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Sheffield-Dore: Additional Track Possible?

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40907

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I recently travelled by rail into Sheffield from the South, the first time in at least 30 years, and noticed how development has encroached quite close to the running lines at Millhouses, where there used to be four tracks, ie two Hope Valley and two for Chesterfield etc.
Does any kind soul know if Network Rail have enough land at that "squeeze point" to put in another track if capacity concerns between Sheffield and Dore were to require such an investment?

As an aside, I was struck by how the trackside landscape has changed in the Heeley area, what was once mainly industrial and engineering concerns have been largely swept away and the area occupied by "leisure" facilities and the like. Do we make anything anymore?
Sign of the times I suppose.
 
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Welshman

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As an aside, I was struck by how the trackside landscape has changed in the Heeley area, what was once mainly industrial and engineering concerns have been largely swept away and the area occupied by "leisure" facilities and the like. Do we make anything anymore?

For a answer to your final question, continue on the main line through Sheffield for a few miles, and see what has happened to the steelworks adjacent the M1.
 

40907

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Indeed so, Attercliffe and Brightside, the East-end of Sheffield, is now a strange mix of a few remaining steelworks interposed with shopping malls.
 

daniel3982

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There were speculative plans for tram train using the empty roads in the Sheaf Valley. Would serve the densely populated & traffic clogged suburbs alongside the railway.
 

Mugby

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As an aside, I was struck by how the trackside landscape has changed in the Heeley area, what was once mainly industrial and engineering concerns have been largely swept away and the area occupied by "leisure" facilities and the like. Do we make anything anymore?
Sign of the times I suppose.

It's difficult to imagine now that there were once carriage sidings at Heeley.
 

Bletchleyite

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As an aside, I was struck by how the trackside landscape has changed in the Heeley area, what was once mainly industrial and engineering concerns have been largely swept away and the area occupied by "leisure" facilities and the like. Do we make anything anymore?
Sign of the times I suppose.

An awful lot of what we make these days is intangible - software, professional services and the likes. You don't need factories for that, just offices...

Neil
 

SqUaShIe P

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I was thinking about this just the other day. An extra line towards Sheffield would be really handy as its such a bad pinch point. I think the tightest bit is between Sainsburys and Tescos. I think there is a little bit of space on the sainsburys side (up side) but ideally the extra line would be on the tescos side (down side). It would take a good bit of re-jiggling but it would be great if it was done, Have the line form the Hope Valley continue all the way down to Sheffield.

Does anyone know anything about the extra line and extra platform at Dore and Totley? Its all gone rather quiet. I hope that still goes ahead
 

40907

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I have a copy of the video cassette. The clip on utube is part of a longer video called "Vintage Cab Ride", part 2, Market Harborough to Sheffield. Earlier in this video, you can still see what I think was called the "Leicester Gap", another outpost of mechanical signalling at that time.

Fortunately this video--from a very quiet diesel cab--was made while there was still mechanical signalling between Unstone and Sheffield. Before Dronfield station is the signalbox in which I spent many a happy hour with the friendly signalman.

Back on topic, thanks for the info in the post above. Hopefully an additional track could be squeezed in at Millhouses. Surely NR would not have been short-sighted enough to sell off land such as to prevent this happening? Or could they...?
 
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ianhr

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Back on topic, thanks for the info in the post above. Hopefully an additional track could be squeezed in at Millhouses. Surely NR would not have been short-sighted enough to sell off land such as to prevent this happening? Or could they...?

Unfortunately I think there was a time (1960s to 1980s?) when BR were given money by the Government to REDUCE capacity rather than increase it, quadruple tracks replaced by double, and double track singled. Also 'redundant' land was passed to British Rail Property Board who were required to sell it to maximise income.

Does anyone know exactly if and when these short sighted policies were rescinded or reversed? I have often heard people outside the industry comment that closed lines should have been 'mothballed' rather than sold off.
 

SLV

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My understanding is that if the Tram/Train to Rotherham is successful they will look more closely into potentially rolling it out on that line. Not sure if it would mean additional track or just the sharing of that track.

If hs2 is to be from Meadowhall end of town, there needs to be a way of linking the south side of Sheffield to Meadowhall faster. The time it would take me to get to Meadowhall via car or public transport would completely negate any time benefits of hs2.

I regularly walk 30mins to dore station to get the train to Sheffield instead of sitting stationary on a bus on Abbeydale road for ages. The dore car park is rammed with commuters, there's an appetite for a higher frequency.
 

40907

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It is perhaps ironic that until 1960 the original Sheffield tramway had a reserved track beside the main road from Millhouses to Beauchief, although as you mention the current congested state of Abbeydale Road, and extension of the present-day Sheffield tramway system to the Dore and Totley area in a conventional manner would appear impracticable.

Re Dore station, wasn't there once talk of reinstating the "Chesterfield" platforms to allow more stopping stations to call there?
 
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Haydn1971

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There are aspirations to extend the Sheffield Tram network, dropping a line between the Northern General Hospital and Dore - There's a preference for street running to maximise passengers, but that could all change.
 
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An awful lot of what we make these days is intangible - software, professional services and the likes. You don't need factories for that, just offices...

Neil

however an awful lot isn;t , we just make it rather more efficiently than we did in the past
 

HowardGWR

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I had the distinct impression from Street View that just London Rd underbridge needed to be re-doubled. As far as the Sainsbury / Tesco gap is concerned, there appears to be even room left for a station on the south side! Now that would make for environmentally responsible shopping. You just need to acquire a shopping trolley instead of a car. No need even to re-load and unload. A lift and overbridge between the two sides would make for easy price comparison. :)
 
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