The Cotswolds Abandoned Railway -

[@01jvb]

...and the beautiful curvature (camera pans towards Rebecca) !!

[@nathanbowers6364]

Passenger trains between Chipping Norton and Banbury stopped in 1951, but services between Kingham and Chippy carried on until 1962-63. There was also a loco shed to the right of the station, looking towards Cheltenham, I think the engine that worked the Moreton to Shipston on Stour branch was based there. The avoiding line (flyover) was little used once the last iron ore mines shut around Hook Norton and the line was blocked by a never cleared landslip in 1958 between Rollright Halt and Hook Norton.

[@maibeppu9]

Wow. So nostalgic and really good music.

[@stephensaines7100]

Love it! Choice of music and the editing of it superlative.

[@roderickmain9697]

The Slaughter's (Upper and Lower) and the Rissingtons. (Little Rissington RAF base used to be the home of the Red Arrows back in the day when I was smallish). Lots of quaint Cotswold villages in the area.

[@Pinzpilot101]

Little Rissington was one of the first bases to get Meteors.

[@PROPHETVberlinschule]

Blimey! Just realised I planted those trees where you walked down to Kingham station, at the start of the video. That was way back in around 1973/4, when the land belonged to the people in the bungalow by the access gate.🙂

[@carlsturges7600]

Lovely, as a 15 year old back in '79 me and two friends walked from Kemble station as far as Stoke Bruene so seeing this area being explored brings it all back to me. Lovely.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Karl.

[@christopherbraiden6713]

Thanks for the video lots to see if not the stations,beautiful colvert. Fancy nicking Rebecca's waffle!!😎🚂🚃🚃🇬🇧

[@GhostTheory]

Another beautifully filmed video. Loving the drone shots. It looks stunning there. Also, nicely timed train shot 👌👍

[@leeclift4666]

Lovely footage of the shire a few more stations towards Cheltenham thanks for posting. Lee in Gloucester

[@leroyholm9075]

Hi Paul & rebecca. This railway enabled the running of the Welsh Express through the connection at Kingham. A true cross country route linking Newcastle on Tyne with Swansea and a brilliant way to transfer sailors from extreme points. it became famous as the 'try-out' of the new GWR 'Manor' class locomotives in the 1940's from Swansea, they were exchanged at Banbury for LNER locos to complete the journey to Newcastle.

[@lindamccaughey6669]

That was just lovely thanks. Loved that tunnel mind you the mattress looked a little lumpy. Thanks for taking me along. Please stay safe and take care

[@barryjohn3549]

Brilliant video the drone footage really adds to it, Where I live up in Cambridgeshire there is a abandoned line with a culvert probably much bigger than the one you saw, and an amazing viaduct still standing and a goods shed.

[@RobertPaterson]

Thank you for this - I was a 12 year old boy when we moved to Fifield, not far from Kingham in 1962 just as the branch lines were closing - at the time all the track and platforms were all current - we had our family home there until 1985. There were times when it looked as if Kingham would close but now it is a commuter station! Thanks for taking me back to my childhood and my life in the Cotswolds

[@phillunn4691]

Hi Paul and Rebecca, thanks for yet another great video. You certainly had a lovely day, for your walk. Look forward to seeing your next video!👍🏼

[@Pinzpilot101]

I was from Banbury and loved to bike out and discover all the cotswold disused railways and tunnels (they were not blocked back then.....apparently as a child I have travelled across the Hook Norton viaduct by train and also on the M1 when it opened.

[@marvintpandroid2213]

Ooo, look, a Class 800, what a cracking train...

[@imranzazai7404]

Beautiful.

[@Sim0nTrains]

Cracking good drone footage of the GWR IET and I know you like to waffle on bit but that taking the waffle carrying a waffle but I do like to have them for breakfast when I'm at home. Also like the map bit at the start when you move the lines and showing the last every disused station video, brilliant edit and another awesome video.

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Simon. Much appreciated

[@MontytheHorse]

Rebecca taking a bite out of it was waffle of her! I’ll get me coat.

[@sfb1964]

Slaughter on the Water - sounds like an Iron Maiden song!!

[@pwhitewick]

Haha.... yup could be head banging away to that.

[@MercenaryPen]

I was thinking it sounded more like a seaside metal festival

[@sfb1964]

@@MercenaryPen Metal, for sure!!

[@steve.b.23]

@@sfb1964 Now, this is confusing. I saw your username and thought "I don't remember posting that!". : )

[@sfb1964]

@@steve.b.23 Understandable!!

