1373

Number 1373 (Items 774 - 927 & MR 41 - 47) (E-BLN 127 PAGES) 27 Mar 2021

BRANCH LINE NEWS

Distribuendi notitia, verbi disseminandi

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 necessarilyathvaoislaebolef .the Compilers or the Society.

BLN 1374 is dated Sat 10 Apr; all contributions by Wed 31 Mar please.

774] :PLEASE RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP ONLINE!: It's that time of the year again

when we ask for your support in renewciientgy.ySoouciretmy.embership (due by 1 May), please. Subscriptions
are your Society's main income and early renewal saves extra work and expense chasing people up.

Renewing online (opens 1st April) - even if you just take paper BLN (or ask someone to do it for you)
- at the 'Membership' section of our Society website helps your volunteer Committee considerably.
Most Debit/Credit Cards can be used. Please check all your details/address are correct and notify
any changes you can't make yourself directly to the Membership Secretary, Lisa Sheppard as above.

Subscriptions are frozen (or reduced) for the fifth year in a row, despite postage increases.

E-BLN with e-BLNI (24 editions of each) is still only £12 per year - in real terms the lowest ever full
membership subscription rate, particularly considering the benefits. You can review your category
of membership, add 24 posted editions of BLN printed on quality paper to e-BLN for only £28.50
extra, or add 24 paper BLNIs for £4.50 more. Everyone who takes paper BLN can have e-BLN/BLNI
free! Your membership also includes: Peter Scott's Minor Railways booklet posted to all full
members, access to the Members' section of our website, priority booking, members' only fixtures
and discounts on many fixtures; also discounts on TRACKmaps, rail atlases and various other books.

We are always keen to welcome new members if you know of anyone who might be interested.
After a slight dip last year with no tours, running we now have over 2,000 paid up members again.

775] REMINDER: branchline.org.uk email addresses no longer work and are 'undeliverable'. Please

see our website 'Contacts' page or BLN 1350 for the full correct list; they are 'generic' by job title and
not volunteer's name to allow automatic forwarding for holiday cover, change of post holder etc.

776] Liverpool & Manchester Atlas (BLN 1372.622) Everyone who ordered a copy should now have

had an invoice and, in most cases, delivery. A few remain; if you wish to purchase one, please send a

message to the Sales Officer (back page). Books in stock (price includes UK 2nd Class Post & Packing):

TRACKmaps 1 - Scotland & IOM - £10 Crecy - European Atlas - £20

TRACKmaps 2 - Eastern - £13 Crecy - Complete SW Atlas - £27

TRACKmaps 3 - Western & Wales - £10 Crecy - Then and Now Atlas - £14
TRACKmaps 4 - Midlands & North West - £13 Baker's Atlas (latest 15th Edition) - £15

TRACKmaps 5 - Southern & TfL - £13 Liverpool & Manchester Atlas - £21

1373 HEAD LINES (Paul Stewart) [email protected]
777] Staines East Jn - Windsor & Eton Riverside: (BLN 1372.698) ROP Sat 13 Mar (not Fri 12 Mar).

778] Thorpe-le-Soken Jn - Clacton-on-Sea (incl): (BLN 1370.396) TCP Sat 20 Feb; ROP Sun 14 Mar 2021,
unusually commissioning was at 21.00 and passenger trains did run! The first arrival of the day (20.41
ex-Liverpool St) at 22.11 formed the first (and last) departure of the day (to Colchester) at 22.27!

779] Rainford (excl) - Kirkby P2 (incl): TCP 18.53 Sat 13 Mar (see next item); ROP from Mon 22 Mar.

BELOW: (BLN 1371.602) Repairs at the Fairlie major landslip were near

ring completion on 25 Mar; West Kilbride - Largs ROP Sat 27 Mar. (NR.)









X.57] PREVIOUS TWO: (BLN 1372.633 and item 794 below) Vatican City station; a 2 Oct 2008 special
train (our Society was well represented!). The first shows the station building. The line continues round
to the left into the tunnel headshunt. Two wagons are in the bay and participants were told that the
main traffic is outward refuse. The second is the arch in the Vatican boundary wall (clearly a 'hole'-ly
wall) through which the railway passes. The massive thick iron gates which are normally closed across
the line are recessed each side within the wall. The branch has since been electrified to the gate. There
are normally tourist trains from the Vatican; https://bit.ly/2PtRaOD has details. (Greg Beecroft.)

780] Rice Lane (excl) - Fazakerley - Kirkby P1: TCP 18.53 Sat 13 Mar, buffer stop collision at Kirkby
(Item 843). Walton Jn - Rice Lane (incl): TCP Sun 14 Mar; whole branch ROP after repairs Mon 22 Mar.
Buses ran between Kirkby, Fazakerley and Aintree; Rice Lane passengers were directed to Walton.

781] ●(Sheffield) Nunnery Main Line Jn - Woodburn Jn - Woodhouse Jn - Beighton Jn/Shireoaks East Jn.
●Woodburn Jn - Tinsley North Jn (22.25 SSuX Manchester Piccadilly to Doncaster PSUL). ●Worksop
(excl) - Thrumpton West Jns - Gainsborough Trent Jn. ●Thrumpton West Jns - Retford West Jn. (Total
five stations): (Item 830) TCP Fri 12 Mar; ROP Mon 22 Mar for resignalling commissioning. 'All stations'
rail replacement buses were provided, Sheffield to Lincoln, taking 2hr 42min (trains takes 1hr 22min).

782] Blackpool Trams; Little Bispham - Fisherman's Walk: (BLN 1372.625) ROP Sat 13 Mar; then ROP
extended to Fleetwood Ferry during Mon 15 Mar - Facebook with photo evidence - (previously TCP
Sun 14 Feb for relaying). Harrow Place (excl) -Starr Gate (excl): TCP (again) Sat 13 Mar for further work.

783] Crianlarich Jn - Fort William - Mallaig (incl) (18 stations): TCP Sat 13 Mar; ROP Sat 20 Mar for
engineering work between Upper Tyndrum and Tulloch & Fort William and Loch Eil Outward Bound.
Buses ran Crianlarich to Fort William and Fort William to Mallaig but not serving Rannoch or Corrour.

784] (Rugby) Hillmorton Jn - Long Buckby - Northampton (excl): TCP/A Mon 15; ROP Sat 20 Mar (item 799).

785] MediaCityUK (excl) - Eccles (incl) (5 stops); TCP Sat 20 Mar; ROP Mon 5 Apr, for road resurfacing.

786] Morlais South Jn - Grovesend Colliery Loop Jn - Up District Line - Briton Ferry Up Flying Loop Jn:
PSUL ROP Tue 23 Mar 2021 05.00 Carmarthen to Hereford; previously TCP 23.13 Wed 26 Aug 2020.

787] Court Sart Jn - Down Swansea District Line - Grovesend Colliery Loop Jn - Morlais South Jn:
(previous item) PSUL ROP expected Mon 29 Mar 2021; 18.31 Manchester Piccadilly to Carmarthen.

788] Perry Barr station: (0.65M passengers 2019-20) TCP Mon 10 May for 12 months for rebuilding.

