1431

Paper BLN subscribers who, very unusually, fail to receive a copy after a reasonable interval please notify your Membership Secretary as above. MIND THE GAP! There is a 3-week gap until BLN 1431. Date Book online :NEW fixtures open when e-BLN is out: BLN Lead Status Tue 5 Sep Anglia Rail Operations Centre visit, Romford 1430 MG See website Fri 22 Sep *NEW* Spa Valley Railway all lines with 08922 1431 SEE FINAL PAGE Tue 26 Sep Leeds - Swanage CrossCountry HST farewell 1429 MG FULL Tue 26 Sep The Bournemouth Belle from Swanage 1429 MG Waiting list Wed 4-Thur 5 Oct The Sahara Explorer tour, Morocco SEE BELOW 1429 PG BELOW Sun 29 Oct *NEW* Liverpool area mainline railtour TBA TBA Claimed Sat 7 Jan 2024 *NEW* Scunthorpe Cold Steeler 27 (09.30-16.30) TBA TBA Claimed MG = Mark Gomm [email protected] 84 Mornington Rd, STOKE-ON-TRENT, ST1 6EL 07983 541887 1951] :Wed 4 - Thur 5 Oct; The Sahara Explorer:: Our Morocco railtour is confirmed and bookings are open. See e-BLN 1428.X.67 and, for latest updates, our website 'Fixtures' page. Main track highlights include the Jerada freight branch (thought to be the first passenger train this century) and the 305km long freight branch from Oujda into the Sahara Desert to Bouarfa; we will even bring you back again! Other excitements are included. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL BOOKINGS CLOSE AT 23.59 ON WED 20 SEP. 1431 BLN GENERAL (Paul Stewart) [email protected] 1952] Avanti Advances: On Sun 13 Aug a random member travelled 146¾ miles from Euston (17.15) to Great Malvern (20.00) via New Street with Avanti, then West Midlands Railway; the Standard Class through Advance Fare was only £22 with a Senior Railcard. This was to avoid the dreaded replacement buses from Didcot to Hanborough and was particularly convenient as he had just attended a Society Committee meeting opposite Euston. It only took 2¾ hours, the same time as the 16.32 SSuX Great Malvern to Paddington had taken to London the previous Friday, due to its booked 16 minutes stop at Moreton-in-Marsh and 6 minutes at Oxford. (However, a First Class Advance single was only £22.10 with Railcard for 128¾ miles and included generous complimentary refreshments!) Anyway, what impressed our member more than anything is that at Euston, with time to spare, he went to an Avanti ticket machine to see how much the 'on the day' single would be and had a surprise. They sell Advance tickets from the machine on the day right up to departure (for his train and later ones) and they were available for £26 with railcard - remarkable. Of course, they are quota controlled and there were quite a few seats available on the 11-car Pendolino. Euston to New Street, 113 miles, with five intermediate stops was impressive in 93 mins and on time. He should have tried a LNwR machine out of interest and wondered what might have been available from the Booking Office? Has anyone else encountered Advance Tickets sold by ticket machines and for imminent departures? 1953] Points & Slips: ●●BLN.1795] Wilnecote is not alone in having buses with halving of Nottingham to Birmingham services; SSuX 22 May until 8 Dec there is a 17.45 bus from Derby to Willington (arriving 18.05) during a three hour gap in trains calling . No bus is provided towards Birmingham. Number 1431 (Items 1951 - 2054 & MR 166 - MR 177) (E-BLN 98 PAGES) 2 Sep 2023 BRANCH LINE NEWS Praeteritum, praesens et futurum ferriviaria [ISSN 1354-0947] Published 24 times a year by the Branch Line Society; founded 1955. branchline.uk https://www.facebook.com/BranchLineSociety/ Membership queries: Lisa Sheppard [email protected] 186 Anlaby [email protected] Park Road South, Hull, HU4 7BU. 07873 354464 British Isles news from members; an International section is available. Opinions are not necessarily those available. of the Compilers or of the Society. ciety. Society. …BLN 1432 is dated :Sat 23 Sep;: contributions by Wed 13 Sep please

●●1799] The 29 Jul to 8 Aug Coventry to Leamington blockade greatly improved the CrossCountry PSUL service over the Bordesley Jn - Bordesley South Jn - Small Heath South Jn curve (via Solihull). Pre-Covid it had an hourly service. In the last timetable, there were just two passenger trains each way SSuX (and only as far south as Banbury). From 22 May, this increased to five from Reading SuX and four in the other direction (five SO), plus one to Reading SuO - see PSUL on our website for details. During the blockade it had up to 29 passenger trains a day. The curve is also extensively used by CrossCountry and West Midland Railway ECS between Tyseley Depot and Birmingham New Street. ●●BLN 1430.1872] Well done to those members who spotted that Liverpool Lime Street and Central Deep Level platforms are actually on the inside of the Liverpool Loop - the opposite side to that shown on the externally sourced plan; please amend your copy accordingly. ●●1918] The 5' 3'' gauge Downpatrick & County Down Railway website advertised public running on 27 Aug to King Magnus Halt (sic). Quail Book 6 p20F 2004 and our 2019 TRACKmaps special edition shows it as Magnus's Grave (no 'Halt'). Peter Scott has it on his 1 Oct 2017 visit plan as just Magnus Grave (with one 's' and no apostrophe). To add to the confusion, Wikipedia has King Magnus' Halt in one place and, in another, Magnus' Grave (both with apostrophes but only a single 's'). So, is someone making a grave error, or has it been renamed? The railway kindly responded to your BLN Editor: ''As you have discovered, we don't always use the correct name ourselves in public content. The official name is 'Magnus Grave Station' on our official plans and issued with Operating Circulars etc. Thankfully there's not too much chance of confusion anyway with the station names on our small network! Sometimes we will 'big up' the 'King Magnus' part of it when dealing with the public to make it more interesting or obvious.'' [Not wishing to create a Magnus opus but mention of a 'grave' might put some of the general public off visiting.] 1954] Tickets please! (LEFT) A member drew our attention to this petition which closes on 18 Oct and needs to reach 100,000 signatures to be considered for a parliamentary debate. It will not do this at the present rate, always a problem with these petitions which can 'backfire' if not enough sign them. As at 30 Aug about 81,700 had signed: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/636542 Our member asks if we can all forward it on to everyone who knows us and publicise it, please. 1955]Railway Memories (109): Stuart Marshall (4296) I was born and raised in Middlesbrough and, in the early 1970s, my grandad purchased a holiday cottage in the Esk Valley, near Grosmont beside the Whitby to Pickering line. I was only about 5 or 6 at the time and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) had only just started. It became our family holiday destination of the early to mid-1970s and I recall many a day spent (with dad) riding up and down between Grosmont and Goathland behind the Lambton tank engines N o 5 and N o 29 (both are still there) on the fledgling NYMR. There was also the railbus which ran beyond Goathland to near what is now Goathland Summit. The cottages are still there too - they can be seen on the right hand side shortly after the line begins to climb up the 1 in 49. One day my grandad, needing to pay the cottage rates in Whitby, took me with him on the train from Middlesbrough. It was a first generation DMU, probably a Metro-Cammell; the more knowledgeable locals knew that the best place to sit was behind the rear cab, as it would be leading from Battersby. So, this is where I sat with my grandad. Leaving Battersby, the driver had obviously noticed a young

