Lost on The Great Central Railway (P1). Every Disused Station No.31

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We took a trip along a short section of the Great Central Railway between Helmdon and Woodford Halse. This is our first (of many I am sure) encounter with the Great Central Railway and it didn't disappoint. The Railway Architecture along here was exactly as suspected, long sweeping cuttings, GC typical viaduct and bridge work.
Credits:
Helmdon Station:
Music: Epidemicsound.com (Paid license).

[@pwhitewick]

Hey folks. Quick task for you... subscribe and click the notification bell if you haven't already. Around 50% of you watch and aren't subbed. We would love for you to stick around! Paul and Rebecca

[@justdodgy]

Been watching you both for couple of years now. Was great seeing you in my home village of WH... Can't wait for your next vid. Ohh by the way there is the local club in the middle of Woodford that houses a model of the whole station . Worth a look if you can get hold of someone there.. Woodford Halse social club at 29 Hinton Rd, Woodford Halse, Daventry NN11 3TR

[@playwithmeinsecondlife6129]

So now you are wizards?

[@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne]

I was guilty of being one of those people, but happy to inform you I have clicked the subscribe button. I will also endeavour to let the ads run through. Keep up the fantastic content.

[@pwhitewick]

@@playwithmeinsecondlife6129 so it seems!

[@bathroomjon1]

Subscribed - great Chanel and have been watching for a while now as one of those 50% that hadn’t! Keep up the good work

[@paull2613]

A awful short sighted waste of a incredible Railway The Great Central. Especially as the railway forward planed at building for expansion. Thank you so much, Well done you two. When I joined the railway ( 1978 ) on the P'way. We used the huts for meals, the huts always had a stove in them for a brew, plus storage of tools. So we don't lug stuff about all the time. The length we worked ( Eastern Region ) was 20 miles, those huts where a godsend, especially on cold wet days.. Thank you very much for bringing us all along with you.

[@neilbain8736]

That's a neat appearing/disappearing editing trick! The GC was decimated by Beeching. Which is a pity. It was built to smooth curves and gradients. It was built for speed and to connect up via a tunnel to France. This never happened, it only got to Marylebone. The worst bit of architectural vandalism was demolishing Nottingham Victoria station (which was GC and combined Great Northern) and putting up the Victoria centre. To rub it in, the old station clocktower, was incorporated. The result was indescribable. But it's not as bad as it was because they spent a few million quid making the place less ugly in the last few years. The station occupied a massive pit, some 30 or 40 feet deep and you still get some pretty spectacular views down form the perimeter to the portal of Mansfield Road tunnel, a tiny blip in a sheer wall of sandstone. The Great Central heritage railway is pretty amazing. They actually have a branch line to Mountsorrel and have also reinstated 500 yards of some pretty expensive infrastructure just out of Loughborough involving embankments and bridges. The GC hertitage used to be in two halves from Ruddington, as near to Nottingham as you can now get to East Leake I think, and then from Loughborough to Leicester North (which used to be Birstall I think). There's some nice 8mm cine film of the last trains from Leicester Central to Arkwright Street. This was a DMU shuttle service and by that time Nottingham Victoria had closed. Arkwright Street, and station was razed to the ground. What was an embankment and rows of many storied buildings has ceased to exist. .

[@AlexanderWright1]

The Great Central was built as a two track line, but was planned as an easy upgrade to four track running. Thus: wide cuttings and embankments. The stations mostly had island platforms, so it was easy to add another line on each side, serviced by a single platform. Another consequence is that Marylebone station frontage is at least double as wide as was needed, to accommodate many more platforms. The tunnel on the approach to Marylebone was also doubled up, though not completed four all four lines. Sadly half the land behind the facade was sold for housing, and the station can't expand as is desperately required to accommodate existing traffic.

[@iman2341]

The long term plan is to have a few terminal platforms at Old Oak Common and run more services down the New North Mainline.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Alexander

[@PeterYoung357]

By the time the GCR was built there was a lot more mechanisation, so even though they still used lots of navvies they had access to large numbers of mechanical excavators and steam cranes. So it was easier to engineer the line on a grander scale hence the larger embankments, cuttings etc

[@malcolmwillis8699]

Further north where the preserved Great Central Railway now runs, it is the only heritage line with double track running. Enjoy your researches, Paul and Rebecca.

[@pappakilo3965]

Rolt's book is a nice one to glance at for GC info. Pictures of mechanical plant as somebody has already mentioned. Circa 1900 other lines should have been modernised using GC principles

[@MrJasdog107]

Railway history is so interesting its left a footprint that makes the countryside so much more interesting. Enjoy your videos and enthusiasm for this subject.

[@pwhitewick]

Couldn't agree more James.

