Spalding to March (Forty Foot River to Whitemoor)

SirTainly May 4, 2006

  1. SirTainly

    SirTainly TrainBoard Member

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    Since Monday was a holiday here, I set off to further my photography of the Spalding to March line, I walked from the Forty Foot River goods yard down to the Whitemoor marshalling yard, which is still in use, albeit truncated and with a heavily reduced capacity. Sadly since North end on the yard is now a prison, I didn't dare to take many photos of the stuff I could see in the yard, especially since I would have had to venture slightly of the footpath to do so.

    http://warweb.homelinux.net/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=SpaldingMarch
     
  2. StickyMonk

    StickyMonk TrainBoard Member

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    I cant belive how few of the rail network still exists here in spalding now, all the old yard and engine shed are now houses :(
     
  3. Alan

    Alan Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    With the east coast main line reaching capacity, they now wish they still had the Spalding-March line :rolleyes:
     
  4. StickyMonk

    StickyMonk TrainBoard Member

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    Would be intresting to see it rebuilt, rather a few houses in the way now :D (not to mention the Prison!)
     
  5. Tractor Girl

    Tractor Girl TrainBoard Member

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    If it were rebuilt, I would hope for some Spalding - March passenger services. Would make my trips to Ipswich that bit easier by cutting out Peterborough.
     
  6. Alan

    Alan Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I think it would also bring some East Anglia-Doncaster freights back to the "Joint". :)
     
  7. SirTainly

    SirTainly TrainBoard Member

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    Actually the line could be rebuilt if they used the alignment that swings to the right of the prison (approaching from the 40' direction) and they cuts back into the old yard in the area that's currently just rubble from the remodelling. I doubt it would ever happen though, EWS would have a fit if someone else wanted to use the yard lead, they are already moaning that the Bramley Line society wants to use it.

    Can't quite remember as it's been a few years since I last went to Spalding (for my driving test! :) ) is the line to March the one that would have gone over that old railbridge that hangs over the river ?
     
  8. StickyMonk

    StickyMonk TrainBoard Member

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    I belive it is, although I am sure my dad will say if its not.......

    There is a nice BIG new house built just over the bridge on the old line, if it was to go that way it would have to be knocked down, I wonder if they get ghost trains running through their house at night?? :D
     
  9. Martyn Read

    Martyn Read TrainBoard Supporter

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    Not sure EWS would be the ones to complain, March is a NR yard and green and blue sheds are as common as far as I know :)
     
  10. StickyMonk

    StickyMonk TrainBoard Member

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    Are there any good spots for photography near March? I have not been there before and would like to take a trip out there.
     
  11. Alan

    Alan Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I intend going to March in the near future, I believe there is a footpath alongside the yard where you can get pictures if you are tall, or take something to stand on ;)

    Saturdays may be best as they are getting ready for weekend engineering trains.
     
  12. SirTainly

    SirTainly TrainBoard Member

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    Not sure about a path, I walked it the other weekend and the path that runs along the west side can see nothing due to massive earth banks that have been created when the yard was remodelled. There was nothing on the east side, at least when coming from the walk past the prison. I'll take another trip over as it's only about 10 miles and see if there's another path starting from inside the inudstrial estate.
     
  13. SirTainly

    SirTainly TrainBoard Member

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    Well if you want to avoid the station itself, and depending on if there is a path alongside the yard, one of the level crossings out near Turves is good. You'll be able to catch everything heading to Peterborough.

    Going the other way, Ely is only about another 15 miles away, and an easy drive. The area around Queen Adelaide is great, 2 bridges and 3 level crossings in half a mile of road. ;)
     
  14. Martyn Read

    Martyn Read TrainBoard Supporter

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    Alan - this is a very useful site - lots of other local photo locations on there in that area if you wanted some variation. It references the path here as an update - I think Sunil on the DEMU forum had some shots posted from the path there?
    http://www.trainspots.co.uk/locpage.php?ts_number=108
     
  15. SirTainly

    SirTainly TrainBoard Member

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    Martyn, that's Whitemoor Junction, which is at the lead into the yard, and is not the yard itself. I've not tried to get access from that end, only the prison end, and although that's not good for photography, you can walk along the road in front of the prison you can look down each siding in the yard to see what is stored.
     
  16. SirTainly

    SirTainly TrainBoard Member

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    Ok I went over to Whitemoor last night and was lucky enough to see 2 GBRf 66s, one with a ballast train. The Path from the bridge does as I suspected, only go alongside the lead tracks. You can just see the end of the wagons in the yard from there, but the banks, trees and 20' high wooden fences block most of the view. I'll post the shots I took on my website once I've installed the new hard drive in the PC tonight.

    Simon
     
  17. Alan

    Alan Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thanks Simon. Not very good for photography, then, unless a train pulls out of the yard? Any chance of pgotographing any wagons?
     
  18. SirTainly

    SirTainly TrainBoard Member

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    That's more or less the deal although you may get better mileage with a long lens from the end of the bridge that's away from the path. I could just see the end hopper in the yard from there, but since my 300mm lens doesn't work with the new camera, I had no chance of getting a shot in. You can see clearly into the yard from the prison end, but then you have to shoot through a fence and small trees, and right infront of the prison, which I wasn't comfortable with.

    I've just uploaded my shots to

    http://warweb.homelinux.net/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=whitemoor1

    I haven't yet done the labels, so just to say the trains were arriving from the Peterborough direction, the other leg of the wye you can see in the photos leads to March station. One of the shots show's the start of the Bramley line too ( the route between the big wooden fence panels).
     
  19. Alan

    Alan Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Certainly looks rather different than it did back in steam days!
     

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  20. Tractor Girl

    Tractor Girl TrainBoard Member

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    I paid a trip to Ipswich again Yesterday. Passed through March so I took these. This is on the East bound looking left.

    [​IMG]
     

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