boy looking excitedly out at the line ahead - then the door opened and he invited us in! I can well remember being stood next to the driver, holding on to (and peering over) the large handbrake wheel that was in the centre of the cab. My first cab ride and I would only have been 5 or 6 years old! Still in the 1970s, my sister had a penfriend in Germany and on one occasion travelled out for a visit, flying from Heathrow. On her return, dad arranged to meet her there, so of course took me along for the ride out. I remember it was loco hauled (from Darlington) and I'm fairly certain it was a Class 47; but it all went wrong at Newark where we were stopped due to a fire on the loco. I can't recall how many hours we were there but I'm sure dad was stressed having to cope with an excitable youngster while having no way to contact his teenage daughter at Heathrow. What I do remember is 'drawing' in the condensation on the window as the train stood opposite the glue factory (Croda Adhesives?). Credit where it's due, we were not turfed off onto a bus and the train did eventually arrive at King's Cross. When we reached Heathrow, my sister was sitting patiently in Arrivals - phew! Even now, nearly 50 years later, every time I pass through Newark and that factory, it reminds me of that day. When I was a bit older, holidays became more adventurous. With my dad working for British Rail, we had international staff travel facilities and trips to Germany, Austria and Switzerland became the norm. The excitement really began at Victoria as the Solari train indicator rattled, flipping over to reveal 'Dover Western Docks' underneath the words, in blue if I recall correctly, 'Boat Train'. Living in Teesside, electric railways were unknown to me but these trains were fast, quiet and exciting as they sped through the Kent countryside to Dover. Today I still enjoy my regular trips on the 'juice rail'. Finally, as they're in the news at the moment, a journey on an HST in Aug 1982. The HSTs (or 125s as they were more commonly known then) had just been introduced on the North East to South West route, so dad and I had a day out to Paignton. It's strange how a particular day stays in the memory so vividly. I can still remember it like yesterday, stood on Darlington P1 just after 7am as the pristine rail blue HST arrived (253024, I still have the photo!). We had bacon sandwiches, freshly prepared in those days - as the train travelled on the old Midland route from York to Sheffield via Cudworth. It closed not long after, with services diverted via Doncaster. After a few hours in Paignton, the journey home was via Paddington and King's Cross; HSTs of course. Anyone fancy that now on a Voyager or IET…? 1431 EAST MIDLANDS (Nick Garnham) [email protected] 1956] Daventry: (BLN 1428.1568) (TRACKmaps 4 p4C 2022) Following the 19 Jun 'ECS' test run, the new Royal Mail Parcels Terminal (Royal Mail Midlands Superhub) received its first loaded train from Shieldmuir, Glasgow on Tue 15 Aug, arriving early afternoon and returning two hours later. Formed of two Royal Mail Class 325 EMUs, it was diesel hauled on the new branch from Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal Reception Sidings. By 30 Aug, there had been nine departures and arrivals. 1957] Bennerley Viaduct: (BLN 1429.1714) This structure is so popular that plans to build a visitor centre at its eastern side have been submitted. It would be constructed using Corten steel, 'reflecting' (hardly!) the structure of the viaduct and will include an education area for schools, an exhibition space, café and toilets. A new car park will be built and an accessible ramp for pedestrians and cyclists. 1958] Newark North Gate - or is it? Looking into item 1959, it became clear that this station has something of an identity crisis. It is in the Sectional Appendix as 'Newark North Gate' (three words), however online booking engines (even National Rail), Realtime Trains, and the station signs themselves show it as Newark Northgate (two words). Your regional editor found at least one photograph online, from the GNER era, showing two station nameboards, each with a different version of the name. TRACKmaps stated policy is to use the names shown on the platforms (if there are different versions, does the majority one win?). However, in this case TRACKmaps 2 p16C 2020 has Newark North Gate. The policy explains why, on the Central Wales Line, Llanwrtyd still has its 'Wells' suffix on TRACKmaps 3 p29B 2018, over 43 years after British Rail changed the name from Llanwrtyd Wells on 12 May 1980. Most railway chronologists go by the published public timetable tables (not the index or maps); LNER now use the three worded version. Michael Quick records that it OP as Newark on 15 Jul 1852, British Railways added North Gate on 25 Sep 1950 (the other Newark station was castled) but a 'Northgate' BR ticket is noted. For that pub quiz, who knew the name of the 'other' river at Newark-on-Trent?

1959] Are you Itching for a Derbyshire Wayfarer scratchcard? (BLN 1394.293) Many members will be aware of this useful ticket (especially at £7 for those over 60, Railcard not required), valid from Burton, Uttoxeter, Long Eaton and Ilkeston north to Sheffield and New Mills Central plus Matlock and, in isolation, New Mills Newtown - Buxton and Whitwell - Shirebrook, also on most Derbyshire buses. They are sold on the day on buses, at stations and at least on Northern trains/ticket machines. Undated scratchcard tickets had been available until June, they were very handy to keep in reserve, particularly before a fares increase and in part payment for longer journeys through Derbyshire. Long Eaton to New Mills Senior Off-peak return is £26.90 for example. The apparent withdrawal of scratch off tickets was disappointing; they could even be bought by post until recently too. Acting on a tip-off your correspondent found perhaps the sole supplier of new undated scratch off cards which are valid until 31 Dec 2024 (RIGHT) at Derby Live Tourist Information Office, Derby City centre Market Hall. The assistant was very helpful, knew exactly what our member wanted and why. He didn't ask how many she had in stock but bought two. 1960] Devon is in Newark: From Sat 2 until Sun 10 Sep (incl), NR is renewing the River Devon Viaduct (which actually passes over the River Trent, not the River Devon, just west, and visible from, Newark-on-Trent flat rail crossing!). In the £2M project, all 44 beams will be replaced and the tracks relaid. Newark Castle (excl) to Newark Crossing East Jn closes for the nine days. Extra East Midlands Railway (EMR) services run between Newark North Gate and Lincoln (except Sat 2 Sep when RMT industrial action takes place), along with bus replacements between Newark Castle and Lincoln Central. The intermediate stations between Newark and Lincoln have an asymmetrical mix of bus and train services. 1961] Brigg bragging: (BLN1428.1569) The Independent Brigg Line Rail Group (IBLRG) reports that the changes to the Sheffield to Cleethorpes via Brigg service have resulted in vastly increased passenger numbers but has wiped out the local traffic previously served. On Thur 10 Aug, the 09.54 Sheffield to Cleethorpes was full and standing with 164 passengers on the 2-car Class 150 DMU. The growth has been fuelled by a new Northern advance ticket valid on the 09.54 SSuX Sheffield to Cleethorpes (from £6.70 adult, £4.40 railcard), which is nearly half the cheapest alternative on TPE (£12.40/£8.15). The IBLRG continues to campaign for restoration of a useful local service. It has suggested two trains each way, with timings to connect at Retford with ECML services to London and at Worksop for the Robin Hood Line to Nottingham. Their proposals would mean that a visit of around 3½ hours would be possible in Brigg for passengers travelling from Cleethorpes! At present, on returning to Sheffield from Cleethorpes, the DMU makes two trips to Leeds, then a trip to Retford reaching Sheffield at 23.36. 1431 GREATER LONDON (Geoff Brockett) [email protected] 1962] Havering: The council is to conduct a study into the possibility of constructing a north - south transport link, possibly operated by trams, other forms of light rail or rapid transit buses. The outline route is Harold Wood - Romford - Upminster - terminating at the proposed Beam Park station on the c2c line. The Council had previously considered building a monorail (!) but were not single minded about it. TfL is introducing an orbital fast bus network called the Superloop but these will not serve the borough; parts are already in operation. NEXT: Illustrative plan of the Superloop express bus services (10 routes) - the significance to us is that nearly every proposed stop is a railway (or bus) station.

