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Post by rillington on Feb 18, 2009 15:25:11 GMT -5
I think these are so cool - the mothballed and abandoned stations, and not officially closed stations, and the best example I can think of is the line and stations between Watford and Croxley Green. Take a look: www.abandonedstations.org.uk/Croxley_Green_line_1.htmlI also recall reading about stations which like the Croxley Green stations are also basically abandoned but officially still open as apparently you only have to have one train per week calling at a station and a taxi/bus can perform this function thereby keeping the station 'open.' There are plans afoot to reopen the line at some point. Any other examples like Croxley Green and Watford West which are officially still open but abandoned? Would be well cool to see the pictures too. |
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Post by poyks on Feb 19, 2009 7:29:16 GMT -5
Very strange state of limbo, you'd think locals would speak up about their local stations.
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Post by rillington on Feb 19, 2009 8:14:22 GMT -5
Isn't it just.
This is what wikipedia's article on Croxley Green says about the station:
In 1996 the station was "temporarily" closed and a section of the embankment just east of the Grand Union Canal Bridge was removed, this was to make way for a new Ascot Road to improve traffic flow to the nearby business park. It was considered uneconomical to bridge this road and the station remains breached from the rest of the line.
Since 1991 the branch had been allowed to become increasingly run down in appearance and trains were infrequent and scheduled at inconvenient times, a process referred to by rail user groups as closure by stealth. This is because closing the station requires special powers. The minimum service required by law however is a once-monthly service, in one direction, which in this case, since 1996, is provided by "temporary" replacement buses. The station retains an active "live departure board" on the National Rail website and tickets to Croxley Green and Watford West are occasionally sold, which lead them to appear in the annual station usage statistics, from the analysis of which they are then deliberately excluded
There are three mothballed stations on this line. Watford West, which has quite a lot of railway furniture still there, is the middle station on the line and this station has the slot for the electronic departure board in place along with all the station signs/ The Wiki article reports:
The station opened in 1912 and was "temporarily" closed, along with the rest of the Croxley Green branch, in 1996. Since then at least one bridge on the route has been demolished. However, the station is not formally closed. This is because of legal regulations in officially closing a station. The minimum service required by law is a once-monthly service, in one direction, which in this case is provided by "temporary" replacement buses.
The station thus retains a live departure board active on the National Rail website[1].
Tickets may still be purchased to Watford West. In 2004-05, ten passengers purchased tickets for travel to the station
The plan is to actually rebuild this station, presumably on the site of the mothballed station.
The final station on the line is a station built to service Vicarage Road, Watford's football ground. Apparently it only ever opened on matchdays and they might actually reopen this station although they reckon that the new Watford West would serve the football ground/ I guess we'll see.
Fascinating stuff, the Croxley Green branch..
Anyone know of any other similar mothballed stations as I think it's totally fascinating and I've never come across anything else quite like what we have in Watford.
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Post by Flash Bristow on Feb 22, 2009 13:34:12 GMT -5
In the Beeching documentary Ian Hislop stood in some derelict stations, and wondered where they were. Maybe that was it. But there must be others!
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Post by rillington on Feb 22, 2009 14:23:35 GMT -5
Yes but I can't think of any mothballed stations though, and certainly not like Croxley Green and Watford West. As you say Flash, I'm sure there must be a few other examples of stations which have literally been abandoned and mothballed like at croxley/Watford West with literally all the railway furniture still there, left to rot away!
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Post by rillington on Feb 25, 2009 14:29:47 GMT -5
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Post by rillington on Feb 25, 2009 20:31:32 GMT -5
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Post by rillington on Feb 27, 2009 17:53:32 GMT -5
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Post by Flash Bristow on Feb 28, 2009 12:17:15 GMT -5
Oh, very nice find!
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Post by poyks on Mar 3, 2009 18:00:13 GMT -5
That looks so atmospheric in that state, a cool mix of emotions!
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Post by rillington on Mar 26, 2009 15:18:27 GMT -5
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Post by yv47r on Mar 26, 2009 18:39:07 GMT -5
I agree it would make perfect sense to reopen Mayfield. I think it has 5-6 platforms, which with my railway hat on could be used for services terminating to/from the south like the North East to Manchester Airport and similar. Ideally a flyover line would be built to link the line from Guide Bridge and eliminate the need to cross over the entire station throat trackwork to gain the west side and hence Mayfield. Extend the existing Plat 13/14 satellite lounge with a new bridge cum travelator and create a new airy station with self contained facilities. I reckon that this is quite achievable and would prove to be very useful and release space in the main station platforms.
Cheers Paul
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Post by rillington on Mar 26, 2009 19:39:34 GMT -5
I'd suggest the best use of Mayfield would be for the Airport service which at Picadilly uses platforms slightly away from the main station.
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Post by rillington on Oct 30, 2010 13:42:54 GMT -5
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Post by yv47r on Nov 7, 2010 18:26:45 GMT -5
Ardwick and Fairfield on the Manchester to Glossop/Marple lines out of Manchester don't seem to have much of a service I don't think. I passed through both twice yesterday and coming back dusk had fallen and both had their station lights on as well. Also Reddish South and Denton also close by and they only have a once a week Stockport to Stalybridge 'parlimentary' service to keep them going.
Cheers Paul
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