My uncle was a loco driver at Stoke shed for years, and worked the line to Market Drayton many times. Very hard to imagine now nature has reclaimed so much !

Definitely up there as one of the best walks you've done, really enjoyed this one. Always that bit more special when so much of the old infrastructure is still present!

What a walk this was, I got tired just watching it. I amazed how lush the country side is and how fast nature takes over. Great watch, Great work and much thanks..................

The things you put yourself through for our entertainment. Thank you Ant!

Walked that stretch of line, including the 39yd Stoney Low tunnel, when I was a student at Keele Uni back in the 80s. Back then, it was still in use by the very occasional freight train, and I remember we had to leg it over the bridge over the M6 because, halfway across, we saw a train approaching from the south. Luckily, it was pretty slow and we escaped unscathed!

Amazing how some lines get lifted straight away and some are left for years, you definitely deserved a pint after that, nice one

If anyone would like to see this section of line when it was in use there are 2 video's on here.(if you have not already seen them) 1 Class 60 cab ride to silverdale colliery. 2 The last coal train from silverdale colliery.

@SirReginaldBlomfield1234

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, these are interesting.

Hi Ant, an excellent piece of hard work for us. Thanks very much for all the effort you put into your videos.

Brilliant exploration as always, Ant. The signal you showed was what's called a Fixed Distant. A distant signal tells the driver that the next signal is at danger. In mechanical Signalling a distant signal is controlled by a Yellow lever in the box. If the top of the lever is cut in half, it is a colour light signal or a motor operated signal. Some distant signals were about a mile from the box and very heavy to pull. By the way, I'm a former signal engineer, that's how I know. That one was just a board, but some are a signal that is not connected to the box. Some

Yes that looks a challenge, the track looks in pretty good condition.

Thanks for the effort to produce this video. George James Crosbie Dawson was the chief engineer of the North Staffordshire Railway from 1890 until his death in 1914. During which time he was responsible for overseeing the reconstruction of most of the line rebuilding or expanding many of the bridges, tunnels and stations. George was my 2nd cousin 4x removed. It is nice to see some of his work still standing and get a glimpse of the route the trains ran on.

I grew up in silverdale in the sixties and seventies,iv walked that track many times,can remember the steam trains pulling coal from silverdale pit,….

That was just fantastic thanks Ant. I’m so pleased you did t fall in all that stuff you went thru. Loved the who,e walk but just loved the tiny tunnel, it was gorgeous. Thanks so much for taking me along. Please stay safe and take carw

Very good line walk been a few years since I was on it. Technically the line is mothballed between Madeley and Silverdale that is why the track is in place

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers Peter thanks for watching 🙂

Thank you for laborious trail incurred today. Thanks for the video and chat, Ant! Your the best. Cheers Ant!

Really enjoyed this. Great images of the tunnel. Good work.

Great vlog, Ant. Professional. Your hard work paid off. It's worth it in the long run. You get rewarded at the end. Thoroughly enjoyed this. Have see 1 or 2 others do this, Not as excellent as yours. Keep up the great work. 5 *****

The signal off the chord onto the WCML is still there (and lit) - it’s even a modern LED type presumably when it was resignalled into Rugby they renewed the signal too! The chord isn’t connected although there’s still a crossover on the slows with a couple of signals for shunting

Great bit (!) of visual documentation, thanks !

YOU'RE SO BRAVE 😮. GREAT FILM THANKS. .THAT GAME ME. THE. CREEPS WHEN YOU WERE. WALKING THAT EMPTY. BUILDING 😁

@TrekkingExploration

10 ай бұрын

Thanks very much for watching Alison ☺️

Thanks Ant for persistence and making it through the jungle to give us another great video to watch. I wonder how much further before the rail did actually run out.👍

Sorry I missed you for a chat☹ You were literally on track with this one, well worth the effort with all the undergrowth, all that trackwork still extant, magic!!!!👍🏻👏❤

That was definitely a trek for you Ant. But well done braving the wild bushes and nettles and trees. Great filming as always. Thank you for taking us with you.

Thank you very much for doing what you do for our entertainment. Again thoroughly enjoyed it.

Congratulations Ant on passing SAS selection! This has to be you bet explore so far.

Thank you for sharing this, having worked on the wcml for my whole career and having passed this thousands of times I've always been intriqued by the line

That was a hard one for you .many thanks for that. Video was made more interesting by the presence of sleepers and rail, any reason why the rails were not lifted surely there is a lot of money in scrap laying there. Thanks Ant.

The third tunnel would have been made cut and cover. They often put these short tunnels in where the ground was unstable to keep the cutting sides from slipping. As has happened more recently. I think the 'something medical' is just a water bladder for sticking inside your rucksack to carry your water and be able to sip as you walk.

Hello Ant. Greetings from Poland. This walk was fantastic. To put it all into prospective, I highly recommend you take a look at "Last coal train from Silverdale Colliery" - on the Renownvidz channel. The building we visited at the end of this wlak is a crew accomadation facility, used when the locomotive reversed back down the spur onto the main line.