789] Keeping Track, (extra to Head Lines) significant passenger service suspensions: *= new/altered

BLN Start (incl) Reopens Location (stations 'exclusive' if bracketed) bold = closed now

1371.602 5 Feb 21 27 Mar 21 (West Kilbride) - Largs ::BLNs 1370 & 1371 have 21 more TCP:

1372.630 †17 Dec 20 29 Mar 21 Bedford P1A - Bletchley †at 12.00

1364.3095 4 Jan 21 16 May 21 Ryde Pier Head - Shanklin ROP expected for new timetable

1364.3097 14 Mar 21 8 May 21 Rutherglen Central Jn - Finnieston East & West Jns Cancelled

1371.479 25 Jan 21 ?12 Apr 21 Barton-on-Humber - Habrough Jn at 17.00

1372.632 14 Aug 21 23 Aug 21 (Dorking)/(Crawley) - Horsham - (Arundel)

1373 BLN GENERAL (Paul Stewart) [email protected]

790] Birmingham & West Midlands Railway Atlas: After recently publishing his excellent Liverpool &
Manchester (etc!) Railway Atlas, our member Joe Brown is now revising his West Midlands Atlas.
The First Edition (2016) is out of print and difficult to obtain, even second hand. If you spot any errors
in it or have any additions or updates [email protected] is Joe's special email address.

Of particular interest would be opening/closing dates of industrial sites that are not shown, ideally
with a source please. Joe's London Railway Atlas, now in its 5th Edition, has developed partly thanks to
the input of those who use it. Our Society's contribution is generously acknowledged in his Liverpool &
Manchester Atlas. Keep up this good work everyone and please do assist with Joe's latest project.

791] A Query: A member is looking for the motive power and route of BR Merrymakers from the Great
Eastern area (via London) to Morecambe and to Llandudno in late 1970s/early 1980s, please!

792] An Answer: (BLN 1371.499) 'Early Railway Memories' asked if, in the 1950s, steam engines with
round spectacle plates still pulled Calder Valley locals. Richard Greenwood, noted local photographer
and rail historian, advises that Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) 2-4-2Ts with round top fireboxes
commonly worked stopping passenger trains until the mid 1950s. L&YR 'A' class 0-6-0s also may have
been used. Both worked Sowerby Bridge - Halifax - Bradford and Wakefield to Huddersfield.

Manchester Metrolink £16,284,000 793] LEFT: Light Rail Funding: A further £33M of emergency
Tyne & Wear Metro £8,004,000 funding has been announced by the DfT covering 11 weeks
Nottingham Express £4,119,000 from 20 Mar for systems in England outside London which
Sheffield Supertram £2,468,000 has separate arrangements. The total DfT support to keep
West Midlands Metro £1,748,000 these systems going during the pandemic is now £193M.

Blackpool Tramway £325,000 794] Points & Slips: ●●BLN 1371.459] 30 Dec 1956 was

actually the last day of operation of the Liverpool Overhead Railway; closure was from 31 Dec 1956.

●●BLN 1372.633] A member has the Friedrichshafen Hafen branch as 491m (about 38ch), the line had
previously been shortened to this length by 18m at an unknown date, but certainly by 12 Jan 2004
when he did it. New Holland Pier was 107m 13ch and its junction 106m 67ch making the branch 26ch
long (with the intermediate station of New Holland Town at its previous 106m 56ch location, at the
start of the pier). Prior to its closure on 24 Jun 1981 in the middle of that day, when the Humber
Suspension Bridge opened, the New Holland Pier branch might well have been the shortest in Europe!
Newhaven Marine was shorter still (only 12ch from Newhaven Harbour Jn to the mid-platform) so
certainly shorter than New Holland Pier to the end of platform, which is as far as passenger trains
went, of course. It was also shown as P3 of Newhaven Harbour but, apart from a separate name, there
were separate facilities and a junction. Market Borough Jn to London Cannon Street is nominally 38ch,
the same as the Friedrichshafen Hafen branch where we started - now where is that micrometer?

795] Early Railway Memories (49): (BLN 1372.635) By John Rennilson (466) I spent my first 21 years in
Edinburgh. Initially the family home was close to an embankment between Balgreen Halt and Pinkhill
on the Corstorphine branch giving plenty of time with passenger steam action. From my school I could
hear WD 2-8-0s working hard with coal trains up the bank from Craiglockhart to Morningside Road.

The evening of Fri 18 Mar 1955 found me on an overnight Ruggex from Waverley via Scottish Border

stations to London for the England v Scotland International at Twickenham returning on the Saturday

evening. Any information on the route and London terminal would be welcomed! After school on
Fri 16 Nov 1956, I travelled on a No23 Edinburgh tram from Morningside to The Mound, the last day of

service. Many years later, Sat 31 May 2014 was to see me travel on the first morning of the new trams.

1956 holidays included the North Berwick branch with steam and in 1959 Llandudno which involved a
day trip including Bangor to Caernarvon (then). Also that year I travelled from Glasgow Central LL to
Kelvin Hall for the Scottish Industries Exhibition - alas not with one of the four preserved engines.

On Mon 7 Nov 1960 a schoolmate and I were allowed to go unaccompanied on the first day of the
Glasgow North Electrics. What wonderful modern units, in Caledonian blue livery 'Blue Trains', with
forward vision for passengers and sliding doors. Feb 1962 saw a journey from Waverley to Galashiels
via Peebles, the last weekend before closure. Later that month I departed Dundee West with D6100.

April saw my purchase of a 7 day Freedom of Scotland rover ticket but my parents insisted that I came
home each night. The highlight was probably A1 '60162' from Perth via Kinross Junction to Waverley
but I missed so much earlier that day by travelling direct from Aberdeen to Inverness (the present
route) and not via Dufftown or the coast and then later leaving Inverness via Slochd when I could have
gone via Dava! Also during those seven days I made it to Stranraer Town, from Kilmarnock to Irvine
direct and into Glasgow St Enoch via Paisley Canal.Much nearer to home I did the Musselburgh
branch, the Edinburgh Suburban Line via Abbeyhill and the Leith North branch, all in DMUs.

Venturing south in 1963, looking for steam in the North East, was almost entirely on routes now still
available except for Sunderland to Tyne Dock but again what did I overlook? No Leeds Northern via
Ripon and no Richmond branch. Closer to home in 1963 took me to Thornton - Leven - St Andrews -
Leuchars, Tayport, Forfar, Tweedmouth to St Boswells, the Waverley Route and Langholm branch,
Darvel, Dollar, Lanark direct from Carstairs and Comrie - almost all with steam haulage. 1963 ended
with a skiing holiday in Glencoe travelling to Ballachulish using the Callander & Oban line both ways.

My first tour (Scottish Rambler No3) was Mon 30 Mar 1964 with 'Glen Douglas' leading from St Enoch
turning left onto the City Union line via Bathgate and later in the day from Alloa to Larbert direct then
the Denny and Bonnybridge Canal branches, returning from Grangemouth via Orchardhall. Six Bells
Junction credits SLS as the organiser; I still have the itinerary which lists 'us' first. Later that year I
ventured to Newton Stewart with an A2 from Carstairs to Carlisle, a Clan from Carlisle to Newton
Stewart and a Jubilee back to Carlisle. In Oct, for family reasons, I had a week in Wales which allowed
me time for a return trip from Gloucester to Ross-on-Wye, out with a Manor returning with a 41xx.

