Forgotten and abandoned railway relics at Spring View, Wigan Pt 1
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ม.ค. 2023
- Part 1 of Mr H's bimble around the ponds and flashes of Spring View Fisheries in Spring View near Wigan, to see if the remains of the railway lines and goods sidings that used to be in the area that he remembers from his childhood are still there 40 years later.
#railways #ruins #abandonedplaces
Just stumbled upon your channel .Not in best of health, just finished treatment for liver cancer which got me just after base of tongue cancer, but still here. Splenty time to watch the back catalogue. Glad to have found your channel mr H. All the best from t'other side of Billinge lump.
From the local area can still remember trainspotting in springs branch in the 1950s the sheds had all the steam trains of the day we used to sit on the wall near the cemetery and wait for all.the top steam trains of the day on the main London line be around 6 of us be about about 8 or 9 years of age up to the minute trainspotting books the drivers would wave going by wonderful times from a bygone age
Really enjoy the local History aspect of these walks , fascinating to see just how quickly nature takes over what was an industrial site. Such a pity these placed are blighted by Fly tipping and access fenced off.
First 👍🏻 love the vids, Mr H, more please.
Great video Mr H! I really like these old abandoned sites.
Hi Mannequin, and glad that you enjoyed the video. 👍
Yes it's amazing what gets left behind and you can find on these sites if you know where to look, it's also fascinates me seeing just how quickly nature reclaims them.
Great video Mr H
Nice video and thanks for reminding me of an area I used to take my son to when he was about 4 ! As a local lad I remember the area in the 60's and spend a lot of time walking around looking for signs of long disappeared industry. As you point out, if you know where to look it can still be found but it is getting harder. The curve you were walking along was the Bamfurlong Loop. Ince Moss Curve was the other side heading up to Springs Branch and the utter confusion of the Moss Pit lines.
Hi Stu, and glad that you liked the video and that it has brought back some memories for you. 👍
I love exploring areas such as this looking for remnants and relics from our industrial past unfortunately as you say they are now getting harder to find.
Regarding the name of the railway curve that I was walking along on old OS maps it is marked as the 'Bamfurlong Loop' as you say however the rail website that I did a bit of research on and a number of photographs of modern day locos on the curve refer to it as 'Ince Moss Curve' so maybe it's since been renamed by Network Rail to reflect the name of the area?
I remember the bloke called DON who used to sit in that little cabin & operate that signal 👍
Enjoyed it Mr H, yesterday's workplace today's dumping area, sad really but that's the way it is now.look forward to the next one, take care buddy.
Hi Stephen, and glad to hear that you enjoyed the video. 👍
It's a shame that flytippers are blighting this area with their unwanted rubbish as otherwise it's quite a nice little bimble.
Hopefully the weather will improve next week and I can get out to do part 2 of this video.
i am from Spring view at the crossing there was a cabin with a bloke who worked for Rainfords, used to chat to him as we went fishing in the ponds. Rainfords dug the ponds to make breeze blocks for alot of years i remember a wagon driver getting killed when is wagon went into one of the ponds.They blocked the crossing because they electrified it .Spent all my childhood over Taylor lane bridge,now its disgusting over there with fly tipping
Hi Terrybenny, I also remember Wm Rainfords working the area and their lorries thundering past.
Although as I remember it they worked the other side of the railway line that's behind me towards the end of this video and would access the area via Cemetery Road and driving alongside the railway fence heading towards what is now called ''Turners Flash' on Google Earth but I know it as Pearsons Flash/Blackwaters.
I Always wondered what they was using the stuff for that they dug out from there so thanks for mentioning that they used it to make breeze blocks.
I always thought the line where the crossing used to be was electrified but if it wasn't back in the day then it makes sense why they have since closed it and fenced it all off although it's now a pain if you want to get to Horrocks Flash from Taylor's Lane bridge.
As for the fly tipping they've simply made it too easy for fly tippers by tarmacking the road leading into the Fisheries and inbetween the ponds I did note that there's a yellow barrier on the other side of Taylor's Lane bridge, but do they ever close it?
@@MrHsHotPot The barrier ive never seen closed.The wagons used to collect the Aggregate from the ponds then drive over the crossing past Spring View fisheries and up tip bridge.Do you remember the big crane we used to dive of it into Rainfords?
Yes I remember seeing the arm of the big crane from across the flash it was a big old rusty thing if I remember rightly.
I went over Rainfords soon after it closed and they had abandoned the site as I'd always been curious as to what they had been up to over there but sadly there was little left to see and the last I remember the area was being used by illegal scramblers until they put up two huge gates to stop anyone from going over there which are still there to this day.
Hay Mr H, I used to train spot at Spring Branch Depot back in the 1990s, early 20s.
I still remember the rail sidings, and they had wagons on them (showing my age). They had Class 08 shutters sorting the wagons. And I'm sure they used Class 20s for delivery. Not long after though the sidings and the 08s became obsolete and the trucks took over, then the rail sidings got ripped up.
From the end of the sidings Spring Branch Depot itself slowly started to decline aswell. Losing it's Class 20s, 31s, 37s, 47s 56s and 60s engines. A big loss to the spotter community!... Those where the days!
Most trains today mostly all look the same, there was variety back then!
I personally, wouldn't recommend the fishing there nether! As you've seen, the fly tipping can be bad there. And leaving your car unattended whilst fishing could end with your car being broken into or damaged! Just a caution for you and your viewers.
Great video pal.🙂👍
Hi Martin, yes Springs Branch Depot was a great place to train spot back in the day especially in the British Rail era and just after sadly for many diesel locos Springs Branch would be their last journey and the chance to be spotted as the rail sidings around the depot quickly filled up with dismantled and partially dismantled locos.
