Monday 26 October 2020

The old Railway


 

There used to be a railway that ran from Didcot to Newbury  then onto Southampton. It went over the Berkshire downs and on to Newbury till the 1960's when Dr Beaching had it and many others closed down. Mush of it can still be traced which is what I did a number of years ago. Part of it went through a village called Hampstead Norreys where there was a station and a bridge it went under. I first stopped off there to see what remained in 2011.  This post is a little longer than I normally make it.

 

 



This was where Hampstead Norreys station used to be




And this was where the railway went from the bridge on the right towards Hermitage







Last year West Berkshire council made the old line into a cycleway where people could ride or walk between the two villages




It is certainly a far cry from the saplings that used to bar the way

This is the view towards the bridge which is downhill. I suspect the cutting was partly filled

Above looking through the station to the road bridge, Hermitage is in that direction




Further after coming from Hampstead Norreys you go through another cutting the under a bridge





The last time I was here it was impassable with trees growing in the cutting




Now it is quite clear and easy to go along.

A little further brings you to the end near Hermitage

Where you come out here to go under the M4 and then back into another cutting for a shorter section before coming out in a housing estate. I thing this was a good use for this section of the old railway, it's just a shame the government did not have presence of mind to to that back in the 1960s after the railway closed. If you would like to find out more about the railway then visit my blog the
 Taking Part in My Little Corner of the World  Our World Tuesday and Imag-in-ing, you can find all the links in the right hand column
Take Care Everyone





13 comments:

  1. Sadly, that Beaching report did away with so many rail lines. I have seen programs that many have been converted to walking paths and, like stated in this post, the former stations are gone.

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    1. One on this part of the line remains at Upton though it is a private house now, ironic that the dumb council at the time called the close Beaching Close

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  2. I love it when they convert old railways to trails. There are lots of abandoned rail lines near where I live. I guess that trucks replaced a lot of the trains for smaller loads.

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    1. More is the shame, if they had kept this line open it would take some of the strain off the road that replaced it

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  3. I love those trails; perfect for walking. Thanks for sharing the history of the place.

    Hazel
    https://hazelceej.com/agony-before-the-calm/

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    1. Pity there are too few though but this one has a couple along it

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  4. Well Joe Biden campaign involved using a train so there’s a lot to be said for them!

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  5. Lovely place to walk, now that the trail is available. Love the old bridges.

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  6. It is a good use of these disused train lines but I find them too straight for walking trails.

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  7. Lovely pictures! We have a Rails to Trails program here.

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  8. Thank you so much for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2020/10/beauty-and-beach.html

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  9. Humans do not always change things for the good. It is a beautiful area, and to hike it would probably be a wonderful experience.

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  10. It's good to see that the railroad will not be totally forgotten by the conversion. It seems to be something done in many parts of the world. Thanks for your awesome photos.

    It's great to see your link at 'My Corner of the World' this week !!


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