1352

Number 1352 (Items 1371 - 1502 and MR 74) (E-BLN 108 PAGES) 16 May 2020

BRANCH LINE NEWS

………... A societas est iens ut loca

Published 24 times a year by the Branch Line Society; founded 1955.

branchline.uk https://m.facebook.com/BranchLineSociety/

Membership queries: Lisa Sheppard [email protected]
186 Anlaby Park Road South, Hull, HU4 7BU. 07873354464

British Isles news from members; an international section is available.
Opinions are not necessarily athvaoislaebolef .the Compilers or the Society.

BLN 1353 is dated 30 May. E-BLN is out :Fri: 29 May; contributions by Wed 20 May please.

PLEASE RENEW YOUR BRANCH LINE SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP NOW (IF
YOU HAVE NOT YET DONE ScOiet)y.TSoOcieStyA. VE US HAVING TO CHASE YOU UP!

1371] :Make a resolution to look at e-BLN:: Starting with e-BLN 1351 of 2 May, for those

with a slow internet connection, a low resolution version is now produced that is quicker and easier to

download. Thanks to Mark Haggas it is available on our website branchline.uk to logged in members

and will be found on the 'BLN' page at the top of the third (bottom) menu box: Paper copies available

Branch Line Society membershipto download and print. It doesn't have to be printed, of course. Obviously there will be some loss of

picture, map and text quality. For e-BLN 1351 it was 15MB compared with 51MB for the full resolution

65 years of growthversion and is presented in a format that is quickest to download. The current edition will be available

on the 'BLN' page of our website and past editions for three months on the 'Archive' but low resolution

e25-B0L0Ns will not be kept permanently. The content of the full and low resolution versions is identical.

If you have problems finding it, or accessing our website, please contact: [email protected]

1372] Branch Line Society Membership - your BLN Editor has been plotting something... 1372]
(Current membership is significantly over 2,000.)
2000

1500

1000

500

0
1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2019

1373] :E-BLN download lowdown:: Available with
e-BLN 1351, and now on our website archive, is a
very interesting 26 page PDF about the Grade II
listed Harwich Train Ferry Berth. It is a Mar 2003
appraisal of its history, heritage, condition and
possible future. Photos, drawings and diagrams
are included along with a historical analysis of UK
train ferries. It explains how it was designed, built
and how it worked. https://bit.ly/2WC6aK4 has
details of the listing. Extras with this e-BLN 1352
include a well illustrated BLNI extra about French
trams, the combined three day itineraries and
historical maps for our 7-9 Mar 2020 Crompton
railtours and the ground plan of the new HS2
Curzon Street station. LEFT: Harwich Train Ferry
Berth, the link span is ahead, taken from the front
of a first generation DMU railtour. Hertfordshire
Railtours' 19 Jun 1982 Witchfinder General see:
https://bit.ly/2YXkBew (Ian Mortimer).

1352 HEAD LINES (Paul Stewart) [email protected]
1374] Doncaster; Flyover East Jn - Loversall Jn: Suspended Sun 22 Mar (10.45 SuO Leeds - King's Cross).

1375] Doncaster; Loversall Jn - Flyover East Jn: Suspended Sun 22 Mar (10.49 SuO King's Cross - Hull).

1376] Mossend East Jn - Mossend North Jn: Suspended from Mon 23 Mar (last ran Sat 21 Mar 2020).

1377] Mossend South Jn - Mossend East Jn: Suspended from Mon 23 Mar (last ran Sat 21 Mar 2020).

1378] Slateford Jn - Craiglockhart Jn - Edinburgh Suburban Line - Niddrie West Jn - Portobello Jn:
Suspended Mon 23 Mar (21.05 SSuX Glasgow Central to Edinburgh CrossCountry, last ran Fri 20 Mar).

1379] Darlington North Jn - main lines avoiding station - Darlington South Jn: Suspended Mon 23 Mar.

1380] Briton Ferry Up Flying Loop Jn/Court Sart Jn - Morlais Jn (Swansea District line): Suspended
from Mon 23 Mar 2020; the last passenger train was Sat 21 Mar, 05.02 Carmarthen to Cardiff Central.

1381] Carmarthen Jn - Carmarthen Bridge Jn: Suspended from Mon 23 Mar (last ran Sat 21 Mar).

1382] Dinting West Jn - East Jn (18ch): Suspended Tue 24 Mar; when the service was reduced to hourly all
day; all trains ran via Glossop (reverse) in both directions to/from Hadfield. ROP Mon 27 Apr (next entry).

1383] Dinting West Jn - :South: Jn (13ch): (amends paper BLN 1351.1227) Service withdrawn Mon 27 Apr.

1384] LUL, Goldhawk Road: (BLN 1351.1203) TCP Wed 25 Mar; ROP Sat 28 Mar 2020 [Final answer!].
1385] Northallerton East Jn - Boroughbridge Road - Longlands Jn: Suspended Sun 29 Mar; last ran 22nd

1386] Leigham Jn - Tulse Hill Jn: (Amending BLN 1351.1213) Suspended Mon 30 Mar 2020. The 16.17
Streatham Hill to London Bridge PSUL last ran Fri 20 Mar. Next week a 23.56 MTWThO Victoria to
London Bridge VSTP passenger train ran which last used the line in the early hours of Fri 27 Mar.

1387] Heald Green :West: Jn - South Jn (38ch): (amends paper BLN 1351.1223) Suspended Mon 30 Mar.

1388] LUL Piccadilly Line, Hatton Cross (excl) - Heathrow Terminal 4 station (incl) - PiccEx Jn (6.2km):
Suspended Sat 9 May. Piccadilly Line trains terminate in service at Hatton Cross then continue ECS
round Heathrow Loop and re-enter service at Heathrow Terminals 2& 3. T4 station (where the ECS
trains now have stand time), like Heathrow Terminal 4 itself, was last operational on Fri 8 May 2020.

1389] Heathrow Central T2 & 3 - Heathrow Terminal 4 (incl) (2.4km): Suspended Sat 9 May; the 2tph
(reduced) TfL local Paddington service was diverted from T4 to T5. Heathrow Express is now also 2tph.

1352 BLN GENERAL (Paul Stewart) [email protected]
1390] The University of York, online Masters Programme in Railway Studies: (By William Ramsden.)

This online programme has been running for several years, and I am in the first year of the course
having started in Sep 2019. There is much material on The University of York's website about it, and
this article does not seek to replicate this, but rather to describe the student experience, in case others
are considering applying. It is a three year programme covering British railway history from 1825-2010,
comprising two years' taught modules followed by a dissertation year, with a new cohort of students
starting each autumn. Entry requirements are an undergraduate degree (BA or BSc) in any subject, but
the university also welcomes applications from those without a prior degree if they can demonstrate
their academic ability by other means. Application is entirely online and I was asked to provide an
academic transcript from my previous degree and a reference from a colleague in addition to the
application form. The course fees are £3,040 per annum (2020/21) and can be paid in instalments.

Each year's study follows the university's academic calendar, being divided into ten week autumn,
spring and summer terms. The terms are themed during the taught modules, as illustrated by the first
year programme, divided into 'The Coming of the Railways to Britain', 'The Declining Profitability of the
Railway Industry' and 'British Railway Workers 1825-1921'. The terms are subdivided into a different
subject area each week, examples from the spring term being railway finances, competition from
other means of transport and the emergence of railway marketing. Year two concentrates on the 20th
and early 21st Centuries, particularly the railways' relationship with government, this includes
nationalisation and privatisation. During the third year, students write a twelve thousand word
independent study after agreeing a subject with the course tutor.

Each week's material arrives on a Monday, and comprises a few pages of background reading with
suggestions of academic papers and book chapters one should read to gain a greater understanding of
the subject. Almost all the required reading can be downloaded from the university library with only a
very few sources such as books needing to be borrowed or bought. The material can be read at any
time during the week and there is complete flexibility with no webinars or other online face to face
interaction necessary. Access is also provided to various archival sources, which become increasingly
important in the dissertation year. There are one or two online tasks to perform each week, usually
taking the form of 400 to 500 word blog posts which are read and discussed by the tutor and other
students. The posting can be done at any time during the week and is a good way of summarising the
week's work and offering an opinion about issues raised. There are also regular 'Monday musings' and
'Friday features' which are an informal way of looking at examples of associated railway subjects.

Though posting work online for all to see might feel slightly daunting, comments received are always
constructive and supportive, helping discussion to flow. Overall, the week's work takes 10-15 hours,
though it would be possible to spend much more time reading around the subject if time is available.

During the first two years, each term's work is formally assessed with two written assignments, a short
1,200 word piece and a longer 3,000 word critical essay, submitted at the end of Week 10. Subjects are
chosen from a list and there is a chance to present a work plan to the tutor for comment midway
through the term, at which point a short piece of work for formative assessment (1,500 words) is also
submitted. The end of term assignments are written in formal academic style and it definitely helps to
have had previous experience of writing such material. Much support is available from the tutor and
university with regard to what is required, and queries are usually promptly and helpfully answered.

Although the course is delivered entirely online (as evidenced by students participating from as far
away as the USA), and has continued unchanged through the pandemic, each year there is an optional
residential weekend held at the National Railway Museum. I attended this year's in February and it
was very enjoyable. Meeting other students was a great pleasure, and I was struck by people's wide
range of ages, backgrounds, and reasons for undertaking the course. The weekend included talks on
railway subjects, a tour of the NRM archives and two sessions of third year students presenting

material based upon their dissertations. Although attendance was not compulsory, the tutor and
fellow students' enthusiasm made it one of the highlights of the course so far and well worth going.

In summary, I have enjoyed the course very much to date, and hope to eventually complete it. It is a
superb example of the difference between enthusiasm and academia, and I have learnt a great deal,
particularly about the societal context of the railways and the challenges involved in developing and
sustaining the network. There is much academic debate about the role of the railways in the past 200
years and the course material reflects this. Students are presented contrary and sometimes conflicting
opinions and invited to construct their own view of events. The work is quite challenging, particularly if
one is fitting it around full-time work, but this is not insurmountable and I have (so far) always found
time to do the reading and writing required. Further information is available at https://bit.ly/2L6bXCn
and if you are considering applying for the course, I would recommend it wholeheartedly, as it has
broadened my perspective and greatly increased my understanding of the railways.