I remember the Class 08 shunters moving wagons about both at Springs Branch sidings and the sidings further up at Westwood well and they was good little workhorses for their size.
You are correct regarding Class 20's being at Springs Branch as I remember at least two of them being there regularly with Class 25's working the line that I'm walking alongside by what is now Spring View Fisheries.
Fully agree with you that most trains now look the same with little to no character but that's progress for you I suppose.
Unfortunately those behind Spring View Fisheries whilst making access to the area easier for it's members and visitors they have also made it far too easy for fly tippers to come and dump their unwanted rubbish as well.
Anyway glad that you enjoyed the video and bringing back some memories of the locos that used to be at Springs Branch Depot. 👍
Interesting video don’t know much about the area but the fishing lakes look ok. As a keen fisherman the one thing I enjoy is not getting away from the wife! it’s seeing the wildlife around you makes it all worth while.
Another good vid Mr h
Great video Mr H look forward to the next one 👍
Hi Richard, glad that you enjoyed the video. 👍
Hopefully the weather will improve next week and I can get out again and do part 2 of this video.
@@MrHsHotPot look forward to it 👍
Nice video Mr H . Makes you wonder what will happen to them old buildings in the future
NICE ONE MR H . My neck of the woods pal but like you am from lower ince . I remember the crossing light back on the day 👈😎👉
Hi Ste Med, glad someone else remembers the crossing light as I was beginning to think I had dreamt it!
Hope you enjoyed the virtual mooch of your stomping ground and all the best. 👍
Interesting video, a drone would be handy to overcome the fence issue. At least the litter is contained within that building and not scattered everywhere in the urea !!!
Fantastic MR H.cant wait for part 2.
Cheers Chris, glad that you enjoyed the video. 👍
Hopefully the weather will improve towards next week and I'll be able to get out to do part 2 of this bimble.
@@MrHsHotPot i hope so mr H.always enjoy you bimbles.
Hi Mr H the man which did that stone work has no sore head today
I believe the holes in the blocks are for hooks or similar device to lift them into position.
Hi Bigyin, years ago when I used to work in the building trade I used a hand tool to lift kerb stones.
it would grab the kerb stone either side and lock on to it allowing two people to manually lift it into place then it could be released.
I should imagine that the device that you are describing is just a bigger version of this tool and that it works in a similar way.
23:45 funnily enough, making the comparison between back then and today those kids with their air rifles would be commiting a firearms offence today haha. Funny how things change
Hi Nick, I never thought about it like that but yes you are right.
Never owned an air rifle back in the day but chucked in for some air pellets with a mate a few times to have a go at shooting cans and bottles etc. Suppose that would also be considered a 'firearms offence' today. Lol.
Its since they reopend the line with new track and electrified it, they locked the gate
Would the holes not be for securing a form of scaffolding? If for lifting the blocks they'd still need some form of frame above the last course?
It really doesn't take long for nature to reclaim what man has done. Just a couple of generations, and very little left behind...
Hi Dan, yes it hasn't taken long for nature to reclaim the area.
This is another area I'd love to hit with the metal detector as I'll bet there's some interesting stuff that's been left behind hidden just below the surface.
Great video, is that structure a bike shed?
concerning the holes in the stone blocks the holes would have been in the bed of the stone to keep it the right way up for lifting.
I know where you're going.. It's on my channel from about 5 years ago. Will be interesting to compare.
Hi Paula, it was your video that popped up in my recommended videos which inspired me to revisit this area and take a look if these ruins were still there as up to watching your video I'd forgotten all about them.
It's a pity I couldn't get to what you filmed five years ago this time thanks to those locked gates but looking over them it still appears to be there. 👍
Hopefully it will still be accessible and in better condition than the building that I showed in this video. 🤞
In search of the deltiks sic
Sadly according to Wikipedia there are now only six of them left in the country Porkyparry.
My father worker for British rail at horwich as a coach fitter. I don't think there would be any work for him now as there isn't much wood in modern trains. He also worked at pemberton caravans were the only tool he needed was a pump screw driver.
Hi I always thought spring view fisheries was private so ive never explored around that area . Can you give me the location of the building and bridge plz
Hi Kevlar, I never saw any signs stating that the area around the fisheries was private just that you needed a Spring View Fisheries permit to fish the waters.
The area is completly open other than a set of gates repurposed from the end of someone's drive barring vehicular access into the little car park where the canteen and toilets are located but these can easily be walked around.
The best way to access the ruins of the railway bridge is to walk from Taylors Lane bridge heading down towards the fisheries, then either take the first path into the trees that you come to on your left (this is the one that I take in the video) but you will need to climb the old railway embankment like I did and come down the other side to get the better view of it.
Or you can ignore the first path on the left and instead keep heading down the road towards the fisheries.
Follow the road round but keep left ignoring the road that runs inbetween the ponds on your right.
Keep on this road ignoring the fisheries carpark on the right as you are now on the railway access road and as the road starts to bend towards the right the ruins of the railway bridge are to your left, you can't miss them.
To get to the concrete building make your way back to the road that runs inbetween the ponds and follow it until you come to the railway fence and the gates in front of you where the crossing used to be in my video.
Then turn left following the path with the railway fence to your right with the pond below you on your left for about five minutes until you get to the other end of the pond and the concrete building is there in front of you with the ruins of the concrete beams and the toilet block a little further on in the trees on the other side of it.
Hope that this helps and all the best. 👍
Those holes were made in 1983 solely for the 'borrowers' so they had somewhere safe and dry to escape the weather👍🏻