Derwent Valley Light Railway operations 'off the end'

[pdeaves]

This concerns the historical railway (which, incidentally, was never grouped or nationalised), not the current preservation scheme.

As far as I can tell, the Derwent Valley Light Railway (DVLR) owned and operated its line from Layerthorpe (near York) to Cliff Common (near Selby). There were connections to the main line railway at either end. Although predominantly for freight, in the early years and the 1970s the DVLR ran passenger services.

I am interested in whether the DVLR ran trains in its own right on the main line (as opposed to the main line companies running trains on the DVLR).

Questions:

1. Did the DVLR run passenger trains through to York and/or Selby?
2. Where did freight transfer to main line haulage?

Thank you for your help!

 

[John Webb]

From "York's Other Railway", a chapter on the DVLR in "Britain's Railway Super Centres - York" by Ken Appleby (Ian Allan, 1993).
Line opened 1913. Carried passengers from Layerthorpe to Cliff Common only until 1926! It seems the costs of running passenger trains was more that the income from them. It says that special excursion trains ran from time to time until 1939 - not clear if these were through trains from the main line system, but seems likely that they were, as the DVLR didn't have the passenger rolling stock by then. From 1954 onwards there were visits by railway enthusiasts' specials. After the NRM's new premises opened in 1975, the DVLR ran some regular steam-hauled services using coaches hired, then bought from BR from 1976-1979, entirely on their own track, using the 0-6-0T 'Joem'.

Freight traffic was interchanged with the main line in sidings at both Layerthorpe and Cliff Common, although the latter connection was lost when BR closed the line through Cliff Common in 1965. In turn the DVLR abandoned their line south of Wheldrake also in 1965 as the southern section of the line had very little traffic, and all freight interchange took place at Layerthorpe as a result.

The DVLR hired a diesel shunter from BR in 1961 and then in 1969 bought two class 04 diesel-mechanical shunters from BR. There is no mention of mainline locos working through onto DVLR metals - possibly being a Light Railway the track was not suitable for the heavier locos?

Line finally closed September 1981.

 

[pdeaves]

Thanks John. If I understand you correctly, freight was handled at interchange sidings at each end so a DVLR train was self contained on its own system. Passenger services 'off the ends' were restricted to through specials so were likely operated by the 'big railway'. Therefore, there was no chance of seeing a DVLR train trundling into York, Titfield Thunderbolt style.

 

[John Webb]

Thanks John. If I understand you correctly, freight was handled at interchange sidings at each end so a DVLR train was self contained on its own system. Passenger services 'off the ends' were restricted to through specials so were likely operated by the 'big railway'. Therefore, there was no chance of seeing a DVLR train trundling into York, Titfield Thunderbolt style.

That's correct on all counts. There are no detailed track diagrams in the book I got the information from, but both terminal stations were termini - the connecting junctions being outside them, so a through train to/from York would have had to have missed out the DVR Layerthorpe station unless it indulged in shunting - not easy as the whole DVLR only had one signal at Wheldrake connected to the level crossing gates; line was worked as 'one engine in steam' otherwise.

 

[Pinza-C55]

The DVLR stock wouldn't be maintained to anywhere near NER/LNER/BR standards so the chances of it venturing out onto the main line at either end would be remote.

 

[greyman42]

The old track bed is clearly visible from Layerthorpe and is now a cycle track.

 

[CW2]

I lived in York 1975-79, and the house backed on to the BR branch line that served Layerthorpe, and I cycled past Layerthorpe on my way to / from school. The trip loco was usually an 08, but sometimes a 25 or 31 would be used. The first trip of the day (which gave me an early morning alarm call) served Rowntree sidings. Then the second one ran through to Layerthorpe. The majority of traffic was sand (from Kings Lynn?), which was dropped on staithes into lorries for delivery to the local glass factory. The traffic for the DVLR was usually some general merchandise - I don't recall any particular regular flows.
The trip loco would return to Dringhouses yard late morning, before returning to Layerthorpe for a second trip about 13:00, with the sand empties (plus anything from the DVLR) leaving around 16:00. The loco would then return from Dringhouses to pick up the loaded vans from Rowntrees, around 17:30. There was also an workers train from Selby which ran through to Rowntrees Halt for Rowntrees staff only, returning ECS to York in the morning, then arriving ECS from York and returning to Selby at the end of the afternoon.
I did make a trip from Layerthorpe to Dunnington and return with 69023 Joem. I don't recall what the stock was, but I do remember finding the whole experience fairly unimpressive, and it was no surprise that it was a fairly short lived experiment.

 

[OVS Flatbottom]

There's a 1973 Industrial Railway Record article on the railway here:

http://www.irsociety.co.uk/Archives/51/Derwent.htm

THE DERWENT VALLEY RAILWAY
60 YEARS ON
R.R. DARSLEY
An article on the Derwent Valley Light Railway (DVLR) in the RECORD? Certainly, its opening on 19th July 1913 was described by the local newspaper in rural rather than industrial terms:- 'an epoch in the lives of the populous district of Layerthorpe, giving them excursions into beautiful countryside unknown to many'. Today, still predominantly in a gentle pastoral landscape, it conjures in the mind of the enthusiast a railway atmosphere essentially English. Time, however, has brought changes and the railway company has changed to meet them. The once crowded Layerthorpe area of York is now virtually depleted of residents and the major part of the land has been scheduled for light industry. Regular passenger trains ceased to run on 31st August 1926, and the sundries and parcels service was withdrawn in September 1970. The railway, too, is shorter now but the traffic it carries - coal, fuel oil, cement, and bulk grain - permits its inclusion in the interest of the industrial railway enthusiast. But who needs to be pedantic? The DVLR has always exercised a particular attraction to those who have known it, partly because it has retained its individuality outside the net of Nationalisation and partly because of the friendly manner that goes with the small intimate concern. In 1963 it celebrated 50 years of service to the community and the local newspaper reporter described it as 'none the less a hard working commercial enterprise of which Yorkshire can be proud'...
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[Ploughman]

A lot of the history of the line can be found at the Preservation site at Murton, alongside the Farming Museum.

https://dvlr.org.uk/