Deepcar steel train

[_toommm_]

A few weeks ago a bloke I know was out walking near Oughtibridge came across two NR people looking at the fencing apparently a cyclist had had an accident leading to NR looking at putting increased fencing along the route.
As a result he was told the route will be closed for six months to enable the work to take place . Increased fencing or NR just protecting their assets with maybe the steel train now finished ?.
Remember ( if you had an interest then ) what happened at Catcliffe when the line into Tinsley Yard became disused the track went walkey’s .
Only time will tell....

Regards
marcus

Access to Tinsley Yard isn't exactly hard - when I was in school in that area, there was a steep hill but there was a handy rope or three to allow you to get down onto the tracks. This was only a few years ago, and it wouldn't surprise me if it was still there.

For clarity, I never used the rope, but from going to school in that area, I've walked past it on many occasions.

 

[BR 45111]

Access to Tinsley Yard isn't exactly hard - when I was in school in that area, there was a steep hill but there was a handy rope or three to allow you to get down onto the tracks. This was only a few years ago, and it wouldn't surprise me if it was still there.

For clarity, I never used the rope, but from going to school in that area, I've walked past it on many occasions.

Having an interest in railways and working in the area in the the 90’s I can think of at least two places at Catcliffe where it would have been no trouble at all to get a flat back truck to trackside.
Before the coal stockpile at the closed Silverwood could be removed by TNT 56’s the track there had to be relaid due to it be ‘reclaimed ‘.

Regards
Marcus

Last night 18 / 5 the branch had a visit from the weed killer train doing the rounds , 3Q00 TNT by 66779 and 66797 , confirmed by a friend who lives within earshot of the line . Went up around 2230 returning around 2300.

Regards
Marcus

 

[Wayne679]

It does look like the end of the steel train. Stocksbridge works is living on borrowed time. Hopefully the line will serve a future purpose perhaps as a tram train.

 

[BR 45111]

It does look like the end of the steel train. Stocksbridge works is living on borrowed time. Hopefully the line will serve a future purpose perhaps as a tram train.

Look at RTT for Rotherham Central , from yesterday 6J57/58 has appeared to run until the timetable change in December strange this wasn’t in when the May changeover happened .
Nothing happened yesterday, maybe just a red herring to keep our spirits up .

Regards
Marcus

 

[eastwestdivide]

Look at RTT for Rotherham Central , from yesterday 6J57/58 has appeared to run until the timetable change in December strange this wasn’t in when the May changeover happened .
Nothing happened yesterday, maybe just a red herring to keep our spirits up .

Regards
Marcus

Are those 6Jnn the following:
A Tue+Fri only Masboro-Stocksbridge, e.g. today's

Realtime Trains | 084Q 1746 Masborough F.D. to Stocksbridge Works | 07/06/2022

Real-time train running information for 084Q 1746 departure from Masborough F.D. to Stocksbridge Works on 07/06/2022. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

and a Mon+Wed only Stocksbridge-Aldwarke, e.g. tomorrow's

Realtime Trains | 0J58 2033 Stocksbridge Works to Aldwarke U.E.S. | 08/06/2022

Real-time train running information for 0J58 2033 departure from Stocksbridge Works to Aldwarke U.E.S. on 08/06/2022. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Both of these duplicate the long-standing paths up to Stocksbridge, and don't appear to balance out with return workings very well???

 

[Lemmy282]

Loaded steel train ran to Stocksbridge tonight, loco returned light engine.

 

[55002]

Loaded steel train ran to Stocksbridge tonight, loco returned light engine.

Think it ran Monday and Weds too. 66054 on all 3 visits

 

[BR 45111]

66054 had earlier done the Hedon Rd - Masbrough, no sooner had it got to Aldwarke than it was off , passed me over an an hour early , well loaded 15 BBA’s no SPA’s .

Regards
Marcus

 

[Iskra]

Steel trains are ending this month. Really sad news, and hopefully a use is found for the line as it will be sad if it falls by the wayside, although I can understand the economics probably aren't great currently. I now feel very glad to have been on the last railtour on the Deepcar branch. With no freight at all, a passenger use would be totally unimpeded, which is a positive...

From Branchline News 1405 P13 https://www.branchline.uk/home.php



Edit: And also just to add: that there was a shunting accident in the steel works sidings a few months back, resulting in multiple de-railed wagons, which was only repaired last week (presumably at considerable expense considering a rail crane was hired in for it), so it seems odd that that work was carried out for rail traffic to cease. Unless DB just wanted their wagons back before traffic ends...

 

[Wayne679]

What a shame that it’s the end of the line for the steel trains. Something needs to be looked into fast before the line falls into disrepair or even worse before the rails start to go missing.

 

[Iskra]

What a shame that it’s the end of the line for the steel trains. Something needs to be looked into fast before the line falls into disrepair or even worse before the rails start to go missing.