[@sturmtigerking4263]

Aah the great central railway. Hope you continue this line. Great video. One of my favourite lines

[@paulwilson3083]

The Great Central was built to link up with France via a channel tunnel but it's said that the cost of tunneling under St John's Wood and Lords cricket ground used up the funds for the channel tunnel but that's why it was built to a continental loading gauge to take the traffic, on the Buckinghamshire/ Northants border the trackbed around Finmere station is being used for the HS2 route WHY can't they extend to just North of Woodford Halse then start to curve West towards Birmingham, what a wasted opertunity the billions of pounds savings would justify the slightly longer route, surely it's not to late to campaign to get this achieved. Thank you for posting this video I know you will be amazed at the engineering that went into the route.

[@pwhitewick]

We definitely plan to explore here more. Just to confirm though that GCR was not built to continental loading gauge. Its a well know myth I'm afraid. See this months RAIL magazine which also poi to out that if it was used today it would not reach speeds of 125mph

[@midnightwind8067]

And someone is still pushing the envelope with the dissolve. I like the way you are growing your channel. The one liners from your wife are great. I also like the bridges and viaducts better than the soupy old nasty tunnels, but I guess it’s all part of the great what was. So much investment and it just fades into the weeds. Hard to believe all the labor and toil that ends up discarded. Makes you wonder if , Heathrow will one day be a curious and forgotten strip of tarmac in the wastes.

[@pwhitewick]

Haha, thanks James, kinda enjoyed doing that. Bruised nose though. Yeah we are never ceased to be amazed by the forgotten infrastructure that's hidden in the undergrowth.

[@derauditor5748]

They capture it wonderfully. Many old Railways in the Industrial Part of the Ruhrvalley are getting converted into Bike Routes as they are no longer used for Coal and Steel transport for ages now. It's good that they are used once again, but it's sad because all the romantic "Lost Places" feeling is lost in the Process. Still plenty of old and forgotten Tracks around though. No shortage in that regard :-)

[@thoughtengine]

Not unless all of London is completely abandoned. Even if rendered obsolete, that much space in such a city is sure to be developed over.

[@mileshigh1321]

A line thats much needed today to help solve the traffic problems on the roads! No foresight and too much cronyism, led to such a bad decision to close some of these lines down! I had a similar model of that brown 8 arch viaduct on my model railroad!

[@mkendallpk4321]

Short and sweet. And I love near the end when Paul says " I'm not lost." Rebecca just says nothing with her mouth, but her body language says it all- "Men, they never think they are lost when they are!"

[@Nivshin53]

Delighted that you have now turned your excellent set of programmes on the GC Main Line - you will not be disappointed since a lot of its formations are still visible - as in this clip you have shown. Mac Hawkins book is an essential as well even if it dates back to the 1980's. Do remember though - it was not so much that it was a 'grand design' but a main line railway that was built properly on over a half-a-century's worth of experience etc. A scandal of the highest proportion that this publicly-owned asset was squandered away back in the day. Look forward to the next installments guys!

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks David. Plenty more to come from here!

[@andrewlong6438]

The road bridge over Helmdon station was infilled by the County Council because of structural concerns. If you look carefully you can see the bricked up entrance which took you down to the platform. You wouldn’t build stations with access from a road bridge today because they would break accessibility rules and because of the passenger conflict with road traffic speeding over the bridge.

[@pwhitewick]

Ah when we edited this I think I saw that entrance. Completely missed it when we were there.

[@Sarge084]

I used to live in Banbury and worked for a company in Brackley. My travels took me all around the area criss-crossing the GCR numerous times. I always felt especially saddened about its abandonment as it was so well built. I still occasionally see remnants of the GCR as I drive around the Rugby area.

[@pwhitewick]

Quite a significant scale it seems.

[@AlexanderWright1]

If the line was still available, we wouldn't be spending so much on HS2.

[@pwhitewick]

@@AlexanderWright1 spending a lot on HS2 isn't really an issue. It doesn't come from the public purse, and the money spent is done by building 'stuff'. If you build stuff, someone is paid, money goes into the economy. Also GCR whilst a high speed route in its day would now only allow speeds of 125mph.

[@peterbuckley265]

