Hi Ron, I was up quite early this morning and had to have a quick look at today's subject matter. I was excited because I live in Lechlade further down the line, so I decided to join you on your walk straight away. The reason Carterton is near the other stations and is not shown on some maps is that it was opened in a hurry in 1944 in connection with the invasion plans to serve both RAF Brize Norton and RAF Broadwell. The station building (now stables) and the platform overhang look like the originals from one old photograph that I have. A great find. Today is recycling day and as I was on your walk the recycling lorry came and went before I could put our cardboard and plastics on the roadside. The result of this is that I am now residing (temporarily I hope) in the garden shed! You will be pleased to know that the shed is at the bottom of my garden adjacent to the railway line the other side of the road bridge from Lechlade station. Unfortunately I can't hear the clickety clack of railway wagons or the whistle of a GWR Panier tank as that pleasure was taken away from us sixty years ago. I have therefore taken my reference book on the subject 'Branch Line to Fairford' by Vic Mitchell, Keith Smith and Richard Lingard (Middleton Press) for company. P.S. Apart from Witney (and just recently Lechlade) very little of this branch line has been built on. Although some of the bridges have been filled in most are exactly as they were, indeed three survive pretty much untouched between Lechlade and Fairford (another outing for you). So maybe a reopening isn't totally out of the question, a cycleway was once muted.
Thanks for all the info Nicholas, it is always good to learn more of the history. Sorry about the shed mate, still you've got the spiders for company. I'll look out for that book, it will be useful to help follow up on your suggestions. Thanks for taking the time to post. Take care. Ron
Ron! You were looking straight at the very special treat- that stables building you filmed in the distance with a canopy was indeed Carterton Station itself, the original building. The original canopy. A great survivor, and still in use today as a stables.
Hi Duncan, that really was a treat then. I didn't feel comfortable getting any closer, but at least I filmed part of it. Thanks for the original suggestion. Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks You are welcome Ron, I very much enjoyed your video and thank you for taking my suggestion up. If you look up the Wikipedia entry for Carterton station, you will see the image shows you the unusual station building - and the vast canopy - which is the exact same one you saw. It is truly a remarkable survivor having been used initially for pigs, and later for horses in its long post-railway life.
Hi Ron, what a wonderful outing. I think there's a principle in quantum physics that says if you don't actually look at a "private" sign, it does't actually exist. I'm not sure if that applies to pigs, however. OVM wasn't too pleased by the company. It was interesting to see the nice old brick buildings at the airfield, I wish we appreciated things like that here, instead of tearing them down for modern replacements. Thanks Ron. James and Sumac
Hi Both, Pauline has been testing that quantum physics law for years, especially when I need something. Hope the weather is brightening up for you, warmer here but rather wet, not good for walking. Have fun. Ron
Good morning Ron and thank you for today's video. You were certainly “intrepid” on that one and I thought that you were going to take my advice of some time ago to get a wild boar to help in your searches, but had decided on a much less challenging choice of a pig instead!! Luckily you managed to avoid any irate land owners and their guard dogs as well! The Oxford to Fairford branch has a great history, but I will reign myself in and just add some comments on the section of line that you covered. Starting at Alvescot, the station was opened on the 15th January 1873 by the East Gloucestershire Railway (EGR) and was closed, with the line, on 18th June 1962. It was a single platform station with no crossing loop or signal box; access to the two goods sidings being controlled by ground frames. Unusually for a standard EGR building, it was constructed of red brick rather than the usual stone. Other structures included an EGR weigh house (also in brick) and a GWR Pagoda style shed and a goods lock-up. At it’s height, the station had a staff of four and averaged 9000 passengers and 9000 tons of freight per year. Carterton station, at 56 chains further on from Alvescot, was a late comer to the scene, opening on 2nd October 1944, to serve the RAF stations at Brize Norton, Broadwell and the Women’s Land Army hostel at Shilton. As at Alvescot, it closed with the line on 18th June 1962. The station was a typical War Department Austerity structure and the canopy you saw was the original, except that the roof would have originally been covered in asbestos. So the prize you were looking for was right there - the original station canopy!! The rest of the building resembled a typical RAF “hut” and, despite being unsightly, was quite spacious inside. In terms of layout, the station had a passing loop and short siding, with a traditional wooden signal box on the “up” side. There were no goods facilities at Carterton, but locally produced mushrooms, tomatoes and other horticultural produce was often despatched by passenger train. As far as I can make out, there was only one accommodation crossing between the two stations, so any others were probably made after the closure of the railway. However, I could be wrong and am open to correction if anyone knows different. Thanks again Ron and I look forward to your next adventure. Best wishes, Trev.
