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Post by thomas on Sept 3, 2009 19:05:35 GMT
 Did a part walk of the old line starting on the Birches Head Road level crossing going northward, after reading about The Green Party wanting to use the old track as a walkway. The level crossing is a nightmare, as it is only single car width and although there are speed bumps, the cars seem to take these as a challenge. Coming up from Leek Road it's impossible to see the crossing until the last minute because of the canal bridge. Both tracks are in stitu in the roadway and some concrete sleepers were still there from the uplifted line. Anyhow I walked alongside the track on a well used pathway seeing that most of the track seemed in reasonable condition. Of couse all the fences were down and some rubish had been dumped including a couple of fridges.I walked about a mile then decided to go back along the canal I was amazed at the quality of the towpaths. They were all tarmaced and a non slip surface on them about 4 foot wide. I wondered why the so called Green party wanted to rip up all the rails to make a walkway, when there is a perfectly good towpath going all the way from Etruria to just short of Leek. It just makes my blood boil, ok off my HOBBYhorse. Thomas
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Post by Admin on Sept 3, 2009 20:33:19 GMT
I have to agree Thomas.
The 'Greens' and walkers in general are doing pretty well as it is, in my opinion, and being a walker too I am well satisfied with what I have got. Most of the other old uplifted trackbeds have also been turned into walkways. As you say, there are canal towpaths too. It was never this way in the past so why can't they be satisfied and let us rail enthusiaists have OUR bit of pleasure too!
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dmu
New Member
Posts: 46
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Post by dmu on Sept 3, 2009 22:18:09 GMT
On the subject of footpaths, haven't the Leek-Leekbrook and Oakamoor-Alton (and beyond) sections of trackbed already become paths? The OS map marks from Oakamoor southwards as a route and are both sections council owned?
However I think the Leek one is very much unofficial, although when we walked a short section near Leekbrook, the sewage works appeared to have used the trackbed as access, with no trees in the middle of the formation and fairly recent looking tracks in the ground leading into a set of gates into the works...
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Post by Admin on Oct 16, 2009 19:08:45 GMT
Talking of walking the overgrown trackbeds, we had better make the best of it now as soon we will not be able to get on there when the MCR take it over! :-)
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Did a part walk of the old line starting on the Birches Head Road level crossing going northward, after reading about The Green Party wanting to use the old track as a walkway. The level crossing is a nightmare, as it is only single car width and although there are speed bumps, the cars seem to take these as a challenge. Coming up from Leek Road it's impossible to see the crossing until the last minute because of the canal bridge. Both tracks are in stitu in the roadway and some concrete sleepers were still there from the uplifted line. Anyhow I walked alongside the track on a well used pathway seeing that most of the track seemed in reasonable condition. Of couse all the fences were down and some rubish had been dumped including a couple of fridges.I walked about a mile then decided to go back along the canal I was amazed at the quality of the towpaths. They were all tarmaced and a non slip surface on them about 4 foot wide. I wondered why the so called Green party wanted to rip up all the rails to make a walkway, when there is a perfectly good towpath going all the way from Etruria to just short of Leek. It just makes my blood boil, ok off my HOBBYhorse. Thomas