֍William Ramsden is happy to take queries about the course at [email protected]

1391] BLN Quiz 7 Answers: (BLN 1351.1241) With thanks to our Quiz Master member Robert Green.

❶Midford Viaduct (Somerset & Dorset line) is in the opening sequence of 'The Titfield Thunderbolt'.
❷Paignton, Comrie, Mablethorpe, Southwell, Keswick, Hawes & Caernarvon were all once through
.....stations that became termini of British Rail services when the lines beyond them closed.
❸Cork Kent & Galway Ceannt, were named in 1966 after 'traitors' and sound as if they are in the
.....Home Counties. Thomas Kent & Eamonn Ceannt were lead figures in the 1916 Irish Easter Uprising.
❹The Night Mail train caused 'a jug in a bedroom' to 'gently shake' (WH Auden's poem - next item).
❺Sharnbrook, Patchway New & Saunderton Tunnels were all built to ease gradients in one direction.
❻Georgemas Junction normally has 16 arrivals & 16 departures each day (SSuX) but only eight trains.
.....The four Inverness to/from Wick each way (eight in total) call twice on their way to/from Thurso.
❼Dublin Heuston provided road transport between the concourse and temporary P10 (1km away).
❽The 1937 film 'Oh! Mr Porter' opened after the credits, with a Gresley A4 having its wheels tapped.

The film is set at Buggleskelly, (Cliddesden, Basingstoke & Alton Light Railway; CP 1932; CG 1936).
❾Add 'Y' to Stalbridge (CA 1966) in Dorset to make Stalybridge with its buffet. Add 'S' to Braunton .....
..... (CA 1970) to make Braunston (LNWR) in Northants; (London Road from 1950) (CP 1958; CG 1963).
❿5092 'Tresco Abbey' (Isles of Scilly) was the GWR Castle Class name not on the British mainland.

1392] Poet's Corner: Night Mail by WH Auden https://bit.ly/2zt2P8a

This is the Night Mail crossing the Border, Down towards Glasgow she descends,

Bringing the cheque and the postal order, Towards the steam tugs yelping down a glade of cranes,

Letters for the rich, letters for the poor, Towards the fields of apparatus, the furnaces
The shop at the corner, the girl next door. Set on the dark plain like gigantic chessmen.
All Scotland waits for her:
Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb: In dark glens, beside pale-green lochs,
The gradient's against her, but she's on time. Men long for news.

Past cotton-grass and moorland boulder, Letters of thanks, letters from banks,
Shovelling white steam over her shoulder, Letters of joy from girl and boy,

Snorting noisily, she passes Receipted bills and invitations
Silent miles of wind-bent grasses. To inspect new stock or to visit relations
And applications for situations,
Birds turn their heads as she approaches, And timid lovers' declarations,
Stare from bushes at her blank-faced coaches.

Sheep-dogs cannot turn her course; And gossip, gossip from all the nations,
They slumber on with paws across. News circumstantial, news financial,
Letters with holiday snaps to enlarge in,
In the farm she passes no one wakes, Letters with faces scrawled on the margin,
But a jug in a bedroom gently shakes. Letters from uncles, cousins and aunts,

Dawn freshens. Her climb is done.

Letters to Scotland from the South of France, Or a friendly tea beside the band in Cranston's or
Letters of condolence to Highlands and Lowlands, Crawford's:
Written on paper of every hue, Asleep in working Glasgow, asleep in well-set
The pink, the violet, the white and the blue, Edinburgh,
The chatty, the catty, the boring, the adoring, Asleep in granite Aberdeen,
The cold and official and the heart's outpouring, They continue their dreams,
Clever, stupid, short and long, But shall wake soon and hope for letters,
The typed and the printed and the spelt all wrong. And none will hear the postman's knock
Without a quickening of the heart.
Thousands are still asleep, For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?
Dreaming of terrifying monsters

1393] My First Railway Memories (28): (BLN 1351.1234) By James Fairchild (Member 3783). I was
born in Leeds in 1980. For the first three years of my life we lived in East End Park, there was indeed a
park with swings, however this baby was more captivated by what was next door (Neville Hill depot).
I was pushed to the edge of the park by mother, father and nanna, and allowed to watch trains.

Just before I was three, we moved to Cross Gates, to a new development just east of the former Cross
Gates Jn. The trackbed of the direct line to Wetherby (item 1423) was where I went for walks and
cycle rides, while a level crossing, an overbridge and the station itself were frequently visited. There
were regular visits to Neville Hill (as nanna still lived near) and I particularly remember being
fascinated by the occasional oil train coming from Hunslet East at the far side from where we used to
stand - still required track for me to this day. I did return not long ago, but sadly the place I used to
stand with my father is now overgrown and has palisade fencing everywhere, but the memories
remain ... of Class 45s on trans pennine services, first generation DMUs, and the Class 08 shunters.

I was taken by train to Torquay about 1982/1983; I understand that it was a HST we travelled south
on, and an 'older train' (to quote my dear departed nanna) on the way back. This creates the
conundrum in my mind that possibly, possibly, this journey may have been via the now-closed Midland
route from the former Goose Hill Jn to Wath Road Jn - anyone care to help me work it out please?

Two trips by train with my late father in the early/mid 1980s stick out, both to the WCML. We travelled
from Leeds to Warrington BQ, where I saw the APT go through at speed, and the traction home was
40012 'Aureol'. We also went to Carlisle (40122 D200) where a stationary APT was in front of the wall.

I remember the excitement at seeing odd HST power cars in executive livery, and particularly recall
that the first time I saw a complete reliveried rake, it was to take me and the family to Doncaster for
the day (with a blue grey HST back). Perhaps 1985/6? This causes me to pose the question of whether
I might have travelled over the viaduct line out of Leeds station. Referring to the PSUL for 1986/7
(thank you Mr Maund) this gives the Wortley South Jn to Holbeck Jn as the rare routeing (with for that
year, only an SO Leeds to Nottingham and vice versa booked to so do) but the following year that
route isn't listed but the viaduct line is (with mainly some Saturday only cross country trains taking it).

Other things came to the fore during my late teens, but a girlfriend in Sheffield in 2001/2002 resulted
in a regular midweek train home being one of the last Class 47 hauled trains into Leeds, 1E61, the
15.50 Plymouth to Leeds (21.26 from Sheffield if my memory serves me right). A few years later
I moved to London for work, and the track interest really took hold, when I realised that there were a
couple of trains from Moorgate to Palmers Green (where I lived at the time) that went on a special
piece of track. Around that point, I joined the excellent resource that is 'Gensheet', and later became a
member of the Society. I am pleased that my son (born 2009) was (just) able to see and hear Valenta
engined HSTs, although he doesn't seem to have caught the railway bug [yet!].

To bring the story full-circle, on my escape back to Leeds and subsequent separation from my son's
mother, I moved into a flat that backed onto the Cross Gates to Wetherby trackbed, and then became
a trustee of the Elmet Greenway Group Charitable Incorporated Organisation. This charity is lobbying
to create a greenway for the public to walk, cycle and horse ride along parts of said disused line.

[BLN 1352]
Another move in 2018 took me to Castleford, not far from where the former Ledston line, once
through to Garforth (BLN 1350.1107), branches-off from the PSUL Castleford to Milford Jn route.
Sadly the pandemic means that the usual summer Thursday West Coast Scarborough Spa Express and
alternate Tuesday Dalesman regular steam trains on this route are cancelled, but it retains limited use.

1394] 2001 to 2003 BLNs: Thanks to John Hampson & Martyn Brailsford these are now on our website.

1395] TPWS, Trap & Catch Points: (BLN 1350.1089) TPWS (Train Protection & Warning System) is not
likely to prevent a SPAD. It is designed to mitigate the risk of a SPAD by stopping a train before it
reaches a point of conflict (hopefully within the signal overlap). Train Stop TPWS loops are fitted at
some signals and energised when the signal is displaying a red aspect. Passing a signal displaying a red
will cause the on train TPWS receiving equipment (AWS/TPWS) to immediately apply the brakes to
bring the train to a stand. Overspeed TPWS loops may be fitted on the approach to a signal and, in
conjunction with the on train equipment, are set up to apply the brakes if a train is approaching too
fast to stop at a red signal. Overspeed loops are also provided on the approach to specified permanent
speed restrictions (to avoid Morpeth type disasters) and towards buffer stops in terminal platforms.

Catch Points were used, in the days of unfitted freights, at the bottom of gradients steeper than 1:260
to derail a vehicle running away in the wrong direction. Trap Points are intended to derail vehicles in
the event of their unauthorised movement (usually a SPAD), preventing conflicting movements onto
passenger lines or an alternative to providing a signal overlap, typically on goods lines.

1396] Points & Slips: ●●BLN 1351.1227] Well done to those who spotted that it was a Class 40 at
Dinting on that May 1977 Engineer's train rather than a Class 37. ●●X.82] The Class 47 hauled train in
the first picture is on the temporary alignment of the non-electrified Up Stamford line that will be
moved to the other side of the incline down to the diveunder, nearer the ECML. The Down Stamford
(electrified) line is the one on the left of the picture and is now on its new permanent alignment.

●●1314] Three temporary mortuaries have been built
by Kent County Council, capacity 3,000. National
capacity has been increased from 18,000 to 48,000.

●●1347] Regarding 'Tees Port' the brand name for
the port is Teesport Railport, TRACKmaps and the
Sectional Appendix use the historic name 'Tees Dock'
and Tees Dock Freightliner Terminal. It opened on
16 November 2014 replacing Cleveland (Wilton)
Freightliner Terminal (OK, Intermodal if you prefer)
at the end of the Wilton Branch (last train 14 Nov
2014). The new terminal has been a big success.