1963] Bromley North: (BLN 1403.1494) The Sat 12 Aug 'Newhaven Nonsense' tour run by UK Railtours with a Hastings Unit visited the terminus, doing the now rare main line connection both ways. It is very unusual to have two passenger carrying trains running on the branch at the same time. Of note, both tracks are entirely short length (30 feet) jointed rails - quite incongruous so close to Central London and the joints were very evident on the Hastings Unit! A discovery was that the Driver Only Operation (DOO) equipment has been moved along the platform nearer the station entrance, so the 4-car EMU branch shuttle (noted leaving Grove Park at 11.13 with four passengers) now runs to the buffer stops. Previously, with the DOO equipment at the London end of the 10-car platforms, passengers had to walk a long way to join or exit the station. The 2-car Class 466 EMUs that worked the Bromley North branch are now only permitted to work in passenger service when coupled to a 4-car Class 465 unit. This is because they do not fully meet Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations requirements. Therefore, a Class 465 is always used on the branch these days. It was necessary to switch from 2-car Class 466 to longer Class 375 or 465 units on the Sheerness branch and Medway Valley line for the same reason. Longer service trains can still run between Bromley North and Charing Cross or Cannon Street when engineering work closes the line past Grove Park or to Bromley South - even on Sundays, when the branch does not normally run. Bromley North is in Travelcard Zone 4 but Bromley South is in Zone 5. At the intermediate station of Sundridge Park (280,000 passengers in 2028-19), Southeastern claims that not a single ticket was sold at the ticket office during the whole of May. What they don't say is how many days, if any, it was actually open in May. In the late 1980s, your Editor's sister lived near the station and commuted on the all day through trains to Charing Cross. In the morning peak they were so busy that she used to walk to Bromley North (it was not very far) so she could have a seat. 1964] New Cross: The Slow Line crossovers at the London end of the station were replaced in Aug. The replacements are shorter, so the trailing end of the crossover from 1 Down to 2 Reversible and the facing end of the crossover from 3 Up to 2 Reversible are26.7m and22.9m nearer London respectively. Our Society's Gricing Adjudication Committee considers that Microgricers need to do the layout again.

X.75] BELOW: An ideal vehicle for our Society! The year 2000 vintage dsurveys between recording runs at London St Pancras International (E

ouble cab Windhoff Multi-Purpose Vehicle on switch & crossing video East Midlands Railway platforms) on Sat 12 Aug 2023. (Robin Morel.)

1965] TfL Passenger Numbers: Journeys on London Underground now equal or exceed 2019 levels at weekends, with buoyant domestic and overseas visitor numbers and well attended events. Weekday ridership on the Underground and buses is now regularly reaching at least 80% of pre-pandemic levels. On London Overground, overall journey numbers are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels. As already reported (BLN 1430.1855), Elizabeth line passenger numbers are significantly higher than expected. 1966] Piccadilly line Upgrade: (BLN 1426.1457) (TRACKmaps 5 p45D 2019) Over the Aug Bank Holiday weekend, out of use dead end Sidings 32 and 33 at Cockfosters (the two nearest the station there) were to be removed and the access points plain lined. This is to make space for a new wheel lathe. 1967] Triangle Sidings: (TRACKmaps 5 p44A Aug 2019) Another instance of passengers accidently doing rare track occurred at 20.45 on Thur I Jun, when a District line train from High Street Kensington to Ealing Broadway, running in Automatic Train Operation mode, was wrongly routed into Triangle Sidings. The train was returned to High Street Kensington to try again. (Underground News) 1968] Watford DC Line: (BLN 1429.1727) The Fri 11 to Thur 17 Aug closures overran, with numerous points and signal failures. London Overground services started to run to Willesden Junction during the morning of Sat 19th but Bakerloo line services north of Queen's Park did not resume until Sun 20th Aug. During the closure in the week,Queen's Park was served by 170 rail replacement bus journeys per day. 1431 NORTH EAST & YORKSHIRE (Geoff Blyth) [email protected] 1969] Northumberland Line: ❶Marchey's Level Crossing was closed 10 Aug 22.00 until 15 Aug 22.00 to renew about 100m of each running line. A free shuttle bus ran for pedestrians. Presumably removal of the ground frame and associated points (BLN 1430.1865.3) was deferred to coincide with this. ❷(BLN 1429.1728.2) On 7 Aug work restarted to construct the new Seaton Delaval station. ❸(BLN 1430.1865.7) The Bedlington south building is in poor condition; its demolition will enable the area on the corner of Station St and Ravensworth Terrace to be turned into a much more welcoming station entrance, with easy access for all, improved landscaping opportunities and space for public art. ❹Following public consultation, Hospital Level Crossing at Ashington (BLN 1400.1114) was closed permanently from 21.00 on 20 Jul and will be fenced off. Did anyone manage to cross at 20.59¾? 1970] Elland: (BLN 1394.324) There is still no firm opening date for the new £25M station, apparently as the project is still at the 'contractor engagement' stage. Presumably no construction work yet then? 1971] Scarborough: (BLN 1429.1711) Class 68s and Mk5 stock do stable here most days but overnight at the station in the very long P1 - away from housing - and not at the depot that was originally built for them. This is because the engines running during the night, or starting up in the morning, were keeping residents awake. Servicing takes place there during the day (bad luck if you work nights). However, TPE has confirmed that it will to stop using Class 68 locos and Mk5 coaches form 10 Dec. 1972] York: (BLN 1358.2287) Car park capacity was reduced from 31 Jul for work on the station frontage. This involves removal of Queen St Bridge over the former line into the original York terminal station (CP 25 Jun 1877), with a three week closure of Queen Street itself beginning on 7 Aug. Work was due to have started in Queen St on 14 Feb 2022 and further works opposite the station at the end of that month (BLN 1396.594)! https://youtu.be/kZIiyj6RuUs is a video of the completed scheme. (BLN 1407.2023.2) The York Central project https://www.yorkcentral.info/ will provide up to 2,500 new dwellings and over 1Mft2 of office space on the 11 acre disused Leeman Road Yard site (handy for the station). Work has started on the new Spine Road, which will allow closure of Leeman Rd at its east end by the station, so the (National) Railway Museum can expand and join up its separate buildings. A knowledgeable member suggest that the new (N)RM side station entrance proposed for York Central will undoubtedly include full access. Therefore, a new north facing west side bay 'P12' connected to the new York Relief Line would allow most of the operating problems identified in BLN 1429.1736 to be avoided and retain complete segregation, as with Doncaster P0. York bay P8 could then be a useful 'bolt hole' during disruption. However, the site is being retained for a possible future P12/13 island.

