As we haven't seen one of these posers for a while: 'Where was I today?'

[whole diary]

[Western Pathfinder]

As I was about to post the Strawberry line from Yatton.

[Chris from Nailsea]

No, sorry, bradshaw and Western Pathfinder: I wasn't on the Strawberry Line.  

'Near Wrington' remains the closest guess yet.  

[bradshaw]

Wrington Vale light railway?

[Chris from Nailsea]

Yes, you're possibly getting closer ... 

[patch38]

End of the line near Blagdon Lake?

[Chris from Nailsea]

You're on the right line - but if you've got as far as Blagdon, you've gone too far. 

I wood be surprised if the correct answer isn't posted very soon now. 

[patch38]

I've cheated now and got the map out! Am I disqualified? 

I'd guess at where the railway bed crosses Iwood Lane looking east.

* I see what you did there...

[Chris from Nailsea]

Correct! 

You have certainly not cheated, as far as my very light-hearted quiz was concerned! 

Member bignosemac was far more clinical, analysing google earth along stretches of disused lines, before reaching the correct answer. 

Strictly speaking, though: I was looking west - hence the sunlight shining towards me, reflecting off a huge array of solar panels in the distance. That may have given the impression of a water surface: I quite deliberately let that go, as it seems to have added to the challenge of identifying my location. 

My thanks to everyone who joined in with this latest quizzical question. 

[JayMac]

My PM to CfN last night. He says 'clinical', I think 'anal' 

Knowing your approximate delivery area. Then looking at the closed lines in said area. Which are either WC^▸ (Wiltshire Council (Unitary Authority), was Wiltshire County Council until March 2009)&PR^▸ (Public Relations), WVLR, Strawberry Line or Clevedon branch.

You've previously posted a WWIT on the WVLR, so I chose that one to look at first after my initial guess of WC&PR was discounted.

Then I just followed the line of route of WVLR on Google Earth working back from Blagdon, looking for 90 degree crossing points of roads, on the level. Iwood Lane happened to be the first such crossing point. Then Street View for the close up. The 2009 Street View didn't have the wooden fence to the left of the trackbed, but it did have the wooden pylon in the right place. The gate matched up, as did various tree and hedge lines.

I've become quite adept at following the line of route of disused railway lines on Google Earth. Even across ploughed fields you can often make them out. Through built up areas where there has been redevelopment you can trace the line based on housing boundaries or roads that have replaced railway. Where there's been complete redevelopment you can usually find the route in and route out. Sometimes I do get lost though, following what turn out to be farm tracks, field boundaries, drainage ditches, or occasionally straight stretches of rivers and streams. That normally just entails going back to a point where you know for definite it was former railway, and trying again.

Finally, and possibly a bit anally, I like the challenge!

[patch38]

Well done BNM - I think forensic rather than clinical! And definitely better than 'haphazard' which is my preferred method 

[TonyK]

I simply remembered a TV^▸ (Thames Valley, or TeleVision, depending on context) programme "Not the M5", made by a pal of mine, Tony Burton, and thought I recognised the approximate view.

[Red Squirrel]

I've become quite adept at following the line of route of disused railway lines on Google Earth. Even across ploughed fields you can often make them out. Through built up areas where there has been redevelopment you can trace the line based on housing boundaries or roads that have replaced railway. Where there's been complete redevelopment you can usually find the route in and route out. Sometimes I do get lost though, following what turn out to be farm tracks, field boundaries, drainage ditches, or occasionally straight stretches of rivers and streams. That normally just entails going back to a point where you know for definite it was former railway, and trying again.

I to am a fan of tracing old railway lines. I used to do it back in the 80's on OS^▸ (Ordnance Survey) maps, and now continue the game using Google Maps. I am constanly surprised how much harder it becomes as time marches on.

Tunnels, though; they're the thing that can really throw you - especially when they have sharp curves in them!

[stuving]

Tunnels, though; they're the thing that can really throw you - especially when they have sharp curves in them!

So why not stay sat down? There's nothing to see out of the window in a tunnel anyway.

[ChrisB]

Have you read the rest of this thread? :-)

[BerkshireBugsy]

I've become quite adept at following the line of route of disused railway lines on Google Earth. Even across ploughed fields you can often make them out. Through built up areas where there has been redevelopment you can trace the line based on housing boundaries or roads that have replaced railway. Where there's been complete redevelopment you can usually find the route in and route out. Sometimes I do get lost though, following what turn out to be farm tracks, field boundaries, drainage ditches, or occasionally straight stretches of rivers and streams. That normally just entails going back to a point where you know for definite it was former railway, and trying again.

I to am a fan of tracing old railway lines. I used to do it back in the 80's on OS^▸ (Ordnance Survey) maps, and now continue the game using Google Maps. I am constanly surprised how much harder it becomes as time marches on.

Tunnels, though; they're the thing that can really throw you - especially when they have sharp curves in them!

I was on a train journey back from Worcester to Reading the other night and there was a gentleman armed with a book which had maps of the rail network "past and present". They were trying to trace old railway lines and were travelling all over the country to do so.

So when I told them about the old swing bridge to the North of the current Oxford Station their eyes lit up. Thankfully there was just enough light for them to see it and add it then tick it off their list