This video is a copy of a Bury Cine Society film taken in standard-8 on the last day of trains on the line in August 1963. The commentary is spoken by Terry Ashworth in a recording made in the 1990s.
This is a wonderfully nostalgic video reminding us of railways we once had. Of course we are all sorry now in these days of reducing our carbon footprint and the number of cars on the roads that we did not keep and develop these lines.
I remember fondly the trains running on this line. The sidings at Woolfold terrified me as a kid, as there were lots of lines to cross, as you can see in the video. Also there were loads of coal heaps, which local residents used to help themselves to in the dead of night!! Great video.
I live in Tottington and and use this route as a shortcut to Brandlesholme Road. Have also used it as shortcut from Brandlesholme Road to the big Tesco.
The old line between brandlesholme and greenmount was my playground in the 1960s 1970s ,woolfold was used as a short cut from Elton High school to bankhouse Road where I lived, olives paper mill in the valley below the line, the old viaduct just before woolfold was blown up, I watched it happen ,as kids we tied ropes to the railings and swung over the little stream in the bottom, as we got older we used the line for motorbike riding , fishing in olives paper mill lodges , and what all kids do build dens, along the line at woolfold was a area of small pens where pigs were kept, it was known locally as " Sammys pen" further north along the line it was bounded in part with farm land . Fond memories of a abandoned line.
Wonder what happened to any other footage taken on the day? At least one movie camera is evident. Pity no photo record of the line prior to demolition has surfaced. Also good to finally have the trackbed footpath from Greenmount to Bury completed. I remember BR 'refencing' the line between Brandlesholme Rd Halt and Woolfold immediately before the line was closed. I naively thought they'd decided to keep it open!!
Always stunned to think that rail is closed the tramsthst out completed rail are gone most local buses gone then we are told we should stop using our cars so much short sited transport planning by Out **Leaders** I'm a Londoner and much of the regeneration around Docklands was facilitated by the reuse of routes bridge and tunnels abandoned due ww2 damage or run down of dock facilities in fact if DLR had not had room to be planned the the Docklands Regeneration would not have had Government Support as Docklands Light Railways makes use of a number of redundant lines and infrastructure and if it had been built over or blocked the DLR would have cost perhaps too much. The DLR was the seed corn for the regeneration of Docklands and building of new Finance centre and the City airport and new city of Canary Wharf.... Investment in Public Transport encourages Private Money and Interest and sadly the opposite is true poor transport links blight an area...
It's nice to see footage of railways before scraping or preservation but for mine it is impossible. I live next to the route that was the frigate line and too much is in the way now which couldn't be removed without SIGNIFICANT investment or peoples backing.
That looks a bit dangerous, all those folk walking all over those deadly conductor rails, still weren't they all turned off and disconnected north of bolton street tunnel after 1951?
What a lovely nostalgic film, never heard of the branch, thanks for posting!
This is a wonderfully nostalgic video reminding us of railways we once had. Of course we are all sorry now in these days of reducing our carbon footprint and the number of cars on the roads that we did not keep and develop these lines.
I remember fondly the trains running on this line. The sidings at Woolfold terrified me as a kid, as there were lots of lines to cross, as you can see in the video. Also there were loads of coal heaps, which local residents used to help themselves to in the dead of night!! Great video.
i love it. thankyou so much for posting. the steam train goes through one of my fields.. the e.l.r, that is. x
This is amazing, and incredibly rare footage. The area has changed so much. This is a wonderful video.
I live in Tottington and and use this route as a shortcut to Brandlesholme Road. Have also used it as shortcut from Brandlesholme Road to the big Tesco.
Ive been looking for this video for ages, thank you again....truely great to see the old days.
eagle1711 poor quality video not worth watching! Can't see anything!
So sad that we just ripped up these lines........😩
We need them now 😊
Thanks to the members of Bury Cine society for recording this unique event.
Excellent video, I run and walk down the old lines regularly. What a pity it wasn't still open with Met stations all the way to Holcombe Brook.
gentle nostalgia , and very watchable
The old line between brandlesholme and greenmount was my playground in the 1960s 1970s ,woolfold was used as a short cut from Elton High school to bankhouse Road where I lived, olives paper mill in the valley below the line, the old viaduct just before woolfold was blown up, I watched it happen ,as kids we tied ropes to the railings and swung over the little stream in the bottom, as we got older we used the line for motorbike riding , fishing in olives paper mill lodges , and what all kids do build dens, along the line at woolfold was a area of small pens where pigs were kept, it was known locally as " Sammys pen" further north along the line it was bounded in part with farm land . Fond memories of a abandoned line.
I lived at Woolfold till 1959 then Sunnywood, Tottington. Like to think it was my friends and I watching it go past? Carol Rothwell as was.
Refreshing to see no hivis jackets anywhere
Amazing i live near tottington and i have walked over the viaduct many times
Wonder what happened to any other footage taken on the day? At least one movie camera is evident. Pity no photo record of the line prior to demolition has surfaced. Also good to finally have the trackbed footpath from Greenmount to Bury completed. I remember BR 'refencing' the line between Brandlesholme Rd Halt and Woolfold immediately before the line was closed. I naively thought they'd decided to keep it open!!
Great record
August 17, 1963. A week after the Great Train Robbery, 40 miles short of London Euston. The Tottington line was obviously more quiet.
Brilliant
Always stunned to think that rail is closed the tramsthst out completed rail are gone most local buses gone then we are told we should stop using our cars so much short sited transport planning by
Out **Leaders**
I'm a Londoner and much of the regeneration around Docklands was facilitated by the reuse of routes bridge and tunnels abandoned due ww2 damage or run down of dock facilities in fact if DLR had not had room to be planned the the Docklands Regeneration would not have had Government Support as Docklands Light Railways makes use of a number of redundant lines and infrastructure and if it had been built over or blocked the DLR would have cost perhaps too much.
The DLR was the seed corn for the regeneration of Docklands and building of new Finance centre and the City airport and new city of Canary Wharf....
Investment in Public Transport encourages Private Money and Interest and sadly the opposite is true poor transport links blight an area...
It's nice to see footage of railways before scraping or preservation but for mine it is impossible. I live next to the route that was the frigate line and too much is in the way now which couldn't be removed without SIGNIFICANT investment or peoples backing.
That looks a bit dangerous, all those folk walking all over those deadly conductor rails, still weren't they all turned off and disconnected north of bolton street tunnel after 1951?