1973] T&W Metro: ①On Wed 9 Aug at around 21.30, a prospective passenger decided that he wished to travel 'Air Conditioned' Class by climbing on the roof of a unit at Shiremoor. The power was cut off and he was joined by police and the fire brigade (on the ground). Services were suspended between Benton (facing crossover in passenger use) and Tynemouth (ECS shunt). He was brought down at 06.20 and arrested. Services were suspended between Benton and Monkseaton (facing crossovers in passenger use at both) while the OHLE was examined. Normal service resumed at 10.00. ②(BLN 1430.1866.6) On 16 Aug construction company Buckingham Group filed a notice to appoint administrators. They are responsible for inter alia the £5M Whitley Bay Metro stop restoration. Contingency plans are being drawn up to keep it open if there is a major delay to the work, with the possibility of a new contractor having to be appointed. Buckingham Group was also responsible for the Metro Flow track dualling scheme; although only some minor issues remain to be resolved with that. ABOVE: 1918 Railway Clearing House map. Royston Jn is bottom right, Crigglestone Viaduct is shown passing above Crigglestone West Jn (the south apex of the large centre triangle) but is actually some 500m further north and closer to the Calder & Hebble Navigation. Heading northwest, Middlestown Jn is next for the spur to Thornhill Midland Jn (northwest of Healey Mills Goods). At Middlestown Jn the line otherwise continued as a double track branch to Dewsbury Savile Town Goods, top left. This branch (which was planned to be a main line to Bradford) CG/A 18 Dec 1950, then was used to store wagons/carriages; it was taken out of use from 14 Oct 1956 and the track was removed by 1966. 1974] Royston Jn - Thornhill Midland Jn: (BLN 1426.1464) In June, National Highways' Historic Railway Estate completed a major refurbishment of the Grade II listed Crigglestone Viaduct, which once took the line above (east to east) the Barnsley to Wakefield line, British Oak on the former mineral line from Flockton Sidings (south of Horbury Jn) to Flockton Collieries and the former PSUL curve from Crigglestone Jn to Horbury Station Jn (the curve severed from 4 Feb 1991) and formerly on to Ossett. The 21-arch 1,207ft viaduct had been badly affected by the effects of excessive vegetation. Fractures have been repaired, brickwork repointed and strengthened with graffiti and undergrowth removed.

This line was the first section, just over 8¼ miles long, of the Midland Railway West Riding Lines; its Act was secured on 25 Jul 1896 as the first stage of a main line north via Bradford. The line had OA by 1 Mar 1906 from Royston Jn (TRACKmaps 2 p35B 2020) on the ex-North Midland Swinton to Normanton main line) to both Dewsbury Savile Town and the connection with the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) Calder Valley line at Thornhill Midland Jn (just west of the present day Healey Mills) - TRACKmaps 2 p37B. ABOVE: 1954 map of the viaduct area. Royston Jn is off bottom right corner, Dewsbury is off top left. However, in Feb 1905 the Midland shareholders were told that it had not been possible to proceed further with the West Riding Lines. Diminished financial returns and serious engineering difficulties in Bradford had led the Board to consider modifications to reduce costs. These began to take shape as the Bradford Through Lines Bill, which involved using the L&YR Spen Valley line (Thornhill - Low Moor) between Thornhill and Oakenshaw. This Bill received the Royal Assent on 25 Jul 1911. However, inflation after WWI, diminishing profits and the pre-eminence of Leeds (making any plan to bypass it quite unthinkable) ended the project; it was formally abandoned on 18 Nov 1919. A service of three trains a day between Bradford Exchange and London St Pancras by this route started on 1 Jul 1909, hauled by L&YR engines between Bradford and Sheffield (Midland of course!), the only intermediate stop. Bradford services also ran this way for 12 years between the two World Wars. The intermediate stations of Crigglestone [East] and Middlestown never opened to passengers, so the service over the line was thin and at times non-existent. However, it featured consistently in PSUL, with a morning summer SO train from Sheffield Midland to Blackpool North, returning in the afternoon (BLN 1426.1464). This last ran on 9 Sep 1967 at the end of the 1967 summer season. The line closed for general goods traffic from 4 May 1968. Royston Jn - Crigglestone East CA but Thornhill Midland Jn - Crigglestone East continued in use for M1 motorway construction traffic. The weekly notices then warned: Contractors working at new bridge N o 19 at 182m 49ch Mechanical plant in use. The last such notice was N o 44, covering Sat 2 Nov until Fri 8 Nov 1968. So, all traffic had ceased by 8 Nov 1968. Interestingly, notice N o 46 included: Sun 17 Nov 1968 - Royston Junction: The connections to and from the Middlestown Branch, together with the associated signalling, will be abandoned. It is surely not a coincidence that the engineers waited for six months after traffic had ceased at this end of the line and then took out the junction only a week after all traffic on the line had definitively ceased. Your NE Editor thinks that British Rail must have kept the southern end of the line available for traffic just in case it was needed for the construction traffic, although it never was. The line was deleted from the Sectional Appendix on 18 Jan 1969. Railway Magazine Dec 1969 stated that lifting had been taking place in Aug 1969. Notice 44 of 1969 had 2 Nov -Healey Mills. The following connections will be secured in the normal position pending removal: ●Trailing (later corrected to Facing) crossover between Down Fast - Up Fast (beyond the connection Up (Middlestown) to Up Fast) ●Up (Middlestown) - Down Main ●Up Arrival - N o 3 Shunt Neck, the final demise of this ill fated line. A walk along the course of the line (29 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7qycri89hs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyropaEiMzg and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wupxN-aBv1U are aerial views https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrQQRbpEitw is about the work done recently.

1975] Croda Hydrocarbons Branch, Kilnhurst: This line, about ¼ mile long, ran from the former Midland Railway (MR) main line north of Kilnhurst (West) station, curved east, descending sharply through a rock cutting down towards the west bank of the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation. It served chemical and steel industries here. Swinton Iron & Steel Works, dating back to 1828, at Kilnhurst was on the west bank of the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation down the right hand side of the plan (which is thanks to Dave Cromarty). The works was purchased by John Brown & Co in 1863 before falling out of use. This steelworks was rail connected to the MS&L (Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire, later Great Central Railway) on the other side of the canal via a swing bridge and to the MR by the branch - the subject of this article. In 1903 the firm of Messrs John Baker & Bessemer Ltd bought the works and also extended the site on land to the south, providing further internal railway lines. The works then produced tyres and axles for the rail industry, except during WWI when production turned over to munitions and was the subject of Stanhope Forbes' famous painting, 'The Munitions Girls'. When the steelworks closed in 1963, it employed a thousand men. The chemical works was opened by the firm of Ellison & Mitchell Ltd in 1886 and bordered the west side of the original Swinton Iron & Steel Works site. Known as Don Chemical Works, it distilled tar from coal gas and coke by-products. It was rail-served by the MR and MS&L by connection to the lines serving the steelworks. In 1927, it became part of Yorkshire Tar Distillers before being incorporated into the Croda Hydrocarbons Company from 1975. After closure of the steelworks in 1963, Yorkshire Tar Distillers expanded their site over the original Swinton Iron & Steel Works site to border the canal side, with internal trackwork connecting to lines on the wharf. The MR lines in the area were controlled by Kilnhurst North box. The branch line itself did not connect into the main line but into exchange sidings at the MR level which main line locos worked into. The branch was only worked by the private locos from the steel and chemical works. To avoid conflicting movements off it with 'main line' locos in the sidings (certainly by the time Kilnhurst North box closed in 1957), a signal protected the converging point between the branch and sidings, which private locos could not pass in the 'On' position. It was worked by a ground frame which also worked the connection between the sidings and the Up Slow Line, released by Kilnhurst South box. It is not known if the same or a similar signal had existed before, previously worked by Kilnhurst North. After the 1963 closure of Kilnhurst Steelworks, the branch only served Yorkshire Tar Distillers. By this time the connection to the former MS&L line via the canal swing bridge had gone. Tar was originally conveyed along the branch to the works in 4-wheeled tank wagons, but these were replaced by long wheelbase bogie TEA wagons built around 1967. Although these could also negotiate the branch, a discharge facility was provided opposite the works alongside the Up Slow line of the former MR. The usual arrangement then was for the full trainload to be pushed into this facility by the British Rail loco. Then the wagons were connected to steam heating pipes to facilitate the flow of the heavy tar oil through the discharge pipes. A line of wagons could often be seen gently cooking from the main line.