X.90] Points of interest: https://bit.ly/2T4ZZgE is an 8 second video of possibly one of the most
unusual point changes ever on The Pilatusbahn, a rack line in Obwalden, Switzerland. It's incredibly
spectacular; the steepest rack railway in the world with a rack system invented especially for, and
unique to, the line. This may be why the point changing is so bizarre! https://bit.ly/3dWTAfF is a 3min
20 sec video of points working on a Japanese monorail (the best bit towards the end as its speeds up).

1352 EAST MIDLANDS (Graeme Jolley) [email protected]
1397] Clarborough Jn - Cottam Power Station: NR wishes to put the branch 'temporarily' out of use
until Jun 2023, including the pointwork and associated signalling at the junction. EDF Energy is no
longer maintaining their section of line (beyond the NR boundary at Milepost 72* and round the loop);
the internal power station signalling has been switched off. (Saves electricity!) Trains to monitor the
infrastructure can no longer run as a result. However, the branch will be retained for potential future
rail traffic. [*Miles from Manchester London Road station (now Piccadilly) via the Woodhead line.]

Cottam Power station last generated on 23 Sep 2019 at 14.50 and closed on 30 Sep. It probably had
the longest merry-go-round loop of any power station in the UK. The last train was Sat 28 Sep 2019,
UK Railtours' The Cottam Farewell tour. On the double track branch it was interesting to note that the
Up line to the power station was laid on concrete sleepers and heavily ballasted, whereas the outward
Down Cottam line was jointed track on wooden sleepers and very lightly ballasted (see next item...)
1398] Stories that can now be told (2): The 3½ mile double track Cottam Power station branch ROG
12 Nov 1967 but the first tour was not until nearly 12 years later (run by the RCTS West Midlands
branch) - The 'Cottam Railtour' on Sat 22 Sep 1979. [Not Tue 11 Sep 1979, amending BLN 1324.526.]
This 131 mile tour was from Lincoln Central to Lincoln St Marks stations, actually just 300 yards apart!
2x2-Car DMUs had been ordered but 3x2-cars turned up; just 2-cars would have been enough as
patronage was poor. The tour stopped at the final main line signal just before Cottam power station
loop, actually beyond the British Rail boundary, and reversed 'wrong line' back to the junction along
the inward (Up) line. As a result, it did the Clarborough Jn trailing crossover to the Down Worksop line,
of course. The Down line on the branch was said to be too poor for a passenger train and it was known
that Central Electricity Generation Board power station loops were strictly off limits in 1979.

ABOVE: The RCTS 'Cottam Railtour' on Sat 22 Sep 1979 at the last main line signal before the
power station (behind the photographer) - note the coal on the outward line left. (Ian Mortimer.)
However, on Wed 22 Apr 1980, three participants from this tour turned up at that final signal on the
Cottam branch (as you did) at 15.45. An empty coal train appeared out of the power station at 16.05,
then a loaded one ran past on a green signal as did a second at 16.25. A third quickly followed with a
Class 56, a Shirebrook Depot crew and coal from Creswell Colliery. It was held at said signal for a while
enabling one of the trio to engage in conversation with the crew and request a trip round the loop.

The driver asked for some identity and was happy with the British Medical Association membership
card that was produced (so it was worth joining after all.) However, with three loaded coal trains in
quick succession it took four hours to go round the two mile loop and back to that signal where they
alighted. Unloading was very slow, only one of the two hopper lines was in use and the coal kept
sticking. It emerged that this was not a normal traffic day - the branch had been under possession until
16.00 for relaying, hence the backlog! However, despite an average grice of half a mile of new track
per hour it was still a very interesting trip - the first MGR power station loop and first Class 56 cab ride
for two of the three. Had the trains been running normally, about an hour apart, the four hours might
have been spent watching them all speed by on green signals! Cottam was generating flat out in 1979,
on baseload seven days a week, and burning 18,600 tonnes of coal every 24 hours (7M tonnes a year).
The next time one of trio traversed the branch was the 23 Sep 2019 tour (completing the Down line).

1399] Grimsby District Light Railway: Despite the name it can accommodate some of our heaviest
trains such as the (Immingham) Lindsey Refinery to Kingsbury oil traffic. There was a rare opening of
the line on Thur 16 Apr when three trains, the three sets of iron ore rotary tipplers wagons (the last of
these in use on the network), made a circular tour. They left Scunthorpe Foreign Ore Terminal at
06.15, 09.24 & 12.02 running to Immingham Ore Terminal via West Marsh Jn, Immingham East Jn and
Humber Road Jn (reverse). This was an occasional wagon turning move to even out wheel wear.

1400] EMR Bimodes: Costing £1.5bn, 33 new 5-car 125mph Class 810 Hitachi bimode units are on
order and due to enter service between May and Dec 2022 after driver training and fault free mileage
accumulation. The 5 and 10-car trains will run in diesel only mode until Braybrooke substation is
commissioned in 2024 just south of Market Harborough. Work on the new substation, the size of 1½
football pitches, due to start in Aug 2019, was delayed until recently as National Grid needed to
appoint a main contractor and address ecological aspects. It will then take about 18 months to build.

A 5-car set has 44 First Class seats, 272 Standard, two wheelchair spaces and room for 168 standing.

They will mainly operate between London St Pancras, Sheffield, Nottingham and Lincoln via the
Midland Main Line with additional routes for seasonal and special events, diversions and testing:

London St Pancras - Market Harborough - Leicester. Kettering - Corby - Oakham - Syston North/
South Jn. Leicester - Derby - Chesterfield. Leicester - Toton - Chesterfield. Nottingham - Derby.
Nottingham - Radford Jn - Chesterfield. Leicester - Nottingham - Lincoln. Chesterfield - Dore Jn
- Sheffield. Chesterfield - Woodhouse - Sheffield. Sheffield - Doncaster. Doncaster - York.

Doncaster - Wakefield Westgate - Leeds. Moorthorpe - Pontefract Baghill - York. Sheffield -
South Kirby Jn. Nottingham - Meadow Lane Jn - Toton - Derby. Sheet Stores Jn - Castle Donington
- Stenson Jn - Derby. Grantham - Norwich including Ely Loop. Derby - Stoke - Crewe. Doncaster
- Lincoln - Peterborough. Grantham - Doncaster. Newark North Gate - Newark Crossing East Jn.
Oakham - Peterborough. Nottingham - Grantham (and avoiding line) - Skegness. Silkstream Jn -
Hendon Lines - West Hampstead South Jn. Grantham - King's Cross. Sheffield - Barnsley -
Wakefield Kirkgate - Leeds. York - Scarborough. Wigston North/South - Nuneaton.

DEPOTS & SIDINGS: Merchant Park (Hitachi Factory) - York. Cricklewood Depot. Etches Park.
Neville Hill. Eastcroft. Crown Point. Doncaster Carr. Bedford Cauldwell. Barrow Hill
Roundhouse. Tyne Yard. Kettering Electric Sdgs. Corby Run Round Sdgs. Melton Mowbray
Sdgs Chaddesden. Leicester Carriage Sdgs. Lincoln Terrace Sdgs. Nottingham Carriage Sidings.
Boston Carriage Sdgs. Holgate Reception Sdgs. Wellingborough Sdgs. Kettering Hot Box Sdg.

X.91] Name that train: East Midlands Railway is looking for a (suitable!) name for its new Class 810,
Hitachi bimodes due to be introduced from Apr 2022. See https://bit.ly/2T0uIeB to enter.

1401] Killingholme: (TRACKmaps 2 p31B Oct 2016) (BLN 1298.200) A rare working disturbed the rust
on the afternoon of Sun 3 May; a Colas rail grinder visited the branch to work for a couple of hours.
It might be worth watching out for traffic. Spoil trains ran from Kellingley from 21 Aug to 24 Nov 2017.

1402] Tutbury & Hatton: The footbridge (23m 69ch) about a quarter of a mile west of this delightfully
named station on the Derby to Stoke line is being refurbished. Work started in Jan for completion in
Mar but stopped in Feb. The staggered steps each side remain 'boxed in' with plastic sheeting.

Prior to leaving the job, a contractor said that the bridge was in much worse condition than NR had
assessed and it would have been easier to take it off site to refurbish. The footbridge started life in
1899 at Ashbourne station and following closure in 1963 (excursion and goods traffic only since 1954)
was dismantled and moved here. After 121 years it is unsurprising it needs major attention. The public
footpath over the bridge is naturally temporarily closed; unfortunately it is a popular route for locals to
access paths by the nearby River Dove. NR advises that work is to take place between May and Dec.

1352 GREATER LONDON (Geoff Brockett) [email protected]
1403] Euston: During April GBRf successfully trialled the use of a Class 319 EMU for the carriage of
parcels. The purpose of the trial was to check that standard roll cages could be loaded and unloaded at
passenger platforms and that these units were suitable for their carriage with the seats removed.
The photograph accompanying the press release actually shows an empty cage in a unit doorway.

1404] Angerstein Wharf: (Joe Brown, London Railway Atlas 5th Edition p41) BLN 1351.1311 about the
overhead electrification of the Faversham Creek branch reminded a member that this branch also had
660Vdc overhead 'trolley wire' type electrification so that Class 71 electric locos could work it. Around
1966 BR removed the pantographs from about half of the 24 Class 71s as an economy measure; they
were considered unnecessary and were proving troublesome and expensive to maintain. One day the
inevitable happened and a Class 71 arrived at Westcombe Park Yard to work the Angerstein Wharf
branch trip as usual. The driver coasted the loco down the falling gradients to the Wharf on its brakes.
It was only when he pressed the button to raise the pantograph for a shunt move that he discovered
there wasn't one! A Class 33 turned up from Hither Green about three hours later...