I WAS ALSO OUT ON SAT / SIN 4 / 5 SEPT 1966 ON THE LAST GCR THROUGH TRAINS. ON THE SAT BLACK 5 460 45292 WITH FAREWELL CHALK INSCRIPTIONS ON ITS SIDE WAS ON THE 1638 MARYLEBONE TO NOTTINGHAM VICTORIA < THE VERY LAST N/B DAYTIME TRAIN , SLIPPING VIOLENTLY AND WITH LOUD EXHAUST OUT OF BRACKLEY CENTRAL. I RETURNED SOUTH BEHIND BLACK 5 460 44984 WITH A WREATH ON THE FRONT ON THE LAST S/B DAYTINE TRAIN , THE 1715 NOTTINGHAM VICTORIA TO MARYLEBONE. 44984 THEN WORKED THE VERY LAST N/B TRAIN THE 2245 MARYLEBONE PARCELS AND PASSENGER TRAIN < WITH EXTRA COACHES PLUS AN LNER TEAK COACH AT THE FRONT > TO NOTTINGHAM VICTORIA, MANCHESTER PICCADILLY AND YORK TRAIN. 44984 WAILED LIKE A BABY THROUGH HARROW ON THE HILL !!! AND GUY AT RUGBY CENTRAL CALLED OUT ' YOU WILL NOT COME HERE AGAIN ' I AND HUNDREDS OF OTHERS WENT AS FAR AS LEICESTER CENTRAL.. THEN BLACK 5 44858 WAS ON THE HISTORIC LAST GCR TRAIN ON THE NOTTINGHAM VICTORIA TO MARYLEBENE SECTION AND SPECIALLY STOPPED AT WOODFORD HALSE WHERE AT CIRCA 0300 ON SUN 4 SEPT 1966. LOTS OF EX STEAM CREWS LINED THE DOWN PLATFORMS, , DOFFED THEIR CAPS AND SANG ALD LANG SYNNE WITH PASSENGERS. WE WENT THE SHORT WAY TO BANBURY JUNCTION WHERE 44858 LEFT TO RUN LIGHT VIA THE LINK LINE TO BANBURY DEPOT FOR FURTHER WORK. WE THEN HAD CLASS 24 D500O, , BUT WE WETE ALL VERY TIRED TRAVELLING IN THE TWILIGHT HOURS OF THE GCR'S TWILIGHT AND NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW WHICH WAY WE CAME BACK = EITHER VIA GRENDON UNDERWOOD O THE GCR / GWR VIA PRINCES RISBOROUGH, WEST RUISLIP, WEMBLEY HILL AND NEASDEN/ / VIA AYLESBURY TO PRINCES RISBOROUGH AND THE FIRST ROUTE // OR DIRECT VIA AYLESBURY, AMERSHAM, AND NEASDEN ALL BACK TO MARYLEBONE ARRIVE CIRCA 0500 ON SUN 4 SEPT 1966 TO CLOSE THE GCR LONDON EXTENTION AS A THROUGH MAIN LINE, IT GOING STRAIGHT THEN INTO THE HISTORY BOOKS . RIP GCR THAT WAS SHUT DUE TO INCOMPETENCE, INDIFFERENCE AND LAZINESS. IF IT HAD OF BEEN MODERNISED IT WOULD STILL BE OPEN TODAY AND A ROARING SUCESS ; PLUS A VIABLE FAR CHEAPER < WITH OTHER REOPENED LINED> ALTERNATIVE TO SQUANDERING BILLIONS OF EVERYONES MONEY ON THE VERY WASTEFUULL NOT NEEDED HS2 !!!! AFTER CRIMINALLY CLOSING VERY WELL BUILT A LINE THAT WA ONLY OPEN AS A THROUGH MAIN LINE FROM 1899 TO 1966, IE ON;Y FOR 67 YEARS !!!. RIP GCR.

[@lindamccaughey6669]

Really enjoyed that thanks, just loved those via ducts. That was a great ramble all over the country so lovely and green. Thanks so much for taking me along and p,ease stay safe

[@stretchedits]

Hi Paul and Rebecca, Nice video of what is my favourite disused line. The Great Central as you probably know ran from Manchester to Sheffield and the part your now exploring was officially know as the "London Extension". I think you covered the southern part of this extension earlier from Quinton Road, where the original Great Central shared running rights with the Metropolitan Railway, of which Edwin Watkin the Great Central's Chairman was also chairman of. I believe after his death the two companies fell out and so the Great Central joined forces with the GWR in building a link to run via Aylesbury and then back up to Marylebone missing out the MET. As a high speed route the London Extension ran straight and true, gentle curves and gentle gradiants, however it also missed out many small places on the way, aiming to reach the larger cities instead. Many of the stations being miles from the village of the name they bare. Being the last main line built in the country, in many places it had to be built over existing buildings, roads, railways etc. If you look at Rugby with the old "Bird Cage" bridge and Leicester where it travelled across the city on many huge well built viaducts to Nottingham where it burrowed under the city centre. Having said all that, it was fast, very fast and I believe the loco crews took pride in being the fastest..............right up to closure. Thanks and best wishes Dave.

[@pwhitewick]

Excellent, thanks for sharing.

[@davecampbell5734]

Thank you both for another interesting and informative video stay well and safe.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Dave, our pleasure indeed.

[@andrewbayliss5421]

Can I give a shout out for the lovely preserved Central Railway based at Loughborough. Brilliant railway to visit.

[@pwhitewick]

You certainly may Andrew.

[@Bolivar2012able]

@@pwhitewick Be careful you don't get knocked down by a speeding Travelling Post Office Train. :)

[@KarlAndDebbieTrains]

That was cool, nice to see parts of the GCR. 😺🚂

[@lfewell2161]

The use of prefabricated concrete huts/footbridges/fences etc, goes back about a hundred years, so it is quite historic. The SR had a works at Exmouth producing these items, although the hut in the video may have been made elsewhere.

