There should be a law stating that the track beds can not be built on so that in the future they can still open the lines if necessary, I believe this is what happens in France. I don't know this area but if they build houses and a supermarket, perhaps a train line may be needed as well.
Couldn't agree more, but it's already a bit too late. Best example I can think of is the waste of the GCR main line. Would we need the capacity which the possible HS2 will bring if the GCR was able to be reinstated?
In the British Isles, all lands belong to the Crown. An individual can only own the Freehold of title. Hence such things as Compulsory purchase orders, mean that if the need arises, the land can be taken back.
Best of luck trying to get this line reopend but it would require an awful lot of money. Unfortunately money talks were local councillors are concerned so beware of a back hander.
I agree with your views and opinions, Its not a case of "it would be nice to see this line open again" its more of the Fact that the line MUST be re-opened, the Government and Councils all waffle on about reducing traffic congestion but it always seems to take a back seat. What if we were to get a petition going, also get an active group together and see if we can get the ball rolling before its to late, the last thing we need is another bloody Tesco's or more houses standing empty..... Anyway, I don't know about you lot but I'm " IN....." It might be good fun to start rattling some cages and getting some of these MPs to actually do something, This is why we need a group so our efforts are not wasted, we will see what happens!!!!
Just watched the video. Although I am from New Zealand, I have studied and read about the Beeching closures. I am amazed the track is still in place and not ripped up.
Nice video. To answer an earlier query, the line was operational up to 1987 serving the Marcroft wagon works. What is described as a goods shed in the video is actually one of only two surviving Brunel design locomotive sheds. There's also a turntable pit buried in the undergrowth nearby
An informative and thoughtful video. I hope you are successful. (I just remember the old days at Radstock when you could get trapped between two sets of crossing gates.)
I've just stumbled on this video, there is an lot of infrastructure still present here, but an awful lot of dosh will be needed to even get it accessible. One small glimmer of hope is that national news (BBC) has recently stated that Beeching got it wrong and plans to reopen lines are being seriously considered by the Gov. That's if Linden Homes (btw they have LOTS of money!) haven't snaffled this land already.
I have walked it several times before Sustrans also after and yes it has lovely scenery. What we have to look forward to is the rapidly rising cost of fuel and it running out so a viable alternative seems to be the railway. Now while we have fuel lets reopen as many lines as we can and get them ready for our alternative transport to the car!!! David in Reading.
Shame, I volunteer at the KFRPS in Scotland and we have a track next to our shed and it's quite a few miles long, but we can't run trains on it because it's owned by a company and it's not been used since the 1960s.
Great video and I hope that the word about it re-opening in 2015 is correct. It would be criminal to allow yet another unnecessary supermarket to be built on the land, when the transport link is as good as this one. I know from a localish line to me that was closed in the early 70's, that the link there is now under scrutiny for re-opening. Unfortunately, two trading estates and a school have been built on the land, therefore making it highly unlikely that it will ever happen. Maybe there is a viable option to open a preserved line there, if not a 'tramway' to keep the line intact?
I hope it all worked out. I remember you starting up. I have fond memories of cycling through Radstock when I lived down that way many yrs ago. It's sensible to keep railway land for future re use as population and transport need grows, but I don't think people thought that far. All they thought of at the time was the profit and loss accounts versus road haulage in short sighted black and white terms.
I am familiar with the line & have walked it myself. It would make a splendid community railway running through Frome & onward via the ESR to Wells. There is plenty of room elsewhere for yet another supermarket & more new houses but this line is unique & would massively benefit Radstock & the entire area - especially with the projected increase in population. There is a long tradition going back many years of idiocy, corruption & shortsighted ignorance in Radstock Council - much of it in relation to this railway, but not exclusively so. They are the same idiots who recently tried to ban the flying of the English Flag in England "in case it offended muslims"!
you mentioned concrete sleepers, how much of the line is concrete, or wood. Wood sleepers have a 30 year life span, concrete longer. That is a big cost in refurbishment of a line. Resurfacing rail is another big cost. Clearing brush is the least expensive of reopening the line. Perhaps approach another preserved rail organization and get an estimate of what it would cost to clean up, do maintenance and reopen the line. Go through the steps Making a business case to the local media to gain their support and local businesses. This should also bring in more supporters and money for the project.
Great Video........... I'm amazed that a Steam Preservation Group like the Avon Valley Railway didn't step in back in 1987/8, it would have been easy back then to have continued it's use..... but now it's going to cost a lot just to clear it and put a Fence down between the Track and Cycle Path - Hope it happens though; maybe a letter to Richard Branson?..........
There are stretches of track and/or trackbed like this all over the country most of which should be reopened to take traffic off the roads, particularly local businesses, tourism and local freight. Government policy however seems to be to ignore requests for these connecting lines to be reopened in favour of an unnecessary HS2 . How many back handers and vested interests are involved in that scheme I wonder.
Must be one of the only remaining tracks from Beeching era that is still viable. Its a gem of a line and should be open now with all the traffic in Radstock and with the Government harping on about how green we all have to be ,,so why didn't government open it if they say that they are investing in rail travel ,,this all seems to be untrue
I would love to see this back up and running but there are two big snags. One is apathy from the general public and worse than that is money and the desire for more which always goes with it. Good luck.
Im going to contact Hanson to see if they will help us and lend us a shunter and a flat wagon to help with track clearance and see how we go about 'CLAIMING' the track for a Hertiage Railway as clearly no one else is going to bother until its been all built over!
Railways and steam trains are a thing of the past squire.British Rail will be along soon to lift the remaining tracks and within a year,people who don't consume alcohol will be taking a Sunday stroll along the ways, walking off Sunday dinner.You stay cool my friend.
