One for the train buffs.

[CitroJim]

Good to see proper semaphore signals still in use

[mickthemaverick]

Lovely set of semaphores there Neil, they'd look great alongside your signal box!!

[NewcastleFalcon]

Lovely set of semaphores there Neil, they'd look great alongside your signal box!!

I would have them in an instant if they were gratis.


Maybe heritage railway acquire them of will they just be scrapped and the oh so nice semaphores end up in a skip. Probably too many railway enthusiasts around willing to pay good money for such things, but the demolition contractors could see the whole lot as scrap metal, and the easiest way to dispose of them.

I think that those signals will go the journey, this gubbins was next to them.

Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Could this be a call for an FCF raiding party?

[NewcastleFalcon]

Its all quite current they are starting the demolition of both boxes this month. The pics I took this morning are likely to be the last before demolition starts.

As well as many pics of the Bridge, I also took a picture of a lump of concrete, which was right next to

More for the Concrete lover than the train buff so I'll put it on POTD but hardly likely to be in for an award

Neil

[Rp0thejester]

Have a word with the contractors, they won't bite. It costs money to fill and remove a skip they will probably be happy for you to have it.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Not a new Railway, used to carry passengers/freight only now, but getting a much needed makeover, new stations and emerging as The Northumberland Line connecting SE Northumberland with the Tyneside/Wearside Metro system and directly to Newcastle.

This is Ashington Station as is March 11th 2024. Just along the line the signal boxes/crossings/signalling each side of the black bridge over the River Wansbeck are being demolished, and new equipment installed.

Neil

[CitroJim]

Not a new Railway, used to carry passengers/freight only now, but getting a much needed makeover, new stations and emerging as The Northumberland Line connecting SE Northumberland with the Tyneside/Wearside Metro system and directly to Newcastle.

That's excellent Neil, always good to see a line reopening to passenger traffic

[NewcastleFalcon]

A key priority for the new passenger rail project is ensuring real value for money for journeys, making it quick and affordable for customers to travel between Northumberland and Newcastle.

The maximum off-peak single fare (for the full line from Ashington to Newcastle) will be less than £3, with an innovative approach to pricing to enable customers to combine peak and off-peak tickets to get the best value travel. Cheaper fares for customers aged 21 and under will start from £1 single.

The rail line will be open from Summer 2024 and is set to transform accessibility to employment, training and leisure for residents in south east Northumberland, as well as opening up a raft of new opportunities for education and travel.

​Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

You have to put a bit of effort in to find this viaduct. Not on a disused branch line this is the Plessey Viaduct where the East Coast Mainline crosses the River Blyth. Best photos of it are aerial from a drone, but plenty satisfaction in making the effort to find it.

With the recent rain the river is an unappealing brown.

Dominating the woodland floor...wild garlic

and the path...nicely peppered with named bricks

Neil

[CitroJim]

That's a fine structure, I do like a good viaduct I always associate Plessey with electronic equipment... To find a viaduct called that caused me to do a quick web search...

Is it near Plessey Woods Country Park?

[NewcastleFalcon]

That's a fine structure, I do like a good viaduct I always associate Plessey with electronic equipment... To find a viaduct called that caused me to do a quick web search...

Is it near Plessey Woods Country Park?

It is. Shortest access to it is from the A1 the layby just past the road bridge over the River Blyth just south of Stannington. Path follows the River east from the Road bridge. Viaduct is about a mile along the path which continues on and connects with Plessey Woods Country Park.

Neil

[CitroJim]

Excellent Thanks Neil!

[NewcastleFalcon]

A little further North, I couldn't picture where the East Coast Mainline crosses the next River up, The Wansbeck.
It had to be somewhere between Morpeth and Pegswood because Morpeth Station is still on the "South" side of the river. while Pegswood is North.

Yet another "unseen from the road" Viaduct in a wooded ravine, but from pictures high and handsome in stone. I've looked at the map and its pretty adjacent to the delightfully named "Climbing Tree Farm". No point keeping these bits of unknown Northumberland to myself, you would have thought that by now in my wanderings I would have seen everything there is to see round these parts. Not a bit keep curious, keep looking always something new to discover.

Neil

[CitroJim]

Indeed Neil, always something new to discover