[@Bender24k]

Loved it, all the best!

[@stevedarcy9542]

Awesome video as always Guys.

[@nilo70]

Thank you both for making this for us to see .

[@edwardbyard6540]

My aunt and uncle used to live in Wright's Cottage, Mousetrap Lane, in Bourton on the Water. From there you are 30 seconds from the old line on an embankment. As a kid I would play up there when visiting. I found an old GWR cast iron temporary signal post base up there once. We took it back home and then gave it to the Didcot Railway Centre near where I grew up. I wonder if they still have it all these years later...

[@icewizzard666]

Great vid, I laughed at you saying imagine living in Slaughter, I always loved driving passed LaCock and Sandy Balls on the way to Bournemouth from South Wales - always chuckled in 25 years of going there frequently (not so much now sadly). That culvert was awesome!

[@simonballard6413]

What a lovely day you had for this video! That's a lovely part of the country, too. Many thanks.

[@pwhitewick]

We were extremely lucky. Hoping for more soon!!

[@ExploringWithEmAndStu]

Hi Paul and Rebecca just wanted to say we both really enjoy your videos we watch every week and you both have inspired us to do this also won't be as good as yours but we will give it a good go... So this message is a thank you for your great videos 😊 Many thanks Exploring with Em and stu

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks both. Very kind. Good luck with the project, lets us know when you have some videos out. EDIT: You have!... will go sub now.

[@ExploringWithEmAndStu]

Thank you for your reply, very much appreciated... We have done some little bits but we will get what we can done... Thank you both and thanks for your sub 😊

[@leroyholm9075]

Hi Both The route with its flyover at Kingham would have made the very best Heritage Cotswold line you could ever imagine. Between the mainline connection in the East at Kings Sutton and Cheltenham in the West. Plus a future possible connection to the Heritage Gloucester & Warwickshire line from Cheltenham to Broadway!

[@connruns]

Loved the video! I live not far from Kingham and have often wondered about the abandoned railway there. Thanks for the insight!

[@iansmithtravels]

Excellent video! Great drone footage as ever.

[@neilthehermit4655]

Love the funky dancing in the background, now many other times has Rebecca done this and I've missed it ?

[@pwhitewick]

Which bit.... I actually missed this!!??

[@vibingwithvinyl]

@@pwhitewick 2:24

[@pwhitewick]

@@vibingwithvinyl well that was sneaky

[@danq.5140]

I noticed that as well. The hairstyle must have had played influence ☺

[@sloth_bristol9504]

I think it should become a regular feature of the videos.

[@Johnny_Tambourine]

Being that the small building with the round window is so close to the turntable it could be the control room for the turntable.

[@pwhitewick]

That adds up. We didn't realise how close we were to the turntable.

[@gilles111]

The building might have had something to do with the turntable but I don't think it was the control of the table. Most of those buildings were more like a shelter/small office for the personnel that operated the turntable and probably to control the signals to/off the turntable. The turntable it self was mostly operated via a small box at the turntable.

[@Johnny_Tambourine]

@@gilles111 You're probably right. I know the American turntables generally had a booth directly on the turntable but had no clue about British rail.

[@gilles111]

@@Johnny_Tambourine It is all over the world (almost) the same construction. That's because of the motor turning the turntable was fixed at the edge of the table which drove a set of (cog)wheels over a circular track that was mounted in the pit of the turntable. That motor was easiest to be operated at the turntable it self (as there had to be less wiring to go around etc.). The turntable also had to be locked when in the desired position, so the table couldn't turn as a loco would drive on/off it and derail because of a moving table. Nowadays a modern turntable (build after (roughly) 1960) could be operated very easy at a different location or by the driver him self by pushing some buttons. The old turntables and technique date back to the mid 19th / early 20th century. By the way, very remarkable - spotting the location of the shed was that close to the turntable.

[@anihari5948]

Number pp... P44

[@MrGreatplum]

Fantastic stuff! The drone footage really adds to it. Not an area that I know well, but you sold it!

[@pwhitewick]

Marvellous. Was a great day for droning.

[@2010gtoner]

Yeah just stumbled on to this channel. Very interesting, the narration is spot on and the camera likes you. Defo a sub.

[@paulmark63]

Love the channel. So interesting well done

[@martinfletcher8275]

Ahh wonderful, at 9:50 you discover the old 'arch' as we used to call it. As teenagers we used to camp in it and drink Ruddles County ale hahaha. The well trodden path was part of the local secondary/comprehensive schools cross country route, called 'the slaughtercourse' because it looped around to Lower Slaughter.

