The Derby Friargate Line Rediscovered - Nottingham to Kimberley

[@grahamsmith7885]

Following on from my last comment yesterday . Yes the trackbed was relatively flat , there was no incline .As the line passed Hempshill Fan and Nuthall sidings the cutting it was in got increasingly deeper .By the time the line reached Kimberley the deep cutting led the line into Kimberley tunnel and then into the station complex. There was a lot of subsidence on this section of the line due to mine workings .The original signal box at Nuthall sidings sank completely into the ground and the replacement box which is seen in the later photographs was built on top of it ! From Hempshill Fan the line passed under all the bridges you showed in you video not over them . Hempshill Fan (seen on the OS map you showed in your video ) was built to help with air flow through Babbington Colliery .I thoroughly enjoyed your video , some interesting stuff there that I didn't know . Well done . Nice shot of my house as well !

[@striderpaul]

The building (14:17) near the M1 with a horizontal sleeper looks like the remains of buffer stops. Thanks for another great video.

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thanks very much Paul

[@tre243t]

At Kimberley you were the wrong side of the main station building - what you were looking at in 'the sidings' was the goods yard and entrance to the station. '''brilliant film - my friend Paul and me walked Derby to Nottingham in the early 70's - when most of the infrastructure was intact including the Kimberley tunnel - we walked through it...Thank you!

[@chrisbradley1192]

Thanks Ant. Brought back some memories. I lived in Kimberley and used to walk to work at the Met Office in Watnall along Newdigate Street/Road. The cutting was being filled in at this time, so it would have happened around 1990 or shortly after.

[@Tone720]

I used to live in Ilkeston, had Bennerley Viaduct in the view from my bedroom window for Years.

[@tango6nf477]

The extension was another line created mainly for freight i.e. coal, but it also provided vital links between the West and East Midlands for passengers. We Debian's also knew it as the "Skeggy Line" as there were summer excursions to the East Coast resorts like Skegness. Its a familiar story, road transport and cars took over and slowly but surely Industry and people stopped using the line. A real pity as today the need for alternatives to roads would have made that East / West (or vice versa) link really valuable.

[@garymutten4093]

Those then photos of Kimberly look so permanent, its tragic these railways were totally wiped from existence. Excellent and informative video as always Ant.

[@bobingram6912]

It's almost depressing when you show those old B&Ws especially when there's is no current reference point e.g.those tunnel portals lost forever😭. Excellent walk Ant, roll on the follow up👍👍👍

[@malcolmrichardson3881]

Very interesting walk to the quite splendid former Kimberley Station. Little else remains apart from cuttings and embankments, but thankfully those superb archive images allow us to picture this once busy section of the Nottinghamshire railway network.

[@metrotechguru5863]

The maps, the music and the drone footage: what a splendid video. Thanks for creating it.

[@a11csc]

fantastic to see kimberley station Ant

[@jetsons101]

Ant, Spring is starting to show, it's really starting to turn green and lush. It would be so much fun to walk along as you're making the vid. Thanks for keeping history alive....

[@152clive]

thanks ant as always i loved it its a pleasure watching your videos. watching you walking in the rain for our benefits just shows how much that you enjoy making them for us .once again thank you

[@RaggyAl1971]

I have two sound recordings made in Kimberley signal box by Alf Henshaw in the early 1960s.

[@JanMartin-co9oo]

all the history of a once great railway gone but not forgotten thanks for this wonderful adventure

[@Carolb66]

Hi Ant, another enjoyable walk very pretty scenery. The trees, canal, tram lines & birds singing. Its amazing to think what use to be there all the lines, viaducts, signal boxes etc. You do a great job of fighting your way through what natures taken over to tell us ths story of the past. Regarding Kimberley it makes me think of the late great Victoria Wood, an audience with & Kimberleys friend, priceless. ❤😊👍

[@lorisarvendu]

I walked down there a year ago, and was told by an elderly couple that the capstone you found was from an old occupation bridge nearby that they remembered.