Hi Trev, thank you once again for filling in the blanks, From what you say there should be more traces at Alvescot if they were largely brick structures. The problem of course is access, so many of these historical places have been made private, officially or not. I wish I knew that canopy was original, I might have chanced my arm a little there. Do you have a view of what that structure in the woods was? Now a stable, could it have been railway ordinated? Take care. Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks Hi Ron. Sorry, I meant to comment on the stable. It was certainly not part of Carterton station, i.e. not railway owned. The only thing I can think of is that it may have been a RAF storage facility (the lattice beams seem typical of military roof design) where items were put awaiting transfer to the railway for outward shipment. However, with there being no goods facilities at Carterton, and Bampton station, with fairly extensive goods facilities, and being much closer for Brize Norton to ship goods in and out, this theory may not hold up! Brize Norton airfield was opened on 13th August 1937 and the stable looks to be more modern than that, so again we are in the realms of the unknown. All I can say is for certain is that it was not railway owned. Regards, Trev.
Hello Ron - greetings from Poland I enjoyed that. The bridge was lovely. Two stations - Carterton platform was a prize. I hope the pigs were not too much of a hinderance to you. A nice walk though. See you again soon. Stay safe please
Hi Michael, I thought I might end up with one of those pigs as a pet if it followed me out! Fortunately they had other interests. Hope the weather is being kind to you. Ron
Good morning Ron. That was fun ! I was waiting for the obligatory "Get of my land" at any moment. Even a bit of covert culvert spotting. But all the same it was an enjoyable railway jaunt and as you say just nice to be out and about The workshop extension is very nearly finished. My builder and very old friend literally built it single handed (with a bit of help from me) as he broke his arm just before he started. He still did a brilliant job ! Take care. Pete
The only thing more satisfying than looking over a parapet and recognising a trackbed, is turning down a drive and recognising a station building or finding platform remains.. Oh, and being on the trackbed and looking at the wonderful and enduring brickwork of a bridge. Those stables are the original station, judging from old photos.. Thank you.
Hi Ron, Enjoyed the video immensely. The sense of jeopardy was palpable. I was expecting either the sudden thud of an angry canine as it took hold of your ankle or the harsh cry of "Lay down with your arms in front of you" from an as yet unseen Military Police officer, lol, Your intrepid exploits to locate historic piles of rubble fascinate. Keep up the good work. looking forward to the next one.
Good morning Ron. A look of exploring without a great deal of results. A few bridges and a tiny piece of platform end, plus too many 'Private ' notices. I often wonder what people have to hide! However, you did get some great shots of aircraft overhead, with a very steady hand, especially on those long telephoto shots. I gather pigs are not your favourite animals.
Hi Lionel, I enjoyed the walk and being in the country even with the air traffic. I don't mind pigs but I'm not sure Pauline would be impressed with one following me home. Ron
Abandoned railways never die, they just gently fade away! Another intrepid piece of exploration in which you manage to unearth some remains of this rural ride. Where would we be without those ubiquitous iron or concrete fenceposts. i know where I'd be: completely lost. The bridge at Carterton looks in a reasonable state, especially the ironwork, which I assume is original? The station looks - to me at least - somewhat less original, especially that upward sloping canopy - though I'm probably wrong. Thank's for sharing your walk along this 'abandoned railway in the middle of nowhere'
Hi Ron enjoyed your latest. Usually watch on the big screen and in doing so there are no facilities to say thank you. Today watching on my phone therefore Mrs Singleton and yours truly owe Thank-you x 10. Actually x9 for Gill cus she's getting the Autumn crops in here in NZ. Take care Kind regards Paul & Gill
I doubt the legality of some of those "Private" signs, Ron, and of the farmer using much of the track to store hay bales. That pig could have provided a lot of roast dinners if you'd persuaded it to come home with you.