Feb 1965 saw my first railtour in England. By then never one to use the direct route, I reached the start
at Crewe via Waverley - Larbert - Buchanan St - St Enoch - Annan - Dumfries - Castle Douglas - Stranraer
Harbour and back to Carlisle, all with steam before a Class 40 to Wigan North Western, steam to
Manchester Victoria and a Class 84 to Crewe. The tour was the RCTS 'Royal Scot Farewell' which
covered the direct line from Wigan to Chorley and then continued via Feniscowles direct to Blackburn.

Summer 1965 saw a visit to the southern end of the Somerset & Dorset (S&D) before an LCGB 15 Aug
tour including Abingdon, Yarnton, Oxford via Thame to High Wycombe then directly to Maidenhead.

In Sep I visited the Killin branch, still steam, and in the following month I completed the set of Scottish
preserved locos with HR '49' from Glasgow to Dumfries, cross country via Lochmaben to Lockerbie,
returning up Beattock. The year ended with a return trip on the Kilmacolm branch (CP/A 10 Jan 1983).

Early 1966 saw scheduled steam in and out of Southampton Terminus, then completing the Somerset
& Dorset to Bath Green Park. In April Winchester - Alton - Waterloo was achieved twice in one day
with '34057' then '33006'. Yet again I was a passenger on the BLS/SLS Easter Monday Scottish Rambler
with a WD 2-8-0 out of Queen Street to Menstrie, Kinneil Colliery, Westfield Loop from Bathgate and
Fauldhouse from Addiewell Jn, ending with a trip from the City Union into St Enoch. The Alnwick
branch (still steam) was squeezed in on 3 Jun. In Aug there was a J36 tour to Leith East, Smeaton and
Leith North. In Oct/early Nov 1966 there was a shortage of DMUs in Scotland, resulting in steam
haulage first thing in the morning from Dunfermline Upper to Leven then to Buchanan Street back to
Kirkcaldy, then to Buchanan Street again and finally to Dunfermline Upper, clearly too good to miss.

1967 was a fairly barren year but included Skipton to Blackburn and the 03.32 PSUL from Leeds direct
to Halifax, the only passenger train over Laisterdyke West to Bowling Jn avoiding Bradford Exchange.
There were specials from Scotland to Blackpool North via Shap departing Preston East Lancashire side
south, via Todd Lane Jn, Lostock Hall Jn, through Lostock Hall, and Farington Curve Jn to reappear in
the North Union west side of Preston station so avoiding a reversal there (and making PSUL too).

1968 was my final university year, a time of industrial unrest on the railways and the end of steam.
The highlights route wise of tours were Edgeley - Arpley - Ditton with a 9F, Derby - Matlock - Chinley -
Manchester with 70013, the Southport avoider with 44888 then Chapel Street - Ormskirk - Aintree
Cheshire Lines Committee - Hough Green - Warrington Central -Manchester Central with 45110.

Later in 1968 my base moved to Cardiff. A Warwickshire Railway Society 5 Oct tour reached Tredegar,
Markham Colliery and Coalbrookvale - north of Abertillery. A 19 Oct (Railway Enthusiasts Club) tour
included the NCB Pontardulais (one 'd' then) to Graig Merthyr Colliery branch, with steam, Clydach
North and Swansea East Depot. On 16 Nov I did an LCGB tour from Bristol TM via Bath Green Park
(Midland Bridge Yard) then to Yate, Portishead and Witham to Wells and Cheddar, ending the year
with an Evesham to Stratford-on-Avon round trip and back to Scotland over the Waverley Route.

1969 began with a trip from Bridgend to Cymmer Afan (the Rhondda Tunnel to Treherbert was closed),
a bubble car from Birmingham Snow Hill to Wolverhampton Low Level and a return trip from Bristol
TM via Mangotsfield and Gloucester Eastgate to Cheltenham. In late Mar, Broad Street was reached
before '4472' on an ill fated trip to Cleethorpes. A derailment just beyond Clifton-on-Trent meant that
we could not run to Lincoln and Cleethorpes. So the tour was dragged back to Shirebrook, then ran via
Retford. Return was very late via Grimsby - Firsby - Boston- Barkston South Jn to King's Cross (01.14).

Later in 1969 I traversed Cambridge to St Ives, Exeter to Ilfracombe with '7013', Kilmarnock - Dalry -
Glasgow Central with '412' and the reverse five days later with '408', Leicester - Northampton with
'1853', the Croxley Green branch from Watford Junction and Hartlebury to Bewdley return in a
bubble car. The year was completed with the SLS Woodhead Electric tour, the highlights of which were
Reddish MPD in one end and out the other then Tinsley - Rotherham Central - Wath Central - Barnsley.
Returning from Manchester was Piccadilly - Reddish North - Rose Hill - Middlewood HL - Macclesfield.

1970 was devoid of main line steam but I joined the Society! Lines included Alston, Firsby to Skegness,
Firsby to Lincoln Central and the Mablethorpe branch. Mid-Jul diversions allowed travel from
Worcester Shrub Hill via Honeybourne to Cheltenham and later that day to Stratford-on-Avon from
Cheltenham. A Society 4 Jul West Wales tour did Pontarddulais ('dd' then) to Gowerton and Trecwn.

Three tours completed the new track for the year: 29 Aug (BLS) 'Glasgow South' including Giffen and
Bedlay; 17 Oct (Railway Society of Scotland) West of Scotland doing Morningside, Old Kilpatrick and
Rothesay Dock plus 14 Nov (Wirral Railway Circle/Great Western Society) with Writhlington Colliery
(Radstock), Avonside Wharf and Bason Bridge (also Bath Green Park, Midland Bridge Yard again).

1373 EAST MIDLANDS (Graeme Jolley) [email protected]
796] Scunthorpe: On Mon 15 Mar a member spotted a 14.30 GBRf ECS from Ely Papworth Sidings (this
is Ely Freight Terminal on TRACKmaps) to Scunthorpe Anchor Yard (18.35) as it passed Crowle. It was
66736 with five former GWR MkIII HST carriages. Scunthorpe Steel Works railtours in HST vehicles
perhaps‽ At the end of BLN 1372.643, a 'potion' in relation to the jumbo Scunthorpe coal train clearly
refers to black magic - OK, it's a fair cop, guvnor, it should have been 'portion' of the coal train.

ABOVE/ PREVIOUS: (796) The 15 Mar Ely to Scunthorpe ECS working at Crowle in poor light (Gary Crompton).

