Moorings convenient for heritage railways

[Alan de Enfield]

3 hours ago, Tim Lewis said:

Loughborough for the Great Central Railway.

 

I used to go to School, from East Leake to Loughborough, on a steam train - it'd be the 50's & just into the 60s.

 

Mother and I would walk about 2 miles from home to the station in the morning and then the return trip in the afternoon.

[Mike55]

Avon Valley Railway. There is a pontoon mooring on the Avon (between Bath & Bristol) although space can be a problem due to (unsurprising) CMs.

https://www.avonvalleyrailway.org/

[davidg]

Welshpool & Llanfair is less than a mile from the canal in Welshpool and you can stop for a beer in The Old Bakehouse on the way. Only problem is getting the boat there.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

1 hour ago, davidg said:

Welshpool & Llanfair is less than a mile from the canal in Welshpool and you can stop for a beer in The Old Bakehouse on the way. Only problem is getting the boat there.

Similarly problematic would be visiting the old trams at Crich museum and the steam trains at Peak Rail in Matlock from the Cromford Canal. How to get the boat over the break in the navigation.

On the connected Erewash Canal at Langley Mill, The Midland Railway at Butterley is 4 miles, but two buses (change at Ripley) away.

[Richard T]

4 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

I used to go to School, from East Leake to Loughborough, on a steam train - it'd be the 50's & just into the 60s.

 

Mother and I would walk about 2 miles from home to the station in the morning and then the return trip in the afternoon.

Did you got to the Grammar School as its not far from the GC station? Incidentally it is now part of the Loghborough Schools Foundation along withe the High, Fairfield. Amhurst ( formerly the Convent) and a nursery.

[Tacet]

Question for @1st ade.  Was Magpie one of those kids whose delight was more in planning his adventures than doing them?

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Barrow Hill Roundhouse is a short distance from the Chesterfield Canal at Staverley, but again, unfortunately, the unconnected end.

[Alan de Enfield]

31 minutes ago, Richard T said:

Did you got to the Grammar School as its not far from the GC station? Incidentally it is now part of the Loghborough Schools Foundation along withe the High, Fairfield. Amhurst ( formerly the Convent) and a nursery.

 

 

No, it was an infant / Junior school, I did my 11+ exam in Loughborough but we moved house that year and I ended up at  Carlton Le Willows Grammar school (Gedling, Nottingham)

[adam1uk]

9 hours ago, Alway Swilby said:

The Nene Valley Railway at Wansford. The station is a short walk from the River Nene visitor mooring pontoon.

 

 

And you can also easily walk to Ferry Meadows station on the Nene Valley Railway from the moorings in the lake at Ferry Meadows.

[Stroudwater1]

Tyseley locomotive works is another one to add. It’s very close to the GU in Birmingham shortly along from Camp Hill locks heading towards Catherine De Barnes though mooring near to it isn’t really recommended sadly. A visit to the works on open days  is recommended. 

[1st ade]

8 hours ago, Tacet said:

Question for @1st ade.  Was Magpie one of those kids whose delight was more in planning his adventures than doing them?

He was always much more adventurous than me - not in taking risks (although he did that as well) - but in searching out out of the way destinations. I did a school trip to France, he did a school trip to Moscow...

[magpie patrick]

9 hours ago, Tacet said:

Question for @1st ade.  Was Magpie one of those kids whose delight was more in planning his adventures than doing them?

 

I see @1st ade has answered! Answer is in a way yes, but some of the planned adventures come to fruition* - not all, but some, and with retirement mot far off I'm building a stack of things I'd like to do, and taking a steam train ride in the middle of a boat trip is one. It would be a sad day if I ever ran out of dreams and plans...

 

*the biggest one by far was catching the train home from working in Beijing - home at the time being Cardiff.

[TheBiscuits]

2 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

a stack of things I'd like to do, and taking a steam train ride in the middle of a boat trip is one.

 

Bucket lists r us  .... https://www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk/tickets/round-robin

[GUMPY]

26 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

Bucket lists r us  .... https://www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk/tickets/round-robin

We were staying just outside Totnes this summer and did the Round Robin well worth a day.

There is also an excellent Pie Pub in Totnes well worth a visit or two the pies are superb.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Apedale Valley Light Railway. About 4km from Westport/Longport, on the T&M in Smoke on Stench.

[fanshaft]

Glen Tramway aka Railway is close to Saltaire visitor moorings - just cross over the river.  

[Stroudwater1]

A bit further away is The Caledonian canal near to the regular Jacobite steam runs from Fort William to Mallaig over the Glenfinnan viaduct. It’s an 80 mile trip trains run daily through the Summer.
 

Fort William station is around 4 miles from the canal but definitely worth doing. 
It runs over the bridge at the bottom of Neptune’s staircase. 

[cuthound]

On 09/10/2023 at 10:00, Athy said:

shackerstone station is right by the Ashby Canal. From memory, if you moor near the hackaduck you'll be very adjacent.

 

I see that the trendy phrase 'heritage railway' has reached CWSF, which is a pity, perhaps even a pita. What's wrong with 'preserved railways', as they have been called for half a century and more? Compare and contrast 'craft beer' v. 'real ale'.

 

It's how marketing people keep themselves employed...

 

 

 

On 09/10/2023 at 10:19, TheBiscuits said:

 

They are two different things ...

 

Indeed, one tastes of grapefruit and the other tastes of beer...

 

On 09/10/2023 at 13:37, Stroudwater1 said:

Didcot isn’t too far, one bus from Thrupp train from Oxford Parkway to Didcot. 
 

Mooring near Hatton will fairly often get a good view of steam travel up Hatton Bank.  
 

Evesham Vale Light railway, again a bus ride really as Green Hill is a bit of a slog. 
 

Statfold Country Park Tamworth is another bus ride away. They have heritage weekends with old buses picking people up from Tamworth rail station. Highly recommended place these days. 

 

Statfold Barn Railway is about a mile walk from Alvecote. Moor by the Sammy Barlow.

 

Their Road, Rail & Ale festivals re worth attending.

 

https://www.statfold.com/roadrailale

Edited October 11, 2023 by cuthound
To insert spaces between merged posts

[Stroudwater1]

There’s the Leak and Rudyard railway which must be very close to the Caldon. It runs along the lake that’s a feeder for 1.5 miles. 
 

But you will have to be quick or hope there’s a local buy out as the owner is retiring and selling up. Yours for £495,000 including 2 steam locos  10 carriages, 3 station and the track. 
 

http://www.rlsr.org/timetable.html
 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-67122007.amp
 

 

[StevieN]

I see there's an entire website dedicated to this "heritage railway" thing, complete with map!

 

http://www.heritage-railways.com/map.php

[mark99]

On 09/10/2023 at 08:54, magpie patrick said:

Possible trip planning - and likely useful to others too. I'm thinking of places one could moor and have a ride on a heritage railway within walking distance. Kidderminster is an obvious one but I'm sure there are others. How close is the Churnet Valley Railway at Cheddleton for example? 

 

Doesn't need to be long haul jobby like the Severn Valley - just the opportunity to ride on a heritage train 

 

Thanks all! 

 

 

Froghall Basin is good for the Churnet Valley RWY.  Cheddleton to Froghall is the best Caldon bit imo.

Edited October 25, 2023 by mark99