[@tardismole]

2:24 Now we know what Rebecca gets up to when Paul isn't looking. :)

[@greghilton7797]

That made the whole video for me. 😂🤣🤣🤣

[@SBCBears]

Sneaking his waffle, too, tho I would be happy to share with such a good-tempered person as Rebecca.

[@gilles111]

@@SBCBears Won't be surprised the waffle came came out of a box of multiple waffles and Rebecca already ate the others and was now trying to snatch the single one Paul got ;-)

[@SBCBears]

@@gilles111 Time for Rebecca to come clean.

[@tardismole]

@@SBCBears True. I lost mine, so seeing their antics brings a smile to my face every time. :)

[@shirleylynch7529]

Beautiful footage as always. Culvert shots first class. Never had a waffle for a long time. Beautiful weather. Great tunnel. So interesting. Thank you.

[@leroyholm9075]

The GWR railway system around Cheltenham was not "cut back" in the 1960's it was systematically butchered! Stations Destroyed in the Cheltenham area. Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham Spa St James, Cheltenham Spa Malvern Road, Cheltenham South & Lechhampton, Cheltenham High Street Goods, Churchdown and Charlton Kings. It is a miracle they still have a mainline connection.

[@sc2235]

I could not work out what the culvert was for when I discovered it a few years back. Excellent video as always.

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Steve

[@martinoutdoors6941]

At 10:30 they are sometimes referred to as cattle creeps to allow cattle to wander between fields under the railway.

[@chrisg6086]

I'm so enjoying your exploration of these lines, right on my doorstep in my adopted home area, thank you! :) Virtually next to my doorstep is another abandoned Cotswold line, the Shipston branch, from Moreton-in-Marsh to Shipston-on-Stour, and which closed in 1961. The Shipston branch bay platform is still in place at Moreton, next to our splendid signal box, controlling GWR lower quadrant semaphore signals

[@DeanPickersgill]

Such captivating videos, thank you!

[@TheEulerID]

Rebecca performing a little dance @11:49 strangely reminiscent of that by Roland Orzabal in the music video for the song Mad World. Having said that, he's not the musical connection round there. That is Alex James of Blur who makes cheese at Churchill Heath Farm in Kingham. I believe he donated some land to extend the station car park.

[@Pinzpilot101]

Used to be a big country Pub at Kingham...Kingham Mill I,m talking 60's....glass floor you could look at the trout stream and watch the fish.

[@hugorogers2973]

Hi Paul and Rebecca, great video as usual. Ill just like to point out that you have missed out three stations. These being Andoversford Junction with the Midland South Western Junction railway, Charlton Kings & Leckhampton!

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Hugh. Already covered when we did the Midlands and South Western Junction Railway 👍👍

[@mickd6942]

Slaughter on the water is that iron maidens latest hit lol

[@davie941]

hi paul and rebecca , another cool and interesting video , lol nice dancing rebecca , nice drone shots as always , get off my waffle lmao , thank you so much again and well done :)

[@johnkirby7426]

Ever thought about doing the camel trail. Bodmin, Wadebridge to Padstow. You actually walk the whole old track going through old stations and platforms along the way. All public access.

[@PROPHETVberlinschule]

Nice one, Guys. There are two remaining Railway related buildings at Bourton. The Station Masters house, (private dwelling), and the Railway Hotel (private flats). Keep up the good work👍

[@robinjones6999]

Just superb - many thanks

[@gaugeonesteam]

Great stuff as always. I think the biggest tragedy of the Beeching/Marples closing of railways lines was the loss of the trackbed land in strategic locations. Those routes would have been great for electric bikes, scooters and e-mopeds these days. I believe the problem was Victorian compulsory purchase orders offered to sell the land back to the families in the future if the land was not needed by the railway anymore so even if the railway companies wanted to keep the trackbed land they were not able to. I guess the railway companies thought that would never happen but it gave reassurance to the land owners.

[@newagincourt99]

Travelled on this line in 958 from Cheltenham to Kingham. Got to Kingham and the connection was cancelled but they took us to Oxford main Station on the train going to the Oxford shed. That was service.

[@nicholasbent7539]

I believe the building with the round window at Kingham is Mr Lainchbury's hut. Mr Lainchbury being the station master and the building the Station Master's Lodge. A glorified rest room for station staff close to the engine shed, turntable, signal box and water tower. With acknowledgement to Paul J Towey

[@pwhitewick]

Excellent, thanks Nicholas

[@dianekivi5349]

The low bridge is a cattle creep, designed to allow cattle to go unimpeded from one side of the railway to the other. Before the railway construction it was presumably a single field.