ABOVE: Croda Hydrocarbons connection in the Up Pontefract (was Up Slow) looking south. There are two tracks now. The ground frame (then only operating the 'stop shunting' signal) is near the exit GPL signal. (5 Feb 1989) BELOW: Looking south on the ex-Midland Railway line towards Rotherham Masborough from near Croda Hydrocarbons. The siding nearer the camera (bottom left) leads to the branch, the one further away leads to the steam heated discharge facility. (All photos Andy Overton, this one on 5 Feb 1989.)

ABOVE: Looking north to Swinton. The Pontefract Lines have been lifted (the siding connects into the Up Main). The later discharge compound is ahead alongside the MR formation. A crippled TEA is on the branch near the 'stop shunting' signal. Note the sleeper across the branch beyond and its steep descent right. (13 Apr 1990) BELOW: Looking up the branch from the Works towards the MR from inside the cutting. (5 Feb 1989)

ABOVE: Looking up the slope towards the MR from the foot of branch; note the new trackwork. (5 Feb 1989) BELOW: In the other direction, looking towards the sidings with trackwork evident. (5 Feb 1989)

ABOVE: Looking inside the works from the sidings. The internal diesel shunter and a TEA wagon can be seen, the rust on the rails showing it has been down there a very long time! (Both 5 Feb 1989) BELOW: Looking east (tar works left) towards the canal, along sidings which formerly served the steelworks.

ABOVE: Looking north along the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation canal wharf towards Swinton showing internal lines emerging from Croda Hydrocarbons (set in concrete), turning sharply to run along the wharf. On the far side of the canal is the former Great Central line to Rotherham Central (off right). (5 Feb 1989) BELOW: 1968 map; 2½ inches to the mile.

Subsequently, the branch was little used by exchange traffic and Andy Overton (our local member who supplied this report) personally never saw any movements on it. An internal loco was still present in the works complex and at least one TEA wagon was down there as late as 1989 but it is Andy's belief that latterly only internal works movements took place. Certainly, by the mid-1980s the rails of the branch were extremely heavily rusted and showed no sign of usage for many years. A very strange event in 1989 was rationalisation of the trackwork at the lower end of the branch where the lines fanned out outside the works compound. Having seen this work our member was expecting a revival of traffic on the branch, or some movement of vehicles inside the works compound up to the main line,perhaps for onward transport for disposal. However,no such movements ever took place, so why the work was undertaken is a complete mystery. Croda Hydrocarbons at Kilnhurst closed in 1997 and after decontamination of the site it was used for housing. The cutting through which the branch descended from the MR formation was infilled and today no evidence of the branch remains. ABOVE: 6'' map (1929), the LMS (ex-Midland Railway) is on the left and the LNER (Great Central) right. 1976] Neville Hill: (TRACKmaps 2 p36A 2020) From 9 Dec Neville Hill Up Sidings run-round lines are to be shortened until Apr 2027, when the Neville Hill area Transpennine Route Upgrade remodelling is complete. This affects the Up Side Arrival line, the Up Reception line and the Up Engine Release line, used to access Hunslet Aggregate Terminal. The east end of the loop will be moved 29m westwards and the eastern Shunt Spur reduced to 25m (one loco). The (western) Up Shunt Spur will be removed and crippled wagons stabled instead on the Up Engine Release, which will become a dead end.

BELOW: (Item 1979) A new station rose from the foundations - White Rose, Lee

eds to the left, Huddersfield right on 11 Aug 2023. (All photos Stuart Marshall.)

BELOW: Thornhill LNW Jn and the existing Ravensthorpe station; LeeFrom Ravensthorpe Road overbridge, which is to be moved further west;

ds off left, Healey Mills and Wakefield Kirkgate right. (11 Aug 2023) the existing station footbridge is where the two lines will join in future.

BELOW: Looking east; Whitacre St overbridge at Deighton is to be widened on t

the left. The former Kirkburton branch arch, right, will be infilled. (23 Feb 2023)

BELOW: A TPE Class 802 crosses Ridings underbridge, which is closed off

, taken from the Huddersfield Canal side - southeast of the line. (8 Aug 2023)

BELOW: Through glass; two bridge spans under construction in Huddersfield

d Hillhouse worksite. Is it third rail electrification - bottom left? (8 Aug 2023)

BELOW: (Item 1972) Queen St bridge (above the original York station trackbed)

), which you may have walked over many times, is to be removed. (29 Jul 2023)

X.77] BELOW: (BLN 1425.1352.1) Doncaster looking north, station right, the two

o new Colas stabling lines ahead are connected. (©Andy Overton, 10 Aug 2023.)

The reason is that major work will take place between Neville Hill East and Leeds over three years, culminating in a 12-week complete closure of the Neville Hill area in Spring 2027. This will cause significant disruption to passenger and freight services in the North of England. To minimise the duration, as much new infrastructure as possible will be assembled away from the actual worksite before. The Up Sidings area will provide the space for this, next to the worksite and works compound. 1977] Doncaster: (BLN 1400.1102) The new Down side Colas Sidings (the two dead end sidings shown in the track plan in BLN 1373.828.3 as dotted lines, under the words 'Hexthorpe Dead End') are now fully laid, appear complete and connected to the Two Way Goods N o 2. It is not clear if they are commissioned yet. There has been nothing in the Weekly Notices but then there was nothing in the Notices either about taking them out of use when they were lifted and the points plain lined! 1978] New 'Diesel Coach Trains': From British Railways' North Eastern Region 1955 Weekly Notices: SECTION D - MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES DIESEL COACH TRAINS COMMENCING ON MONDAY, 19th SEPTEMBER 1955, Diesel Coach Trains will operate regularly on the passenger service between Harrogate and Ripon. Details of the trains concerned will be shewn (sic) in the Working Time Table and Special Train Notices. Multiple Unit Diesel trains for use on the Newcastle and Middlesbrough passenger service are now being delivered. On or after Monday, 12th September, test runs will be made between Newcastle and Middlesbrough and Saltburn. Commencing Monday, 19th September 1955, test runs will be made on the following lines: - Newcastle and Carlisle Newcastle and Alnwick Newcastle/Monkseaton - Blyth/Newbiggin Sunderland and South Shields Darlington and Penrith Darlington and Richmond Darlington and Saltburn Middlesbrough and Scarborough via Coast* Middlesbrough and Whitby via Battersby Whitby and Malton Sunderland, Durham and …..Middleton-in-Teesdale These trains are fitted with two-tone warning horns at each end. The warnings are distinctive and not liable to be mistaken for that given from a road-vehicle. Your NE Editor remembers the novelty of a trip to Newcastle in a DMU with a driver's eye view out of the front! [*That is via Guisborough, Staithes and Whitby West Cliff. Your Regional editor was not aware that DMUs ever operated on the Loftus to Whitby West Cliff coast line. Its passenger service remained steam hauled to the end, the last trains running on Sat 3 May 1958, after which the service was cut back to Loftus. From 5 May 1958 Middlesbrough - Guisborough - Loftus and Middlesbrough to Whitby and Scarborough via Battersby went over to DMU, as did most Malton to Whitby trains.] 1979] Leeds - Huddersfield: On 11 Aug a member traversed the line to see progress. There was a very large crane at White Rose (BLN 1429.1735), probably to lift the two footbridge spans in. It was so large that the top could be seen from Leeds station! At Morley the steel frames of the lift towers were in place against the footbridge. Near Batley the footbridge replacing Lady Anne Crossing appeared to be complete. At Ravensthorpe the area south of the station that will be occupied by the realigned L&Y lines was being cleared. Ravensthorpe Road overbridge, at Thornhill LNW Jn, will be moved a little further west as it obstructs the course of the future Fast Lines. The bridleway from Ravensthorpe Road bridge to Mirfield station is closed for 9 months (from 9 May 2023), as it is where the roundabout will be to access the resited Ravensthorpe station. No work has started at Mirfield, where P3 will not be required in future with the new Fast Lines. No work was noted yet between Mirfield and Deighton. The main work is after Deighton to Huddersfield. At Deighton station, Whitacre St overbridge will be replaced by a much wider span, particularly on the west side (where the Slow Lines will be). Access to the new station will be at street level rather than down ramps. A retaining wall will be built east of the Up Fast and the disused arch over the course of the Kirkburton branch (CP 28 Jul 1930; CA 5 Apr 1965 except for a stub this end taken out of use 12 Dec 1971) will be infilled and buried beneath the station forecourt. Earthworks are in progress from Deighton to the Ridings underbridge (about ½ mile).