[@pwhitewick]

Thank you. A bit like a flat pack ready to go!

[@rich_edwards79]

That window looked to be 1920s or 30s.

[@trevormadden4301]

Id say the cuttings were so wide and the island platforms were all part of widening to more tracks. Thanks for your work guys. Love the channel

[@michaelpilling531]

Fabulous. Great film.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Michael.

[@Dave1976.]

Like the magic at the beginning and end walking into the wall of the bricked bridge. Then disappear. Last time I tried I couldn't get through

[@pwhitewick]

Haha.... we have bruised noses!!

[@Dave1976.]

It looks good like you actually walked through the brick wall. AT the very beginning

[@horsforthhe]

Another great video. Lovely bit of GCR action.

[@chrisnorris1490]

I walked this the other day from that filled-in bridge back past the station, the viaduct and onwards down the the line. About 1 mile on is a MTB track dug in to the embankment in the middle of nowhere. Was a nice spot to get the stove out and and make a coffee.

[@davekirwin]

Granduious! Very interesting explore. Good use of maps and drone to give a scale of things. Like the walking into/out of the bricked up wall - nice touch.

[@olly5764]

The GC London extension was built in the way you describe, with Island platforms and wide cuttings and Bridges, with the stations normally on an overbridge, as a way of allowing for extra lines should the company have a need to quadruple the line, as you could add an extra pair of tracks outside of the existing lines without demolishing and re-building anything of any consequence. Concrete for the P.way hut probably allowed it to be pre-fabricated, the Southern certainly worked on that principal. The hut would have been a place to go and make a cup of tea and some food, and possibly to store tools, they were not just in remote areas, because you couldn't exactly stop work, and nip to someone's house to make a cup of tea. The Great Central (Which was an evolution of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire railway) was a joint line, operated, after 1923, jointly by the LMS and LNER, towards the southern End it was joined by a joint line operated by the GWR and Metropolitan, and as such, was the only stretch of British mainline railway, jointly operated by four main line companies.

[@pwhitewick]

Brilliant thanks for sharing all that Ian. Much appreciated

[@christinaburton9297]

Thank you so much! I gnashed my teeth and wailed at the site of the bow string bridge in Leicester. Abutments and a hideous sports centre all that remains!!The jewel is Leicester Central. Are you going to walk the Charnwood line e.g Grace Dieu viaduct? P S GCR station architect was Edward Parry and concrete platelayers' huts replaced wooden ones destroyed in WW2. All the best.

[@Tobeshadow]

Great exploring as always, love the viaducts!

[@UsualmikeTelevision]

I really enjoy your videos looking through the English countryside. I love your channel as its a great escape from my niche. Look forward to part 2!!

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Mike, might be a wee while, but it will be!

[@davidwhite3041]

Platelayers huts were strategically placed alongside the track, in which were stored nuts and bolts that linked each 60 foot of track together along with wooden blocks that kept the rail in place. Each gang had a length of track they were responsible for which could stretch for many miles in either direction, the track was inspected regularly up to three times a week and any problem was quickly notified to the nearest signal box so that trains could run at caution until a more permanent repair could be made. The gangers were equipped with detonators that could be placed on the line as a warning to the train drivers along with red, amber and green flags and each gang had a look out so that when a train was approaching the lookout would use a horn as a warning and the gang would stand clear until the train had passed.

[@COVENTRYBRIAN]

Fascinating video. A very special railway; my favourite closed Main Line. Spent many happy days in early teens on the embankment outside Rugby Midland watching WCML steam, and “Eastern” locos traverse Birdcage Bridge on the Great Central

[@TheSugarDaddy1]

What a great place to pick and walk loads of little treasures along the way looking to the next part already

[@davey.f.demarco3858]

My Grt Grt Uncle was a fireman on the GCR from Leicester and ended up as Yard Foreman at Woodford Halse until he retired.

[@rich83uk]

Another great video. I love the area around Woodford Halse. Would have been a fantastic place to watch trains from back in the day. Having the mainline along with the Staford line. Would have been great.

[@pwhitewick]

I can imagine myself stood at the side on the fence as a kid watching everything go by!

[@andrewholloway231]

Great to see this video, been looking forward to it. Looking forward to p2 already. Helmdon viaduct looks amazing.

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Andrew, we should have a part 2, 3, 4, etc!

[@maureenberls1281]

This is off the subject of railways,but Rebecca looks very stylish indeed! The shades look great.Another fab video.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Maureen

[@tomsdaddy]

I grew up in Brackley, just to the South of Helmdon, which had an even BIGGER Viaduct and Embankment which were our Playground as kids, - and then in 1978 (?), they Demolished it for the Bricks .... ! (And it was so sturdily built, it took several attempts !)