[@BEACHLIFE78]

Fantastic video thanks for sharing 🙂👍🚂🚂

[@shauntodd7123]

Great little wander

[@HenrysAdventures]

Great video as always!

[@pwhitewick]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@ThatCoalSoul]

6:57 Look who's got merch'!

[@newbeginnings8566]

Always enjoy your little trail walks and their hidden secrets.. A genuine couple that are fun and don't try on the usual KZbin heavy make up and false characters..

[@robertlewis2]

Good use of a drone to show the roadbed; please do more like that.

[@duckydashcam751]

Nice to see you back in the game and out and about again 👋👍🏻

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Matt, plenty to follow!

[@geofflewis6914]

Just wondering if you’ve a plan to do Pontypool to Blaenavon ? Lovely walk and you’ll get to see both the remains of some lovely stations that didn’t survive Beeching , plus lots of remnants of the industrial revolution. I know you’ve done Clydach gorge one of my favourite rides. Great videos thank you for sharing 👏🏼🤞🏼

[@mikeholdaway2412]

Townies the cattle want bother you. Cheers for the volg👍🇳🇿

[@bobsrailrelics]

Walking on my own means I don't get waffle issues 😁 Another very interesting walk. Thanks 👍

[@pwhitewick]

😁

[@AndyTaylorLloyd]

Someone remembers the halcyon days of Playschool. 🤣

[@acleray]

Don't know why but I always plumped for the square window, it looked bigger?

[@hairyairey]

@@acleray It was rarely ever the arched window and I recall I found that one the most interesting!

[@AtheistOrphan]

That doll Hamble always gave me the creeps.

[@leroyholm9075]

Red: Kingham to Cheltenham, this allowed a maximum axle loading of 20 tons axle weight. Now you can see why the “Manors” where ideal for this route.

[@mkendallpk4321]

Now we know one of Paul's phobias, cows! So much for every disused cow barn. Seriously. Who is putting thumbs down on such rich content?

[@highpath4776]

Given a cow is nigh on 1tonne+ and not exactly controllable its a wariness to have.

[@mkendallpk4321]

@@highpath4776 Cow not so bad. Bull is the one to be very careful being around.

[@highpath4776]

@@mkendallpk4321 Cows with calves are VERY protective and easily spooked.

[@michaelwright8787]

Me and my family walk along an old section in Hook Norton woods on a regular basis.

[@TomLegg]

You should do one on the old railways in Cirencester. There were a few stations (one is still there) and a number of halts. Most of it is built over now but there is still some infrastructure to be found. Plus Cirencester had a canal, some of which is still there.

[@leroyholm9075]

The Banbury & Cheltenham Railway was looked at by the locomotive department and divided into two routes. Blue: Banbury to Kingham maximum axle loading 17tons 12cwt on any one axle.

[@andrewmarch7891]

Many thanks Paul and Rebecca, one really wonders why such a delightful access would be built; the brickwork was very neat could it be a bit of placatory work to keep sweet a landowner? It didn't look very well used such that one could see.

[@SeeScotland]

Nice one Guy's

[@leroyholm9075]

Paul. A suggestion The low ceiling access underpass. As it is the cotswolds could this be a sheep crossing?

[@pwhitewick]

Very good point.

[@tpobrienjr]

Notgrove may be kin to Frog Not, which is somewhere in East Texas, if I remember right.

[@Kent884]

Definitely looks like a farm access tunnel, there's one at Holme lacy under the trackbed which is amazing and has cobbled flooring :)

[@lyledal]

If you're not directly on the line, then it is not the same! Geez, Paul. You should know that! :D

[@acleray]

If that blue bricked building was a signal box I think it would have openings at the base, or near to base, for the rods and wires.

[@pwhitewick]

We think in hindsight it was just a workers office or store room.

[@saltleywsc]

Great video lots of waffle and locomotion dancing !

[@davidsheriff8989]

You two are a breath of fresh air with all the rubbish on media...stay healthy keep walking....

[@jonswinfield9336]

I’ve just been introduced to your fantastic channel via Geoff Marshall When I was a child my dad walked me on so may disused Railway lines just using as OS map They were usually muddy and full of brambles I live in south London and would love to try some of these How do I plan and where do I start? Are there good books to follow or do I find an OS map? I’m going to slowly work my way through all your videos including the canal ones etc 😊

[@pwhitewick]

Welcome to the channel Jon. Best resource by a mile at the moment is a website called railmaponline. Stick it in Google and watch the hours zip by!!