Thanks for another great video. Super to see the old line before nature completely takes over.

Thankyou for your excellent filming. Saves me trekking; an excellent insight to how it used to be. Many thanks 😊

@TrekkingExploration

10 ай бұрын

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank you

Thanks Ant, one of your best walks....

Knowing the area made this one even more enjoyable in some ways. Really good stuff again. Well done Ant and thanks for sharing it.

Brilliant video, Ant. Well worth watching. Admirable determination on your part!

Your a busy lad you certainly get about brilliant work,research and presentation are quite professional great work.

These old track beds really should be put to better use and opened up for the public like the greenways they’ve developed here in Ireland, another great post Ant

@TrekkingExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks John. I do feel that something could be done with this one

superb, thanks for your effort Ant.

Cracking explore Ant.....We do appreciate what ya do mate...in the name of entertainment.....keep up the great work .... regards Frank & Lee......

Thank you the video. It was hard going, but you made it. Thank you for all of your hard work!

I come from Keele so very interesting to see this!

@TrekkingExploration

5 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching 😊

You get a pile of kudos points for this one! Back when the line was open you got a great view of it from the paths over Keele Tunnel and Stony Low Tunnel but now it's so overgrown you can't see a thing. Blink and you'll miss it but the chord is still clearly visible from trains on the WCML - it's no longer connected, however.

Brilliant video Ant ,well done for getting to the end,it was like a scene from,im in the jungle,get me out of here,😃 ,loved the train shots,xx

Really great video thank you 👍😊

that would make a great heritage line we luv your videos keep up the good job thanks agan

Hi Ant. Just finished watching part 2. What an epic walk and explore. As with many of your vids it shows me a line I was familiar with back in 1970s and 80s and now brings me up to date. Although the views do make me a little sad I am very grateful to you for taking such a lot of care and obvious enthusiasm in getting out and doing such a great job in recording our railway past. If you ever fancy a trip to South Wales for an explore let me know.

That was a good one. Thank you Ant. That track hasn’t been abandoned long. Concrete sleepers and even the wood sleepers had screw down chairs. The chairs have dates cast on them usually. After clearing vegetation you could run a freight train over that. 👍👍👍

@simontay4851

3 жыл бұрын

Easily run even a passenger train. Would be good if market drayton had a rail connection again.

In retrospect, given that we were there the previous day, we really should have left things for you to find, haha. Great video! Glad you persevered with the undergrowth, I know from my own walks through it that it's an absolute nightmare! But so worth it.

I never knew they were there, and I've stayed at Scot Hay loads of time (when the trains ran and after)

Thoroughly excellent!

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Stephen 😊

Thank you Ant for taking us along with you, on what at times was a hard slog. Think I would have needed more than hedge clippers to get through, chainsaw in place's 😂🤔. Still a busy line today with all those pheasants on it.. 😏

That was amazing, thanks for all that effort

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

Definitely the hardest one so far. Over 5 hours in the afternoon and evening sun 😂

Excellent and thanks for your perseverance. x

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Phil. I'm glad I persevered

Thank you Ant, that was brilliant and so nice to see so much left.

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it 😀 Thank you 😊

Thank you for your hard slog, well done thoroughly enjoyed .

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks David I'm glad you enjoyed it 😀

Well done, Ant - such perseverance! A very enjoyable video indeed - like all those that you do. So interesting. Many thanks.

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much Simon. It's definitely the hardest I've done to date

Great video! I love these kinds of remnants

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching. I'm glad you enjoyed it ☺️

Incredible video!!!! Thank you!!!

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you 😀 Glad you enjoyed it 😀😀

Nice video you had doing i love this 👍👍😀

@TrekkingExploration

Жыл бұрын

Thank you Lena I'm glad you enjoyed it 🙂

I remember visiting Silverdale Colliery and watching a train leave back in 1992

GREAT PRESENTATION.

@TrekkingExploration

2 ай бұрын

Thanks very much indeed 😃

Great Video

When ever the royal train visited North staffs it was on the madely station site were it would stable overnight. I remember one time going down that road in my car an armed police blocked the road and made me turn back with the Royal train bring present 🙃🙂

What a brilliant video. I have seen the M6 Bridge hundreds of times and I always thought it was a pipe bridge until a few years ago. Are the tunnel gates open or was this by special arrangement? Thanks for your hard work Ant.

great video. I'd like to visit this place at some point

You don't think about what's on the bridge I am just going under on the m6 at the time you just think about stopping at Keele services great walk

Top stuff, well done

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your kind comment 😊

Good video that was Ant some nice captions and to catch some rolling stock on the west coast awesome 👍 the brick hut was like it not long been built shame the riffraff got in it did you find out what it was used for in it's Day ? The class 60 look good in the photo at the end of video. Another great 👍

That was a fantastic effort, pushing on to the end deserves a medal of some sort!!! A nice little surprise to find what was left of the old station. I can't believe that the rail is intact for all that distance, I'm surprised some Gyppo hasn't been down and lifted it, must be worth something at the scrap yard!!