[@vehicletransmission]

Thanks for this. You tread where many can't get to but wish we could. I followed this on side by side maps a month ago. Good to see it in person now.

[@Jimyjames73]

Very clever of you to find all of them old B / W Photos of the old Railway line!!! 🤔🚂🚂🚂

[@Teesbrough]

Very grateful for this video as the Friargate line has always been a bit of a mystery to me. I remember the M1 terminating at Nuthall but I see this was only between August 1966 and May 1967. At that time the interchange was all but out in the countryside.

[@2010ditta]

Glad there were a few things still existing for you to find. Lovely station building at the end, and as always great archive pictures. Very enjoyable. All the best.

[@shirleylynch7529]

Another brilliant explore. Lovely colours. Great filming. Great to see the bridges and hidden culvert. Thank you Ant . Bet you had to put your shoes in the washing machine when you got home.

[@martinmarsola6477]

Thank you for the walking this day. Always look forward to them, and a discussion of what I am seeing. Enjoy your weekend, as always, see you on the next. Cheers Ant! 🇬🇧🙂👍🇺🇸

[@TrekkingExploration]

Glad you enjoyed it Martin thank you

[@RalphFreeman-ok5of]

Between the Cinderhill Branch and the viaduct there used to be sidings and a coaling tower. I lived not far away and used to play on the marshy area under the viaduct in the the early 60s.

[@suzyqualcast6269]

Blue bricks at 6.30ish remind of that massive viaduct built of same at far end of Birdholme, near to Donkins/Tube Works, Chesterfield, by Lordsmill St roundabout, which used to go over the still used mainline and extant Hornes Bridge and which, confusingly, also used to be called.

[@autofare3]

The blue bridge near the start of the walk is a part of a bridge which was over the GC connecting Hucknall Road with ST ALbans Road next to Parkwood Court. This was called ha'penny bridge as that was the half penny fare stage from Victoria Station. It's a footpath now but the blue section of bridge was moved to Cinderhill Footway where it is now.

[@ste.h9825]

Very interesting and informative as usual.Thanks Ant.

[@trainsinkansas576]

Nice photo of train on viaduct. Great video. Meriden, Kansas

[@simonrichardson5077]

Great work Ant,keep em coming ,thanks

[@christoppo33]

Yes brilliant video

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thanks very much :)

[@peterkendall1946]

Great video, really interesting, keep the good work coming. 👍

[@maxthecat14]

The old railways may be gone, but what wonderful places to walk they have become.Thanks for another interesting video.

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thanks very much for watching

[@clivebaldwin3809]

I grew up in Eastwood and used to catch the train originally at the old Eastwood station on the line from Pinxton but later from Kimberley to go to Nottingham. So this is all very interesting.

[@grahamsmith7885]

The stream that runs down by the side of the path from Hempshill fan (Low Wood Road )is in fact the line of the trackbed . The path you have been walking along is to the right and higher than the original track bed. The line beyond Nuthall sidings gradually went into a very deep cutting that was filled in with household refuse by the local council . As you walk along the path towards Kimberley the old track bed is about 30 feet down below your feet .

[@TrekkingExploration]

Oh that's surprising. That must have been some whacking big incline to get on top of that bridge then as what appears to be the trackbed stays flat

[@andrewmarriott4033]

Thants a great walk been on the spoil heaps near Phoenix park and up the path of the main road towards watnall I keep saying it’s a shame they got rid off all these railways 👍

[@logtothebase2]

Recently rode my bike along the Hempshill to Kimberly section and then up to Swigate and Strelly via the farm track bridge over the M1, then a bit lost looking for the source of the Totley Brook, dont ask! It was a great explore, used to play and Walk the family dog on the Nuttall to New farm section with my Parents back in the 70's. I think the new path is more on the edge of the tack bed than along it, as it was a shallow cutting most of the way, fed by springs and mostly liquid even back then, now Trees and an impenetrable thicket. Teetering down the steps with my Bike to the station was a challenge. Anyway thanks for the Video, not discovered the section from Bagnall, or been over the Cinderhill colliery hill so great to see that as well. Thanks for the content.