The greenway cycle/walking route here, on the course of the Midland Railway Huddersfield Newtown Goods branch (this section CA 12 Aug 1937) has been closed temporarily. The wrought iron bridge deck that once carried the Slow Lines will be replaced by a new structure; the masonry bridge carrying the present line will remain for the Fast Lines. In the next ½ mile to Red Doles underbridge, the existing line now slews to the west side of the formation - the future Slow Lines formation - so will have to be moved back again. It is confirmed that Red Doles Road underbridge (BLN 1429.1745) will have two single track spans side by side to carry the Fast Lines. There was a great deal of activity at the Hillhouse worksite (BLN 1429.1745), including two green bridge spans under construction. It is thought these may be the two new Fast Line spans for Red Doles underbridge. Watch this space as they say…! 1980] A Breach of Medical Confidentiality On Wed 2 Aug a member was rather surprised by the reason given for the delay to his train (the 07.17 Hull to Halifax): This service was cancelled between Leeds and Halifax due to a passenger being taken ill (VD). Well, we know you can catch a train but… 1431 NORTH WEST (John Cameron) [email protected] 1981] Ashburys: (BLN 1429.1749) This station OP in 1855 by the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway and became Ashburys for Openshaw in Jan 1857. In Aug 1881, it was renamed Ashburys for Belle Vue (in timetables with trains not running via Belle Vue station). Where trains ran via Belle Vue, it was just 'Ashburys'. It is thought to have lost the suffix 1955*. Interestingly, there is no actual place of the name - the station is named after the Ashbury Railway Carriage & Iron Co, which built it for £175 (worth about £24,000 now; compare and contrast with Portway Park & Ride at just under £5.866M). It is still Ashburys but Northern auto-announcements have been calling it 'Ashbury', which it has never been. [*However, the 6 Mar 1967 British Rail London Midland Region timetable has, in capitals, Ashburys for Belle Vue in tables 117 and 118 but Ashburys (for Belle Vue) in the index to stations.] 1982] Manchester Piccadilly: ❶NR has spent £800k converting disused accommodation into a new Assisted Travel Lounge with dedicated staff near P1 for passengers with mobility and sensory needs. Facilities include British Sign Language screens, facilities for assistance animals and a sensory place for those who find stations overwhelming. It is open 07.15-21.00 SuX; the entrance is from the car park. ❷Through P13 &14 are closed Suns 3 & 24 Sep and 1 Oct to install tactile studs and improve safety markings (will the area you can stand in without being shouted at be reduced still further?). The lines are under possession and there are no trains at Manchester Airport either (British Rail would have found a way; the terminal platforms are in use). Trains from the west turnback at Oxford Road or are diverted to Victoria. TPE is bussing passengers between the Airport and Preston/Huddersfield. 1983] Wilmslow: NR has completed an 18 month, £1.6M, restoration of the original 1842 platform canopies on all four platforms. The primary timber beams, glazing and canopy timber cladding were replaced, then all surfaces were prepared and repainted. The secondary timber beams underwent structural repairs and partial reroofing was carried out. The end result is very smart with more light. 1984] Castleton South Jn: One of the newest bridges on the line has to be replaced. NR has submitted plans to Rochdale Council for the replacement of bridge 48A (8m 20ch) which carries the Manchester Victoria to Rochdale line over the M62 motorway between Mills Hill and Castleton stations. It was only constructed in 1969 when the motorway was built!! The project includes removing sections of 'wingwalls' to accommodate a new deck and end of walkway platform, a new access walkway, a new steel 'E-type' girder deck and reinforcements of the concrete beam and abutment. Clearly the railway (a diversionary route during the Transpennine Route Upgrade) will need to be closed for a significant period. Of particular interest, the out of use Castleton South Jn crossover and pointwork is on the bridge, so will need to be lifted for the work to take place - will it be reinstated? (BLN 1402.1385) The fixed crossing in the down Rochdale at Castleton South Jn was plainlined from 17 Nov 2019. 1985] Blackpool Trams: Over the 12-13 Aug weekend, from 13.00-18.00 each day trams did not run between Central Pier and North Pier due to heavy crowds expected for the Blackpool Air Show. They ran between Starr Gate and Central Pier northbound platform (trailing crossover to the south in passenger use on departure) and between North Pier southbound platform (trailing crossover on departure) and Fleetwood only. Passengers were expected to walk ¾ mile between the two pier stops.

PREVIOUS: (Item 1982) The new Assisted Travel Lounge at Manchester PiccadilX.76] BELOW & NEXT TWO: Artwork at Levenshulme sponsored by t

lly, the entrance from the car park side of the station by P1. (All John Cameron.) he Crewe to Manchester Community Rail Partnership and Northern.

1986] Headbolt Lane: (BLN 1428.1613) A half hourly - reduced from four trains per hour - service to Kirkby resumed on Mon 14 Aug. The opening date of Headbolt Lane is yet to be confirmed; it is another victim of the collapse of the Buckingham Group which was constructing the new station and have entered administration. A Liverpool City Region Combined Authority spokesperson said: The Headbolt Lane development is at an advanced stage, with the majority of construction work complete. Our focus remains on ensuring that passengers can enjoy their new station as soon as possible and we will be working closely with partners to identify the next steps to finalise the scheme. 1987] Class 777 EMUs: These started running on the Wirral line on 21 Aug (just two diagrams at first). 1988] Great Musgrave: (BLN 1429.1757) On 14 Aug National Highways gave an update on the reversal of the bridge infilling (unfilling/defilling?): We have excavated around two metres under the arch on the north side of the bridge now and are using smaller, handheld equipment on the areas closest to the bridge arch. We are monitoring the bridge's condition as we go to build a picture of the work that will be needed to strengthen it when the infill is removed. The work must be completed by 11 Oct. A note of caution: When some trackbed overbridges between Penrith and Keswick were repaired by National Highways recently, they installed a rather unsightly metal lining reinforcement which would need to be removed if ever the railway was reopened. They will need watching at Great Musgrave, which is, of course, between the Eden Valley Railway and Stainmore Railway, which hope to join up. 1989] Burneside:(BLN 1429.1749) As reported,Northern has changed the pronunciation of this station on the Windermere branch from 'Burnside' to the correct 'Burn-E-Side'. The Lakes Line Rail User Group advises that from 1 Oct 1915, during WWI, to avoid war material being wrongly delivered to Burnside in Scotland, the London and North Western Railway briefly renamed Burneside to 'Burneshead'. It was quickly changed back to Burneside following local protests. The name Burneside is derived from 'Brunolvishhefd', noted in records of 1255, meaning the headland or hill belonging to Brunwulf. 1990] Friezland get the cold shoulder: Outline permission has been granted to demolish the former Friezland Station House, on Station Lane in Greenfield, and replace it with three houses. OP 1 Jul 1886, (L&NWR) on the 'Micklehurst Loop', Friezland CP 1 Jan 1917, although the line remained open until 30 Oct 1966. It is reported that the building, unoccupied for many years, is in a poor state of repair. 1991] Sankey Viaduct - it's a stitch up: On the ex-Cheshire Lines Committee Liverpool to Manchester line between Warrington West and Warrington Central stations, plans have been approved for restoration work to the nine arch, Grade I listed Sankey Viaduct (from 17m 16ch to 16m 21ch). For some reason, lost in the mists of time, it is also known as Nine Arches Viaduct locally. NR advise that the viaduct, over Sankey Brook, displays extensive spalling stone and brickwork, fractures, graffiti, vegetation growth and general decay. They plan to remove vegetation, calcite and graffiti, take off the iron grilles then redecorate and reinstate them. Missing or broken grilles are to be replaced on a like for like basis, while crack teams will carry out crack stitch repairs and brick replacements as needed. 1431 SOUTH EAST - NORTH & EAST ANGLIA (Julian James) [email protected] 1992] Chiltern: Chiltern Railways is seeking proposals for 20-70 new or converted 'low emission' multiple units (LEMUs?). The operator has called for 'established' rolling stock manufacturers, owners and modifiers to propose vehicles providing a 'meaningful' reduction in the emissions and external noise compared to its existing DMUs, particularly in urban areas. The envisaged five year framework agreement has an estimated value of up to £400M, including supply and maintenance of the fleet, refuelling infrastructure and depot modifications. Last year Chiltern invited expressions of interest in new or remanufactured battery multiple units (BEMUs?) in a separate procurement process (still active). Low emissions units in the latest procurement would be an alternative or in addition to these. Requests to participate in the latest procurement are sought by 4 Sep to feed into the formal business case. Chiltern hopes to obtain DfT approval to award a contract within the next 12 months. The company now has some of the oldest trains on the network and to the only non-electrified main line London terminus (Marylebone). This could see the new trains in service around 2027-28. Chiltern reserves the right to select any combination of new/converted stock, or not to award a contract.