Class 71s being only electric powered was a problem - freight is often moved overnight, when there is
little traffic on busy commuter routes. However, this is when engineering possessions take place, of
course, with the power switched off to whole areas. Class 71s often had to make circuitous detours
just to stay 'on the juice' and an electric-only loco was of limited use for inter-regional freights. They
had a flywheel booster allowing short movements 'off the juice' in yards and depots, but not for
significant distances. Ten were rebuilt as electro-diesels in 1967/68; the last were withdrawn in 1977.

BELOW: Angerstein Wharf in wireless days during the first Society railtour at Thames Metals here.
Four of these trips were run for 38 members, the last on 31 Jul 1985. The then fairly new substantial

bridges are over Bugsby's Way. (Ian Mortimer, 16 Sep 1983.)





X.92] PREVIOUS PAGE: (BLN 1351.1260) The structural supports installed at the closed ends of P11 &
P12 over Easter shoring up London Street bridge above (very robust but unlikely to win any awards!).

1405] Barking Intermodal Terminal: DBC and Transfesa are transporting hygiene, medical and food
products from Valencia and Murcia in Spain to the terminal at Ripple Lane. The services run via HS1
and convey refrigerated containers. Operation started in February, with wagons conveyed on the
regular service of vehicle parts for Fords at Dagenham. However, the Fords traffic has now ceased as a
result of the pandemic and full trains of containers are operating.

1406] Covid-19; LUL: (BLN 1351.1254) From 27 Apr services at the outer end of the Metropolitan Line
were revised to operate 2tph between Baker Street and both Amersham and Chesham, fast between
Wembley Park, Harrow-on-the-Hill and Moor Park. Thus there is again just a very limited service over
Watford North Curve. The District Line service pattern was revised from 6 May, with trains running:
.....Upminster - Wimbledon...... Upminster - Kensington (Olympia)....... Tower Hill - Ealing Broadway.
.....High Street Kensington - Richmond..... Edgware Road - Wimbledon.

1407] TfL Rail: From 4 May some Liverpool Street to/from Gidea Park peak services were reinstated.

1408] LNER: From 13 Apr the last Up service to King's Cross SSuX (19.36 ex-Edinburgh) runs ECS from
Peterborough. When it reaches King's Cross 01.11 there is still one more departure to Peterborough
at 01.30 but from suburban P9. The last booked passenger use of the main line platforms is an arrival
from Peterborough at 00.03. This suggests an intention to close the main line side to passengers after
then, but RTT does indicate late trains using the main line instead of the suburban side on occasions.

1409] Thameslink: (BLN 1342.3064) From 4 May new axle counter train detection was commissioned
between Farringdon (0m 62ch) and Midland Road Crossovers (2m 40ch). This is now a dual train
detection area using axle counters or track circuits, selectable at Three Bridges ROC. [ERTMS next?]

1410] Leyton: (BLN 1326.806) Waltham Forest Council has formally approved plans for the station
upgrade. The £18M cost will be split equally between the council and TfL, with TfL responsible for any
increase. The pandemic makes timelines difficult to forecast, but current expectation is for work to
start in Aug 2021, with step-free access in Mar 2023 and completion in Sep 2023. The current station is
already very busy and an extra 4,500 homes are expected to be built in the area. (IanVisits website.)

1411] London Transport signalling: https://bit.ly/2SKp28A is a detailed list of all past and present
signal control locations. It is part of the website set up by transport historian Mike Horne, with other
interesting information. Sadly Mike died in March, but the website is still presently accessible.

1412] Twickenham: A member on a 'Boris walk' recently explored Twickenham Junction Rough, a path
opened in Aug 2018 north of the Up Strawberry Hill Line flyover. Here he found a buffer stop and
siding in the undergrowth. The 1979 Quail Southern Region track diagrams show three sidings in this
area, with a siding and run round loop between the flyover and Up Main Line. Our member thinks the
sidings were last used in 1980. Can anyone say what they were for and when they were taken OOU?

Three pictures by Damien Smeaton taken on a Boris Walk... PREVIOUS PAGE: The footpath sign.
ABOVE: The buffer stops looking east; path on the left. BELOW: Looking west (path to the right).

BELOW: The new South Western Railway Feltham d

depot taking shape recently (see item 1414 below).

BELOW: Feltham Marshalling Yard in 1955; Feltham station i
The new depot is on the west end of the yard site, the pink spot is the 'cre

is bottom left and Feltham Jn is just off the map middle right.
escent' (upper middle) in the road alongside the railway - previous picture.





[BLN 1352]
1413] Mile End Goods: (London Railway Atlas 5th Edition p27) (BLN 1351.1302) This started life in 1850
as Devonshire Street Goods and by 1860 consisted of eight sidings at viaduct level on the south (Up)
side of the line west of the Regents Canal. These served coal drops for a coal depot under the viaduct.
By the 1870s, an incline had been built reached from points trailing in the Down direction at the east
end of the yard and running down to ground level to serve a goods yard on the north side of the main
line. It also served a wharf alongside the canal. The goods yard continued to expand, with lines passing
under the viaduct to serve ground-level sidings south of the coal drops. (PREVIOUS PAGE: 25" to the
mile 1894 OS map. Liverpool Street is off left, Stratford right and the Regents Canal is far right.)

Further sidings were added just before WWI and their full extent can be seen on p27 of the London
Railway Atlas. There was also an elevated line running south from the viaduct to serve chutes for
loading coal on to canal boats. The depot was renamed Mile End & Devonshire Street on 1 Sep 1922
and became plain Mile End from 1 Jan 1939. This historical information is from the 'Disused Stations'
website (E&OE) at https://bit.ly/2SK6mps which contains much more detail, maps and pictures.

Although the London Railway Atlas gives a closure date of 6 Nov 1967 [possibly just for general goods
traffic?], the viaduct-level sidings remained operational, with the coal drops used for sand and gravel
traffic instead. As mentioned in BLN 1351, these ran from Southminster, but the sidings were on the
south side of the main line, not the north. This traffic finished on 2 Nov 1979, with sand then supplied
from Marks Tey. BLN records that a regular traveller on the line saw the last working on 21 Nov 1990.

Some time after closure the incline was filled in and the Main Lines slewed on top of this. This gave a
straighter alignment, saved the cost of replacing the viaduct and enabled the railway boundary to be
moved south before the entire Goods site was sold for property development. One viaduct-level siding
was retained for stabling track machines, but BLN of 9 Aug 2014 recorded that this had been lifted and
preparations were then underway for the demolition of the viaduct carrying the sidings.

1414] Feltham Depot: (BLN 1332.1735) Work on the new sidings was well advanced on 23 Apr 2020.
https://bit.ly/3fUgLJg is an aerial picture of Feltham Marshalling Yard as it was in 1952.

THIS PAGE BELOW: A recent picture of South West Railway's new Feltham depot under construction.

NEXT PAGE: Looking west, Feltham station is top middle border; the yard used to extend further south (left).



1415] HS2: (BLN 1347.1258) An extra entrance to Euston LUL station is planned south of Euston Road
in Gordon Street, which would be pedestrianised. It would be in addition to the proposed subway to
Euston Square station, taking some of the pressure off Euston LUL after HS2 opens. (IanVisits website.)

1416] Greater Anglia: Some Liverpool Street to Southend Victoria services ceased to call at Romford
from 6 May due to the relevant trains being lengthened from 8 to 12 cars

1352 NORTH EAST & YORKSHIRE (Geoff Blyth) [email protected]
1417] Harrogate - Northallerton: A member worked at Ripon station from Sep 1965 until Jun 1966.
On the very day he was there, acting as a relief clerk for one day in Jul 1966, a Divisional Circular was
received by the Acting Station Master. This gave the proposed (reduced) passenger timetable between
Harrogate and Northallerton in the event that the service was reprieved. At that time, a decision was
awaited from the Labour Minister of Transport, Barbara Castle, on the fate of the line. It came as a
shock when the announcement was made in Sep 1966 that Harrogate - Northallerton was to close.
It appeared to have more strategic value than Harrogate - York, which was reprieved. Both lines were
listed for closure in the 1963 Beeching Report. Our member says that it was a very depressing time.

BLN 1322.280 described passenger closure - with complete closure north of Melmerby South Ground
Frame (GF). Following withdrawal of passenger services, all intermediate signal boxes were closed and
Starbeck - Melmerby reduced to 'One Engine in Steam' working ('One Train Working' in today's terms),
using the Up line. Each train had to be accompanied by a travelling signalman, who worked Bilton,
Nidd Bridge, Wormald Green and Littlethorpe crossings, and also the points at Ripon, operating the
signal boxes as ground frames. The East Coast Main Line Harrogate line points at Northallerton South
Jn were spiked out of use within a few days of the 6 Mar 1967 passenger closure; certainly by 18 Mar.

Another member has provided details of an inspection special, scheduled to run for the British Rail
(BR) North Eastern Region's Movements Planning Manager on 20 Mar 1967, fourteen days after
complete closure north of Melmerby: 1Z01 York - Starbeck - Ripon - Boroughbridge Road - Low Gates
(reverse) - Northallerton station - York. It was booked to run from Starbeck North to Ripon on the
former double track Up line, and after on the (by then out of use) Down line to Boroughbridge Road.

The instructions read: Line Inspector, York, to be available with transport at Ripon to collect Train Staff
from Driver and return it by road to Starbeck North and Travelling Signalman to accompany
throughout ... and act as Pilot Guard between Ripon and Boroughbridge Road. More pertinently,
District Engineer to ensure Down Line clear from Ripon to Boroughbridge Road and Newcastle District
Inspector to supervise movement from Cordio Jn to Boroughbridge Road. Between Cordio Jn and
Boroughbridge Road the disused wagons stored on the Down Line (BLN 1322.280, pictures e-BLN) and
the sleepers chained to the track would have had to be moved. The wagons stored on the Up Line may
well have been removed at the same time. The train was booked this way as Northallerton South Jn
was already out of use (above). It is not known if it actually ran or what its purpose was but clearly the
work involved in planning it was felt to be justified. Another such special was due on 26 Sep 1967.