[@bullettube9863]

I've never understood why this railway was disbanded considering it's reach into the center of the country connecting it to eastern and western ports plus the south as well. Today there is talk of a multi-billion dollar high speed rail line connecting London to Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Sheffield. This extensive connection scheme had already been created by the GCR! Why didn't they just leave it in place? I don't know, British rail is a complete mystery to me. Anyway, a very nice video, and for a mom net there I thought the two of you had actually walked out of that brick wall!

[@pwhitewick]

It was a crime indeed as sections would have been useful for sure.

[@bullettube9863]

@@pwhitewick And I just read about a 250 year old wild pear tree being cut down for HS2 rail!

[@terryansell6641]

Thank you as always always interesting .

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Terry

[@williamwelbourn7932]

Great video. Looking forward to part two. I learnt from Parkinsons Walks yt channel that the farmers bridges are known as accommodation bridges!

[@pwhitewick]

Ahhhh learn something new every day

[@PoppinJay]

Lovely explore as ever. Staffordshire-on-Avon is a new one on me.

[@pwhitewick]

Whoooooops

[@bazmurphy7792]

Yes. Stratford upon Avon. As in Shakespeare country

[@MrTudwud]

Please add "Viaducts" to your list of favourite railway features! I love them just as much as Tunnels! What a feature viaducts were on the Great Central eh?! Thanks for another great video.

[@pwhitewick]

Its a very good point MrT. We did do a Viaduct specific video in the summer.

[@williambraden7962]

I like the closing shot, a bit of magic.

[@pwhitewick]

Don't forget the opening

[@TrevsTravelsByNarrowboat]

Nice explore, interesting the over-engineering

[@malcolmsmith6615]

Yup, another good one! Thank you. I was surprised by the concrete plate layers hut. The Southern used concrete extensively for huts, platforms, fences, bridges, signal posts etc as it had its own concrete works, but I didn’t realise it was used that much elsewhere. Incidentally, a plate layers hut could be used for a variety of things involving any combination of material stores (track components, fencing items, grease cans etc), tool shed, or a mess room / bad weather shelter (they often had fire places or a stove, though not always). Before road transport was common, the materials and tools were dropped off by engineering train to all the huts along the line. The staff walked to the nearest hut. It saved them having to lug everything for long distances. In my early railway days, I once warmed myself in a plate layers hut using the old cast iron stove! Most are gone now.

[@2H80vids]

These pre-fab huts turn up all over the network, with a good number still in use, although not always for their original purpose. I think it's safe to say that all four of "The Big Four" used them, as I've seen them on LMS and LNER routes in Scotland. Not quite so sure about the GWR; they did like to be different but I'm sure there will be one somewhere west of Paddington.

[@andrewholloway231]

Not sure if it is in the comments already. A platelayer's hut is a lineside shelter where a platelayer would be be based. Platelayers derives from the plates that used to build plateways, an early form of railway. Gleaned that info from Wikipedia.

[@20OneAtlantean]

Helmdon, the friendliest bunch of local folk I've encountered on my travels, pint of what they drink please 😀

[@pwhitewick]

Wonderful thanks Andrew

[@abandonedanddisuseduk8210]

Brilliant video. Will have to explore this soon. Catsby Viaduct on the GCR is also worth a look if you get chance

[@vespasian606]

You're only lost if it's dark, raining and you've eaten all your food.

[@pwhitewick]

I approve of this definition.

[@stephenpegum9776]

I love the entry & exit as you both appear from & disappear into that wall - very Harry Potter-esque !! 😎👍👍

[@pwhitewick]

We had hoped that might work!

[@chaosdemonwolf1]

@@pwhitewick What was that opening originally?

[@pwhitewick]

@@chaosdemonwolf1 main entrance to Woodford Halse Station

[@chaosdemonwolf1]

@@pwhitewick Kwel, thanks.

[@Nivshin53]

Pleased that you are taking our man at "Rediscovering Lost Railways" on future "reccies" around the GCML - His recent films on what's left along the whole route is absolutely first rate.

[@pwhitewick]

Absolutely. I feel our videos might compliment each other in a way!

[@maynardmckillen9228]

@@pwhitewick As it happens, the platelayers hut that stoked your curiosity, situated just north of the Helmdon viaduct, and seen at 5:26 in your video, figures in the documentary "England's Lost Mainline Railway: Rediscovering the Great Central Main Line." The hut is mentioned and seen at 13:47 in that documentary.

[@davidmcclelland2661]

Grandiose, would be the word to describe the civil engineering spectacle of the line.

[@pwhitewick]

Perfect then

[@willp358]

What a granduosly granduous piece of filming especially the transition into the 7N concrete blocks at the end.. Nice touch..

[@pwhitewick]

Haha, thanks Will.

[@maynardmckillen9228]

Uh, "grandeurous"...? Still trying to tune-in the finer points of that accent...

[@hugorogers2973]

Paul and Rebecca amazing video, always wanted to discover the great central. i love this line and what it was some of it need reopening on to the national network again.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Hugo, glad you enjoyed it

[@HenrysAdventures]

Another great video! I'll look forward to seeing more from the Great Central!

