The Lost Mansfield & Southwell Railway Part 2

The Lost Nottinghamshire Railway - Mansfield & Southwell Railway Part 2

***link to part 1 - https://youtu.be/fxTnksbcdKE

We’re continuing our journey down the Mansfield to Southwell branch of the Midland Railway. In part 1 we started at the fabulous Drury Dam viaduct near Mansfield town centre and followed the route of the line as far as Rainworth.
In this 2nd episode were continuing down the line to Southwell and finishing at Rolleston Junction near Newark.

So we’ll pick up the story just outside the village of Farnsfield.
Some of the old platform are visible in the bushes. Although the line would appear to be single track, there was indeed a passing loop and two through platforms through Farnsfield. Opening in 1871, passenger services ceased between Southwell and Mansfield in 1929.

From 1931, the Mid-Nottinghamshire Joint Line was added leaving just east of Farnsfield, by which time the station had closed – this accessed the Bilsthorpe colliery and onwards towards Ollerton. Again, Bilsthorpe is another colliery that was accessed from The Clipstone for many years after our line closed.

Next we see Kirklington and Ediningley former station. Another superb example.

Remember that from opening in 1847, Southwell was the terminus of the line before it was extended to Mansfield in 1871. The station was rebuilt at that time with that beautiful old building we saw, part of which is now a B&B. The rest of the station now appears to be a modern housing estate. I understand the Final Whistle pub (shown on old maps as the Newcastle Arms) is well worth a visit with many railway related artefacts on show. We didn’t have time on the day, but well worth a revisit.

Although the passenger service west of Southwell ceased in 1929, Southwell did manage to keep a single carriage passenger service from Rolleston until 1959 – a push pull service referred to as the Southwell Paddy. There was a goods shed on hand where the Paddy was stabled and a branch to the mill just up the road.

The station once had platforms on both lines and was known as Rolleston Junction. A little different from the rural sleepy two platform minor stop it is today.

Our attempts to explore the old platforms were thwarted by excessive vegetation, a few years ago Pete (remember pete the mountain goat from a Clowne video last year?). He visited in winter and photographed some of the old platforms and few superb relics left in the woods.

In 1929, a new connection was added from Southwell to Fiskerton Junction for freight trains to access Nottingham from the Southwell direction. Therefore creating a triangle. Although this junction disappeared many years ago, the Fiskerton Junction signal box only just closed in 2015.

Видео The Lost Mansfield & Southwell Railway Part 2 канала Wobbly Runner Exploring