The entire line between Starbeck North SB and Northallerton South Jn was used as an emergency
diversionary route, in the Down direction only, for just one day, 1 Aug 1967, due to a serious accident
near Thirsk (BLN 1322.280). Not long after this, the road bridge carrying the B6267 over the line just
south of Sinderby (one station north of Melmerby) was deemed unsafe and reported to have been
'filled in'. This was immediately adjacent and west of the A1 overbridge shown on our map, now the
A1(M). It would have required the bridge deck to be supported by steel or wooden beams resting on
the formation, as merely filling the void with earth would not have provided any support. As a result,
the track had to be lifted separately north and south of Sinderby. A 1970 photo shows that the bridge
was later removed and replaced by an embankment. One website claims that the A1 overbridge was
filled in. However, this had been widened in 1957 when the A1 was dualled so was most unlikely to be
'unsafe' after only 10 years and photos demonstrate that it was not filled in. The B6267 (map opposite)
intersected with the unimproved A1 but passed under the dualled A1 before it became the A1(M).

To Darlington D To Stockton

A Boroughbridge Rd C LEFT: A Dave Cromarty map of the Ripon line.

B Northallerton Low BA Northallerton Some enthusiasts at the time claimed that this
C Northallerton Town To Hawes was deliberate to prevent the line being used
D Low Gates again, but BR would have been under pressure
Cordio Jn to deal with the bridge promptly and this smacks
rather too much of conspiracy theory.
To Darlington N
Northallerton On 28 May 1968 both lines of the curve between
Dragon Jn and Bilton Jn were abolished and also
Borough- Newby the Down line from Starbeck North to
bridge Rd LC Wiske Melmerby South GF. These lines had all ceased
to be used immediately the passenger service
Northall- Otterington To was withdrawn. Bilton, Nidd Bridge, Wormald
erton S Jn Thirsk Green and Littlethorpe signal boxes were
To abolished along with all the signals, apart from
Stockton the distants in each direction - which were left as
single line fixed distants for the level crossings.
Longlands Pickhill All crossing gates were disconnected and
Jn padlocked across the railway. The travelling
Sinderby signalman was no longer needed and the train
Cordio Jn A1 (trunk road) crew then worked the crossing gates. At Ripon a
To short piece of the former Down line was left to
To form a loop. All signals there were abolished
To Ripon Thirsk Thirsk with all the points, except a few which became
To Baldersby hand worked. A weed spraying train then
Masham Melmerby worked to Melmerby on 30 May 1968.

Melmerby M.O.D. Freight continued to Ripon, where the coal
South GF Melmerby (details depot was very active, and north to Melmerby
by courtesy of MoD (with an internal railway and loco/s).
railmaponline.com) Six trains ran from Melmerby between 21 Mar
Ripon Camp Ripon and 5 Jun 1968 inclusive to remove ammunition
stocks. The last such train was said to be on
Littlethorpe 3 Oct 1968, but no firm evidence is available.
SB The depot closed at the end of the working day
on 31 Dec 1968, so Ripon to Melmerby MoD
Wormald 1 Starbeck N Jn CA 1 Jan 1969, as New Year's Day was not a bank
Green 2 Starbeck holiday in those days. (By local custom it was a
3 Starbeck S Jn holiday in the North East but this practice did
4 Belmont Crossing not spread as far south as Yorkshire.)
5 Stonefall SB
https://bit.ly/35ALCFK has an account of the
Ripley Nidd Bridge final train on 31 Dec 1968, which collected the
last wagons. The 5 May 1969 working timetable
To Pateley Ripley Jn still showed trains running to Melmerby but this
Bridge was amended in the Jun 1969 supplement, so
presumably nobody had told the timetablers
Harrogate Bilton Jn that the depot had closed! A 9 Jun 1969 British
Gas Works 1 2 To York Rail circular reported that the MoD private siding
Rly (2'0") 34 had closed 'forthwith'; perhaps British Rail had
sent the Army an invoice for the private siding
Dragon Jn 5 To Leeds access and it had been rejected‽.

Harrogate CSD
To Leeds

ABOVE: A 3-car DMU heads south from Ripon towards Harrogate on 5 Mar 1967.

BELOW: Ripon station in 1970 looking north, the Down line is lifted beyond the crossing. The running
in board remained three years after passenger closure and in the year following complete closure.



PREVIOUS PAGE TOP: Sinderby station 1952; the platform height change is an interesting feature.

PREVIOUS PAGE LOWER: Sinderby in 1969, with the Down line partially lifted, looking north.

Public freight traffic at Ripon ceased from 8 Sep 1969 (BLN 142), although it seems this had been
originally scheduled for 6 Oct (BLN 140). Clinker’s Register states that private siding traffic remained
until a later (unspecified) date. The only private siding listed here in the 1956 Handbook of Stations
was Allton's Ebor concrete works, which might have received an occasional 'Presflo' cement wagon.

The final train, to clear the yard at Ripon, ran on 9 Oct 1969, hauled by Class 20 D8301. The line was
deleted from the Sectional Appendix in the 4-weekly notices issued on 14 Mar 1970 although it has
been suggested the effective date was 16 Mar (a Monday). There was apparently no mention of any
closure in the Supplement dated 4 May 1970 although it is believed that lifting started around this
time; certainly it was in progress by June. A member recollects seeing House Coal Concentration
hopper wagons in the yard at Ripon as late as 1971/1972 but they must have been abandoned there.

On 26 Sep 1970 Boroughbridge Road points were disconnected and the relevant signals abolished,
indicating completion of lifting of the line north of Sinderby. The points at Starbeck North Box were
secured permanently OOU in the normal position on 24 Apr 1972, showing that the line south of
Sinderby had then been lifted. The 25 mile Leeds Northern Railway to Northallerton was no more.

1418] Dec 2020 Timetable - North East: The proposed new pattern is supported by NR on a firm basis
and Northern Trains is confident that it can be implemented without adversely affecting performance.
The complete recast splits up long distance services to improve performance. The major change is a
half-hourly service between Middlesbrough and Newcastle via Sunderland. This is no doubt in
response to pressure for this improvement, the opening of Horden station and because it has not been
possible to provide the proposed Middlesbrough - Durham - Carlisle 'Northern Connect' service.

Hexham - Newcastle - Middlesbrough - Nunthorpe hourly service is split into separate Hexham -

Newcastle, Newcastle - Middlesbrough & Middlesbrough - Nunthorpe services (as they used to be!).

Morpeth - Carlisle is split into separate Morpeth - Newcastle and Newcastle - Carlisle services.
Middlesbrough - Whitby and Middlesbrough - Nunthorpe will be integrated and self-contained.

A few services at the start and end of the day may still run through Newcastle and Middlesbrough.

Bishop Auckland - Darlington - Middlesbrough - Saltburn: minimal change.
Morpeth will presumably be served by a Newcastle (P1) shuttle. A self-contained service will enable

Carlisle/Hexham trains to use the Newcastle west bays if they can cross the Fast lines. With only two
platforms at Middlesbrough and an inflexible layout, Newcastle trains will presumably turn back in P2
and Whitby/Nunthorpe in P1. With the platform occupation perhaps freights will use the goods lines!

1419] Yorkshire: Proposals are minor compared with earlier timetables. Northern track access rights
for Huddersfield - Marsden and Huddersfield - Manchester Piccadilly are reduced as TPE make these
calls. Hull - Halifax through services, begun by Northern in Dec 2019, have not caused more delay than
when the services were unlinked so NR supports these contingent rights becoming firm, expiring 2025.

1420] Haltwhistle: A project to refurbish the waiting rooms has begun. A plan for the P2 building has
been agreed and work should start in late July with P1 building to follow. Funding is fixed so the scope
of the work on P1 will be altered if unforeseen problems arise with P2. The south side of the station,
former loop platform (Alston bay, P3); the yard, including the turntable pit; the 'Arches' (the viaduct
carrying the Alston branch over the River Tyne) and the trackbed up to its end before the A69 bypass,
are now owned by the South Tynedale Railway. Hopefully one day it might be possible to change at
Haltwhistle for Alston again (as before 3 May 1976) and enjoy a lovely 13 mile trip on the railway.

NEXT PAGE TOP: Haltwhistle with its staggered platforms looking towards Hexham and Newcastle.
A train is leaving P2 for Carlisle. The connecting service to Alston is right in P3, note (bottom right) this
platform used to be a on through loop line, and still retained a run round loop (Alston did not though).

[BLN 1352]

This was on Sat 20 Mar 1976 -
six weeks before the last train
ran. The branch used to curve
round to the right (off picture)
over the River South Tyne on
an impressive viaduct before
heading south to Alston.
Haltwhistle Jn (37m 10ch), the
connection to the 'bay' and
indirectly to the branch, can be
seen at the far end of the
station just beyond the Grade
II listed elevated signal box.
(Ian Mortimer.)

BELOW: 1952 map; Newcastle
is to the right and Carlisle left.
The delightful 13 mile Alston
branch followed the River
South Tyne, off bottom left.

1421] Re-signallers: The first to help with Covid cover in the Tyneside area has started at Hexham box.

1422] Seaton-on-Tees: (TRACKmaps 2 p45A Oct 2016) Traffic is due to start soon on the branch; spent
ballast from Carlisle Kingmoor Yard to the Able UK shipyard for construction of a new dock. It will be
unloaded on the branch, outside the power station fence. The trains, operated by DC Rail, will be 'top
& tail' running via Hexham and Darlington, reversing in each direction in the Down Cliff House Loop.
Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station run round loop can't be used because it is inside the security fence.

