Lines around Black Carr Junct to Rossington Coll & Bessacar

[Justin Smith]

I am trying to update my Cobbs atlas around Black Carr Junc and Rossington Colliery.

Specifically :

1 - The LMSR line from Black Carr junc south to Rossington colliery. Am I right this opened in 1931 and closed in 1972 ?

2 - The GNR branch to west to Rossington colliery. I believe this opened in 1913 but its reported closure / reopening dates are inconsistent, does anyone know the definitive dates ?

3 - On some maps there is a short branch running NE into Bessacarr from the end section of the (ex) Dearne Valley Line, between Flyover West Junc and Bessacar Junc. What was this for and when was it opened and closed ?

Thanks.

 

[Adrian Barr]

I've been seeing what I can find online and in my collection of railway books - I live very close to this area and the history of the rail lines around here is quite fascinating. I can't be sure that everything below is correct but it seems to make sense, there are a few sources which more or less match up in terms of a timeline of events.

1 - The LMSR line from Black Carr junc south to Rossington colliery. Am I right this opened in 1931 and closed in 1972 ?

This line is mentioned in an RMWeb post here - https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/i...seeking-info-on-closure-dates-near-doncaster/

Closure date of the LMS branch to Rossington Colliery - 31-May-1972

This is possibly related to the introduction of MGR trains around the same time - there's a brief mention here - https://www.nmrs.org.uk/mines-map/c...les/yorkshire-coalfield/doncaster/rossington/

On the surface a rapid loading scheme for merry-go-round trains opened in 1971.

A google search brings up an Amberley book called Doncaster's Railways by John Law, which mentions that the box at Black Carr Sidings East controlled the LMS connection direct to Rossington colliery, but that this connection had closed "prior to the period covered by this book" (given as 1967-2017 in the introduction).

A signalling diagram of Black Carr Sidings East can be found listed under the Dearne Valley Railway section of this page - http://www.lymmobservatory.net/railways/sbdiagrams/sbdiagrams new 1.htm

Comparing that signal box diagram with a schematic map of the junctions around Black Carr in a little 1975 Dalesman book by C.T. Goode Railways in South Yorkshire it appears that any traffic from Rossington using the LMS connection would have ended up in Black Carr sidings, which gave access to the Dearne Valley at the west end, or Bessacarr Jn at the east end. I don't think there was any access to Down Decoy from the vicinity of the current Flyover West Jn until the 1977 remodelling in preparation for the opening of Doncaster PSB, so it wouldn't have been a useful route for MGR traffic trying to reach Aire Valley or Trent Valley power stations. The RMWeb post linked earlier gives a 1972 closure date for Black Carr West to Bessacarr, which would match a 1972 closure date for the LMS branch - with Black Carr West to Bessacarr closed the LMS branch from Rossington would have been joining onto a closed line.

There are some signalling notices (93 1977 and 95 1977) which help explain the remodelling of this area (including the reopening of Black Carr East to Bessacarr as part of the route from the Down Side of the ECML over the flyover to Lincoln) on this page of the Signalling Record Society website if you search for "Black Carr" - https://www.s-r-s.org.uk/ArchiveSignals/brer.php

After this remodelling it would have been useful if trains from Rossington could have used the former LMS connection to access Down Decoy without the run round that the surviving GNR branch required, but one possible reason for the survival of the GNR route instead of the LMS is that the M18 (this section completed in 1979 according to wikipedia) was already planned to cut across the LMS line. I think you can still make out the route of the LMS branch on Google maps.

In the 1977 Baker Atlas both the LMS and GNR connections out of Rossington are shown (although the LMS one would have already been closed if the above is correct). The next edition from 1978/1979 shows only the GNR connection remaining. There is also a connection into Yorkshire Main colliery shown from St Catherine's junction - a south to west chord onto the route of the Dearne Valley railway, the trackbed of which is still clearly visible on Google maps.

2 - The GNR branch to west to Rossington colliery. I believe this opened in 1913 but its reported closure / reopening dates are inconsistent, does anyone know the definitive dates ?

