Abandoned railway
The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (February 2017) |
An abandoned railroad is a
There are many hundreds of these throughout the world. Thousands of miles of railroads have been abandoned in the United States, much of it in the 40 years from 1965 to 2005.
Reasons for abandonment
Many old lines have stopped making a profit. The decision to abandon a line may be taken by a
Railways specially built for mines or other industrial or logistical sites are abandoned if the mine is exhausted or the production ceases.
War can also lead to abandonment. In former Finnish Karelia, changes of borders due to World War 2 in 1945 led to several railways being abandoned or even demolished by their taker, the Soviet Union. A railway could become international, and without a border checkpoint, the line would become useless. Also, without connecting traffic, the traffic volume could be too low: evacuation of Finnish Karelia removed the Finnish population and international trade would not have been equally viable as domestic trade.
Finland was obliged to keep the Laurila–Kelloselkä track open as a peace treaty article, although it was never used for international traffic, only for local lumber transport. Before the war, the track ended in
In the United States
Railroads have been abandoned in the
These and other factors have implicitly created thousands of miles of abandoned railroad corridors that criss-cross the States. While most lie dormant and are still under the ownership of the abandoning railroad company, some cause political controversies in communities through which they run due to property disputes once the land returns to adjacent landowners; others are converted to rail-trail use, an increasingly popular option that opens once-abandoned corridors up to the public for their leisure while at the same time preserving them for possible future railroad use.[5] A few abandoned railways have been rebuilt and used as active railroad routes once again.[6]
Abandonments in the United States are controlled under Title 49, Chapter 10, Part 1152 of the
Gallery
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Remains of theHighworth Branch Line in Swindon, England
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Abandoned railway bridge overNysa Kłodzka in Otmuchów, Poland
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The overgrown viaduct across Lobb Ghyll on theSkipton to Ilkley Linein Yorkshire, built by the Midland Railway in 1888 and closed in 1965
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Prospect Tunnel: an abandoned railway structure in Yorkshire, England
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Abandoned railway bridge over Obvodny Canal, Saint Petersburg, Russia
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Darblay tunnel, France
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The embankment leading to Parkhead Viaduct, Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway, England
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Former level crossing of Staten Island Railway
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Remnants of the Salekhard–Igarka Railway in northern Siberia, Russia
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Abandoned track over Přestavlky, Czech Republic
See also
- Lists of former rail lines
- Orphan bridge
- Urban exploration – the examination of the normally unseen or off-limits parts of urban areas or industrial facilities
References
- ^ "Abandoned Rails". Abandonedrails.com. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ^ "Abandoned Railways, Trains, Stations, Tunnels & Bridges | Urban Ghosts |". Urbanghostsmedia.com. 2010-09-24. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
- ^ "Farmers Salvage Abandoned Railway". St. Petersburg Times. March 12, 1936. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
- ^ Bureau of the Census, Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970 (1976) table Q398; Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2012 (2011) tables 1064, 1068 online
- ^ Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Preserving Corridors for Trail Use
- ^ "KCS's revamped Macaroni Line reopens in Victoria". Archived from the original on March 29, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
- ^ Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, How to Railbank - Abandonment Timeline and Procedure [1]
Further reading
- Schwieterman, Joseph P. (2004). When the Railroad Leaves Town: American Communities in the Age of Rail Line Abandonment, Western United States. Kirksville, Missouri: ISBN 978-1-931112-13-0.
- "Abandoned Railway Producing a Profit". The Christian Science Monitor. January 10, 1925. Retrieved May 2, 2012.[permanent dead link](subscription required)
- Harper, Pat (July 21, 1997). "Abandoned Railway Becomes Hiking, Biking Trail". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 2, 2012.[permanent dead link](subscription required)
- Byron, Ken (June 28, 1999). "Abandoned Railway Line Becomes Safety Concern". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 2, 2012.[permanent dead link](subscription required)
- Reardon, Peter (2003). Railway Walks: Circular Walks Along Abandoned Railway Lines in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire. Reardon Publishing. ISBN 1873877617
External links
- Hiker Discovers Railroad History Hidden In Columbia Gorge Archived 2017-10-24 at the Wayback Machine Video produced by Oregon Field Guide
- An ongoing mapping project to trace and map abandoned and out of service railroad lines worldwide
Media related to Former railway lines at Wikimedia Commons