Hi Jim, the unofficial private signs are always a little tricky, they are usually defended by the more aggressive folk too. Pauline would have made a pet of the pig! Keep flying. Ron
Good morning Ron! I think Fairford was an early closer, pre-Beeching if I recall. I read recently that there is a prominent pressure group that wants to reopen the Witney to Oxford section, due to how big Witney has grown now, and congestion problems in Oxford. This was a great explore over an area I don't know very well. Thanks for sharing. Have a good week. Take care, Paul
Would be great to see it reopened Paul, even better if they handed it over to a heritage group to run steam. Still one step at a time. Hope the weather is kind to you. Ron
Passenger services withdrawn between Yarnton Junction and Fairford 18th June 1962. Section beyond Witney to Fairford closed completely on that date but goods carried on on the original Witney Railway until 2nd November 1970. Some of the locos that worked the line have been preserved and the some of the signage including "Witney Station Box" sign has been preserved at Didcot Railway centre.
Good morning Ron. I would respectfully suggest to the Station Commander at RAF Brize Norton that he order a No Fly Zone while a PW production is underway. I’m sure he’d agree and I suspect he’d even subscribe. I’ve walked part of this line nearer Lechlade/Fairford and it was definitely built on the cheap. Best regards RM
Hi Ron,another good explore.Although not mentioned I,m sure you knew you were very close to Brize Norton airbase hence planes & noise.I remember a day trip here when I was a pupil at Kingham Hill & Brize was occupied by the USAF.I,ll never forget the day when a Convair B36 came right over the school on "finals" into Brize.I think at the time this aircraft had the longest wingspan also, 6 piston engines & 4 jets to assist on takeoff! You were also near the bases of two other youtubers namely Harry Metcalf of Harrry,s Farm & Garage & Henry Cole of Find It Fix It Flog It,Shed & Buried etc,etc.
Hi Paul, what some wonderful memories. In the train world I like the old fashioned steam locos, but with aircraft I love the noisy jets. Sounds like you have quite a RUclips community up there. Ron
Taking your life in your hands there Ron! But what a bridge! And plenty of broad gauge rail. A good day out even with the noise from the aircraft. I can promise you this, if you visit my little railway we will not release the hounds on you. 😂😂
Alvescot station stood on the "Station Bungalow" side of the bridge, looking towards Fairford. It was for many years used by coal merchants GF Luckett until fairly recently. The station was a red brick copy of the one at Lechlade.
Hello Ron, very interesting and informative video. It's a pity those two clowns Beaching and Marples got their hands on our railway infrastructure, maybe our railway system may be better than it is . keep safe Ron
Good Morning, Ron. I do like a railway adventure, with a bit of added ‘stealth’. That looked like a really nice walk, although a tad windy! I’ve seen several videos, from various parts of this branch line and there doesn’t seem to be much evidence left of the infrastructure anywhere. Still, good to get out in the countryside. Take care, Ron.
@@ParkinsonsWalks we most certainly do, Mate. I was out at Dowdeswell yesterday. I’d heard on the grapevine that the woodland containing the railway is up for sale, by auction. I’d attempted to film in there last summer, but was thwarted by sting nettles and horse flies! I can confirm it is up for sale, but is now filmed for posterity. I just hope a nature conservancy group gets it. There is very little timber of value in there, only the land is an asset, and that is very boggy, with small streams running through it. A pleasant walk, but a definite no go in the summer!
@@ParkinsonsWalks You can get to the tunnel fairly easily by parking in the big lay-by at the top of tunnel hill and walking about 50 yards up the little side road to Dowdeswell. Then turn right and into the wood. It’s a very uneven site and rather slippery at the moment, but the tunnel portal is about 150 yards from the road. It is fenced off for safety reasons, but there is only a bit of wire cable keeping the gates closed. Ground in front of the portal is clear, but the rest grows in rapidly in the warmer weather. Well worth a visit though.