@simontay4851

3 жыл бұрын

Don't give them any ideas. Leave the track in place so it can be easily re-opened in the future. Just need to clear the vegetation and trains could run again.

@seamusmcevoy2011

3 жыл бұрын

@@simontay4851 Absolutely agree Simon, watching the football tonight?

What a great video very interesting .

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much Victor ☺️

@victorstevens2781

3 жыл бұрын

@@TrekkingExploration Your welcome .

Did you see the colour signal on the entrance to the chord? Supposed to still be lit. Might have a wonder down there myself one day. Nice video.

Wondering why the track was never recovered? Great vid Ant as usual thank you 🙏🏻

great effort Ant

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks John. That'll take some beating in effort

Great video, you deserve a cool refreshing beverage after that, Cheers!

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

I certainly did when i got back :)

That is a beautiful tunnel, love it when the track still down, well worth the effort! ❤😊

Thanks for persisting with such a difficult hike.

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for watching 😊

Excellent explore, truly amazing you did great, me and my partner enjoyed it we have a old station in Leicester that you should look at , me and my partner coukd meet you up called the west bridge station in Leicesteron the rally park, aslo you can walk the line as well worth it.

I was up by Madeley Station the other day or some buildings have been set a light and unfortunately that building is getting worse everyday, I'm surprised you haven't gone the other way towards Stocton book tunnel

Would be a laugh to ride a motorised rail cart down there if a group of interested people cleared the tracks

The OS map still shows this line in place and in use !!

All the year's I have travelled down the M6 and only ever seen one train crossing that been a class25

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching 😊

Hi Ant wow what a long walk why is the track down still bet you were tried when you got back home xx

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

It was a slog and a half plus I had to walk back. Over 5 hours from start to finish before going back. Glad you enjoyed it though 😉

The loco passing on the WCML was Class 90 90001 I presume, great video...

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

Yes that was such a lucky moment to be stood there. Thank you for watching 😊

@johnmasters504

3 жыл бұрын

@@TrekkingExploration 90002 has now been done in the same colours and is at Crewe

@raybarber5662

3 жыл бұрын

They both belong to Locomotive Services at Crewe

The station on the Market Drayton Line was called Madeley Road, not just Madeley. Madeley station was on the WCML.

There is an in cab film on KZread from the 90's on board a coal train

Very interesting, nature always find's away to reclaim land taken by humans.

You deserve a brew for this video

@TrekkingExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much Phil. This one was indeed a battle 🙂

How come the track is still there then?

Well done, geeze, that was well worth the effort! Be nice to clear that track & run a lawnmower powered trolley with a couple of seats along that section of track. That would make interesting viewing. Thanks for the excellent content, keep it up m8.

Get the weedkiller out, bit of chopping and send the rail head grinder out, and jobs a goodun. Get the line open again 😂

@simontay4851

3 жыл бұрын

Yes.

Can you still walk through the 2 tunnels ie Silverdale and Keele

@TrekkingExploration

Жыл бұрын

I did these late 2020 I believe Keele is open however the other was closed off again in 2021. I did see some images on Facebook a few months ago so may be open again

Hello Ant. Greetings from Poland. I'vef ound an even better video - "Silverdale Mine in 1998 wirh 60081 and 60070 by Mike Wilcock. Really recommend this to you

@TrekkingExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Michael. Thank you for watching so many videos recently. I shall catch up on many comments later today 🙂

Hi guys.. ENOUGH STEAM.! It'd be FAR TOO smokey in't tunnels, anyways.! What a GREAT spot for Britain's next private DIESEL railway company, eh.!🧐🤔!. LOVE THE VIDS KEEP'EM COMING RICH(UK) 🥰🥰🥰.

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers buddy thanks for watching 😊

I am hoping to go down to penzance from Exeter on train to film

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

That's a lovely journey along there 👍

Do you tell anyone where you are going and when? Just worried about you falling or something and not being able to get help!

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

Hi I do yes 😊 Thank you for watching 🙂

👍👍😎

@TrekkingExploration

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching 😊

Get them open use as cycling walking and jogging ..

@20:56 Did I really see a formation of a Class 90, 4 Mark III Carriages and a Class 43?

@2H80vids

3 жыл бұрын

I wondered what that was too.😁 Didn't look very WCML-ish.

@vchukwuma

3 жыл бұрын

Nearly, It was a class 90, MK3 carriages and a Mark 3 DVT. This was a common formation on the WCML back in the 90's I think... A throwback!

@jameswameek1

3 жыл бұрын

Lucky spot Ant.

It'll be a shame to loose those pathways completely to nature. They need keeping clear.

👍👍👍 ❗

We used to run down a section of dissused railway from the TA centre in Newcastle. This is a good video too kzread.info/dash/bejne/iaOZz5ihj6qXgLA.html