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Tracing the S B & C R; A recent exploration to find...anything!
Topic Started: 28 Feb 2012, 03:26 PM (1,669 Views)
robgolding96
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Afternoon All!
Due to recent interest (more like obsession) something was nagging me to trace the old route of the legendary Surrey Border and Camberley Railway. The site only being 5 minutes from my house I decided to go for a walk...

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Armed with the leading text on the subject, an up to date map from a popular search engine and a 'C' in GCSE geography I set off from Frimley, fully prepared not to find anything.

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This is the site of the once impressive Farnbourgh Geen Station. Placed in-between the Reading to Guildford mainline and the River Blackwater. The road bridge crossing the mainline seems to be the same (as can be seen in the background of many of the photos of Farnborough Green Station. Now occupied by offices and a car park.

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There is still a footpath leading down to the site, however I was 73 years too late to catch a train to Camberley (ignoring the need for time travel and becoming my own great grandad...)

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Using the map in Peter Mitchell, Simon Townsend and Malcolm Shelmerdine's book, and comparing it to an updated map, I tried to find a possible site for the double track bridge where the line crossed the River Blackwater. I thought the above picture was the site (compare my photo with picture 49, page 45, in their book), however after a closer study of maps I am now pretty sure I am wrong, and was too far up the river.

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This is the Google map I was using, and using the book as a guide and some common sense I have tried to plot the route. I am pretty sure that with the building of the M3 junction 4 and A331, the River Blackwater has been re-routed, obliterating any trace of Cove Wood station and the Blackwater Bridge.
So folkes, and as I suspected, there really is nothing to see of the old SBCR!

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I could'nt go leaving you without some train pictures now could I!?!
Surviving Bullock loco No. 2006 'Edward VIII' at The Eastleigh Lakeside Railway, used to pull trains from Farnborough Green to Camberley. As commented on a previous thread, travelling behind this loco is the best way to get a feel for the SB&CR.

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Lastly, Frimley still has a major miniature railway presence. The Frimley Lodge Miniature Railway is a mixed gauge club track at Frimley Lodge Park, and runs next to the Basingstoke Canal. Although the track-plan is a circuit, the is a double track section, much like the SB&CR!
Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

I hope you all have found some interest in this post, and sorry there is nothing to report! I would really welcome any comments and/or corrections!

-Rob
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bvr379
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Very interesting Rob.

Thank you for for you explorations.

Best wishes,
David Barnes

Bure Valley Railway - The 15" gauge railway with powerful steam locomotives.
Trains between Wroxham & Aylsham in Norfolk.
Daily services between 24th March and 28th October 2018.
Please look up the BVR website, for more details.
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trainguy
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Fascinating stuff, I did the exact same thing 20 years ago. And like you I couldn't find anything either.

However in the woodland inside the M3 Junction I did find what "might" have been a railway embankment - I think it was the area marked Gaston Copse in your map. It's been a long time though! If I recall if was highly dangerous as we had to run across the slip road for the motorway. But there in the dense woodland was a short length of embankment about 30ft long, 4ft tall, 5ft wide, covered in trees. Who knows??

We also tried tracing the route of the Farnborugh Miniature Railway - same result, nothing.

Glen
My Flickr photo site
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trainsandstuff/collections/
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