Mornin’ Ron, That was a lovely map of the old GWR network. The line has an interesting story (I think it was actually two lines originally) and as Paul has already pointed out, it’s been ear marked to be reopened probably not as far as Fairford though. I guess Duncan must have spotted the edge of the platform at Carterton it was certainly a gem of a find as the rest of line seems to be gently fading away as you observed. Mind you it did give you an opportunity to take some great clips of the aircraft and of Brize Norton. There are always the telltale concrete posts on show and you always seem to find remnants of broad gauge track …. I wonder how long a line could be made out of all these pieces of broad gauge that you have found on your walks? We’re definitely in spring now, yesterday I went out walking again and found a wonderful viewpoint over our river valley at about 5420’, in fact you can see right up to the (rapidly disappearing) snow fields where the River Monachil is born and right down to its confluence with the River Genil, I think it’s about 26 Km long in total. I’m gradually recording it step by step, its extraordinarily beautiful and has some interesting pieces of history and engineering all along it. There is also plenty of animal life to be spotted, often you will see deer or mountain goats and hear the clanking of bells as a shepherd leads his flock, sometimes though, the bells indicate cattle which are allowed to forage freely so you need to be careful!! Have a great weekend
Hi David, it would be great to see some of these lines reopened, but unfortunately very few return to steam. You paint a lovely picture of walks by you and I'm sure it is doing you good. Have fun. Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks Something for the weekend sir? ..... Can I interest you in this trip down memory lane or should I say memory towpath ruclips.net/video/diW9J58ORAs/видео.html
@@davidberlanny3308 Thanks David festinating film. So many canals were taken over by the railways and converted to rail. I guess someone had already done the surveys when building the canals. For a time the canals were sometime used to transport railway building goods. Seems a bit unfair. Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks I forgot to mention that I used to live practically on the towpath ..... it was bit damp there I must admit. But I would go to the end of the road and turn left for the locks (and pub!) or turn right for the football, there may well have been a pub in that direction as well!!
H I Ron jus as a matter of interest have you ever been somewhere on your travels and encountered somebody asking you what you're doing and to clear off? 😀😩 cos they consider you invading their privacy even though you're not?
![Megan Thee Stallion - Roc Steady (feat. Flo Milli) [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HozPPyqW0dY/mqdefault.jpg)
Hi Ron, I was up quite early this morning and had to have a quick look at today's subject matter. I was excited because I live in Lechlade further down the line, so I decided to join you on your walk straight away. The reason Carterton is near the other stations and is not shown on some maps is that it was opened in a hurry in 1944 in connection with the invasion plans to serve both RAF Brize Norton and RAF Broadwell. The station building (now stables) and the platform overhang look like the originals from one old photograph that I have. A great find.
Today is recycling day and as I was on your walk the recycling lorry came and went before I could put our cardboard and plastics on the roadside. The result of this is that I am now residing (temporarily I hope) in the garden shed! You will be pleased to know that the shed is at the bottom of my garden adjacent to the railway line the other side of the road bridge from Lechlade station. Unfortunately I can't hear the clickety clack of railway wagons or the whistle of a GWR Panier tank as that pleasure was taken away from us sixty years ago. I have therefore taken my reference book on the subject 'Branch Line to Fairford' by Vic Mitchell, Keith Smith and Richard Lingard (Middleton Press) for company.
P.S. Apart from Witney (and just recently Lechlade) very little of this branch line has been built on. Although some of the bridges have been filled in most are exactly as they were, indeed three survive pretty much untouched between Lechlade and Fairford (another outing for you). So maybe a reopening isn't totally out of the question, a cycleway was once muted.
Thanks for all the info Nicholas, it is always good to learn more of the history. Sorry about the shed mate, still you've got the spiders for company.
I'll look out for that book, it will be useful to help follow up on your suggestions. Thanks for taking the time to post. Take care. Ron
Ron! You were looking straight at the very special treat- that stables building you filmed in the distance with a canopy was indeed Carterton Station itself, the original building. The original canopy. A great survivor, and still in use today as a stables.
Hi Duncan, that really was a treat then. I didn't feel comfortable getting any closer, but at least I filmed part of it. Thanks for the original suggestion. Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks You are welcome Ron, I very much enjoyed your video and thank you for taking my suggestion up. If you look up the Wikipedia entry for Carterton station, you will see the image shows you the unusual station building - and the vast canopy - which is the exact same one you saw. It is truly a remarkable survivor having been used initially for pigs, and later for horses in its long post-railway life.
Hi Ron, what a wonderful outing. I think there's a principle in quantum physics that says if you don't actually look at a "private" sign, it does't actually exist. I'm not sure if that applies to pigs, however. OVM wasn't too pleased by the company. It was interesting to see the nice old brick buildings at the airfield, I wish we appreciated things like that here, instead of tearing them down for modern replacements. Thanks Ron. James and Sumac
Hi Both, Pauline has been testing that quantum physics law for years, especially when I need something.
Hope the weather is brightening up for you, warmer here but rather wet, not good for walking. Have fun. Ron
Good morning Ron and thank you for today's video. You were certainly “intrepid” on that one and I thought that you were going to take my advice of some time ago to get a wild boar to help in your searches, but had decided on a much less challenging choice of a pig instead!! Luckily you managed to avoid any irate land owners and their guard dogs as well!