1423] Church Fenton - Harrogate: The To Ripon To Pilmoor
14 mile Church Fenton - Wetherby -
Spofforth line was opened by the York Bilton Jn 1 Cattal Hammerton
& North Midland Railway on 10 Aug 32 Starbeck To York
1847, and a year later was extended by
5 miles to Harrogate. Between Newton 4 N
Kyme and Thorp Arch it crossed the Pannal Jn Crimple Jn
River Wharfe** on a now Grade II Spofforth
listed viaduct. The first Wetherby Pannal

station was at what later became East To Wetherby Gds To Thorp
Jn. It CP 1 Jul 1902 with OP of a new Leeds Pass. Arch MoD
station at the South Jn, on the Cross Collingham
Gates line, but became the goods Bridge Thorp Newton
station. RIGHT: Map thanks to Dave Arch Kyme
Cromarty; mentioned locations in the 1 Knaresborough
text are bold and underlined. 2 Dragon Jn Bardsey Tadcaster

After WWII Church Fenton - Wetherby 3 Harrogate Thorner Stutton To
(to Cross Gates and Leeds) passenger 4 Hornbeam Park (Gds) York
services were drastically reduced. The 5 East Garforth 7
only place of any size was Tadcaster
and the route via Wetherby was very 6 Micklefield Scholes
indirect. By 1961 the service was a very 7 Ulleskelf
serious challenge to gricers, just the Cross Church Fenton
07.44 Church Fenton to Wetherby -
Gates Pendas Way To
To Garforth Sheffield
Leeds To Selby
CSD To Castleford 5 6

Leeds and a morning train Leeds to

Tadcaster train (SSuX)/Thorp Arch (SO), which returned ECS and went from the timetable by Jun 1962.

The 07.44 actually ran from Leeds via Garforth to Church Fenton and made a circular journey. It is

likely that it was mainly a parcels train. Unfortunately your NE Editor was not old enough to be allowed
to fester on Leeds station all night and hence never did the line. Our Member No1 was under no such

restrictions - but it still wasn't easy to do - see BLN 1252.492 (dated 5 Mar 2016) about the final day of

passenger services to Wetherby (6 Jan 1964). The SLS/RCTS 'North Eastern Rail Tour' traversed the line

on 27 Sep 1963 and that may have been the last railtour before passenger closure.

The part of the original line (curve) between Wetherby East and West signal boxes was taken out of
use by Dec 1961. Crimple Jn (Harrogate services) - Church Fenton and to Cross Gates CP 6 Jan 1964;
Crimple Jn - Wetherby South Signal Box closed to all traffic. Cross Gates - Wetherby CA 27 Apr 1964;
Wetherby - Tadcaster CA 4 Apr 1966 and Church Fenton North SB - Tadcaster CA 30 Nov 1966.

**As part of planning commitments, a housing developer has refurbished the River Wharfe Viaduct,
with repairs to the stone work, a new concrete deck, a three metre wide cycling and walking path with
new railings, to form a route between Wetherby and Tadcaster. Prior to its refurbishment the viaduct
featured in the ITV 'Touch of Frost' detective series - Series 5, Episode 3, called 'True Confessions'.

BELOW: Towards the end the Church Fenton - Wetherby timetable was quite a challenge to anyone
who wanted to do the line; this is 11 Sep 1961 - 17 Jun 1962 timetable. (With thanks to Geoff Blyth.)

1424] Morpeth: In the Emergency timetable TPE has continued to run just a few services between
Liverpool and Edinburgh that also call here. Northern services are all provided by buses (including at
Chathill, which is two hours to Newcastle - the train takes a mere 72 mins). CrossCountry are actually
providing the best service - 16 Morpeth calls a day instead of their normal 12! From 27 Apr TPE added
a Morpeth commuter service each way to/from Newcastle (Liverpool). Rather surprisingly, it calls at
Cramlington. Not only is this not a normal TPE station, but the platforms are too short for it (SDO?).

A member observed them online on 27 Apr. Instead of arriving and departing from Morpeth Down P2
as booked, the morning ECS crossed from P2 to the Up line using the facing crossover towards the
north end of the platforms then shunted back to P1 to start. After arrival in service in P2, the evening
one ran north ECS on the Down Slow, shunting to the Up line at Morpeth North Jn. Unsurprisingly it
departed south, in service to Liverpool from P2 and not the booked P1. The Sectional Appendix shows
bidirectional signalling on both lines between Tweedmouth and Benton, generally with a restriction of
50mph when travelling in the 'wrong direction'. It was wondered if these services might have departed
south on the Down Main from P2 and crossed to the Up Main at Plessey crossovers (11m 51ch).

1425] Bridlington: NR wishes it amend its 2017 proposals to renew and rationalise Bridlington South
Jn. The work is planned for completion in the 2020/21 financial year, and includes a Feb 2021 half term
line closure. The junction has 13 sets of points, which were to be renewed and rationalised in 2017/18.

The Up and Down Excursion Lines and the Up sidings were to be removed. (It is quite possible that the
final train was when the Society arranged for a train to Hull to start from P8 buffers stops on Sun 7 Jul
1991 - with 24 of our members on board - see pictures in e-BLN 1329.1291.) The 2017 proposal was for
the Excursion Lines junction to be replaced by a facing crossover about 100yd nearer the signal box to
eliminate the current 'heavy pull' needed and reduce the length of bidirectional working to P6. This
would also provide bidirectional working on P5, enabling passengers from Hull to reach the exit
without having to use the footbridge from P4, so the trailing crossover just south of the station could
be removed. Signalling alterations included a new signal at the north end of P5 - so it would be fully
bidirectional - and moving the Down Home semaphore signals closer to the station.

However, extra funding has been found, enabling more far reaching changes. The mechanical points
and signals will be replaced by clamp lock points and colour light signals. Additionally the new facing
crossover can be located much further south, on a straight alignment, easing the proposed speed
restriction over it from 15 to 20mph. BELOW: By Martyn Brailsford; 'Current' and 'Proposed' layouts.
P1-3 were just west of the present station; through P2 & 3 were taken out of use in Mar 1983; P3 was
a bay for the Malton service (CP 3 Jun 1950). The platforms will be renumbered with remodelling.

It is possible that the only semaphore left will be the Up Starter, and that might go. The project saves
about £78,000 in annual inspection, basic material and tamping costs. The existing layout would need
heavy refurbishment within the next year costing £720,000, which would give an extension of about

5 to 10 years. It looks as though the present
P4 (P1 after remodelling) will become 'rare' as
it will be used only when two through trains
need to cross at the station. The well known
buffet which closed on 24 Dec 2019 with its
collection of cast iron and enamel railwayana
(since auctioned off) was in the building on
the current P4. Bridlington (formerly South)
Signal Box dates from 1893 and has been
extended twice to a maximum of 125 levers in
1912, then in 1974 was reduced down to the
present 65. https://bit.ly/2L5NX23 shows
the interior in 2015 (click right for more).

1426] Horden: (BLN 1350.1116) After a brief pause in construction of the new station NR introduced
new safety measures to enable work to restart. The two 100m platforms have been built and the main
footbridge, ramps and stairs installed. Telecoms, mechanical, electrical and plumbing works will be
undertaken over the next month and the station should be ready to open in the early summer.

1427] Ribblehead: NR has applied for permission to make 'intrusive repairs' on the famous Grade II
listed 440yd long viaduct built in the 1870s, as masonry has been falling from it to near where the
public walk beneath. The deterioration of the structure was a reason cited by British Rail in trying to
justify the line's closure 36 years ago. However, the projected repair costs at the time were later found
to have been overestimated. Now there are numerous defects in the masonry, fractures in arches and
piers, and drainage system issues. NR states that a programme of remedial intervention is required to
prevent these defects escalating into a more significant and complex concern. It will include stitching
fractures in masonry, inserting anchors and reinforcing stone plus repainting metalwork. Specialist
high access is required throughout the viaduct and the work needs to take place in the summer.

1428] Milford Jn - Gascoigne Wood Jn: A member points out that the service over this PSUL route last
ran on Sun 13 May 2018 before the timetable change but the TPE franchise requires: One service shall
be provided each week between the following locations in at least one direction: ... Leeds and Selby via
Milford Jn. This has been discontinued, de facto, although TPE didn't reply directly on this question.

This PSUL entry has had a chequered history, including even its title. It started life as Milford South -
Gascoigne Wood, then Gascoigne Wood Jn - Milford South Jn, later Gascoigne Wood Jn - Milford Jn.

In past decades it carried mainly summer Saturday trains between the Midlands and West/South
Yorkshire to/from Bridlington, Filey Holiday Camp and Scarborough. However, there was also one
seemingly rather strange daily service - a late evening working from Selby to Pontefract Baghill, which
returned empty. This carried mail connecting into the overnight Newcastle - Bristol service which used
to call at Baghill and perhaps also, an hour later, the overnight York - Swindon/Bristol via the Great
Central line, until that was withdrawn. Genuine passengers ('normals') were probably rather scarce.

From 8 May 1978 the Selby train ran SuO and there were only two summer dated SO services each
way. It regained an all year weekday train from 12 May 1980, as the overnight SX Newcastle to Bristol
ran this way, but reduced again to just summer SO services from 1 Jun 1981. By summer 1991 there
was just one Scarborough to Leicester train, which ran for the last time on 31 Aug 1991. There was no
further booked passenger traffic until it was used for engineering Leeds - Hull diversions from 20 Jul to
7 Sep 2008. It gained a regular SuO train to Hull from 14 Dec 2008 until 25 Oct 2015, albeit with a gap
from 10 May to 19 Jul 2009. This ceased from 1 Nov 2015. A regular 19.26 SSuX Manchester Piccadilly
to Hull ran from 16 May 2016, plus 20.18 SuO Leeds to Hull on and from 22 May 2016. These ceased
from 20 May 2018 with the timetable change and nothing has been booked to run this way since.

Reportedly TPE is considering running a daily Leeds to Hull and SuO Hull to Leeds train from Dec 2020.
TPE crew (thought to be Hull based) retain the route knowledge for diversions, in case Gascoigne
Wood to Leeds is blocked. They now do this by travelling 'passenger' on other services but these are
few and far between, hence the desirability of reinstating booked workings over this route.

1429] York - Harrogate: (BLNs 1346.537 & 1343.78) North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) has
approved £13M expenditure on the improvements described in BLN 1342.3080. This will enable the
off-peak service to increase from one to two trains per hour. £9.6M is from the York, North Yorkshire
and East Riding Enterprise Partnership. NYCC will use £3.4M from parking fines to pay for the rest (!).