797] Barton-on-Humber: (BLN 1372.642) Commissioning of the new colour light signals at Goxhill was
delayed; the two Down direction signals were commissioned on Sun 21 Mar at 18.00, the 'Up' ones
followed 24 hours later. Trains resumed on the branch on Thur 25 Feb, but only a Northern operated
ECS (shown stopping at all stations, unlike the buses) at 19.00 from Cleethorpes and 20.00 return from
Barton, well after the last replacement bus had run. It was SuX until Sat 27 Mar but did not run every
booked day. Some days it kept to the timings, making the stops, and other days it ran early non-stop.

Presumably this was for route learning/refreshing. East Midlands Railway is to take over the service,
using Lincoln crews, from Sun 16 May (online systems agree) with the new timetable, also the date
that seasonal Sunday services begin (running to Sun 12 Sep). The Barton-on-Humber bus service that
connects with trains and runs to/from Hull Paragon Interchange also transfers from Northern to EMR.

798] Network Rail's newest semaphore signals! From Mon 29 Mar (all being well) the honour will fall
to Oxmarsh Signal Box, at New Holland station on the Barton-on-Humber branch. The five remaining
'stop' signals are involved while a fixed semaphore distant signal on the Down Main is replaced by a
reflectorised board. In each case the new signals will be 2m before the previous one, the stop signal
arms at a height of 3.3m and the distant 2.5m. A signalling aficionado member advises us to expect
structures compliant to modern working at height regulations, with the driver's requirements to
actually see the arms unobscured by railings etc, against a clear, unobstructed background, secondary
to the Health & Safety 'aspects'. They will also be able to withstand a direct thermo-nuclear impact.

799] Crick Tunnel: This 595 yd tunnel on the Northampton Loop (79m 20ch to 79ch 47ch), just south
of DIRFT (Daventry), has been prone to regular significant flooding due to damaged lining requiring
high volume water pumps (as in Dec 2020). Between 2012 and 2020, freight and passenger trains
accrued 15,000 delay minutes due to the flooding. It was closed from 15-19 Mar for major works to
sort this out, said to be the longest closure since opening in 1881. Doing the work in one line closure
(an increasing trend nowadays) cost £3.5M rather than £11M for weekend work taking 12 months.

(BLN 1373)
800] Horncastle: (BLN 1372.646) For the 50th anniversary of closure on 5 Apr 1970, Horncastle History
& Heritage Society has a virtual exhibition www.HorncastleJBC.info/railway (goes live on 31 Mar).
It will include the line's construction, operation, the fight to keep it open, what happened after closure
and ask the question What if? Opened in 1855, the branch once had a through coach to/from London.

801] Sleaford - Spalding: As there used to be a large number of staffed level crossings, for many years
the line was unusually only open (and had passenger service) from 09.00 until 17.00 (SuX). Following
modernisation and resignalling of the Joint Line - now controlled from Lincoln Signalling Centre - the
service is finally being improved from May (subject to Covid cuts). Going north there is 1tph (with two
2-hour gaps) from 06.52 until 23.32 SSuX; the current six trains plus two Covid cuts becomes 14. It is a
similar story south. Interestingly this results in the end of turnbacks at Spalding (from Peterborough).

802] Werrington: (BLN 1370.393) On Mon 7 Jun 2021 new signalling, and alterations to existing
signalling, are due to be commissioned for the grade separation project and the Marholm Jn - Glinton
Jn new diveunder route. Most Spalding passenger trains turn back in Peterborough P1 using the
bidirectional Up Slow both ways; it will be interesting to see if any eventually use the diveunder.

803] Chaddesden: The 150+ year old former wagon
repair workshop is to be demolished to build a new
M&S Food Hall. Now disused, the unlisted building
was last used by a fireplace company.

804] Bourne: Plans to build 373 homes include
demolition of Bridge 234, carrying an unsurfaced
track over the Midland & Great Northern Joint
Railway Bourne - Saxby line. The developers claim it
is 'not structurally safe' (now where have we heard
that before?). There is local opposition to the plans
with petitions and attempts to save the bridge.

X.58] Class 66 identity crisis: BELOW and RIGHT
(a close up): Immingham Mineral Quay late in the
evening of Wed 24 Mar showing this new arrival as
'66796' with the Freightliner logo on its front. (Gary
Crompton while at work.)

NEXT TWO PHOTOS: Crowle station, Thur 25 Mar;
the 12.00 Immingham Mineral Quay to Doncaster
Down Decoy Yard, GBRf loco 66786 hauling what had
then morphed into '66798' (with the Freightliner logo
now hidden by the number on the front - oops!). The
destination of this import, Eastleigh East Yard, was
reached at 21.27 the same day. (Martin Crompton.)













1373 GREATER LONDON (Geoff Brockett) [email protected]

805] LU Unusual Moves: The TFL website list of forthcoming engineering work http://bit.ly/2OOyvNw

suggests the following possible moves. Details should be checked nearer the date for any changes:

■ 27-28 Mar: West Ham District through siding. [With thanks to Geoff Brockett.]

■ 2-5 Apr: Charing Cross Northern crossover.

■ 10-11 Apr: Harrow-on-the-Hill northbound departures from P2 & 6.

■ 17-18 Apr: Bethnal Green crossover.

■ 1-3 May: West Ham District through siding, Moorgate Northern crossover.

■ 15 May: Aldgate reversals in PI.

■15-16 May: Embankment District crossover.

■ 16 May: Baker Street H&C trains reversing in P6.

■ 22 May Charing Cross Northern crossover.

■ 29-31 May: Aldgate reversals in PI, West Ham District through siding.

■ 5-6 Jun: Aldgate reversals in PI, High Street Kensington increased use of bays.

■ 12-13 Jun: Moorgate Northern crossover.

■ 19-20 Jun: South Harrow crossovers.

■ 26-27 Jun: Whitechapel west end crossover, Charing Cross Northern crossover.

■ 3-4 Jul: Whitechapel west end crossover, Harrow-on-the-Hill northbound departures from P2 & 6.

■ 10 Jul: Charing Cross Northern crossover.

■ 24-25 Jul: Hammersmith Piccadilly Line Westbound to Eastbound reversals using Barons Court siding.

■ 31 Jul-1 Aug: Moorgate Northern crossover.

■ 21 Aug: East Finchley north end crossover, or could be shunt move.

■ 21-22 Aug: West Ham District through siding.

■ 4-5 Sep: Moorgate Northern crossover.

■ 11-12 Sep: Harrow-on-the-Hill northbound departures from P2 & 6.

■ 25-26 Sep: Queensway crossover, King's Cross Metropolitan scissors crossover.

806] District Line: (previous item) Examples of the works taking place on this line until the end of May:
●20-21 Mar: Engineering work between Ladbroke Grove and Latimer Road. ●27-28 Mar: Whitechapel
Crossrail works. ●24-25 Apr: Sloane Square to Monument signalling commissioning. ●1-3 May: More
Whitechapel Crossrail works. ●8-9 May: Hammersmith - Acton Town track replacement. ●14-17 May:
Embankment - Barons Court/Parsons Green/High Street Kensington/Olympia testing new signalling.
●29-31 May: Wimbledon Park drainage work, High Street Kensington track work, Crossrail works at
Whitechapel & rail grinding betwixt Victoria & Whitechapel. [Gensheet: http://www.gensheet.co.uk/ ]

807] The Metropolitan & Thames Valley Railway (Shepperton branch): A member recently bought a
booklet on eBay: 'Sunbury and the Thames Valley Railway' (TVR) by Kenneth Y Heselton, published in
1975 by the Sunbury & Shepperton Local History Society, with an updated second edition dated 1994.