The Oxford to Fairford branch has a great history, but I will reign myself in and just add some comments on the section of line that you covered. Starting at Alvescot, the station was opened on the 15th January 1873 by the East Gloucestershire Railway (EGR) and was closed, with the line, on 18th June 1962. It was a single platform station with no crossing loop or signal box; access to the two goods sidings being controlled by ground frames. Unusually for a standard EGR building, it was constructed of red brick rather than the usual stone. Other structures included an EGR weigh house (also in brick) and a GWR Pagoda style shed and a goods lock-up. At it’s height, the station had a staff of four and averaged 9000 passengers and 9000 tons of freight per year.
Carterton station, at 56 chains further on from Alvescot, was a late comer to the scene, opening on 2nd October 1944, to serve the RAF stations at Brize Norton, Broadwell and the Women’s Land Army hostel at Shilton. As at Alvescot, it closed with the line on 18th June 1962. The station was a typical War Department Austerity structure and the canopy you saw was the original, except that the roof would have originally been covered in asbestos. So the prize you were looking for was right there - the original station canopy!! The rest of the building resembled a typical RAF “hut” and, despite being unsightly, was quite spacious inside. In terms of layout, the station had a passing loop and short siding, with a traditional wooden signal box on the “up” side. There were no goods facilities at Carterton, but locally produced mushrooms, tomatoes and other horticultural produce was often despatched by passenger train.
As far as I can make out, there was only one accommodation crossing between the two stations, so any others were probably made after the closure of the railway. However, I could be wrong and am open to correction if anyone knows different.
Thanks again Ron and I look forward to your next adventure. Best wishes, Trev.
Hi Trev, thank you once again for filling in the blanks, From what you say there should be more traces at Alvescot if they were largely brick structures. The problem of course is access, so many of these historical places have been made private, officially or not. I wish I knew that canopy was original, I might have chanced my arm a little there. Do you have a view of what that structure in the woods was? Now a stable, could it have been railway ordinated? Take care. Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks Hi Ron. Sorry, I meant to comment on the stable. It was certainly not part of Carterton station, i.e. not railway owned. The only thing I can think of is that it may have been a RAF storage facility (the lattice beams seem typical of military roof design) where items were put awaiting transfer to the railway for outward shipment. However, with there being no goods facilities at Carterton, and Bampton station, with fairly extensive goods facilities, and being much closer for Brize Norton to ship goods in and out, this theory may not hold up! Brize Norton airfield was opened on 13th August 1937 and the stable looks to be more modern than that, so again we are in the realms of the unknown. All I can say is for certain is that it was not railway owned. Regards, Trev.
Hello Ron - greetings from Poland
I enjoyed that. The bridge was lovely. Two stations - Carterton platform was a prize. I hope the pigs were not too much of a hinderance to you. A nice walk though. See you again soon. Stay safe please
Hi Michael, I thought I might end up with one of those pigs as a pet if it followed me out! Fortunately they had other interests. Hope the weather is being kind to you. Ron
Good morning Ron. That was fun ! I was waiting for the obligatory "Get of my land" at any moment. Even a bit of covert culvert spotting. But all the same it was an enjoyable railway jaunt and as you say just nice to be out and about The workshop extension is very nearly finished. My builder and very old friend literally built it single handed (with a bit of help from me) as he broke his arm just before he started. He still did a brilliant job ! Take care. Pete
Hi Pete, I guess you will be disappearing in to the workshop soon then, the family will start to wonder when they will see you again. Have fun. Ron
The only thing more satisfying than looking over a parapet and recognising a trackbed, is turning down a drive and recognising a station building or finding platform remains.. Oh, and being on the trackbed and looking at the wonderful and enduring brickwork of a bridge. Those stables are the original station, judging from old photos.. Thank you.
Hi Christina I agree with every word of your post, thank you. Look after yourself. Ron
Hi Ron, Enjoyed the video immensely. The sense of jeopardy was palpable. I was expecting either the sudden thud of an angry canine as it took hold of your ankle or the harsh cry of "Lay down with your arms in front of you" from an as yet unseen Military Police officer, lol, Your intrepid exploits to locate historic piles of rubble fascinate. Keep up the good work. looking forward to the next one.