The critical issue was if NR could accommodate the additional services on the ECML between York and
Skelton Jn. Objections were raised by operators using the ECML, who argued that the more frequent
trains would affect their services. (Also an issue in the North East.) However, the Supplemental Track
Access Agreement states that a third party capacity report demonstrates that the trains can be
accommodated and will not impact on the future ECML rights directed by ORR on 12 May 2016.

Bidirectional operation between York and Skelton Jn already allows a high level of flexibility in terms
of allocating paths between these two points. If this had not been agreed, the Enterprise Partnership
money would have been forfeited and possibly allocated to non-railway schemes. Work is now
expected to start this summer and the improved service should be introduced 'by May 2021'.
The enhanced service may assist the case for a third, York to Skelton Jn independent line (1½ miles).
1430] Ferrybridge: Etex Building Performance (EBP) has renewed its contract with GBRf for three years
from 1 Aug 2020 to 31 Jul 2023, for the transport of gypsum from Hull Coal Terminal (no coal these
days) via Gascoigne Wood Sidings to its Siniat factory on the east side of Ferrybridge Power Station
loop. The gypsum, imported from Spain, is used to manufacture plasterboard. When the contract
started in 2015, FGD-gypsum came from Cottam and West Burton Power Stations to this plant and
EBP's Portbury plant (Bristol). The closure of Cottam and reduced activity at West Burton curtailed rail
traffic but it has continued to run. This means that Ferrybridge merry-go-round loop has remained in
use for incoming gypsum despite the coal fired Ferrybridge 'C' closing on 23 Mar 2016.

ABOVE: Hull Paragon is top right; not far southwest Prince's Dock runs north to south. At an angle,
beneath it is Humber Dock and just left of that (the furthest east spot) is Manor House Street Goods
(later Hull Central Goods). The middle spot is the Great Central Railway Kingston Street Goods and the
left one the H&BR Neptune Street Goods. The H&BR goes off middle left, Dairycoates is bottom left
1431] Hull: In one of the e-BLN 1351.1272 photo captions your BLN Editor inadvertently incorrectly
assigned Manor House Goods to the Hull & Barnsley Railway (H&BR) branch. However, as often the
case in these situations, some interesting new information has come to light as a result. Read on...
The first railway to arrive in the city was the Hull & Selby Railway, OP 2 Jul 1840; OG 19 Aug 1840 to
their Manor House Street station, alongside Humber Dock. It CP 8 May 1848 when passenger services
were diverted to the new Paragon station and Manor House House Street became the main goods
terminal. However, it ROP 1 Jun 1853 for services on the new Victoria Dock branch. This did not last
long as the station last appeared in Bradshaw in Sep 1854; all the services then used Paragon.
On 1 Aug 1879 the North Eastern Railway opened a short branch to Kingston Street Goods, for the use
of the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway (later the Great Central). The last company to
arrive was the cumbersomely named Hull, Barnsley & West Riding Junction Railway & Dock Company,

later the H&BR, whose line to Neptune Street Goods, OG 27 Jul 1885. Neptune Street closed to public
goods traffic 2 Dec 1968 and the track to the goods depot was removed. However, an engineer's depot
and scrapyard remained (presumably in the former coal yard) until the line was cut on 16 Aug 1982,
together with that from Dairycoates, Tilcon Siding to Hull Central Goods (Manor House Street).

The Humberside (not Hull) Locomotive Preservation Group (HLPG) railtour was fortuitous. Long
standing BLS members will remember the frustration we experienced at the time when British Rail
London Midland Region imposed a complete ban on special trains over goods lines at the end of the
1960s, which lasted for over 20 years. The Eastern Region followed suit, although the policy was less
rigid and lines occasionally slipped through. (The other regions never imposed a ban although the
Scottish Region restricted tours to British Rail owned lines.) The Eastern Region wished to borrow a
steam locomotive (can any member remember exactly what for?) from the HLPG, which was then
based at the former Dairycoates shed. The HLPG was willing to do this and in return obtained
agreement to their running the goods line railtour (23 Sep 1978) to raise funds for their work.

ABOVE: Very understated; from BLN 352 of 23 Aug 1978. https://bit.ly/2KHwDAk The itinerary said
that the only previous passenger trains at King George V Dock and Alexandra Dock were immigrant
trains from Alexandra Dock around 1900 and a Railway Correspondence & Travel Society 10 Oct 1964
tour. Naturally there was a heavy BLS presence and the 6 car DMU soon sold out - tickets were just
£3.75 (= £22 in 2020, an absolute bargain)! After Manor House Street the train was booked to make a
90 min stop at Dairycoates, for participants to view the locos and purchase HLPG material. However, a
gap was found in the perimeter fence at Manor House Street (temporarily ROP‽‽) and some who lived
a long way from Hull used this to catch trains home from Paragon station, a short walk, two hours
earlier than if they had stayed on the tour - missing no new track. (Please keep this strictly to yourself.)

1432] Stocksbridge: Liberty Steels here seems to have been working, with internal shunting and main
line trains running from Aldwarke (the exchange sidings by the Down Tinsley line; TRACKmaps 2 p32A
Oct 2016). As at 15 May that last ran on 30 Apr. However, it is said that production has been reduced.

1352 NORTH WEST (John Cameron) [email protected]
1433] Arnside: (Picture BLN 1351.X.81) The 110 year old footbridge has been refurbished at a cost of
£370k. Steelwork was repaired, replaced and painted; new lights and anti-slip flooring were installed.

1434] Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) Corridor: In Oct 2019 NR published a study into forecast
growth between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Oxford Road via Warrington Central. The line
is 34⅓ route miles and has 4tph in each direction; two are semi-fast and two stopping. Passenger
numbers have risen by 30% overall since 2011 and the typical end to end journey time is 49 minutes.
The timetable structure is very rigidly determined by the number of intermediate stations which
stopping trains serve (up to 21) and long signalling headways over parts of the route. There are no
intermediate opportunities for overtaking. There is significant scope for importing delays from and to
the Castlefield corridor at Manchester, the Hope Valley and elsewhere on the network.

The main freight traffic generator is Trafford Park Intermodal Terminal where a significant increase in
traffic is forecast, from 13 trains now to 26 per day by 2043. It is assumed that an hourly daytime path
would accommodate this future level of demand; this is with most freight operating overnight.

A possible solution is to run local trains as two portions, Liverpool to Birchwood and Warrington West
to Manchester Oxford Road ('overlapping'- both serving both Warrington stations). The study also
suggests that retaining existing semi-fast trains could generate a stronger economic case with better
value for money. The proposal could deliver more reliable services by introducing greater flexibility
and improve connections to/from intermediate stations, without needing to run skip/stop services.





1435] Trafford Park: Area resignalling is due for completion by 2024 (the end of Control Period 6).
However, all signalling projects may be delayed by social distancing, which increases costs and slows
work down, and the lack of available finance. The project is mainly a 'like for like' signal replacement as
Trafford Park Route Relay Interlocking is now 49 years old. Originally at the old London Road Power
Signal Box, it is now controlled from Manchester ROC, Oxford Road Work Station. Some resiting and
functional changes are planned (such as new Ground Position Lights at Trafford East Jn for down
direction movements from the Up CLC). There will be track rationalisation with removal of the
Reception Emergency Power Ground Frame (31m 46ch) and the two adjacent crossovers it controls.

ABOVE: Trafford Park Sidings on 9 Sep 1978 (before electrification, of course) during the 'Manchester
Navigator No2 Railtour'. https://bit.ly/3bvPJ7v as advertised in BLN (see next page), there were plenty
of our members on board. Organised by Ian Mortimer & Malcolm Borrowdale, it started at 10.00. This
excellent tour traversed the still extensive Manchester Ship Canal Railway system in open wagons,
finishing 16.24. There seems to be some sort of football ground in the far distance left. (Ian Mortimer.)

PREVIOUS PAGE: The marked up tour map, the fare was £3.50 (worth £20.25 now). (Paul Stewart.)

1436] Manchester Central: (BLN 1349.946) NR provided logistics and project management expertise to
help deliver the NHS Nightingale Hospital North West at this former station. Dozens of volunteers who
specialised in supply chain and logistics worked over the Easter weekend with the Army Reserve and
NHS to open the 750 bed temporary Covid-19 hospital. The NHS has also been given the use of storage
space at NR's Warrington regional distribution centre. Normally it would be closed over Easter, but
staff volunteered to work throughout the bank holiday weekend to help open the hospital.

1437] New Mills Newtown: (BLN 1346.544) At this station on the Buxton line, refurbishment of the
Grade II listed 1863 built footbridge has been completed at a cost of £45,000. The 157-year-old stairs
and overbridge were strengthened, the steel structure grit blasted and then it was fully repainted.

[BLN 1352]
BELOW: Spoilt for choice in 1978 - from Branch Line News...

ABOVE: Tong Lane Level Crossing on the Rochdale to Baccup line. An interesting facet of this line was
that it ran via Facit; like the loco, the crossing gates had definitely seen better days (30 Apr 1963).

[BLN 1352]

PREVIOUS PAGE LOWER: During the final days of passenger services, Healey Dell Viaduct in Jun 1947.

1438] Rossendale: (BLN 1350.1125) A local member considers the proposal from the MP and the local
council to run trains from Rawtenstall via Bury and Heywood to Manchester is fraught with problems,
including a long journey time. It would interfere with, or cause closure of, the East Lancashire Railway
(ELR), which normally operates every weekend and many weekdays during the year and contributing
considerably to the local economy. Seemingly the ELR feels that it has not been consulted. Our
member thinks it might be possible to run through trams on a separate line next to the ELR (formerly
double track), or for a DMU peak shuttle to Metrolink in Bury, so the ELR could operate at other times.
Rawtenstall residents are in NIMBY mode over this as parking space locally will be lost to commuters.