1993] Oxford: (BLN 1429.1764) Points for accessing the future P5 were installed at Oxford Station South Jn over the weekend of 5 and 6 Aug. At Oxford North Jn, the Up Oxford Relief to Up Oxford crossover at 64m 48ch has been renewed and the crossover from Up Oxford to Down Oxford removed. New crossovers, Up Oxford to Down Oxford at 64m 30ch and Down Oxford to Down Oxford Relief at 64m 20ch, have been installed. Impressively, divergence at 75mph will be permissible. At Oxford North Jn, the Down Oxford Relief and Down Oxford become bidirectional. Work on the £161M upgrade had to be paused in June after contractors unearthed an inverted brick arch under the road beneath Botley Road railway bridge immediately south of Oxford station. Ground investigations have since revealed the historic arch is far larger than previously known, reaching a metre deep and stretching around 100m, the full length between Mill Street and Frideswide Square. Archaeologists believe the arch is part of a Victorian water system, designed to keep river water away from the railway and city. A new work schedule had to be drawn up to permit safe removal of the brick arch before NR and Kier Group could continue to divert the utilities below Botley Rd. This involved installation of piles to support the bridge and a switch to 24/7 working hours. A temporary drainage system will manage groundwater before a new permanent pumping system is installed later on. From the week of 14 Aug, working was extended to 07.00-19.00, every day, to regain lost time. Starting 2 Sep, round the clock work began with the noisiest work carried out during the day, as agreed with the City and County Councils. Work was also paused on 20 Jul, when a WWII era hand grenade was found nearby and the area, within the work site, near to the railway tracks had to be evacuated. British Transport Police attended the incident, alongside personnel from Explosives Ordnance Disposal. 1994] Sheringham: The North Norfolk Railway Sheringham - Cromer - Holt - Sheringham dining trains doing the main line connection (BLN 1326.932) last ran in 2022 but have now ceased. The main line certified diesel loco required to operate it 'top & tail' with a steam engine is no longer in commission. 1995] Oulton Broad North: On 8 Aug East Suffolk Council approved a planning application to move the redundant signal box (closed from 1 Feb 2020) to the East Anglia Transport Museum in Chapel Road, Carlton Colville, Lowestoft. It would otherwise be demolished. The application also involves building a new carriage shed at the Museum. The signal box will be restored to its original condition, including timber features. The plans are part of ongoing developments for the expansion of the museum site, along with a previously approved application for new exhibition depots, roads and tram tracks with overhead wires, narrow gauge railway tracks, carriage shed and platform. (TRACKmaps 2 p7C 2020.) 1996] Berney Arms: (BLN 1357.2178) ❶The application to the Broads Authority for a licensed café at the former pub was refused by the Licensing and Regulatory Committee back in Jul 2020. It would also have hosted occasional outside events for those passing on their boats. Since, there has been talk of converting the building into four town houses, together with a licensed bistro in a separate building, but nothing seems to have come of that. However, in Mar 2023 the Broads Authority Planning Committee issued an Enforcement Notice against two caravans and a wooden outbuilding on the site being used for residential purposes without permission. During the discussion on this item the meeting was informed there was a separate building to the south which was previously operated as a shop and café and was now registered as a bistro, although it serves only cold drinks and packaged snacks and there was no provision for potable water or toilets. ❷In Aug a visitor to the station found significant improvements compared with their 2020 visit - Greater Anglia has certainly pushed the boat out. It is a mandatory stop rather than on request so, even if there are no passengers to alight or join, trains don't just sail through. The previous badly faded station totem sign with the double arrow iconic British Rail symbol has been refurbished and there is a new direction of travel sign. One way is to Great Yarmouth, the other is to Reedham and Norwich. A small Greater Anglia platform nameboard is new (the original large one is present and refurbished). The three notice boards even included a printed timetable. The pièce de résistance is a solar powered real time departure display. There are also three new bench seats and two bike racks - although you can't cycle there! The passenger enquiry point remains. https://bit.ly/45hrHdh has more and photos; 'Weavers Way' path alongside Breydon Water is hard going from the Yarmouth end with vegetation.