Hi Alister, loved your comment, made me chuckle, thanks. Ron
Good morning Ron. A look of exploring without a great deal of results. A few bridges and a tiny piece of platform end, plus too many 'Private ' notices. I often wonder what people have to hide!
However, you did get some great shots of aircraft overhead, with a very steady hand, especially on those long telephoto shots. I gather pigs are not your favourite animals.
Hi Lionel, I enjoyed the walk and being in the country even with the air traffic. I don't mind pigs but I'm not sure Pauline would be impressed with one following me home. Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks Getting it into the car might be the problem.
Abandoned railways never die, they just gently fade away! Another intrepid piece of exploration in which you manage to unearth some remains of this rural ride. Where would we be without those ubiquitous iron or concrete fenceposts. i know where I'd be: completely lost. The bridge at Carterton looks in a reasonable state, especially the ironwork, which I assume is original? The station looks - to me at least - somewhat less original, especially that upward sloping canopy - though I'm probably wrong. Thank's for sharing your walk along this 'abandoned railway in the middle of nowhere'
Hi Malcolm, always nice to find something after spending a day groveling around in the undergrowth. Thanks for joining me. Ron
Hi Ron enjoyed your latest. Usually watch on the big screen and in doing so there are no facilities to say thank you. Today watching on my phone therefore Mrs Singleton and yours truly owe Thank-you x 10. Actually x9 for Gill cus she's getting the Autumn crops in here in NZ.
Take care Kind regards Paul & Gill
Thanks both, you are very kind. As long as you keep watching I'm happy. Take care of yourselves. Ron
I doubt the legality of some of those "Private" signs, Ron, and of the farmer using much of the track to store hay bales. That pig could have provided a lot of roast dinners if you'd persuaded it to come home with you.
Hi Jim, the unofficial private signs are always a little tricky, they are usually defended by the more aggressive folk too. Pauline would have made a pet of the pig! Keep flying. Ron
Good morning Ron! I think Fairford was an early closer, pre-Beeching if I recall. I read recently that there is a prominent pressure group that wants to reopen the Witney to Oxford section, due to how big Witney has grown now, and congestion problems in Oxford. This was a great explore over an area I don't know very well. Thanks for sharing. Have a good week. Take care, Paul
Would be great to see it reopened Paul, even better if they handed it over to a heritage group to run steam. Still one step at a time. Hope the weather is kind to you. Ron
Passenger services withdrawn between Yarnton Junction and Fairford 18th June 1962. Section beyond Witney to Fairford closed completely on that date but goods carried on on the original Witney Railway until 2nd November 1970.
Some of the locos that worked the line have been preserved and the some of the signage including "Witney Station Box" sign has been preserved at Didcot Railway centre.
Yes i enjoyed that Ron, Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it Michael. Ron
Good morning Ron. I would respectfully suggest to the Station Commander at RAF Brize Norton that he order a No Fly Zone while a PW production is underway. I’m sure he’d agree and I suspect he’d even subscribe. I’ve walked part of this line nearer Lechlade/Fairford and it was definitely built on the cheap. Best regards RM
Hi Rodney, I have to be a bit careful with these Station Commanders, they have a bit more firepower than me! Keep smiling. Ron
Hi Ron,another good explore.Although not mentioned I,m sure you knew you were very close to Brize Norton airbase hence planes & noise.I remember a day trip here when I was a pupil at Kingham Hill & Brize was occupied by the USAF.I,ll never forget the day when a Convair B36 came right over the school on "finals" into Brize.I think at the time this aircraft had the longest wingspan also, 6 piston engines & 4 jets to assist on takeoff!
You were also near the bases of two other youtubers namely Harry Metcalf of Harrry,s Farm & Garage & Henry Cole of Find It Fix It Flog It,Shed & Buried etc,etc.
Hi Paul, what some wonderful memories. In the train world I like the old fashioned steam locos, but with aircraft I love the noisy jets. Sounds like you have quite a RUclips community up there. Ron
Taking your life in your hands there Ron! But what a bridge! And plenty of broad gauge rail. A good day out even with the noise from the aircraft. I can promise you this, if you visit my little railway we will not release the hounds on you. 😂😂
Some cats can be vicious Simon. Ron
Alvescot station stood on the "Station Bungalow" side of the bridge, looking towards Fairford. It was for many years used by coal merchants GF Luckett until fairly recently. The station was a red brick copy of the one at Lechlade.
