see a green Class 37/0 working here - presumably on the York - Bournemouth service. Beeching did so much damage though, in such a short fell swoop. Closing the GCR was short-sighted vandalism, bordering on the criminal. At least Mrs. Thatcher by 1979 knew what had to be done and she never touched the railways....
Geoff Adams Yes, that would have been what was commonly known as the Great Central 'Birdcage', due to it's tangled steel structure. That bridge stayed in place until around 6-7 years back when Network Rail removed it.
Stuart Gray Actually it was Mrs. Thatcher’s, anti rail, government were the ones who closed the electrified MSW line through the Pennines in the 1980s. Another short sited closure. But I agree with you that the Great Central should never have been closed. I think that for some lines closure probably made sense. However, I think that there should have been a ban on building on track beds for at least 20 years after closure. Rather than the 5 years given to the MSW route was given. That line would be very useful today.
Helvellyn DCS I'm not sure her administration was 'anti rail' per se, but certainly when Privatisation was mooted to her in the early 80's she rapidly dispensed the Minister who said it to the sidelines (according to Christian Wolmar's book). I live in Woodford btw and I regularly walk the trackbeds and it's lamentable, day on day...... Especially in the face of HS2, which is happening just a few miles across the fields....😑
Him and Marples closed the line so Marples ( who was a director of Marples/Ridgeway motorway construction could put the M1 into London on it )
@@terryengland5772 Politicians with vested interests are the bane of this country.