The problem is that short sightedness rules the roost in the UK, at all levels from Government down to local councils. Local Councils have consistently failed to protect track beds, because they want the rateable value (Council Tax) from housing development on land in their respective boroughs, towns and cities. They also see track beds as road routes to new industrial development units or housing estates in their areas. Council Officials and elected Councillors, by and large have been complicate in such actions and policies. Central Government should have frozen development on all trackbed and station areas years ago.......well actually decades ago....and arguably from the moments any closures took place. Had this been done the UK would have had thousands of miles of nationwide transport corridor infrastructure preserved for the future and which could, (until it was required), have been used as open greens spaces, with no development permitted upon it. Governments of both major political persuasions have been at fault since Breeching, with Labour presiding over more railway closures than one would believe. That Earnest Marples, (Transport Minister), who ran a major construction company engaged in road and motorway building, and was responsible for appointing Dr Richard Breeching, to report on and put forward railway closures, is one of the most corrupt arrangements that have existed in public life. The national railway infrastructure we had in the UK and which covered most of the country adequately, was destroyed on the dubious pretext of saving money. Money was then spent on building an extensive motorway system, which has now reached saturation point due to the growth of traffic, (much of which was previously carried by the railways). Accordingly, to now ease the situation on the motorway system, money is being spent to upgrade everything and we have the concept of the so-called 'Smart Motorway'...... err!..... more lanes and signals. All costing £Billions..... Such railway upgrades as we are now belatedly engaged upon invariably cost more £Billions.......even for the simplest of upgrades or installations. Talk about the country shuffling money about for the last sixty years or so in an inflationary and expensive merry-go-round......? You couldn't make it up...! James Hennighan Yorkshire, England
I am shortly to survey the full length of this line and set up a new channel REGENERATE RADSTOCK RAIL. Just realised this was FOUR YEARS AGO......how much more damage has Baines done please?
Thanks for a great video :) I think there's little point revitalising Radstock with a new rail connection if there is nowhere to live or buy food! Clearly new houses, shopping and a railway go together. It's not as if there's a shortage of room in this area. The prospect of linking Radstock and Frome again is very exciting and maybe one day Midsomer Norton and Chilcompton too. The costs are not insubstantial but small compared with the £200m recently spent on the new Borders line in Scotland and insignificant to the £50-80bn they're talking about on things like HS2. Some pragmatism from all sides is necessary but then people complain about (desperately needed) new houses or popular supermarkets and some about opening railway lines. Everyone it seems, has a vested interested in stopping others getting their way. The NIMBYs are alright, Jack. Did Susntrans not recently oppose plans to create a tramway along the only Bath to Bristol line? So much for actually believing in sustainable transport for the thousands who need to commute each day into these two cities from all the towns and villages in-between. Considering the reasons that lay behind the initial closure of the railways, it's worth remembering that Beeching was merely asked to write a report on how the railways losses might me reversed. As it turned out, an impossible task. It was politicians on all sides that actually closed the lines, destroyed the bridges and ripped up the tracks. Many of the closures were appallingly short-sighted without proper consideration of externalities taken into account. But some cutbacks had to be made and decades of refusal to modernise the railways at all left little option other than the massive destruction the followed.
gordon m there has been lots of nimbys involved ,,,even the council are against it even if they do proclaim to be working for the better of their voters and creating a better place for us all to live ,,, in the end Lindon homes got their way and BANES made the money and now Radstock will be a worse place to live and everyone is happy
It is well past time to REOPEN lines the evil Beeching closed and return the railways back to their glory! This is SO easy to reopen with all that track there. New ballast and run a tamper down there! Brilliant video. Need to see if a local steam railway can lend a small shunter and wagons to have low loadered there and have a track clearance weekend. I believe there is some ancient law that if trains run on the track it must stay open - can anyone say if this is correct please?
It will take very little to reactivated this line and borrow a DMU reinstall some signalling and single line working and there ya go! Can the Mayor of Radstock take out a basic injunction against Baines to ‘cease and desist’ from any further development? All over the country the transport secretary is rubber stamping LINE REOPENING. He needs to be contacted ASAP to come to look at the line and trackbed. Just need a trusty 08 shunter a tamper and flat bed wagons
Your right Gareth but the problem is that Dr Beeching was right to close some of the lines but not all of them infact he damaged the entire network and its taken nearly 30 years to recover and even still its still recovering but not properly where i live are 2 railways the Great Central Railways,and the Lancashire,Derbyshire and East Coast Railway and both of them do desperately deserve to be given another chance of operation whether under preservation or under Network Rails ownership. But it was all about cutting back on the costs and i think it was also the fact that he was afraid of Margaret Thatcher because she was at the time the top MP and he came under her his first report was to modern the network which was damaging the second report was to make changes or correct mistakes that he did make.
If my failing memory is still working, this stretch of line was still in use up until the late 80's/early 90's. I'm sure there was Marcroft wagon works at the Radstock end.
not just a preserved line,a small railbus with couplings to haul the odd goods van could make a very useful contribution in getting the traffic off the road,it needs a bit of imagination and community support.jpj
This is still on going.. I the the local CCs seem to be defiant against railway links one can only ask why they take this attitude going against common sense transport planning.
Shut a line? Ok But they should have all been mothballed or trackbed preserved Building over railway land has been proven to be such a stupid move. Prohibitively expensive to remedy
And it goes from nowhere special to nowhere special... Any commuter flow would surely be towards Bath, not Frome and not Bath via Frome either. Lets just enjoy it as a pleasant place to walk and let nature be.
I hope this happens for you. I'm trying to help a similar cause by campaigning with the official project to get St. Anne's Park in Bristol re-opened. Here's the link if you're interested facebook.com/StAnnesStation/