1439] Bacup: The town, once reached by a 4¼ mile continuation east of the ELR Rawtenstall line, had
another railway to Rochdale (was it the 'back up' route‽ - OK it's pronounced 'bake up'). When the LMS
fought its competitors - the remarkable story of 1930s Saturday evening services on the Facit branch...

Before television, town centre cinemas and theatres were major sources of evening entertainment. In
the 1930s the area around Rochdale town centre had at least eight cinemas and a professional theatre.
These attracted thousands into the town, particularly on a Saturday night. Most from surrounding
districts would travel by bus, but there was one area - the Whitworth Valley, population around 8,000
and Bacup (20,000) - where the railway stood a reasonable chance of competing with local buses.

In those days the cinemas usually ran their evening sessions with two continuous performances of the
main feature film, the 'first house' starting between 6pm and 6.45pm and the 'second house' between
8.30pm and 9.15pm. It was even possible for customers to enter mid-way through the first house and
stay in the second house until the same point in the main feature had been reached.

The Facit branch already had an enhanced service on Saturday afternoons, to cater for shoppers and
football supporters travelling to and from Rochdale. The 1939 timetable shows that there were seven
trains from Bacup down the valley between noon and 5pm on Saturdays whereas the Monday to
Friday service offered only three. But it was on Saturday evenings that things really took off. There
were no fewer than 10 departures from Bacup between 5.14 pm and 10.45 pm; those at 5.14, 5.50
and 6.07 pm were for the first house, although the one at 6.28 gave a faster service to Rochdale by
omitting calls at Broadley and Shawclough. In the return direction there were 13 trains from Rochdale
between 5pm and 11.51pm. Departures at 8.45, 9.06, 9.17 and 9.30pm were clearly designed to take
the first house people home. The 8.45 was timed to spend nine minutes at Wardleworth station to
pick up the returning cinema goers and it then ran nonstop to Whitworth. The departure at 11.09pm
also omitted calls at Shawclough and Broadley so that passengers could reach home quicker.

The single line sections between Wardleworth and Broadley, and Broadley and Facit, were operated
on a tablet system with tablet exchange taking place at Broadley signal box. This meant that the
Saturday evening service must have been quite complex to organise and operate, bearing in mind that
(for example) between 9pm and 10pm three trains travelled from Rochdale to Bacup with none in the
opposite direction. The loop at Broadley was only for goods trains, so the passenger trains had to pass
each other on the double track sections of the branch north of Facit or south of Wardleworth. Just
south of Facit, the crossing keeper at Tonge End crossing signal box must have been kept unusually
busy with 23 gate movements between 5pm and the passage of the last train to Bacup.

Within weeks of this timetable WWII had broken out and it all had to be abandoned. [Just like Covid-19
then.] There was no serious attempt to revive such intensive operation afterwards; the 1947 timetable
shows just five services in each direction on Saturdays between 5pm and the 10.40pm Rochdale to
Bacup. Eight years after 1939 it was all over, because passenger services were withdrawn from the
Facit branch from 16 Jun 1947. The six Bacup shed based Stanier 2-6-2 tanks (Nos 190-192, 194, 198
and 199) which had been kept busy on the Facit branch were all reallocated to Southport.

These events were an ominous foretaste for the loss of the other intensive rail service at Bacup. Its last
train service, the Bury DMUs which finished on Sat 3 Dec 1966, still had a 15 minute interval service on
Saturday afternoon right up to the day of closure. Probably no other branch line closure could offer
such an intensive service on the final day. (By Richard Greenwood, reproduced with permission.)

Aug 1939 timetable, Saturdays after 12 noon. From Bacup: 12.10, 12.43, 1.40, 2.07, 2.30, 3.13, 3.47,
5.14, 5.50, 6.07, 6.28, 7.00, 7.44, 8.30, 9.55, 10.30 & 10.45 (17). From Rochdale: 12.00, 12.37, 1.25,
3.03, 3.35, 4.20, 5.00, 5.38, 6.45, 7.25, 8.15, 8.45, 9.06, 9.17, 9.30, 10.15, 11.09, 11.20 & 11.51 (19).

1440] Styal: Northern Crewe - Styal - Manchester Airport - Liverpool services just ran between the
Airport and Liverpool from Mon 30 Mar so Styal had no train services. Then the only passenger trains
between Heald Green North Jn and Wilmslow South Jn were three TfW SuO Cardiff or Crewe to
Manchester Piccadilly services and MTWThO 05.23 Manchester Piccadilly to Bournemouth. Northern
run an early morning ECS from Ardwick to Crewe via Styal (and back last thing) to maintain train crew
route knowledge. The only passenger trains at Manchester Airport were then an hourly Northern
Liverpool service and four TPE services daily (destinations vary, presumably to retain crew knowledge).

1441] Class 769 'Flex' Bimodes: The 'new' trains (converted 30+ year old Class 319 EMUs) will mainly
run on the Southport - Alderley Edge route. However, the pandemic has paused driver training.
Northern are to have eight; three (769424, 769442, 769458) have been at Springs Branch for driver
training, and three (769431, 769448, 769450) at Allerton for post 'Flex' works and exams. The other
two are being converted at Brush in Loughborough (769434 & 769456). TfW are to have some while
the Rail Operations Group (ROG) and GWR are having five/19 trimodes respectively for operation on
third rail too. ROG plan a 'high speed parcels service' and GWR an Oxford to Gatwick Airport service.

1442] Metrolink etc: Trams in Manchester are losing over £5M a month; the normal 125,000 journeys
a day in early March were down to 5,000 by late April. £11.6M extra Government funding is being
provided and for Nottingham (£3.7M), Sheffield (£1.3M), Tyne & Wear (£8.6M) and West Midlands
(£2.1M). This is about 86% of what was requested and is due to last 12 weeks. No Government support
has been provided for Blackpool (services suspended as bus services meet key worker needs, but
support since requested), Edinburgh (Scottish Government considering financial support) or TfL (as a
devolved service). Meanwhile Merseyrail is similarly losing £1.2M a week on its services.

1443] Ellesmere Port: Northern's Dec 2020 Track Access Application includes replacing the current
Ellesmere Port - Leeds and return SSuX services with extra Chester - Leeds services. Ellesmere Port
would have one through train to Liverpool via Helsby and Runcorn instead, giving it through Liverpool
services via two different routes. Although there are no Northern services in the Emergency Timetable,
the 05.10 SuX DMU from Liverpool Lime Street is normally to Ellesmere Port but via Warrington BQ.
The proposal maintains two trains each way (SuX) over the Helsby Jn - Helsby P3 & 4 connection.

1444] Parton: (BLN 1351.1289) On the Cumbrian Coast line NR expects to replace the damaged
underbridge south of Parton by the end of May and have both tracks reopened. The bridge and track
were badly damaged during three consecutive storms (Ciara, Dennis and 'by Jorge'), closing the line
between Workington and Whitehaven since 12 Mar. With the line closed work on sea defences
scheduled for later this year was expedited. Over 36,000 tonnes of rock armour (large boulders from a
local quarry) is being placed to protect the railway from being pounded by powerful waves.

1445] Settle - Carlisle: The Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line are producing an emergency Covid-19
electronic newsletter every month or so to keep members abreast with what's happening (or not) on
the line. The latest edition reports that group volunteers have kept Settle and Appleby ticket offices
staffed, sometimes by individuals working many hours and travelling long distances by car. All the
waiting rooms on the line are currently closed and locked out of public use. In the Emergency
Timetable there are four trains a day each way, seven days a week for key workers and essential travel
only. Around 0 to 4 key workers per day in total were using these trains on average, some to reach
Airedale Hospital in Skipton. Freight has decreased; Arcow aggregate is now the only regular traffic.

[BLN 1352]
1446] Stockport: (BLN 1251.1288) There used to be a barrier in the underpass. Intending passengers
would be given a free platform ticket to go on to the station, to be given up when buying a ticket at
the booking offices. These were at the top of the steps leading up to the platforms. The blue Edmonson
card tickets (with the usual red diamond outline) were reused so tended to be very tatty. Our member
thinks a paid for ticket was needed to go through the subway, presumably given up on the other side?
1447] Denton Jn - Crowthorne Jn: Houses on Stamford Rd which back onto this freight line and the
reservoir (not guilty) have had flooded gardens since 2017. NR expedited drainage work to solve this.
180m of new drainage channels were installed by the embankment and 200 tonnes of stone placed.
1448] Wigan NW: Signs at bay P2 & 3 that used to say 'Electric trains stop here' have been replaced
with 'Electric locomotives stop here'. Why? This allows EMUs, where the pantograph is half-way down
the length of the train, to use the full length of the platforms and importantly reach the buffer stops...
1449] Euxton Jn - stretching a point: (BLN 1350.1124) On 4 May after a weekend closure, the points in
the Up Slow, part of a connection to the Down Fast, were renewed 3m to the south. Corresponding
points in the Down Fast, forming a connection to the Up Slow, were renewed 2m further north.
1450] Chapel-en-le-Frith: NR is regrading two embankments to reduce the risk of future landslips.

ABOVE: A train to Buxton leaving Chapel-en-Le-Frith (South) station, seen upper far left with
its trailing crossover at the time but since removed. (Ian Mortimer, 12 Feb 1978.)

NEXT TWO PAGES: Parton on the Cumbrian Coast Line, the badly damaged under bridge -
(which wasn't all it was cracked up to be) and seawall - with sink hole at 12 Mar 2020 - Item 1444. (NR.)









BELOW & NEXT PAGE: Remarkable Progress at Parton in less tha

an 6 weeks after the storm damage had taken place. (NR 24 April 2020.)





1352 SOUTH EAST - NORTH & EAST ANGLIA

X.93] BELOW: 66094 on a 'railtour'; Sat 2 May 2020: Eastleigh East Yard - W
St Denys (4 miles south of Eastleigh!). But it gave a member a chance to ph
village southwest of Hook. There are plenty of green aspect signals on the
return leg from Woking (Down Fast at Hook), three such trains ran on 2 May