I totally agree, we are in now or never territory here.

Incidentally I saw the Steelworks shunter operating today for the first time in a while.

If anyone becomes aware of exactly when the last planned run is, I would appreciate it if they could share that information here please

 

[eastwestdivide]

Something ran tonight, a 6J58 from Stocksbridge, with only partial timings on realtimetrains, screenshotted below, passing Rotherham 78 mins early, and the only record I can see of a corresponding working up the hill earlier was a Tinsley-Stocksbridge light engine with no actual timings against it. Possibly a data feed missing for the Woodburn Jn area?
I spotted the downhill working on the Traksy map about 1955 and tracked it until it disappeared into Aldwarke about 2005.
RTT also showed a working on Wed this week.
Will next week see a last working, as per the branchline note quoted above?

 

[Iskra]

When the service is withdrawn, will Network Rail be required to maintain the line still up until the steelworks boundary at Deepcar, or can they just let it fall into disrepair?

 

[Watershed]

When the service is withdrawn, will Network Rail be required to maintain the line still up until the steelworks boundary at Deepcar, or can they just let it fall into disrepair?

It will probably mysteriously become "temporarily out of use", or require the LOM/MOM/route director's authority for trains to run.

 

[MCSHF007]

Class 66 just (c.18:30) passed over Wicker Arches heading towards Deepcar.

According to Real Times Trains the working yesterday was 6J57 1817 Aldwarke U.E.S. to Stocksbridge Works, returning light as 0J58 departing at 19:20.

 

[fishwomp]

Another has been activated for tonight - Tinsley dep 18:49

 

[55002]

Class 66 just (c.18:30) passed over Wicker Arches heading towards Deepcar.

According to Real Times Trains the working yesterday was 6J57 1817 Aldwarke U.E.S. to Stocksbridge Works, returning light as 0J58 departing at 19:20.

66014 that was last night

 

[fishwomp]

Another has been activated for tonight - Tinsley dep 18:49

.. left very early and has now left Stockbridge.

Is this going to be the last working?

 

[BR 45111]

From a DB source Liberty Steels were accepting no more orders after 1st October for rail traffic so believe last loaded working was Thursday ( 5 loaded BBA’s and 2 MTA’s ) ironically the only working that ran to time all week , last night was the last ( 5 BBA’s and 3 MTA’s ) .
All wagons because there bespoke for the Stocksbridge traffic will now go into storage .

Regards
Marcus

 

[eastwestdivide]

Something ran Fri 30th as well, light engine from Tinsley up the hill and class 6 coming down, here from rtt:

 

[lyndhurst25]

Does the steelworks have any internal rail traffic that may keep running, even if trains in and out are to cease?

 

[Iskra]

There are still a handful of DB wagons on site this morning, so I imagine there is still at least one run left to collect those

 

[BR 45111]

The 6J57 ran last night with approx 8 wagons and light engine return , paths in for later this week for another run . Not believed to be a restart of the service according to a DB contact but more a mopping up operation, probably worth keeping an eye on next week as well .

Regards
Marcus

 

[Wayne679]

The train to Deepcar was run on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week.

 

[eastwestdivide]

The train to Deepcar was run on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week.

And substantially early too (1hr+) according to realtimetrains

 

[fishwomp]

It ran tonight, a 66, with about 12 wagons full of (some warm) steel from Aldwarke. Left empty.

I was expecting to see more 'mopping up' - not a loaded train. Is there any update on what's happening?

 

[BR 45111]

It ran tonight, a 66, with about 12 wagons full of (some warm) steel from Aldwarke. Left empty.

I was expecting to see more 'mopping up' - not a loaded train. Is there any update on what's happening?

The returning empties last night was 16 BBA’s which suggests there is some movement . Nothing concrete on the future just rumours , looking at next week it may run Tues/ Weds again put paths are in for every night so it wouldn’t take much just to put in an STP. Think its probably right to say the situation is ‘fluid’.

Regards
Marcus

Marcus

Explore Marcus’s 8,315 photos on Flickr!

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[Wayne679]

I’ve just look at Real-time trains for the last couple of days and it’s done some late night workings. Late night or very early morning depending how you look at it.

 

[Iskra]

That’s good news then

 

[Wayne679]

The announcement today on BBC News that the Govt is providing £50 million to Liberty Steel to restart
Steel production at Rotherham would seem to mean that trains will again run regularly between Aldwarke Steel works ( which has a very extensive internal rsilway system ) and Stocksbridge.

Yes it does seem that something has happened as the trains are still operating. I hope this will continue as it’s good that the line hasn’t been left to decay. For the last couple of weeks it does seem that there are trains Tuesdays through to Fridays. Will it run on Friday? I’m guessing that it will. Curiously it has run late at night a couple of times this week which is unusual.