Remaining Brunel broad gauge ?

[Steve Taylor]

Is there ANY remaining broad gauge track anywhere ? I spotted this story on the newsgroup alt.fan.landrover, and your group seemed to be the obvious place to prove / disprove the potential "Urban Myth"

Sorry for jumping into this thread a bit late - and changin to a related
topic. Some years ago there was an article in one of the railway mags
about a similar thing in Somerset (if I remember right). When broad guage
was abandoned some of the West Of England main line was diverted rather
than converted, leaving an entire station isolated - complete with
track and everything. At the time the article was written the site was
largely intact.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Steve[/i]

[nineflover]

hi steve, apart from the didcot mixed gauge demonstration line, the last mixed gauge routes had the broad 3rd rail taken out in 1892, but the bypassed section may be at St Germans, Plymouth where a more inland route of about 2 miles? was built with some big viaducts, leaving some old overbridges and earthworks but not sure about a station cut off somewhere, .....somewhere else?? .....def no track left overgrown 115 years later!!!!

[steveastrouk]

hi steve, apart from the didcot mixed gauge demonstration line, the last mixed gauge routes had the broad 3rd rail taken out in 1892, but the bypassed section may be at St Germans, Plymouth where a more inland route of about 2 miles? was built with some big viaducts, leaving some old overbridges and earthworks but not sure about a station cut off somewhere, .....somewhere else?? .....def no track left overgrown 115 years later!!!!

Hi Nineflower,
OS map might trigger someone's memory.

Thanks

Steve

[simon]

This site contain 2 pictures which claim to be of broad gauge track in situ.....


http://www.svr-wolverhampton.org.uk/tri ... r_Box.html

but its up to you whether you believe it or not

[steveastrouk]

but its up to you whether you believe it or not

If you look really carefully, there are definitely signs that there are two tracks, about the right distance (count the bricks) apart. As you say, it fails to convince though.

Steve

[AndyK]

Some years ago there was an article in one of the railway mags
about a similar thing in Somerset (if I remember right). When broad guage
was abandoned some of the West Of England main line was diverted rather
than converted, leaving an entire station isolated - complete with
track and everything. At the time the article was written the site was
largely intact.[/i]

I would not be surprised if it was an April issue of the magazine that the article had appeared in

[martin bennett]

There is no broad gauge TRACK left, but there is plenty of broad gauge RAIL. Brunel used an unusual rail profile called "bridge" rail for his celebrated 7-foot gauge, and lots of it survives around the former GWR system. A few years ago I got off a train at Castle Cary and found that numerous fence-posts, an advertising hoarding posts and other odds and ends were unmistakably Brunel bridge rail from broad gauge days.

[madhattie]

There is no broad gauge TRACK left, but there is plenty of broad gauge RAIL. Brunel used an unusual rail profile called "bridge" rail for his celebrated 7-foot gauge, and lots of it survives around the former GWR system. A few years ago I got off a train at Castle Cary and found that numerous fence-posts, an advertising hoarding posts and other odds and ends were unmistakably Brunel bridge rail from broad gauge days.

There's tons of it still lying around Bristol. Almost every location I visit has a lineside fence or other dividing post that is made from the stuff.

I've been meaning to revisit Avon Wharf because there's (apparently) quite a lot of old fish-bellied rail half buried in the mud along the River Avon. I want some for my back garden

[Mavmaramis]

This may be of some help (copied ad lib from the Britian's Lost Railways Yahoo Group)

BURLESCOMBE - WESTLEIGH QUARRIES

(single line 3ft-gauge ¥ miles) (Westleigh Quarry Tramway)
Opened

March 1875
Closed

1950
Stations

no passenger stations
Motive Power Depots

Great Fossend one-track shed
History

In 1873 the Bristol & Exeter Railway (B&ER) obtained a 25-year lease on the limestone quarries at Westleigh ten miles SW of Taunton. Two years later it opened a short narrow-gauge tramway from the quarry to its main line at Burlescombe. The line was worked by two 0-4-0WTs built at the B&ER's own works in Bristol. When the lease expired in 1898 the Westleigh Quarry Co. decided to work the line itself, relaid it to standard gauge and purchased a Peckett 0-6-0ST. Later a new 3ft-gauge internal system was laid inside the quarry worked from 1931 by petrol or diesel shunters. In 1950 both systems were abandoned in favor of road transport.

Great Western Society

In the late 1970s broad gauge track and point work forming the original exchange sidings was discovered beneath undergrowth between the canal and the main line at Burlescombe; this was subsequently recovered and has been relaid at the Didcot Centre. A replica of the GWR broad gauge 2-2-2 loco Firefly, constructed at the Centre, now utilises this short length of track.

Route - when open

From Burlescombe (GR071169), where the station was on east side of the road overbridge and the exchange sidings on the west, the line dropped at 1 in 40 and curved NW to bridge the Grand Western Canal. It then bridged a stream, Fenacre Water, and climbed at 1 in 50 to cross a minor road at Canonsleigh Farm which took it into the quarry area at Westleigh (GR065084).

Route - today

Details of walkable sections and obstructions required.

Relics

Bridges

- iron bridge 80ft long over the canal survives.
Loco sheds

- Great Fossend located on west side of canal.

[Robin Summerhill]

How's this for a thread resurrection - nearly 6 years since the last post

The reason for the resurrection is that I have been doing a bit of walking just lately down what used to be the Calne branch (and is now a cycle track) between Chippenham and Stanley Bridge.

Whilst stopped for the semi-compulsory fag break at the Stanley Bridge end one day last week, I happened to notice some unusually-shaped ironwork making up the fence uprights at the point where the station access from the road used to be. Trawling the internet tonight I found that the profile of these uprights does indeed confirm it to be former broad gauge track. Furthermore, having a closer look at fencing along the 2 mile section I see that there are many other examples of it being put to this use.

Apologies if this is old news to some/ most of you but I found it quite intriguing that Calne saw its last broad gauge train in August 1874, some 137 years ago, yet some of the rails it ran on are still kicking about the place!

[jules]

We've got some broad gauge track left on the West Somerset. About ten feet of it on the down platform at Crowcombe Heathfield (part of a display).

[tonyperks]

There is some broad gauge rail at chipping sodbury too, in the fence line so there was a lot of it about bearing in mind the line wasnt finished until 1903!

[jules]

There is some broad gauge rail at chipping sodbury too, in the fence line

Is the WSR's display at Crowcombe the only broad gauge track that is actually laid as it should be, rather than just old rails used in fences here and there?

Maybe there is some laid properly at Didcot (or elsewhere)?

[nickt]

For some reason I think there is a small panel of broad guage layed in the loading dock at what was winscome station of the strawberry line.
(pretty sure thats name of station.)
Saw the panel at Crowcome Heathfield at weekend on platform layed end to end with a short length of standard guage.
The piece at Didcot is runnable on and much of it dual guage including dual guage point work which is quite interesting.