[@tonybates2105]

Love these videos thanks , have you thought about making one on the melbourne military line , there's a lot of remains around there

[@helenthorne8451]

Hi Ant hope your well that was lovely to see what's left and I'm always hunting for railway anything which I now live nr the old Lincolnshire loop line so lots to see on there take care xx

[@suzyqualcast6269]

Kennersley as was - and is, is neat and dumbfounding. Sculpted out by man's eager hand then in filled and aLtErEd, by same artist, have to say the earlier wide open appears much preferable to the then, later, imagining.

[@bobjackson6524]

Brilliant. Great ending to a lovely walk. 🙌

[@fenpikey]

Greetings from East Suffolk! I had often wondered if I originated from this neck of the woods being born & bred further south on the Midland at Bedford with the surname of Babbington with the obvious connection being what was the coilliery along with the hamlet near Kimberley.

[@JohnSmith-uw7su]

As boys, we would catch the train from Basford North on the LNER line to Awsworth, where we would fish in the canal and walk to the Benerly viaduct.

[@simonballard6413]

Another great video, Ant. Thanks so much - I always feel sad at all the infilling. Why not preserve these marvellous historical achievements?

[@dilwyn1]

Great vid Ant ... As always very interesting, in particular the Capping stone, used as a mounting block. As a rider I would say it is a bit low, but has to be the epitome of recycling, but fair play to the local authority for their innovation.

[@johnnyroadcrew3841]

Nice one .. .. ..

[@johncarold]

Thanks again Ant for a fun walk.

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thanks very much 😊

[@clairependrous4512]

Brilliant, thank you.

[@chrisbayly5457]

Thanks Ant, excellent...

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thanks very much Chris

[@sharonthewalkingexplore.107]

Great video awesome

[@pixe1refr35h]

Great video as always Ant, look forward to more videos following this line

[@ianr]

Another excellent video! Always a pleasure to watch. 🙂👍

[@TrekkingExploration]

Very kind Ian thank you

[@railwaychristina3192]

Brilliant as usual , thank you

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thanks very much 😊

[@inbetween-days]

Another fantastic video. Enjoyed this so much. Thank you for sharing. Have a great weekend. Best wishes Dave and Dawn ❤️

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thanks very much you too 😄

[@stevechaplin9612]

I have some video of steam trains running over bennerley viaduct that I cool get some stills off if you need them. Regards Steve

[@ukman9797]

Nice explore Ant. Very interesting. Thank you.

[@TrekkingExploration]

Very kind thank you

[@michaelmiller641]

Thanks for that video, Ant, fascinating!

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thanks very much Michael

[@barrythedieselelectricstea5217]

excellent video as always 👍sad to see most of this railway disappear when it should be still a working railway so much of our heritage gone forever we need railways not distory them less cars on the road

[@thatguyfromcetialphaV]

The platforms at Friargate station are still in place, as is the goods warehouse, and a couple of signal posts, but the whole area is overgrown. Pity.

[@russellshaw9545]

Brilliant video as always 👍

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thanks very much Russell

[@russellshaw9545]

@@TrekkingExploration my mum and dad live on Newdigate street.I was lucky to walk through Watnall tunnel before it was filled in.Cant wait for you to visit the other portal on the other line.Keep up the good work 👍

[@TrekkingExploration]

@@russellshaw9545 yes I think in the summer after a couple of weeks of dry weather it'll be possible

[@andrewbadder7537]

Someone may have already said but I’m sure that blue bridge was made out of that metal section of that viaduct in your picture I could be wrong but I’m sure it is

[@dennismay1023]

I read somewhere that the latticework bridge over the River Leen was salvaged from the Great Central, where it carried the footpath between Park Lane and Hucknall Rd in Basford. Perhaps some more knowledgeable rail people could confirm or deny this?