1997] Manea: (BLN 1402.1390) Two decades in the planning, the 112 space free car park finally opened on 7 Aug, part of the Fenland Stations Regeneration Programme, to encourage park & ride from Manea and other villages, such as Wimblington and Doddington. The once abysmal service has improved in recent years and is 2-hourly (Peterborough to Ipswich) plus a few CrossCountry in the peaks. Of note, the 06.25 SSuX Bristol Temple Meads to Stansted Airport calls at 10.27. Manea (pronounced Main-eee by locals) has a population of 2,500 - to increase passenger use (see table) the service would need to be further enhanced. Local councillors are also endeavouring to arrange a bus service to the station; car park signage is incomplete. 1431 SOUTH EAST - SOUTH (Julian James) [email protected] 1998] Gatwick Airport: (BLN 1424.1263) The final construction phase of redevelopment is described as running from 22 Jul until 3 Nov 2023. Works include the new station concourse spanning P4 to P7 and installation of the new lift and stair structure at the London end of P3 & P4. On completion, there will be a one way passenger system, those boarding trains will reach platforms at the London end and those alighting will exit platforms at the Brighton end. This is to reduce conflict, particularly with the considerable number of passengers at times and the large amount of luggage they have with them. However, passengers towards Brighton will arrive on P4 with their backs to approaching trains. 1999] Shepherds Well: (TRACKmaps 5 p10 2019) From 12 Aug Shepherds Well Down Sidings 1 and 2, accessed by a trailing connection in the Down Chatham line at 71m 45ch, were to be shortened. The maximum length of each became 80m. All track on the Faversham side of stop boards at 71m 45ch was to be removed. This is significant as they were part of the latter day connection to Tilmanstsone Colliery/the East Kent Railway (via a Faversham end headshunt shown on TRACKmaps as Long Siding). 2000] Brighton - Southampton Central: (BLN 1428.1634) Out to public consultation until 27 Sep, changes proposed by Southern to West Coastway services SuX include: Victoria via Horsham to Portsmouth Harbour 2tph (trains per hour), with Portsmouth & Southsea terminators extended from/ to Portsmouth Harbour. Bognor Regis portions continue to be provided off these to/from Victoria. Victoria via Horsham to Bognor Regis 2tph. Barnham to Bognor Regis 2tph no longer run from/to Littlehampton. Brighton to Southampton increased to 2tph but Gatwick Airport to Southampton passengers change at Barnham. The second replaces the hourly Brighton to Portsmouth and would stop additionally at Woolston (frequent bus services to most parts of Southampton city centre, faster than via Southampton Central) but not stop at West Worthing, Durrington-on-Sea and Goring-by-Sea. All stations Brighton to Chichester service via Littlehampton 2tph; No West Worthing terminators. Victoria to Littlehampton via Hove largely unaltered with 2tph restored to most of the day. Your (very local) Regional Editor believes west to east reversal of 2tph (of the 6tph each way) at Chichester via the siding west of the station will require close supervision to avoid delays and will be the source of increasing delays at time of perturbation. Southern believe that the proposals would improve reliability, especially for journeys over longer distances, create a more evenly timed service and capacity on the busier sections of the route. See PDF with e-BLN for details and how to respond. 1431 SOUTH WEST :Samuel Taunton, PLEASE USE:: [email protected] Thanks to all our contributors for keeping this section going during the interregnum. We are pleased to advise that, from BLN 1432, our member Samuel Taunton, from Cheltenham, is your new SW Editor. 2001] Pilning: Despite just having two trains a week in the Up direction only due to the lack of a footbridge, would be passengers are surprised that their service has succeeded in deteriorating even further. The Saturday only service had become increasingly unreliable due to engineering work and industrial action. On 1 Jul, the guard on the afternoon train announced that it would not be stopping at Pilning. This was because it was an IET and there are no arrangements for them to call. After protests from passengers, GWR agreed to stop the following train to pick up those waiting at Pilning who would otherwise be stranded. Two weeks later, the train failed to call as the driver forgot, resulting in a passenger using the emergency alarm. Permission was given to set back into the platform. Year Number 2017-18 15,894 2018-19 18,950 2019-20 18,834 2020-21 13,910 2021-22 16,192

2002] A Trip on the Pines Express; Sat 30 Jun 1962, Part 2: (BLN 1430.1906) Our member Mike Roach returns home. While at Bournemouth West (a terminal station), we saw a good range of steam engines before leaving on the 6.48pm to Templecombe. Our train of four coaches was hauled by a BR Standard Class 4 2-6-0. I must have been tired because the details of the trip were not recorded except for the most interesting part, which was passing a Great Western designed Modified Hall number 7910 'Hown Hall' of Southall Shed, which could have arrived at Poole on a train from Bradford. Arriving back at Templecombe at 8.10pm, I bade farewell to my friend and set out on the 100 mile drive home to Plymouth which would have taken me about three hours on the roads of the day, so I probably arrived home around 11.15pm after a long and enjoyable day. Google Maps tells me that the drive now takes about two hours. As I was writing, this I came across a record of another occasion when I caught the 6.48pm from Bournemouth West to Templecombe, some three years later on 12 Jun 1965. This time there was no car waiting for me and it was train for the whole way back to Plymouth. First was a 3-car DMU to Yeovil Junction, then a 'Warship' (Class 42) hauled express to Exeter, finishing with another 'Warship' from Exeter to Plymouth via Newton Abbot. Plymouth arrival was at 12.50am the next day. It would have been around 1.05am when I arrived home on foot. To construct the Bath Extension, it was necessary for the Somerset & Dorset Railway to cross the Mendip Hills at Masbury between Binegar and Shepton Mallet at an elevation of 811ft. Bearing in mind that the railway at Bath was at just 70ft above sea level, trains faced a formidable climb to reach the summit. The engineer did well to keep the maximum gradient to 1 in 50. Masbury was the highest elevation of any standard gauge railway for many miles in any direction. To the north, one would have to travel to the north of Tissington in the Peak District to reach the same elevation; to the southwest, beyond Okehampton at Meldon. To the east and south it is believed that no railways reach an elevation of 800ft above sea level. It was this northern part of the S&D that gave the line its real interest and individuality. The final southbound Pines Express via the S&D, on Sat 8 Sep 1962, again consisted of 12 coaches, this time hauled by 9F No 92220 'Evening Star' unassisted. The times achieved by 92220 were remarkably similar to my trip two months earlier, with the 9F taking just a quarter of a minute longer to Evercreech Junction (26m 42ch). I could not be there on the last day as I was in South Wales staying at Brecon and on 8 Sep made my last return trip to Neath (only possible on a Saturday from the Brecon end of the line) and my last return trip from Pontsticill Jn to Brecon with lineside photos at Dolygaer and Torpantau. All four routes out of Brecon would be closed by the end of 1962. 2003] Exeter St Davids: NR has submitted plans to Exeter City Council to demolish the former stationmaster's office to extend bay P2. This confirms it will be longer than it was before the previous shortening. A freestanding plant room will occupy the office site. The building is no longer in use for its original purpose and is thought to be around 100 years old, with plans for its construction having been submitted in 1899. Recently parts of the building have been used for storage. Volunteers from the Cholsey & Wallingford Railway will remove heritage features for reuse in their new station building. 2004] Castle Cary: The footbridge removed for renovation over three years ago in May 2020 has finally been returned and reinstalled. The newly refurbished bridge spans the main lines while a shorter span on the Down side over the Weymouth line was not removed. The opportunity was not taken to install lifts, so the original barrow crossing at the west of the main line platforms remains for staff to escort passengers who are unable to use the footbridge. The temporary footbridge has gone. 2005] Chard (Junction): In response to a campaign by local politicians, NR has agreed to assess the timetable implications for a hypothetical additional stop for services here, between Crewkerne and Axminster (13¼ miles). The previous Chard Junction station (139m 35ch) CP 7 Mar 1966 although a bidirectional loop is present along with the remains of the Up platform (shown on TRACKmaps 5 p36E 2019). Chard is three miles north and a working name of Chard Parkway is suggested [or perhaps Chard Road if it had been on the original GWR!]. Chard Junction was the origin of an L&SWR branch to Chard (Central) which joined the GWR branch from Taunton end on in the town via a short length of jointly owned line. Chard Junction to Taunton (Creech Jn) CP 10 Sep 1962 and CA 6 Jul 1964 north of Chard; Chard to Chard Junction closed in 1966. The scheme, like many, is aspirational and unfunded.

BELOW: (Item 2002) M7 class 0-4-4 N o 30057 in BoAnother M7 had banked the 'Pines Express' out of Poo

urnemouth West P2 on the evening of 3 Jun 1962. le to just west of Branksome. (All Mike Roach, 3 Jun 1962.)

BELOW: West Country 34045 'Ottery St Mary' (of Bournemouth Shed) reverses t

the 12 coach 'Pines Express' out of Bournemouth West to the carriage sidings.

BELOW: Schools class 4-4-0 30926 'Repton' (of Basingstoke Shed) leaves Bourne