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Henry

[@robin_marriott]

This is great, I only caught a fleeting glance of the cuttings when driving through so I’m very glad you’ve had a proper look round and made a decent video out of it. Might have to go back and have a look myself.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Robin. Yup just a starter for us really. We had a couple of hours to kill so thought it would be rude not to

[@imranzazai7404]

Beautiful place.

[@pwhitewick]

It really is!

[@johnstilljohn3181]

Nice one. You did well with the weather, too...

[@pwhitewick]

Indeed yup. We actually filmed this in July but only just got around to editing it.

[@rockhamstertactical9851]

All good! Thank you both once again.

[@pwhitewick]

A pleasure

[@brianwilliams8361]

I am watching a KZbin video called day to day track maintenance part 1 plain line 1952 , the platelayers cabin is of concrete panel construction like the one featured in your video, Keep up the good works I enjoy everyone , Thank you.

[@pwhitewick]

Ah fantastic.

[@poetlorryit]

All of the curves had a radius of 1 mile so that the trains could go faster.

[@davidwhitehead7369]

Recently discovered this channel - love the vids, and the fantastic enthusiasm you bring to the subject ! Keep up the great work.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks David. Welcome to the channel.

[@paintedpilgrim]

A number of the railways in the more industrial parts of Yorkshire used a lot of victorian concrete for water tanks and prefab sheds....

[@paulcarpenter2800]

Just down the road from me, I live in Lower Boddington just 3 miles from Woodford Halse. There was talk of reopening the line to Manchester until a few years ago. Now we have the mightily expensive HS2 coming through our village. Best wishes, Paul in Lower Boddington

[@davie941]

hey paul and rebecca , a really cool explore of some beautiful places , really interesting , well done and thank you :)

[@HobbiesAndSunshine]

Another great explore. I loved the bit at the end 'walking through a wall', could have been platform 2 3/4 :-)

[@railwaychristina3192]

Splendiferous!

[@3kimcarter]

Great film guys,loved to have seen it in its heydays, looking forward to pt2🚂👍

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Kim. I feel there will be many many parts.

[@3kimcarter]

@@pwhitewick brilliant can't wait, your films are so interesting,I love walking all the old branch lines in my area of South Wales(Monmouthshire) which there are many.🚂👍

[@Lichfeldian--Suttonian]

It’s great looking at the Great Central on Google Maps satellite view and Street View as there is so much to view along the whole length. Many thanks for sharing Woodford Halse, and you’re right, the junction is too enticing to leave alone. A must visit. I think that the loss of the Great Central was one of the great losses of any of the railways because of its significance. I very much like your visits to many different types of places from tiny lines to massive lines like this one.

[@pwhitewick]

As always we left there wishing we had more time to explore.

[@Lichfeldian--Suttonian]

@@pwhitewick You’ll be back there - Aylesbury to Nottingham - you’ll be back there! Resistance is futile!

[@davidmcclelland2661]

Not sure why Great Central, but The Southern perfected the use of prefabricated concrete structures which included plate layers huts. The reason for the huts was for the local gang to operate from, one of their regular tasks was scything the line side vegetation to prevent fires from passing trains!

[@danielbarrows7144]

Nice wind tunnel you've found there! Cool video, nice views 🛤🚂🌬🚇🐄 wildlife and all! Love Rebecca's facial expressions 😅 I see you found platform 9-3/4 !

[@pwhitewick]

The wind tunnel was mad!

[@hpengwyn]

Been there! Also my grandfather was an engineer driver on the Great Central

[@richardland5563]

Hi I’ve just subscribed but if you ever fancy coming up to Dumfries and Galloway there’s several old railways including the Newton Stewart to Witham and the Stranraer to Port Patrick that were closed long before Beechings cuts...

[@christopherrosindale3175]

They have been. Check out their previous video on Loch Skerrow Halt.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Richard, we did Loch Skerrow a couple of years back.

[@richardland5563]

Hi and thank you for that suggestion I’ve watched it just now you’re lucky there was no midges... what I was really suggesting was the Wigtownshire railway which is a true jam as it goes through Wigtown and Whithorn you always have the excuse to go down to the Isle of Wight I believe there was a branch line that was put in place to allow them to develop the mulberry harbours .

[@mistywolf312]

Precast concrete slabs that slide into precast concrete posts, crittal window of a good size, evidence of a chimney all point to 1950 or early 60's post war quick construction techniques on the platelayers hut.

[@carlwilson1772]

Great stuff as always. What an infrastructure we have just thrown away. Heartbreaking.

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Carl.

[@Jimyjames73]

Hiya - I like the way @ the start & end of your Vid how you make it look like that you walked from / to & gone through the wall - very clever!!! & I've Subbed & always looking out for your interesting vids 🙂🚂🚂🚂

[@auser1484]

Been looking forward to this one, I remember you mentioned you had some stuff coming on it the other week.

