hogg1905

Bring Back Blyth’s Ferry?

There have recently been massive issues with traffic in the town of Blyth, Northumberland, with ‘traffic gridlock‘ being reported on the 6th November 2024 by BBC News. Blyth has long had traffic problems, with routes such as Cowpen Road notorious for traffic as long as I can remember, and has recently been acknowledged in aContinue reading “Bring Back Blyth’s Ferry?”

Should towns and villages have dedicated emergency helipads?

A recent short article about the air ambulance landing on Bamburgh Castle green raises the question that maybe towns and even villages should have a dedicated facility for emergency use? While the air ambulance could almost land anywhere, there could be issues in heavy rainfall with flooding of grassed areas, or them being too softContinue reading “Should towns and villages have dedicated emergency helipads?”

Thoughts on railways around Northallerton: Wensleydale Railway towards Whitby?

This blog post is entirely my own view, not those of any organisations mentioned, it is purely intended as a ‘thinking aloud’ piece. This was inspired by a recent Facebook post about the little used section of the Wensleydale Railway between Leeming Bar, Northallerton West and the interconnection with the East Coast Main Line (ECML)Continue reading “Thoughts on railways around Northallerton: Wensleydale Railway towards Whitby?”

Railway200 around Tyneside; Tanfield300 & Bedlington400+ too?

With the Railway200 countdown clock ticking, and just over 100 days to go until 2025, the year being lauded as the 200th anniversary year from the birth of the ‘modern railway’ in 1825 with the opening of the Stockton and Darlington (S&D), maybe we also should celebrate the more than 200 years of ‘railway’ beforeContinue reading “Railway200 around Tyneside; Tanfield300 & Bedlington400+ too?”

Using Social Media to Change Things

I was inspired to write this post following a short video by Richard J Murphy titled ‘I use social media to change things‘. His content as an expert in his field is well worth watching, and should be in everyones subscription list in my view! One phrase in the video really grabbed me; ‘I identifiedContinue reading “Using Social Media to Change Things”

Four Rail Services through Bedlington – Lynemouth, North Blyth, Morpeth (Bay Platform) and the Northumberland Coast Loop to Berwick and Beyond

Please take a look at my new page collating together the four rail services that could potentially travel through Bedlington, Northumberland. Four Options for Rail in SE Northumberland: 2024 onwards

Port of Blyth: Time for a Tunnel?

The Northumberland Line reopening, and particularly the new A1061 bridge replacing the level crossing at Newsham has sparked a lot of side conversation around the ‘Blyth Relief Road‘, which now centres around the proposal for 4.5km (2.8mi) dualling of the A1061 from the A189 ‘Three Horse Shoes’ to South Beach which skirts the southern edgeContinue reading “Port of Blyth: Time for a Tunnel?”

A ‘Railway Quarter’ for Bedlington?

Bedlington Station is due to open as part of the Northumberland Line, at time of writing by December 2024. In 2025, the Stockton and Darlington (S&D) Railway, internationally famous as one of the early railways will be celebrating its 200th anniversary year, with, rightly, major investments into places like the Skerne Bridge in Darlington, andContinue reading “A ‘Railway Quarter’ for Bedlington?”

Northumberland Coast Loop – Webpage now live

Please visit the Northumberland Coast Loop webpage below to see further details of the proposal and answers to frequently asked questions: https://ryanhogg.com/northumberland-coast-loop/ I would also like to thank Gareth Dennis and his recent RailNatter 195 episode for the ‘how to’ on drawing transit maps. If you have any feedback, please do leave a comment onContinue reading “Northumberland Coast Loop – Webpage now live”

What if the Morpeth North Curve had been built by the Victorians? Part 1

The Morpeth North Curve was actually built in the late 1970’s and completed by 1980, finally providing a direct route between Pegswood and Hepscott, rather than reversal at Morpeth. According to Warn (1976 p.35/36) in his ‘Main Line Railways of Northumberland’ book, a curve was authorised in 1882 ‘to avoid reversing coal trains travelling fromContinue reading “What if the Morpeth North Curve had been built by the Victorians? Part 1”