Thanks for the additional info Nathan. Ron
Hello Ron, very interesting and informative video. It's a pity those two clowns Beaching and Marples got their hands on our railway infrastructure, maybe our railway system may be better than it is . keep safe Ron
Hi Martin, we would have better transport links for sure. Having said that, they can't keep up with the pot holes on what we have got. Stay well. Ron
Good Morning, Ron. I do like a railway adventure, with a bit of added ‘stealth’. That looked like a really nice walk, although a tad windy! I’ve seen several videos, from various parts of this branch line and there doesn’t seem to be much evidence left of the infrastructure anywhere. Still, good to get out in the countryside. Take care, Ron.
Hi Ron, you really have to grovel about to find remains these days, a few more years and even that will be gone. We need to keep filming! Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks we most certainly do, Mate. I was out at Dowdeswell yesterday. I’d heard on the grapevine that the woodland containing the railway is up for sale, by auction. I’d attempted to film in there last summer, but was thwarted by sting nettles and horse flies! I can confirm it is up for sale, but is now filmed for posterity. I just hope a nature conservancy group gets it. There is very little timber of value in there, only the land is an asset, and that is very boggy, with small streams running through it. A pleasant walk, but a definite no go in the summer!
@@abandonedrailwaya2470 Well done Ron, you certainly keep your ear to the ground. Do you know if the tunnel is accessable there? Ron
Just looked on the auction site. £7,500 is the asking price. The original auction day was 26th January, so obviously no interested bidders!
@@ParkinsonsWalks You can get to the tunnel fairly easily by parking in the big lay-by at the top of tunnel hill and walking about 50 yards up the little side road to Dowdeswell. Then turn right and into the wood. It’s a very uneven site and rather slippery at the moment, but the tunnel portal is about 150 yards from the road. It is fenced off for safety reasons, but there is only a bit of wire cable keeping the gates closed. Ground in front of the portal is clear, but the rest grows in rapidly in the warmer weather. Well worth a visit though.
Mornin’ Ron,
That was a lovely map of the old GWR network. The line has an interesting story (I think it was actually two lines originally) and as Paul has already pointed out, it’s been ear marked to be reopened probably not as far as Fairford though.
I guess Duncan must have spotted the edge of the platform at Carterton it was certainly a gem of a find as the rest of line seems to be gently fading away as you observed. Mind you it did give you an opportunity to take some great clips of the aircraft and of Brize Norton.
There are always the telltale concrete posts on show and you always seem to find remnants of broad gauge track …. I wonder how long a line could be made out of all these pieces of broad gauge that you have found on your walks?
We’re definitely in spring now, yesterday I went out walking again and found a wonderful viewpoint over our river valley at about 5420’, in fact you can see right up to the (rapidly disappearing) snow fields where the River Monachil is born and right down to its confluence with the River Genil, I think it’s about 26 Km long in total. I’m gradually recording it step by step, its extraordinarily beautiful and has some interesting pieces of history and engineering all along it. There is also plenty of animal life to be spotted, often you will see deer or mountain goats and hear the clanking of bells as a shepherd leads his flock, sometimes though, the bells indicate cattle which are allowed to forage freely so you need to be careful!!
Have a great weekend
Hi David, it would be great to see some of these lines reopened, but unfortunately very few return to steam.
You paint a lovely picture of walks by you and I'm sure it is doing you good. Have fun. Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks Something for the weekend sir? ..... Can I interest you in this trip down memory lane or should I say memory towpath ruclips.net/video/diW9J58ORAs/видео.html
@@davidberlanny3308 Thanks David festinating film. So many canals were taken over by the railways and converted to rail. I guess someone had already done the surveys when building the canals. For a time the canals were sometime used to transport railway building goods. Seems a bit unfair. Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks I forgot to mention that I used to live practically on the towpath ..... it was bit damp there I must admit. But I would go to the end of the road and turn left for the locks (and pub!) or turn right for the football, there may well have been a pub in that direction as well!!
@@davidberlanny3308 Pauline and I enjoyed that one David. Thank you. Ron
Local branch next to me brick and stone
H I Ron jus as a matter of interest have you ever been somewhere on your travels and encountered somebody asking you what you're doing and to clear off? 😀😩 cos they consider you invading their privacy even though you're not?
Hi Peter, yes I do encounter that occasionally, best not to argue, especially if they are accompanied by a large dog! Ron
Very good Ron but would have been even better if you had spelt 'Witney' correctly!
Corrected David, thanks for that. Ron