Woodhead Route- Wath Yard to Worsbrough Bridge LC

[symbiote1982a]

wow, I'm too young to have seen wath yard, all i ever saw were the track remnants and the odd coal car left over. a nice piece of history.

[1976tonyb]

@MK55A the name of the bridge is Swaithe viaduct.

[warrior691947]

just seen this video. this e mail is directed to Mr Davros . to put things in perspective Mitchell,s MAIN closed in 1955 give or take a year. When Mitchells was mentioned had it been in production the pit would have been on the left of the picture...

[MrDavros1234]

I've had this complete video many years now and living in Barnsley it makes sad viewing whenever I drive through Worsbrough. The trees have been allowed to take over and it's become a haven for the off-road bike idiots brigade. Have been puzzled when this vid was made - August (77?) as Mitchells Main Colliery was still open. Any ideas anyone?

[G0IMB]

The background sounds give the game away this was a (probably Derby built) DMU. Pity the crossrail trains were given to Siemens probably by George Osborne/Rory Stewart at bilderberg 2011 in St. Moritz to Peter Loeshcer CEO of Siemens:-((( 

[rickerbycourt]

The route was dependent on coal traffic across the Pennines. When the South Yorkshire colliaries closed traffic ceased. Thats why the line was closed.

[Humaneering]

great vid all the best from RobotRuss

[tolgug]

Great video. Thanks for posting.

But really heartbreaking to see all this infrastructure that was trashed for no good reason.

All this stuff ought to be on Sheffield panel today - and electrified at 25kV.

[superbladeash]

@tolgug Completely agree with you there... it was a mistake to close it down...

Im from Sheffield albeit that this was this was closed before I was born and Im shocked it was shut!

[G0IMB]

@tolgug Seems to be a common British thing : Infrastructure trashed for no good reason. Like Gordon Brown selling half our Gold Reserve at Rock bottom price. That's known as Brown's bottom in the Stock World. Stinks of subversion against us all:-(((

[crazyace02]

Brilliant film. I used to work in Elsecar Jct. Box in the mid 1960's as a train register lad.

[MK55A]

You can it's taken from a DMU, because of the sounds of the 'Vaccum Brake' being applied,

[aureol40012]

@MK55A Err, and the diesel engines and gear changes...........?!

[MK55A]

@aureol40012 Good lad, well spotted

[ewsiscrap]

When Wath depot closed, HM took over all the jobs., Dovecliffe, Manvers are 2 such pits, and Beatson Clarks Glass works.( K22).

We ended up lifting all the track upto Quarry Junction and Aldams Jct.

We lifted the track in the mid 1980's.

[EWS60500]

Great shame it closed, that could have kept alot more freight on the railways, Beeching was a stupud man, LOL

[theredraven]

@EWS60500 Beeching had nothing to do with closing Woodhead. He left it in his map as a line that would remain open.

British Railways were the stupid men for losing so much money and needing to make cutbacks.

[Isochest]

@theredraven That is true. Beeching saw this one as a Primary Route. A Class 1 Railroad in US terms. Perhaps it's closure owed much to the influence of the Derby (Midland Rail) Mafia that wanted to bury the GC in its entirety:-(((

[LukaSteinberg]

@theredraven Let's not forget that politician decisions were responsible for making British Railways unprofitable, particularly the deregulation of road freight preventing an integrated transport system.

[theredraven]

@LukaSteinberg Why should the government be running truck companies? Public transport is one thing, freight haulage is entirely another.

In fact, since privatisation, freight is the one thing that has improved on the railways. Why take a step back?

[Soarhead77]

What the third rail systems? Only joking... They did try to stretch the supports as far as they could on the ECML with the result that it can't handle all the trains...

[Marillionmad]

Y over head wires? I hate them to be honest, look so ugly, why not 3rd Rail like the southern region?

[Soarhead77]

Its safer for a start, you can also get more power through them, particularly with the 25Kv system now in use. This means you can run more trains through a stretch of line. I think the HSE would not allow any extension of third rail these days.

[Marillionmad]

Oh ok, well at least make the over head more good looking? paint them pink? lol,. I am only joking

[soundseeker63]

Personally I would much rather live next to an electrified railway than be breathing in all the fumes and increased noise of a diesel only line. Say what you want about how they look, but its the way to go, for train performance and the environment.