As planned in 1861 it was not intended to run trains to Waterloo as now, but via Brentford, to join the
Great Western Railway (GWR) Brentford Dock branch (SEE MAP). A new curve would have left the
GWR main line at Drayton Green near Hanwell, (6½ miles west of Paddington) to the Brentford
branch. Another version of this piece of counter factual history is in a lengthy Jan 1919 'Railway
Magazine' article by WJ Scott which has a new line from Acton via South Ealing to the Brentford line.

The GWR was still committed to the 7' 0¼" broad gauge so the TVR would have had that gauge, but in
case the London & South Western Railway (L&SWR) wanted to operate trains instead or as well, it was
to be mixed gauge. This could be a good bargaining point as the TVR only wanted the railway approved
and built with an established major railway company operating it under licence or through purchase.

The original plan from Brentford was via Isleworth, with a branch to Richmond, but not the station we
know in Surrey. It would have been in Middlesex, in what is now East Twickenham. Moving on through
the original Twickenham station the main line went to Strawberry Hill and Fulwell (to be called

New Hampton). Then the route took it to (old) Hampton as it does now. One version of events is that
the Victorian Sunbury NIMBYs didn't want any smelly trains in their town centre. However, another is
that the cost of building through Kempton Manor (now Kempton Park Racecourse), compensating the
owner and avoiding the riverside waterworks, was too great, so the route had to be diverted around
the town via the future Kempton Park station and present Sunbury station, then on to Shepperton.

Shepperton was not the intended terminus but Chertsey. Not the town of Chertsey but the other
(wrong) side of Chertsey Bridge (River Thames). Chertsey town 'declined' on the basis that they already
had a more central L&SWR station, and the L&SWR did not need two stations there. So Shepperton
('for Halliford') was the terminus despite being in a 'potato field' and designed as a through station.

In 1862 the TVR determined that the GWR terms to operate the line were unacceptable so the GWR
was excluded. The word 'Metropolitan' was also dropped from the Railway's title and the planned
mixed gauge line became standard gauge only. The L&SWR agreed to operate a shortened version of
the branch from Strawberry Hill. John Aird & Son were appointed contractors and offered to extend
the railway to Chertsey at their own expense, which was not taken up. There were many vicissitudes
concerning finance, governance and construction along the way, but in 1866 the Thames Valley
Railway Company Ltd was wound up and the L&SWR formally took over ownership, the line having
opened by the L&WSR on a licenced basis in late 1864. It had taken three years to build the 7½ miles.

Although constructed for double track, at opening most was single, with passing loops; doubling was
completed by 1878 in stages. A Chertsey extension was reconsidered in the 1880s but turned down.
Initially all trains ran via Twickenham and Strawberry Hill (now the PSUL route, of course), then in
1890 Shacklegate Jn was put in so that trains could go via Teddington and Kingston, where some
terminated at the low level station, but this route (now so popular) was only used regularly from 1901.

The relatively early electrification of the Shepperton branch seems to have been precipitated as a
blocking move by the L&SWR to combat a 1912 takeover proposal of the Thames Valley line by the
Central London Railway who wanted to extend their 'underground' railway empire to Shepperton.
The other factor favouring electrification, with its faster running, was competition from the rapidly
developing tram system such as that between Twickenham, Fulwell, Hampton, Teddington and
Kingston. These trams were so successful that the L&SWR reduced some train fares by 30%!

During WWII, the Up line between Sunbury and Shepperton was used to store crippled wagons, so
some peak hour services terminated at Sunbury. Upper Halliford Halt opened in 1944 on the then
single track section, with initially a platform on the Down side only. It served the British Thermostats
factory nearby; the 'Halt' suffix survived until 5 May 1969. At Shepperton (which lost its 'for Halliford'
suffix in Bradshaw in 1955) the Goods Yard was on the Down side (left on arrival). It closed 1 Aug 1960;
there was a short branch heading southeast off its headshunt (in the London direction) to a gravel pit.

The two tracks continued through the platforms with a trailing crossover beyond for running round; a
cattle siding trailed into the Up line there. At the London end on the Up side was a single turntable
line. In 1963 Ian Allan Ltd built offices next to Shepperton station and stabled their retired Pullman Car
'Malaga' for hospitality accommodation. (See 'The line that leads to the new Ian Allan headquarters',
JN Faulkner, Railway World, Feb 1964). Large scale maps suggest the line has always ended where it
does now, but the operational (Down) platform has been extended towards the buffer stops.

808] LU Staff Shortages: (BLN 1372.655) 13-14 Mar was not a good weekend. The Bakerloo Line was
suspended throughout for track renewal at Queen's Park, the District Line between Tower Hill and
West Ham and the Hammersmith & City Line throughout for Crossrail work at Whitechapel. Shortage
of service controllers at Hammersmith Service Control Centre resulted in the following suspensions,
with some replacement bus services provided: ●Circle Line: Suspended throughout the weekend.
●District Line: High Street Kensington - Edgware Road 11.11-12.39 & 17.41-21.07 on 13th; 11.31-12.53
& 17.41-21.12 on 14th. Additionally, the High Street Kensington - Kensington (Olympia) shuttle was
suspended from 09.39 on 13th and also from 08.05 on 14th because of train operator shortage.

●Piccadilly Line: South Harrow - Uxbridge 10.58-12.25 & 17.42-21.10 on 13th as well as 11.25-12.46 &
18.04-21.05 on 14th. ●Metropolitan Line: Baker Street - Aldgate and Chalfont & Latimer - Amersham
all weekend. The rest of the line was suspended 11.32-12.25 & from 18.32 on 13th plus 12.04 - 12.42 &
from 18.04 on 14th. Chiltern services via Amersham lost a trip each way during the Metropolitan
morning suspensions and were suspended at similar times to the District & Piccadilly Lines in the
evening. This was unfortunate, as Chiltern's main route was closed for engineering work south of High
Wycombe; buses linked Bicester and Aylesbury Vale Parkway and High Wycombe and Hillingdon.

809] Barking Riverside: (BLN 1370.352) From 8 Mar facing points, clipped and padlocked Out of Use
(OOU), were installed in the Down Tilbury Line at 9m 10ch alongside Ripple Lane West Yard.

810] Cricklewood: (BLN 1367.3610) (TRACKmaps 4 P8B Dec 2018) From 22 Mar, the Up Slow to the Up
Goods No1 connection was to be taken OOU; the Up Goods connection reconfigured as a trap point.
The North Neck was to be abolished and access was to become available to and from the north ends of
South Sidings A-E at the same time. These are new sidings, alongside the Fuel Road and Up Departure
line (not on TRACKmaps) that replace North Sidings 1-6 (site of the new Brent Cross West station).

From Wed 31 Mar North Freight Siding No12 will be taken out of use; access to/from Hendon Refuse
Transfer Station and the connection to No8 Charter Rail siding will no longer be available.