[@pwhitewick]

Yup plenty more to follow, I guess this was just our little teaser.

[@christopherrosindale3175]

The GCR was the only main line in Britain built to the Continental Loading Gauge, as it was intended by its promoter - Edward Watkin - to be a Channel Tunnel rail link. A test tunnel was actually bored beneath the channel near Dover, and was rediscovered a few years ago near Samphire Hoe, but the idea failed in the 19th Century. When it was being planned in the 1960's - 70's, the GCR was closed, removing it as a potential HS2, which it could have been used as..... Now, only the Southern end from Marylebone as far as Calvert, and the 2-part preserved section between Leicester and Nottingham, remain of the GCR.

[@pwhitewick]

Unfortunately thats a myth Christopher. It was not built to continental loading. To top it all owing to the radius of the curves you'd only be able to reach a max speed of 125mph

[@simonmcowan6874]

@@pwhitewick 125mph for steam trains was an amazing speed for the time, and it was built to the continental sizing, but they didn't imagine speeds of 200+mph so the curves were then at the radiuses for their fastest engines.

[@stevenholden9520]

@@simonmcowan6874 HS zero you might say. Built with future proofing in mind.

[@Nivshin53]

@@pwhitewick The Continental Berne Gauge was formulated in 1914 - fourteen years after the GC Main Line was completed - so a complete myth. There was also an excellent article by Track Specialist, Gareth Dennis, on the GCML in RAIL Magazine earlier this year, which shoots down the myth that it could be used as an alternative to HS2. Apart from those items of infrastructure that no longer exist or built over, he also confirms the alignments, as designed, would have needed significant alteration (especially on the cambers) to even reach 125 mph - and in no way (without total re-construction) reach the sort of speeds being designed for HS2. Remember that high-speed in 1895 when it was originally designed was around 80 mph!!

[@justvin7214]

I've just booked my next holiday for Helmsdon, I hope I'm not disappointed...

[@pwhitewick]

Certainly plenty of walks.

[@neilhallett9892]

If this line had been allowed to die slowly like so many other lines, a lot more of the GCR would be left, it was built that well, I’m sure the brief when building this line was “make it strong”. There are many books on the GCR, but the 2 I keep going back to are: The Great Central. Then and Now. by Mac Hawkins. Through Great Central England. by Dave Ablitt.

[@pwhitewick]

Ah yes indeed, Mac has already left a comment on the video somewhere I believe.

[@neilhallett9892]

Another book of his covers the S&D I'd highly recommend it.

[@bazmurphy7792]

Your around my neck of the woods. Woodford Halse was a major engineering department of the GCR. To get a true taste of what it was like. Head 40 miles up the line to the other side of Leicester. Love watching your videos by the way. P.s. Could never understand why this route really shut. It was one of the main routes out of London to the North.

[@rich83uk]

From what I've seen the main reason for closure was that Dr Beeching saw the GCR as an unnecessary duplication of the Midland main line. He felt that the routes from London to the North were already well served by other railway lines. I do feel this thinking to be very shortsighted of Beeching. If it had stayed open I feel it could have played an important part in the movement of freight freeing up space on other lines for passengers.

[@sr6424]

That is an incredible area for disused railways and stations. I've done a load of research on th Strafford and Midland Junction line especially at the Straford end. Lets say it is fascinating.!

[@pwhitewick]

I don't doubt that for a second. This is an area rich in the disused railway history. Not a million miles from us so we will be back.

[@simontaylor4791]

Brilliant video again guys this line is one that definitely should not have been closed London to the Midlands and connection on to Manchester and Sheffield we probably wouldn't need Hs2 (im not against hs2 btw)

[@pwhitewick]

Certainly potential for that. A big WHAT IF

[@lapiswake6583]

Great video. Earlier I was just thinking have you done the GCML yet. And then this appears. I studied in Leicester for the last 4 years, so I've done the Great Central Way from Glen Parva into Leicester, and I've ridden on the GCR from Leicester North to Loughborough Central (but not done the GCR Nottingham yet). The GCML was the last mainline built in Britain back in the early 1900s until HS1, mainly built to run fast coal trains into London. Thus it avoided most larger cities, calling at Nottingham, Leicester, and Rugby. It was built to continental loading gauge, so they could've run larger trains on it (perhaps even double deckers), but BR axed the line due to its lack of serving major places, plus Rugby was better served by the WCML, and Leicester and Nottingham by the MML. Its really a shame, because Nottingham Victoria, the "cathedral of steam", looked such a fantastic station.

[@andymiller4971]

Granduous ...love it ,cracking verbage .

[@owencarlstrand1945]

You should read “The Second Railway King”. David Hodgkins’ biography of Edward Watkin the Chairman of the Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway which he turned into the Great Central and extended it to London. He was also a director of the Metropolitan Railway and the South Eastern Railway through which he wanted the GCR to access a channel tunnel which he championed but obviously never built. This led to the myth that it was built to European loading gauges. It wasn’t of course because he would have had to alter the lines south of London to the coast as well. It was however built for expansion and would have been incredibly useful nowadays.