[Marillionmad]

Yeah, I am not saying have it desial, just like have it 3rd rail, and the electricy runs under the engine and not overhead. I am not really a big fan of overhead wires, but if its safer as Soarhead77 said then fair enough, but i just think over head wires look ugly.

[Isochest]

Some people think wind turbines look ugly. I suppose they need to live without on tap electricity for a while. Most people haven't got a clue how and where their creature comforts come from. Never mind.

[Isochest]

@soundseeker63 same here. no smelly engine farts:-))))

[Isochest]

Can't take the power: A class 92 on a freight or eurostar doing 65 mph stretches the third rail substations to their limit. So does an emu doing 110mph and collector shoe dynamics come in at this speed. Overhead catenary is beautiful:-))))

[Marillionmad]

OK. Just bring back steam. lol. anyway I heard London Midland have converted some of there EMUs to work with 3rd rail usage.

[soundseeker63]

Not true, some of the 350 desiros (350/1s) have third rail collector shoes to allow them to work on southern lines aswell as the WCML, but the new batch of 350/2s currently being introduced are bein built without them. Similarly some of the southern EMUs have a pantograph fitted, and most have a cutout in the roof to allow one to be retro fitted should the need arise.

[frixster]

Has anyone got any footage of Woodburn and/or Deepcar?

[Trainbuff2008]

This videos gold dust really enjoyed watching that love the track sound why are the freaky looking gantry's so different to one's on other electrified lines?

[Ropponmatsu2]

Because these overhead lines and gantries were actually designed in the 1930's and don't need insulating like AC systems. The line used a different voltage: 1500v DC, instead of 25Kv AC. DC was proven to work and AC powered trains didn't exist due to the technology.

With hindsight, the whole DC concept was a bit rubbish though, as it meant the route was hugely expensive to convert: BR shut it instead.

Finally, they look weird because you could ADJUST them: to counteract mining subsidence.

[soundseeker63]

Actually AC locos DID exist (in europe, and america), but BR did not decide to make the 25kv AC system the national standard until 1955, which was shortly after this line was electrified, so unfortunately it just missed out. :-(

[BaseTurnComplete]

Look at Dutch railways today (electrified at 1,500V DC) and you'll see gantries that don't look a million miles away from the Woodhead gantries.

[Isochest]

@BaseTurnComplete South African 3kv dc look similar, too. I remember riding out on an EMU from Cape Town to Paarl back in 1994 and it was like going to Hadfield but more interesting. Plus the people wanted to talk to me. The Spoornet staff were really polite and friendly as well as the local passengers.

[Isochest]

@BaseTurnComplete Same can be said of Belgische Spoorwegen and Spoornet (South Africa) though these networks are largely energised at 3kv dc

[G0IMB]

@BaseTurnComplete Look at Spoornet (South Africa) and Belgische Spoorwegen at 3kv dc, too. 

[soundseeker63]

I take it you've never been down the great eastern line then? The stretch between liverpool street and chelmsford uses exactly the same designs as here and was completed in 1949, also at 1500v dc, as here. In 1960 the line was re-equipped to 25kv ac. B.R. COULD have done that here but this was a much less profitable line so they (regrattably) closed it down instead.

[exposuretv]

Intresting footage, nicely narrated.

[BRU11ROAD]

Ive got the RAIL video to this

[porno6361]

happy days,woodhead will probably never re-open,to much infrastructure to re-instate,been better off closing the hope valley line instead if one line had to close,can only dream what might have been

[soundseeker63]

It seems crazy to me that in the mid 50s they electrified this line, built new locos an bored new tunnels, only for it to be closed barely 25 years later!! How wrong can a government get it? The way things are going now it may yet re-open sooner rather than later. (I hope)

[Isochest]

Well, the UK probably has one of the most fatally flawed political systems of any country. If nothing changes soon it will probably provoke mass emigration as we will be a third world country. I hope we can see more positive influences from Adonis than from the previous stream of "Gilderoy Lockhart" (Magical Me) Narcissistic Politicians hell bent on exporting manufacturing jobs and skills to France and Germany in particular.