Between 02.05 Good Fri 2 Apr and 03.45 Bank Holiday Mon 5 Apr extensive engineering work takes
place at Cricklewood. Single Line Working of GTR Thameslink passenger trains to/from the point of
obstruction will be introduced on the Down Fast Line between Radlett Jn and Mill Hill Broadway
station. The Pilotman will accompany every train, joining Up trains, (and on return leave Down trains)
at Radlett station. Drivers of Up direction trains are to remain in the platform at Radlett station for a
Pilotman to join unless advised differently by the Panel Three signaller at West Hampstead PSB.

During the above dates and times non-electric traction will continue to use the Slow Lines to/from
Silkstream Jn then non-electrified Hendon Lines to serve London St Pancras International High Level.

On 2, 3 & 4 Jun 00.45 to 04.45; 5 Jun 04.45 (a typo for 00.45?) to 05.30 and on 6 & 13 Jun 00.45 to
08.50, Down Thameslink trains are authorised to run from Cricklewood South Jn to Cricklewood
Maintenance Depot Jn via the Depot Exit Road, Up Goods No1 & North Reception Road in service.

811] King's Cross (1): (BLN 1372.653) Between Feb and May GBRf is running over 100 engineering
trains from Doncaster and Whitemoor Local Distribution Centres, which peaked on 1 Mar when 25
were scheduled. This is the largest such operation that GBRf has ever managed. On 13 Mar, the OHLE
had been removed from P0-6. Track had been relaid in P0, but much of the track had been lifted in the
other platforms. The country ends of the platforms were being totally rebuilt and remodelled.

812] King's Cross (2): BR's original plans for a Channel Tunnel Rail Link were for a line approaching
London in tunnel from Swanley. A sub-surface junction would have been built in Peckham, with a line
connected to the existing network serving Waterloo. The tunnel would continue to a second terminus
beneath King's Cross. Architect Norman Foster designed a new ticket hall, which had some similarities
with the one eventually built many years later. However, this one would have extended further south
towards the Euston Road and involve the demolition of the Grade II listed Great Northern Hotel.

Below ground, the station would have had eight platforms, four for international trains, two for Kent
high speed trains and two for Thameslink. King's Cross Thameslink station was already considered
inadequate and in need of replacement to coincide with the Thameslink 2000 proposals. To dig the
hole for the platforms, 17 acres of land east of King's Cross would have been cleared. This would have
required demolition of 83 home and 58 shops, along with various listed buildings. Unsurprisingly there
was substantial opposition to the plans, with critics arguing that a surface station should be built on
the derelict King's Cross Goods site further north. However, that site was earmarked for commercial
development to fund the link, as the 1987 Channel Tunnel Act prevented any public funding.

The scheme had strong support in Parliament, as it included links to the Midland and East Coast Main
Lines, allowing through trains to run between the continent and the north of England. However, things
changed with the abandonment of plans for the rail link to approach London from the south, to be
replaced by a new route from the east. In addition, the recession of the early 1990s meant there was
unlikely to be any demand for new office space on the goods yard site. In Jan 1994, the government
announced that the terminus would now be at St Pancras, stating it was preferable to King's Cross on
environmental, operational and commercial grounds. It might also be up to £400M cheaper! It was
later confirmed that over £40M of public money had been spent on the abortive King's Cross scheme.

813] HS2: (BLN 1371.518) On 9 Mar it was noted that most of the Up siding No2 at West Ruislip had
been lifted, apart from a short section outside the HS2 compound. No1 had previously been lifted.

814] Clapham Junction: Some London Overground (LO) trains are booked from P17 in service via the
trailing crossover at the east end of the platforms. Currently they are 06.00 & 16.22 SSuX to Stratford,
05.49 SO to Willesden Junction and 06.04 SO to Stratford. Regarding these early morning departures,
Realtime Trains shows that P1 & 2 are occupied by LO stock that has stabled overnight and leaves later
(a third train stables in the 'Middle Siding' - now an extension of P2). The SSuX 15.08 ex-Stratford has
12 min in P17, returning at 16.22; it would conflict with the 16.11 Clapham Junction to Stratford from
P1 and 16.15 to Dalston Junction from P2, so uses P17. All these workings maintain route knowledge.

815] Crossrail: (BLN 1368.45) Management of Farringdon transferred to TfL on 5 Mar, the first central
London station to transfer. Acton Main Line new station entrance and footbridge opened on 16 Mar.

816] LU Sub Surface Lines Resignalling: (BLN 1372.654) Stage 3 between Euston Square and Stepney
Green/Monument, including the Aldgate triangle, was commissioned on 6/7 Mar. Metropolitan Line
trains were curtailed at Baker Street all weekend, but from 10.45 on 6th, Hammersmith & City, District,
and Circle trains were booked to operate throughout, but empty over the sections being resignalled.

With good commissioning progress, passengers were carried on an unadvertised basis from 13.40 on
7th. However, train operator shortage meant the Circle Line service was cancelled throughout the 6th
and only ran 09.30 until 20.00 on 7th. The Bakerloo Line did not run north of Queen's Park all weekend.

Resignalling resulted in a reduction of the Baker Street (Met) and Earl's Court Signal Control Centres'
areas, with the closure of Whitechapel cabin. The latter dated from 1907 or 1911, according to source.
The frame dated from 1951. The Interlocking Machine Room (IMR) at Liverpool Street, in the Grade II
listed 1875 ex-Metropolitan Railway cabin also closed. It became an IMR controlled from Farringdon in
1956 then from Baker Street SCC in 2001. New signalled moves now available:

Euston Square/King's Cross: Inner Rail to Outer Rail reversals in either platform at Euston Square or
….via the scissors crossover and a reversing berth beyond it on the Outer Rail.

Moorgate: Outer Rail to Inner Rail reversals in P2 and Inner Rail to Outer Rail reversals via P2 and a
….shunt over the facing crossover to P1.
Whitechapel: Westbound to Eastbound reversals via a reversing berth on the Westbound at the site
….of the disused St Mary's station (CP 1 May 1938) and P1. However, it will no longer be possible to
….reverse from the Eastbound Line east of the station to P1.
Tower Hill: Shunt from the Westbound Line west of the station to bay P2. Surprisingly the two new
….crossovers connecting the east end of P2 to the running lines were not commissioned, but were
….tested on 9-10 Jan. The connection to the Eastbound Line was removed without ever being used!

The next stage, between Monument and Sloane Square, is scheduled for commissioning on 24-25 Apr.

TO FOLLOW: (Item 809) Photos by our member Iain Scotchman to show progress on Barking Riverside
passenger branch. They were taken on Sun 14 March during an essential permitted work journey.

E-BLN and paper 1320 (dated 12 Jan 2019) had a Martyn Brailsford before/after track plan
of the new passenger branch to Barking Riverside in the Greater London section.

BELOW: (TRACKmaps 3 p4A 2020) Barking Ripple Lane looking west to Fenchu
This is just west of the rail flat crossing. Right is Stora Warehouse siding, (don

urch Street with the new Barking Riverside branch Down line and connection.
ne by our 13 Nov 2010 tour) far right is the line to the current stone terminal.