[@Nivshin53]

The Gauge is - as you say - a total myth since the so-called European "Berne Gauge" did not come into force until 1914 - fourteen years after the GCR Main Line was completed! The line benefited from being built over half a century and more from the others - and more mechanised plant.

[@lonewolf4215]

The Great Central was also planned with conitinental traffic in mind which is why it was built to a larger loading gauge, there is rumour that it was built to a specific standard European dimension (the name of which I cant remember) but this was developed after the line finished

[@skendler5]

The rumour is that it was built to “Bern Gauge”. This is a myth. The line wasn’t built to Bern Gauge because it didn’t exist, there was also no continental gauge at the time either. The line was built to the latest standards of the day which was a more generous loading gauge than previously built lines but that’s it. Nothing bigger than British-built trains would’ve fit down the GCML as designed.

[@mikegriffin4657]

Good video, shame it was closed, great construction and all those expensive blue engineering bricks. Someone made a killing in the early 60's buying the Turweston viaduct and demolishing it brick by brick and selling the reclaimed materials..

[@DJ_K666]

You really ought to visit Rugby. I can show you Rugby Central, Lutterworth, Braunston & Willoughby, Daventry, Dunchurch, Birdingbury, Southam, Stockton & Napton, Radford Semele, Marton, Flecknoe and loads of others. Not only that but a disused canal bed and tunnel

[@colinbarrett5120]

Another amazing video

[@bryan3550]

Granduous. Very Good! Finally got one up on "The Men Who Stare at Goats"! 😆

[@machawkins7743]

Have you read my book, "The Great Central Then & Now"? It's got maps, plans, facts, figures and all. It was first published when you were both not long out of nappies, I suspect!! (1988)

[@rich83uk]

I do have a copy of your book. It's a very interesting read of what was a brilliant line. I have to say a really big thank you as it's one of my favorite railway books. I would strongly recommended it to anyone interested in the GCR.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Mac, sadly we haven't but we will look out for it! Much more to walk here so we will hopefully pic up a copy before we travel here again.

[@johnjephcote7636]

Love that book. Makes me feel very strange when I see the modern photos, knowing I've once travelled through there.

[@bryjan51]

No, but I have your book on the S and D 🙂. Will look out for the GCR one.

[@Tobeshadow]

Mac Hawkins, your book on the S+D sent my Dad and me on many an adventure in the nineties! Many thanks, even if it's 25 years after the fact! All the best from Dorset!

[@mickd6942]

Hut is probably fifties and a prefab so could be transported by rail and assembled on site

[@Randomstuffs261]

Excellent, a very Great and very central railway... of course Beeching didn't agree

[@pwhitewick]

which is a great central shame.

[@sunjamm222]

Its not the Staffordshire Midland Joint, but its called the Stratford and Midland Joint Railway. The hope it would get traffic to go to south Warwickshire.

[@Sim0nTrains]

Think a lot of the Great Central Railway's platform were Island platform to saves costs than building two platforms but this as a lovely explore and guessing that I've been relocated to Stratfordshire? instead of Staffordshire! LOL But honestly there been times I said something different to what I meant to say a perfect example was when I went to see 6201 Princess Elizabeth, I kept calling it a Princess Coronation Class when it a Princess Royal Class and when I get to the editing and hear what was vlogged during the talking and about 4 or 5 swears words come out and quickly insert text.

[@pwhitewick]

Haha... we do this most weeks I think Simon!

[@andrewtaylor5984]

The GC was profitable when under Eastern Region control; the big mistake was to transfer the line to the London Midland Region in 1958.

[@robinjones6999]

I need to get a book about the GCR - if only it was still running today!

[@robinjones6999]

I should add that most of the stations had island platforms - could be wrong

[@pwhitewick]

@@robinjones6999 Yup pretty sure you are right Robin.

[@dwmillican]

Curiously, I am currently reading "The Great Central Then and Now" by Mac Hawkins ("now" being 1989!) Great photos of the Great Central in operation, track plans, etc. A rather well-timed explore :)

[@pwhitewick]

Ah brilliant, I believe the very man himself has commented on the video somewhere.

[@hairyairey]

The GCR was an idea well ahead of its time. It's a shame that we went down the route of closures instead of using what we had.

[@pwhitewick]

Agreed indeed John

[@hairyairey]

@@pwhitewick around where I live there is a lot of talk of bringing back closed lines just for freight. This way the ECML can have more passenger traffic. When you consider how much freight comes into the country via Felixstowe there is a limit to how much can go by road. But provided there are enough freight routes there's still room for rail expansion.

[@carolinegray3150]

Nice video 🚂🛤🚶🏼‍♂️🚶🏼‍♀️