According to an Oakwood Press book The South Yorkshire Joint Railway and the Coalfield Rossington colliery began production in 1917 and the link to the ECML opened in 1918. The RCH junction diagram of Doncaster for 1914 doesn't show any colliery connections. A later, undated diagram in the Ian Allan Pre-Grouping Atlas and RCH Junction Diagrams shows the GNR link to the ECML.

My edition of the Cobb atlas has the GNR branch closed in the 1970s and the LMS branch closed from 1972 to 1994, but this doesn't really make sense - from what I can gather it appears the LMS branch closed in 1972 and stayed closed, while the GNR connection to the ECML presumably remained open throughout for MGR traffic until the closure of the colliery (and then for the current waste traffic to Roxby). The line is mentioned in a couple of BLS reports, one from 1989 and another from 2019: https://www.branchline.uk/fixture-report.php?id=1384 and https://www.branchline.uk/fixture-report.php?id=1327
I suspect that once the rapid loader had been installed in 1971 the layout at Rossington remained unchanged until closure, with all trains using the GNR branch.

3 - On some maps there is a short branch running NE into Bessacarr from the end section of the (ex) Dearne Valley Line, between Flyover West Junc and Bessacar Junc. What was this for and when was it opened and closed ?

This is clearly visible on the RailmapOnline maps - https://railmaponline.com/UKIEMap.php and it's also marked as a ground frame on the signalling diagram for Black Carr Sidings East.

In another little book by C.T. Goode - The Dearne Valley Railway he mentions the single track Dearne Valley Railway bridge which allowed trains heading to Lincoln to cross the then main Doncaster - Lincoln lines on a flyover before joining them - so a train from the Dearne Valley towards Lincoln would first cross the ECML on the other flyover that remains today, and then the Lincoln lines on a second, single track flyover. In the book he says:

As the single line curved round to join the Joint line at Bessacarr Jc. there was one final touch in the shape of a ground frame and siding off to the Bessacarr Gravel Company's quarry, odd in that the entrance was facing to normal running

There's no mention of opening and closure dates - with it being a siding rather than a branch as such I think it would be hard to find out. The historical OS maps at https://maps.nls.uk/os/ don't seem to be particularly helpful. Possibly there are records of the original private siding agreement in an archive somewhere. The area of the quarry itself appears to have been built over with housing many years ago.

 

[eastwestdivide]

My edition of the Cobb atlas has the GNR branch closed in the 1970s and the LMS branch closed from 1972 to 1994, but this doesn't really make sense

Ditto. When I was arranging a railway walk around the Potteric Carr bird reserve, I noticed those dates in Cobb and concluded it didn’t make sense alongside the other evidence.
With a bit of background research, it’s possible to walk and/or see a fair few disused bits of line in that bird reserve, although the part where there were two abandoned wrecked wagons is no longer accessible as they closed the foot crossing over the “ECML slow lines” (whatever the correct name is for them).

 

[Justin Smith]

Thanks for that reply Adrian, I will thoroughly read what you have posted when I get a moment !

I think about 1972 would be likely for the closure of the LMS branch because the M18 was constructed from about 1976 and BR would have known about the motorway's impending construction. The M18's existence would also imply that the LMS branch would not have been reopened.

Both Cobbs and Middleton Press "Newark to Doncaster" reports the GNR connection was put in 1913, one could have just quoted the other of course.
The colliery was being constructed from about 1912 and appears to have started production in 1914 or 1915 so one assumes the branch was in by then ?
I think you are right that the GNR branch might never have closed until 2007 and Cobbs is wrong on the dates.

Thanks for the info about the Bessacarr Gravel Company.
Not sure what he means by this : "odd in that the entrance was facing to normal running" !
The branch is not on my 1961 OS map

I love my Cobbs, it is my favourite book. I bought it in Aug 04 for £100, apparently the price was subsidised to the tune of a quarter of a million pounds by Sir James Colyer-Ferguson as a contribution to the history of railways.
I use it so much I have had it rebound in 2020 to stop the most used pages pulling out of the bindings.
Possibly sacrilegiously I have added all the motorways and other roads of interest (in pencil obviously ! ) with their opening dates. One of the most interesting projects was researching (and adding to my Cobbs) the opening dates - and varying course of - The Great North Rd / the A1. Round Newcastle was the most interesting. It originally went through the centre of Newcastle, then, on the opening of the Tyne Tunnel it diverted to the east in 1967. Finally, in 1990, when the DC Newcastle western bypass was opened, the A1's route changed to the West of Newcastle !
Attached is a pic of my annotated area west of Edinburgh.View attachment 108116
In fact I put loads of historical geographical info on it (in pencil obviously) so I can find it easily !
I would not sell my annotated copy even for £1000s.
Incidentally, is Cobbs still available or not ? I keep hearing different things.