BELOW: Ripple Lane, the ramp connections of the Riverside branch under const

truction, looking west to Renwick Rd overbridge (Down Tilbury to right of ramp).

BELOW: Ripple Lane, ramp and the Riverside branch viaduct (off right) under co

onstruction, looking east from Renwick Rd bridge (Down Tilbury to left of ramp).

BELOW: The same photo, the Down Tilbury line is left of the ramp, then th

he line to Stora (behind photographer); far left is the new stone terminal.

BELOW: The new Ripple Lane stone terminal under construction, appare
TRACKmaps as Barking Logistics Centre - DB Cargo) which goes whe

ently to replace the one at Stora (first photo on this sequence - shown in
en the A13 road is put underground. The Riverside ramp is far right.

BELOW: The new viaduct (top of ramp far left), east from Renwick Rd bridge.

. The Down Goods and Up Goods are centre; HS1 Exchange Sidings are right.

BELOW: A 'before' shot, 66175 leaving the HS1 Exchange Sidings with the 16.4

41 SO Dagenham ARC to Acton Yard sand train. (Iain Scotchman, 3 Sep 2005.)

BELOW: Left: the viaduct before Barking Riverside station (in the distance)

) next to Renwick Rd with the tractor/trailers used to bring in bridge spans.





X.59] PREVIOUS PHOTO: Fowler 2-6-2T 40031 in Kentish T
X.60] BELOW: Harrow & Wealdstone on 1 Mar 1985 showing the e

Town shed 1962 (and why not?). (Greg Tingey and below.)
electric lines layout and the delightful signal cabin, now long gone.

817] Stewarts Lane: FHH ran a trial double length aggregates train as the 21.21 Tunstead Sidings to
Wembley Yard overnight on 16-17 Mar. It was formed of 39 wagons weighing 3,606 tonnes, hauled by
70017 (and included 66620 dead), reportedly banked out of Tunstead. It was split at Wembley Yard;
the '66' ran to Paddington New Yard and the '70' to Stewarts Lane - the first reported Class 70 there.

818] TfL Rail: (BLN 1368.58) The delayed curtailment of trains at Heathrow T2&3 until 20.00 SSuX,
with trains running empty to Heathrow T4 to reverse, took effect from 1 Mar. As had been expected,
this was with Heathrow Express Paddington to Heathrow T5 increasing to 4 trains per hour (tph).

1373 NORTH EAST & YORKSHIRE (Geoff Blyth) [email protected]
819] Hull: (BLN 1338.2552) Now that the P2/P3 run round crossover at Paragon station has been
removed, NR intends to install energy absorbing buffer stops, as planned in 2019. Meanwhile Northern
is to increase the capability and capacity of Botanic Gardens Depot, reducing pressure on Leeds Neville
Hill. Class 155 & 170 DMUs will stable, and be maintained, overnight. Some new buildings will be built.

820] Wakefield Europort: Threatened with closure when Doncaster iPort opened in 2018, a new SSuX
GBRf intermodal service now runs to Felixstowe South. It has a mix of wagon types with flexibility to
make best use of the capacity. Located at Altofts Jn, it really ought to be called Normanton Europort.

821] Broomhope Branch: BLN 1340.2800 recorded that Woodburn - Reedsmouth - Bellingham and

Scotsgap - Rothbury both CA 11 Nov 1963 and mentioned military specials to and from Woodburn.

BLN 1346.536 detailed the operation of these specials in Jun 1965. More obscure was the Broomhope

To Riccarton Jn To Morpeth Branch diverging from the Reedsmouth to Woodburn line just over
Bellingham a mile from Reedsmouth at Broomhope Siding Ground Frame.
The junction faced Reedsmouth. It was about a mile long up the
Woodburn valley of Broomhope Burn, terminating at a farm called 'Steel'; so

Reedsmouth was also called 'The Steel Branch'. There is no mention of the
Broomhope branch in Table 'A' of the 1960 Sectional Appendix ('List of Signal
Boxes, Running Lines etc') and there are no Local Instructions but it

does feature in Table 'J' ('Locomotives Assisting in the Rear of

N Trains'). The other entries in this table show under 'Class of Train':

'ECS', 'F' (freight), 'P' (passenger) or just a blank. The Reedsmouth

Wark to Broomhope Siding entry was unusual: 'Specials conveying guns'.

North British Rly The area was rich in iron ore and coal and the workings were linked

by waggonways. The 6" OS 1861-3 map shows the line ending at

workings just north of the hamlet of 'Steel'. Lord Armstrong, the

armaments tycoon, whose works were at Elswick, just west of

Barrasford Newcastle, took over the Broomhope workings to provide raw
materials for his factory. He built the railway, (OG date unknown;

Chollerton probably soon after Knowesgate - Reedsmouth OA 1 May 1865).

To Carlisle Humshaugh Quick records a non-timetabled Hindhaugh station just north of
Wall Broomhope for iron miners' specials terminating at a loading dock
by kilns here. Lord Armstrong's iron ore workings operated from
1864 until 1879; passenger trains ran certainly by 1866 but only

To Border Counties Jn from Bellingham. The workers had to walk home in the evening!
Allendale
North Eastern Rly Mining ceased as foreign ore was cheaper to import. Armstrong
then used this remote and isolated valley to 'proof test' big naval

To Newcastle HEXHAM guns! A proof test uses an explosive charge larger than in normal
CSD service (up to as much as double the amount) to verify that the gun

(the barrel and recoil mechanism) is sound and will not explode on firing. A dummy shell of the same

weight etc as normal is fired into a sand or earth bank. The bunkers were surrounded by earth banks;

each had its own short branch and a rail-mounted overhead gantry crane to lift the larger guns.

In the 1880s two test bunkers were used, ('magazines' on the 1895 map) and the branch had been cut
back from the iron ore workings. By the 1920s there were five bunkers. These are on the 1921 map
(but not identified as such). The branch had been extended almost to Steel and the layout enlarged.
The NER built special wagons with pairs of 6-wheel tender frames, permanently coupled to carry 32
tons - two of these carried each gun barrel. The L&NER built two articulated 2-part wagons, each part
having two 3-axle bogies. These 60 ton wagons carried the largest guns, calibre of 14-16", weighing up
to 140 tons each, used on coastal bombardment ships, battle cruisers and battleships. It was quite an
achievement as the breech ('blunt') end was much heavier than the muzzle end. These wagons were
known as 'gun sets' to distinguish them from rail mounted guns in army service. Small or medium guns
(the latter probably meaning 6-8" calibre, used in light and heavy cruisers respectively) were carried on
ordinary flat wagons. The largest guns were moved in special trains that were always double headed.
As the junction faced Reedsmouth, trains normally ran from/to Elswick (Newcastle) via Hexham and
the Border Counties line (Hexham, Border Counties Jn - Reedsmouth - Riccarton Jn). However, two
locos were not allowed on the viaduct over the Tyne at Border Counties Jn at the same time. If the
train could not be marshalled to prevent that, it had to run to Reedsmouth via Morpeth and Scotsgap.