[@jonswinfield9336]

@@pwhitewick thanks a lot for replying to me I really appreciate it 😊

[@annarboriter]

You seem to stumble on the culverts and the agricultural underpasses/ dry culverts (isn't there a proper name for them?) but would these not have been included on railway maps? I would have thought that they would have necessitated inspections and upkeep as long as the railroads relied on their function

[@barryroberts2196]

"What's through the round window?", now that takes me back but what was the programme called ??

[@steve.b.23]

Here's a house Here's a door. Windows, 1... 2... 3... 4. Ready to knock? Turn the lock.... It's Play School!

[@barryroberts2196]

@@steve.b.23 Cheers.

[@RouXRenard]

Please check out the Rotherham Masborough Station

[@Kevin_Hones]

I’m really looking forward to the next episode of Old Abandoned Cows 🤔 I suspect I misheard at 11:08

[@60_Degrees_North]

If you misheard, then your not the only one. 🐄🐄

[@60_Degrees_North]

I've just listened again... Paul said abandoned Canals. 🤭

[@TheLoneTwinRanger]

You should do a video in Telford the town was built on old canals and railways

[@Andrewjg_89]

There's a KZbinr who has done abandoned railways and is bit like Geoff Marshall. And that's Nodrog. As he has done abandoned railways in the North of England and local to his area. I do like abandoned railways. Very interesting.

[@Pinzpilot101]

The Slaughters...nothing to do with killing....comes from the olde English word for muddy place 'slother.' ?...Just remember I was a kid growing up around here, how lucky I was Old railways everywhere...loads and loads of abandoned airfields too back then....Some of the buildings still had clothing hanging up in them as if people just walked out the gates, locked them and left everything...sometimes even vehicles like fire engines. You have to do a vid on the old Banbury Ironstone railway......Used to be an engine shed with two Sentinel Diesels in it....I can tell you about a time when I fell through the roof...lucky kid was I...... I fell right on top of one of the diesels.....a bit further and I'd have been in the pit and probably badly injured...I was about ten yrs old and a little terror. And don't forget the old railway that came out of the other side of Banbury and went to Buckingham......loads of history there. As an aside, without knowing it, while walking, you were so close to so many ex Government ministers, Rock Stars and various worthies who all have their hideaways in old converted Farms, Manor Houses and Barns around that area.....It also used to have a good number of Posh schools dotted around, but I think most of them have all gone to the wall. (Most of the poshies have realised that a good education doesn't matter these days, you just 'buy' your posh brats into positions of power.

[@brianartillery]

There's a very interesting Neolithic long barrow at Notgrove. It has been excavated, and you can see the internal structure. And that's all I know about Notgrove.

[@dazzlingdaz187]

Slaughter on the Water was an episode of Midsomer Murders....

[@bazmurphy7792]

They have a very nice model shop in Bourton. You missed it. 😆

[@markiangooley]

I see the name and it’s: “these wolds... they’re full of COTS!”

[@johnharrison6808]

Those locos are a tad overpowered for running four coaches aren't they?

[@pwhitewick]

Its one of the Network Rail Test trains, so they run that up and down every line in the uk and it measures the tracks and checks for cracks etc.

[@johnharrison6808]

@@pwhitewick yeah but still, two when one can easily handle a heavier train?

[@frankupton5821]

"Stow on the Wold, where the wind blows cold"

[@rexgeorg7324]

that was fasinating lol

[@Randomstuffs261]

2:20 4 lines running through the town... and we demolished all of them, gosh that's sad

[@pras12100]

At 2:20 is a map of the lines around Kingham Station. The line running roughly North/South is still in use as is the (much reduced) station.

[@Randomstuffs261]

@@pras12100 3/4 is pretty grim still

[@XANDRE.]

What kind of Drone do you use? My dad is interested in getting one, but despite his research has no idea what he wants to get.

[@JamesHardiman99]

My daughter used to be the General Manager at Lower Slaughter Manor ... and she got married there.

[@leegregory9]

Will you be visiting all the Isle of Wight disused stations?

[@pwhitewick]

Most certainly

[@malcolmsmith6615]

That building could have been for just about anything. Small buildings in railways yards were really common and had many purposes. Unlikely to have contained machinery or equipment though, more likely to house personnel or materials.