 

[Adrian Barr]

When I was arranging a railway walk around the Potteric Carr bird reserve, I noticed those dates in Cobb and concluded it didn’t make sense alongside the other evidence.
With a bit of background research, it’s possible to walk and/or see a fair few disused bits of line in that bird reserve, although the part where there were two abandoned wrecked wagons is no longer accessible as they closed the foot crossing over the “ECML slow lines” (whatever the correct name is for them).

I've haven't walked around that reserve for a long time. I didn't realise they had closed the route that crossed the railway, but perhaps the extra freight on the Lincoln line after the upgrade made it seem too risky. I remember there was one crossing right at the south end of Down Decoy sidings (at Decoy South Junction) which took you on a walking route through a wooded area under both the South Yorkshire Joint line and the Lincoln line bridges, and then had you cross back into the main part of the reserve over the single track "Down Slow / Up West Slow" which functions as both the Down Slow off the ECML, and the access to the sidings at Rossington. I found a 2011 blog post about this route, with a photo of one of the abandoned wagons - http://yorkshireramblings.blogspot.com/2011/06/potteric-carr-nature-reserve.html

Both Cobbs and Middleton Press "Newark to Doncaster" reports the GNR connection was put in 1913, one could have just quoted the other of course.
The colliery was being constructed from about 1912 and appears to have started production in 1914 or 1915 so one assumes the branch was in by then ?

From the colliery history page linked earlier it sounds like production started in 1916, and according to the South Yorkshire Joint Railway and the Coalfield book coal shipments started in 1917. Having looked at that book again, on another page it does refer to the colliery being connected to the ECML in 1913 and to a 1913 NER act. For some reason (maybe because it wasn't in regular use yet) the colliery branch is not shown on the 1914 Railway Clearing House map, which is on this wikipedia page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Yorkshire_Joint_Railway

To compare, there's currently a listing on Ebay for a 1928 RCH map of Doncaster, which shows the GNR branch but not the LMS one (which makes sense if it didn't open until 1931).
If you hover over the image you can get a better zoomed-in view: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254542896814?&shqty=1&isGTR=1#shId

Thanks for the info about the Bessacarr Gravel Company.
Not sure what he means by this : "odd in that the entrance was facing to normal running" !

I suppose the normal method of working for the average siding (e.g. for a pick-up goods type operation) would have been a trailing connection which allowed the guard to get down from the brake van, operate the ground frame, and shunt without having to do any sort of run-round move. I don't know a great deal about steam-era operations, but they seemed more fond of trailing connections, such as recess sidings (back a train into a dead end siding instead of having a facing connection into a goods loop) compared to the present day.

I love my Cobbs, it is my favourite book. I bought it in Aug 04 for £100, apparently the price was subsidised to the tune of a quarter of a million pounds by Sir James Colyer-Ferguson as a contribution to the history of railways.
I use it so much I have had it rebound in 2020 to stop the most used pages pulling out of the bindings.
Possibly sacrilegiously I have added all the motorways and other roads of interest (in pencil obviously ! ) with their opening dates.

Definitely sacrilegious! It says in the introduction that the maps used were deliberately chosen because they didn't have the motorways and other roads on them which often obscured the route of the railways they were built over. I bought the 2nd edition which I think was £120. It might seem a lot for an atlas, but when I think how much I use it, it's very good value and was a sound purchase. As far as I know there was a third (and final?) edition in 2015 (maroon covers, ISBN 0993101305) but surely that must have sold out by now, even at £295 plus postage!

 

[Cowley]

There’s a new thread to discuss the Cobbs Atlas here: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/cobbs-historical-rail-atlas.226744/