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Tracing the Nottingham Suburban Railway - What Remains?

Our History Underfoot

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The Nottingham Suburban Railway has been gone for decades... or has it?

Join me as I trace the entire route of this forgotten railway, from end to end, searching for the surviving remnants hidden amongst Nottingham's streets, parks and woodland.

Along the way we'll uncover abandoned bridges, cuttings, embankments, former station sites and other fascinating clues that reveal the story of a railway that has been largely obliterated from the landscape.

How much of the Nottingham Suburban Railway still survives today? Let's find out.

🚂 Stations once stood at:

Sherwood, St Ann's Well, Thorneywood & Daybrook
🚇 Tunnels along the route included:

Ashwell, Sherwood, Thorneywood & Sneinton Tunnel (where we take a look inside!)
📌 Subscribe for more abandoned railway explorations!

#nottingham #suburban #disused #closed #railway #station #abandoned
00:00 Introduction
03:33 Daybrook Junction & Station
06:08 The Little Red Engine
08:58 Ashwell Tunnel
12:50 Mapperley Brickworks Branch
15:54 Sherwood Station & Tunnel
22:28 Thorneywood Station & Tunnel
25:33 Sneinton Tunnel

#Nottingham #NottinghamSuburbanRailway #ForgottenRailways #RailwayHistory #HiddenHistory #OurHistoryUnderfoot #AbandonedRailways #Nottinghamshire #Railways #History

20 Comments

@keithoxby6821 7 months ago

I was born in 1949 and lived on Porchester Road till I was 15. While living there, the Thorneywood brickworks was still operating, and I used to play in old quarry. My primary school was Walter Halls, and my school mates and I would walk down to Thorneywood Station and follow the old track through both Thorneywood and Sherwood tunnels to our school. I hasn't realised how long the Sherwood tunnel was, so at that age, it must have been rather scary. One final memory was a big bonfire party on the track at Thorneywood Station where a rocket flew up my anorak and set off a bunch of bangers in my pocket. Thankfully no serious damage, but lesson learned. Thanks for posting, it brought back lots of memories.

@sarahwinfield3989 2 years ago

They call it progress but this country seems not to appreciate the time and effort needed to create our industrial heritage. Thanks for your effort.

@Anorak1-ok5of 2 years ago

Had they kept the trackbed, it would have made a superb metro. Not keeping the land was so short sighted 😢

@RCassinello 2 years ago

The irony of the Tamworth bricks is that they'd have been brought there on the Midland!

@danielsellers8707 2 years ago

It looks like this route would suit a NET extension...

@Richard_Barnes 2 years ago

Oh this one was brilliant Ant, thx 👍🏻I'm Nottm born and bred and don't know any of this really. It's good to be able to see it and then superb drone footage, old photo's, etc. Great walk. It does however wind me up how much they built, only to rip it down and fill it in within such a short time.

@easytiger652 2 years ago

We have lost some much infrastructure and architecture.they don't make them like they use to.utter shame

@flunkyminion 3 months ago

The railways changed the whole world around them, then, the whole world changed around the railways.

@tominnis8353 2 years ago

Your chosen music matches the mood - slightly wistful. They could have run trams on this network. A very professionally constructed piece. Thank you.

@trainsinkansas576 2 years ago

I really enjoy your videos, narration , and the old pictures of how it was and how it is today.

@davidwoodward7871 1 year ago

Well done Ant. Love your enthusiasm for bringing the history of Nottingham forgotten railways to life. And the photos of the line before and after closure show how well engineered it was. Keep up your great work.

@jetsons101 2 years ago

Ant, you had perfect weather that day. So much nature on display, green everywhere.
Thanks for all the walking you do for us.......

@sparky_inda_house 1 year ago

Great video pal.
Even with all the 'things' we have nowadays, its a such a shame we lost all these railways and associated architecture.

@AlanJan_UK_49 1 year ago

This was EXCELLENT . I lived in Bedale Road as a child so I was very close to Daybrook station. Makes me want to go back and see it all again now. The tunnels I used to sing in are all gone though !

@peterlangridge4639 7 months ago

It's incredible to think all that infrastructure was built, without the fancy machinery we have today, largely by hand, and in such a short space of time, only to be abandoned just as quickly. But it's testament to how well it was constructed that it's all still there some 140 years on, and still in good order. Great video.

@roberttatlow5535 2 years ago

Picked up some screws that hold the chairs to the sleepers on Sherwood station site in 1954. Still have some of them.
Walked through the tunnel Sherwood station to St Ann's Station on same day, aged 4.
Later in life I worked for Post Office Telephones aka BT from 1967. Was in the cutting that was Thorny Wood station, it was called Marmion Road Telecom Engineering Centre, it held garage, tool store and other phone stores
Have been in Sneinton tunnel and did some shooting as part of PO shooting club.

@Roy-gi5ul 2 years ago

Derby born, but this was very interesting. I was a fan of the old 0 Gauge Sherwood Section layout built by the late Norman Eagles and colleagues. I love the mix of suburban passenger workings and various industrial branches. Well done on making the effort to show how completely these treasured memories can be obliterated. The electric tram spelled the death of many a suburban passenger line.

@Jamesthesnail 2 years ago

Felt like I was there with you, there is something lovely about gently mooching around the old lines where no-one goes in urban areas. The sound of cars People rushing around you but they don’t know you’re there. The low winter sun in some shots gave real atmosphere. Loved this one 🐜

@steadycamman1 2 years ago

Thank you for another masterpiece Ant, love it, Pete.👍

@lindamccaughey6669 2 years ago

Really enjoyed that thanks Ant. You know how to make a woman happy, you stop and there comes the train. It’s a shame those tunnels are filled in. Thanks for taking me along. Please take care of