ABOVE: 6" map (1948) with five rail served magazines; the Broomhope branch junction is off top left.
It continued slightly further southeast, bottom right; the hamlet of 'Steel' was a little further still.
(Thanks to Dave Cromarty for the area/location map on the previous page.)

The Broomhope branch was always worked by a railway company loco, sometimes the Reedsmouth
pilot loco for just a small load. Train crew and signalmen had to sign the Official Secrets Act in WWII for
movements classed as secret. Apparently the L&NER did not favour having locos assisting in the rear,
but permitted it between Reedsmouth and Broomhope Siding provided the assisting loco was coupled
to the train. 'Rural Branch Lines of Northumberland' states that three 'J21' 0-6-0 tender locos were
needed to drag … bogie wagons ... to the firing range. This presumably refers to a double headed train
banked by the Reedsmouth pilot loco up to Broomhope Siding. There appear to have been industrial
locos at the site because it had small engine sheds but nothing is known about them.
A small non-timetabled halt, probably named Admiralty Platform, was provided on the south side of
the line before the junction for workers, about 1m 26ch north of Reedsmouth. Quick records that it
probably dated from 1880 and was used until about 1952 (Morpeth to Reedsmouth CP 13 Sep 1952).

The platform (unnamed) appears on some 6" maps. Armstrong merged with Vickers in 1927 to form
Vickers Armstrong. The halt was renamed Vickers Platform. It was used by staff at the then Vickers
Weapon Testing Site and also local people; tickets were issued to the station before the platform in
either direction (Woodburn or Reedsmouth). History does not relate what was done for passengers
joining at the halt or travelling between there and Woodburn or Reedsmouth! Again it is thought that
workers to Reedsmouth had to walk the 1¼ miles home after work in the absence of a suitable train.
The Royal Navy fought its last 'big gun' battle on 26 Dec 1943; big gun ships were no longer significant
after WWII. Britain's last battleship HMS Vanguard was not completed until after the war, never fired a
shot in anger, was put into reserve in 1955 and scrapped in 1960. (Your NE Editor happened to be
staying in Portsmouth when she was towed out en route to the scrapyard, joining the thousands of
people lining the shore to say farewell). So there was no longer the need to test big guns. It is likely
that medium size guns continued to be tested but one imagines that activity was somewhat reduced.
The Border Counties line CA 1 Sept 1958 so guns would then have travelled via Morpeth. Woodburn -
Reedsmouth CA 11 Nov 1963 and the branch as well of course. It is not known when the last train ran
but it was probably quite some time before. The site continued in use for weapons testing until some
years ago. Now owned by BAE Systems, it was threatened with closure in late 2017 but then reprieved.
822] Newton Aycliffe: Hitachi has created welding and painting facilities at its assembly plant near
Heighington station. It is claimed to be the first welding facility for new trains in Britain for decades.
Over 230 carriages are due to be welded here for East Midlands Railway and Avanti West Coast.

ABOVE: (Item 823) A coal train on the Hendon Branch
heading for Ryhope Grange at Grangetown Crossing

in 1984; the Londonderry Lines were on the right.
LEFT: A close up from the main photo of the east side

gate and external ground frame. (Brian Carter.)

823] Sunderland, Hendon Branch: (BLN 1372.676) ①Grangetown Level Crossing, 30ch from Ryhope
Grange Jn, has been unstaffed and without gates or barriers since 1984 when this line was singled.
Before then there was a crossing keeper's hut and an exposed external trackside ground frame to work
two semaphore signals - one in each direction. These protected the crossing (so it wasn't a 'gate box'
or a signal box). Each of these signal posts had a 'fixed distant' signal, heading south for Ryhope
Grange Jn and heading north for Londonderry Junction Signal Box. The latter closed 28 Sept 1986. The
gates were more like farm gates and normally closed across the road, only opened if a vehicle needed
to cross. It was not even a proper road, but now it leads to a small car park and was recently tarred.

②NR's Rail Track Recording yellow DMU 950001 worked 11.54 Heaton Depot to Tees Yard on 18 Jan
via the branch. The SSuX Grand Central trains from Heaton ran weeks beginning 8 and 15 Mar. They
shuttled up and down to the NR boundary at 1m 53ch (former Hendon Jn, past Londonderry Sidings).
It was a two week traction course for new staff whose training was delayed nearly a year due to Covid.
Passenger services resume on 27 Mar (but not on this line!). The branch gives the freedom to carry out
various scenarios which would be very difficult on an open line or in a depot with Covid restrictions; its
only limitation is the 15mph restriction (beyond Grangetown Crossing in the Up direction is 25mph).

On 18 Mar a double unit (180107 & 180102) carried out coupling exercises and emergency protection
(detonator placing) in Ryhope Grange Sidings as the scrap train (below) was on the branch - you wait
three years for a train then two come together! This was trumped on 19 Mar when DRS loco 57002
practised coupling exercises and hauling a Class 180 in a joint exercise with NR. (At times there were
three trains, the Class 57 and the two Class 180s split at opposite ends of the line.) The light engine,
organised by NR, was from Carlisle Kingmoor 09.30 Londonderry Sidings 11.48/16.00 Kingmoor 18.18.

③Two route learning light engine trips were due to run between Tees Yard and Hendon No1 Siding
on both 16 & 17 Mar. In the event just one trip ran on 16 Mar and none on 17th. The first DBC freight,
26 empty wagons with 66192, arrived 08.37 Thur 18 Mar, running overnight from Cardiff Tidal Sidings,
with a 50 min layover at Tees Yard. The return loaded run left 16.27, reaching Tidal Sidings 04.25 next
day (2hr 13 min in Tees Yard). It is thought 15 more trains are planned, probably at irregular intervals.

④A most interesting exercise took place on Tue 16 Mar.
The Grand Central Heaton DMU arrived as normal, stabling
on the running line at Londonderry Sidings. DBC 66133,
the route learner light engine (above), arrived from Tees
Yard at 12.54, after gricing visiting AV Dawson at
Middlesbrough in the morning. An authorised person for
the Port Authority met the loco at Londonderry Sidings,
conducting it past the GC train via the run round loop. At
the former Hendon Jn (1m 53ch), there was a red flag and
three detonators for train protection. The loco was halted
here and the protection lifted. It then ran down to Road 7
(Loading Line) at the Port, the one further from the
quayside, arriving about 13.00, set back and moved to
Road 8 (Release Line) the other one, closer to the quayside.
66133 stayed for photos leaving at 14.00. Some short date
detonators were set off as part of safely disposing of them.

⑤Route learning can take many forms. A light engine to
route learn the branch for our 29 Aug 2016 'A Tale of Two
Ports' railtour was cancelled a week before. The driver and
the driver trainer who drove it walked the branch from
Ryhope Grange Jn to the Port of Sunderland, Corporation
Quay instead. (LEFT: 1" map (1958) of the Hendon branch.)

BELOW: (Item 823.2) Coupling exercises on the Hendon branch looking

north, the North Sea is right. (All Jonathon Kirby; this and next photo 19 Mar.)