Do You Know Wistanstow?
It has a stonkingly super village hall and is on the railway line just north of Craven Arms station.
... managed three slow stopping trains in each direction.
That is about all there is to Wistanstow.
Except, perhaps, a footpath that crosses the raiway ...
... called Wistanstow No 50 crosyiing (no, fbb has no idea why). The notable thing about Wistanstow No 50 foot crossing is that it is not at Wistanstow. It is much closer to Newington and almost at Craven Arms.
The road called Watling Street (formerly crossing the railway) is a simple track, seen here at its northern end.
The foot crossing is on the footpath that runs from Shrewsbury Road (RED - A 49) as a dotted green route across the railway, across some fields and finishing on the yellow road near Lower Barn ...
... now a very posh Barn indeed!
There are no footpath signs, either on Shrewsbury Road or near Lower Barn But maps how the whole route and the crossing.
It is here, at this very crossing, that Notwork Rail have installed their very first "Airfix Kit" plastic footbridge.
There is even a more detailed map which shows the bridge itself.
Notwork Rail says that the bridge is essential as the foot crossing is intrinsically dangerous. Apparently if there is a train in the loop (the third track), pedestrians might not be able to see an oncoming train.
Other commentators have said that N R had chosen a very obscure foot crossing as a test bed knowing that subsequent removal would not cause much hardship if it were a failure!
Here is the framework, installed at night ...
... and here is the finished job.
And here are the locals gathered thereupon for the official opening.
Notwork Rail should get their nomenclature right. It is a foot crossing. A level crossing is either when a road crosses a railway, or when two rail routes cross on the level as below at Newark.
To conclude, a video.
Surplus Bridge At Strathbungo
The bridge crosses the line which serves Crossmyloof Station (off map middle left) in Glasgow, carrying the crowds from Regent Park Square, across Moray Place , across the railway to, amongst other places, Barrhead and delivering its users to Darnley Road an Pollokshields station.
It doesn't appear on maps, possibly because it is a railway bridge and not a City of Glasgow crossing. It doesn't look much from Moray place ...
... but you can peep though the trees.
It is hardly more exciting viewed from Darnley Road ...
... but it looks much better with the undergrowth cleared prior to the bridge's removal. 
Here is Notwork Rail again.
Glasgow's loss is Brechin's gain. Bet its replacement won't look so good!
See told you so!
Motay place is home to one of the finest of Alexander (Greek) Thomson's designs.
You can see where he got his nickname from!
Perhaps the most beautiful of all 19th-century terraces, this was Thomson’s first speculative development.
A serene long classical colonnaded terrace, two storeys high, visually stopped by full-height pilastered, Greek pedimented end bays. Viewed from the end, the pilasters of the central range conceal the recessed decorative doors, the frameless windows and even the mutual walls between houses.
The deep cornices are decorated with exquisitely carved anthemion (stylised honeysuckle) at eaves level and with Greek key at first floor. Lotus-flower chimneypots can be seen at the rear.
Strashbungo Station stood on the Crossmyloof line next to Pollokshields West with an entrance on the adjacent bridge.
It later became the well-liked local Suzie's Stores.
Northampton Nostalgia
Sheffield correspondent Bob has sent fbb some shots of this 1927 guide to Northampton. It includes THREE adverts for coach travel, back then something of a novelty.
There is Coombs, a name not known to fbb.
... advertising their Brockway Safety Coach. The label on the side stated "Pride of the Midlands".
Brockway were American chassis builders.
And Beedens...
... with Lancia Safety Coaches. fbb can remember Beeden's Garage.
And Allchin
Yesterday's Puzzle Picture
Part of the sea front at Ramsgate. The tram was labelled "Ramsgate and Margate" with the detail obliterated by fbb!
Today's Puzzle Picture ...
.. and another bludner, another caveat emptor, for fbb.
Next Stayshutt book blog : Tuesday 14th February
The bridge at Wistanstow has, in my opinion, been built the wrong way round. Its slopes/steps face AWAY from the approach paths, requiring a needlessly double walk to access. And Network Rail's map shows three tracks, whereas the film confirms it's a double track railway.
ReplyDeleteSo, nice effort, but I think they've put it in the wrong place !
You bought a KIT to make a CDU. Silly FBB. :-)
ReplyDelete