[Isochest]

I hope woodhead opens in the next few years, complete with 25kv electric traction:-))

[michaelbarnett72]

Wombwell Central Station closed in 1960, but the freight lines were used up until 1986. all thats left of Wombwell Central Station is what is now the Railway Inn pub on the left of the picture after the bridge (next to the one thats been back filled)

[BonkeyDollocks]

At 2:24,there appears to be a junction off to the right where track has been lifted.

Does anyone know what this junction was and where it went to ?

[michaelbarnett72]

the junction to the right would have been Wombwell Central Station, the lines in use in this video are the freight lines, and lines would have diverged to the right for Wombwell Central Station, known locally as 'Wombwell Bottom Station'

[michaelbarnett72]

What year was this filmed? does anybody know?

[Ropponmatsu2]

Imagine this, in your attic, in Z or T scale.

[musiccity123]

Furthermore, if you watch the video The Woodhead route 1972

At about 3:24 in you will see the loading guage bells stretched across the road

at Glasshouse crossing

In this video they have been removed .

So this suggests that the video could have been made during the last day(s)

of the lines operation?

[musiccity123]

Also note that Worsbrough Dale crossing appears to have been taken out of use

(distant signal missing from below Lewden Crossing,s up home post, and trailing crossover has been partially lifted).

[musiccity123]

Worsbrough Bridge crossing was converted to lifting barriers in 1973 (the old machanism moved to Dovecliffe)so after then

[michaelbarnett72]

What year was this filmed? does anybody know?

[ewsiscrap]

We had 3 trips to Wath from Healey Mills before the Miners Strike, to bring out MGR's for Fiddelers Ferry Power Station

When this railway closed, we lifted all the track from Wath to Aldams Junction to Quarry Junction at Barnsley.

Just after the miners strike, We took the last load of coal from Manvers Main Pit, round about 1986 ish.

Happy Days..........................­..

[musiccity123]

Actually ,the line branching to the left at Wombwell Main Junction is the ex Manchester Sheffield and Linconshire Blackburn Valley line to Sheffield

The Birdwell & Pilley line mentioned in the commentry was a branch off the ex-Midland Sheffield to Barnsley line (Chapeltown Loop)

[ewsiscrap]

After Wath shut as a traincrew depot, we learned the route upto Dovecliffe to bring coal out. We had a job at Healey Mills 6k22, which took sand to Beatson Clarkes glassworks at Barnsley then either up to Dovecliffe to load out or to Wath Yard to load back to Healey mills. The engine was a Class 31. This engine was allowed to load back to HM with a max 720 tons.

This load was 28 ff HTV's via S and k and moorthorpe. A good job sign on 0905 going home 1320hrs

I was 35 then, now I am 58.

jf

[Isochest]

I hope the route opens fully so it can be a real reversal of past road transport folly! Oil price & Government commitment to electrification are the key!

[itsmemarioagain]

anyone know where i can get the full version of this wath to woodhead cab ride.

cheers in advance.

[michaelbarnett72]

What year was this filmed?

[Isochest]

All I can think of when I see this is "A nation betrayed": This fair England!

[michaelbarnett72]

What year was this filmed? does anybody know?

[GWR1940]

Hello ,nothing remains!

you can walk sections of trackbed which is used for horses e.t.c

but all the railway has gone

[exeter34001]

Is there anything left ?

[dajwilkinson]

in 1989 I photographed the shell of Aldham Junction signalbox. Ten years later revisiting the area I could not even work out where I stood to take the shot. A few paths remain now but next to nothing is left. In a few years I fear we may regret it.

[Isochest]

Brilliant! You get the impression of the steep gradient towards the end. Lots of junctions, semaphore signals and level crossings: A real enthusiast's treat!

[GWR1940]

Very Good ,and a nice trip back to the past

Kind Regards

Andrew

[baconsandwich2007]

I caught my first glimpse of this line from that bridge at 6:40! I never knew it existed before that.

[MK55A]

@baconsandwich2007 The 'bridge' is Stathies or Staithes (can't remember which way you spell it) viaduct, it carries the Midalnd railway Barnsley to Meadowhall over the GC.