UK Railtour to Deepcar 08-April-23

[Iskra]

Does anyone have any recommendations for locations to ‘Phot’ the tour on Saturday at all please on the Deepcar branch?

 

[eastwestdivide]

Does anyone have any recommendations for locations to ‘Phot’ the tour on Saturday at all please on the Deepcar branch?

Not sure about most of the branch - last time I looked a few years back it was pretty overgrown "green tunnel" from most of the route.
It's possible to see the track around Deepcar itself, but not brilliantly well, both at the former Deepcar station and at the exchange? sidings. See blue arrows on attached map extract. Not sure how far into the Stocksbrige complex the tour is going, but the track's visible from the Fox Valley shopping centre.


Sheffield Victoria looks pretty clear of obstructions at the moment, with a view of the northbound train from Brunswick Road looking down on the Wicker Arches, and probably a view of it coming south from somewhere near the Hyde Park tram stop.
I'll probably stick to the Sheffield Vic area.

 

[Iskra]

Not sure about most of the branch - last time I looked a few years back it was pretty overgrown "green tunnel" from most of the route.
It's possible to see the track around Deepcar itself, but not brilliantly well, both at the former Deepcar station and at the exchange? sidings. See blue arrows on attached map extract. Not sure how far into the Stocksbrige complex the tour is going, but the track's visible from the Fox Valley shopping centre.
View attachment 132244

Sheffield Victoria looks pretty clear of obstructions at the moment, with a view of the northbound train from Brunswick Road looking down on the Wicker Arches, and probably a view of it coming south from somewhere near the Hyde Park tram stop.
I'll probably stick to the Sheffield Vic area.

Thank you for the reply. Yes you are right, it is very green and forested so hard to get a good shot throughout from any decent distance. I was thinking the footpath where it says A6102 on your map might be a decent spot to get it going over the very exposed (and quite interesting) bridge over the river? Your right hand blue arrow would work okay. I might have to go do a recce on Wednesday to see if the A6102 spot is worth it as it's only 15 minutes away from me.

I did a tour to Stocksbridge a couple of years ago and it did go into the works as far as the exchange sidings so I imagine this one would too, especially if part of the reasoning of this tour is to keep the track active.

 

[eastwestdivide]

Yes, I’d recommend a recce!

 

[Lemmy282]

Yes, I’d recommend a recce!

The tour itinerary states if is hoped to go up to the Network Rail limit. Is that in the exchange sidings, or only as far as the ground frame. When the 50 ran up there the other week it only went as far as Deepcar station, they did not unlock the ground frame.
My son worked a train up there last year and described it as "Deepcar forest", I hope they have cleared it up a bit!

 

[Steelman79]

The tour itinerary states if is hoped to go up to the Network Rail limit. Is that in the exchange sidings, or only as far as the ground frame. When the 50 ran up there the other week it only went as far as Deepcar station, they did not unlock the ground frame.
My son worked a train up there last year and described it as "Deepcar forest", I hope they have cleared it up a bit!

The NR limit is Deepcar Station, I wouldn't think the tour will go into the exchange sidings as it's been a good couple of months since heavy freight has run up the line and the line past the NR limit will be to risky to chance.

This will be the last chance to ride over the line, in my personal opinion it will be mothballed officially after this and within time used as a extension of the trans Pennine trail direct into Sheffield City centre.

 

[Lemmy282]

I thought that would be the case, thanks. Some wagons came off in the sidings last year, so I would have thought it unlikely the train would go further than the ground frame.

 

[Steelman79]

I thought that would be the case, thanks. Some wagons came off in the sidings last year, so I would have thought it unlikely the train would go further than the ground frame.

Not quite sure of the exact date, but 60020 came off the rails a year or two ago, this was past the NR limit.

 

[Iskra]

I thought that would be the case, thanks. Some wagons came off in the sidings last year, so I would have thought it unlikely the train would go further than the ground frame.

That was all repaired, unbelievably since freight ended not that long after so it seemed a bizarre expense to incur, but I guess it was all needed to remove DB’s wagons. Here is a brief video of the repair works:

 

[Lemmy282]

The times for the charter popped up on RTT today.

Realtime Trains | 1Z23 1245 Barnetby to Stocksbridge Works | 08/04/2023

Real-time train running information for 1Z23 1245 departure from Barnetby to Stocksbridge Works on 08/04/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

No return times yet though.

Nigel L

 

[Lemmy282]

Return times for the charter

Realtime Trains | 1Z24 1610 Stocksbridge Works to Finsbury Park | 08/04/2023

Real-time train running information for 1Z24 1610 departure from Stocksbridge Works to Finsbury Park on 08/04/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[BR 45111]

Lack of time is I understand one of the reasons that the tour is only going as far as the NR boundary , it will be a quick turnaround.
My mate from Knottingley is the driver for the Grimsby light rail section.

Regards
Marcus

 

[D365]

Looking forward to the tour on Saturday, I'm more than happy to be covering the NR metals.

 

[BR 45111]

I hear it’s 60015 and 66004 for tomorrow, subject to any last minute changes .

Regards
Marcus

 

[Tim_UK]

So I think if you want to watch the train before the NR boundary, there is some waste land just south of Deepcar station.
Park on station road and walk up. There is a footpath through in to the woods that is signposted part of the transpennine trail, so some kind of right of way. There are hundreds of metres of fence you can just walk up to.

This is was the view looks like from the waste land.



This one looking north. The buildings in the middle are deepcar station



What is this? Axle counter or greaser?

Lack of time is I understand one of the reasons that the tour is only going as far as the NR boundary , it will be a quick turnaround.

So, with a stop board one way and a GSM-R board the other way, I presume that crossing the boundary will add a fair few minutes. I presume the ground frame would need unlocking. It just looks like a both ways catch points.

It's possible to see the track around Deepcar itself, but not brilliantly well, both at the former Deepcar station and at the exchange? sidings. See blue arrows on attached map extract. Not sure how far into the Stocksbrige complex the tour is going, but the track's visible from the Fox Valley shopping centre.

A few people here have said only the the boundary. If they only go the the boundary, you wouldn't see much from one blue arrow. Afew fallen trees affect where you can stand the and straight on view. You can see through the fence to the (old) exchange sidings, but not going this far.

The NR limit is Deepcar Station, I wouldn't think the tour will go into the exchange sidings as it's been a good couple of months since heavy freight has run up the line and the line past the NR limit will be to risky to chance.

I agree the NR limit is Deepcar station. From the North there is marker plate on a sleeper, an ancient phone to proceed board, then a GSM-R board and the ground frame, and then the old Deepcar station buildings.

From the South there is a axle counter or flange greaser or something, and then 100m further on a stopboard. And then the Deepcar station buildings.

The station buildings are now a smart looking private house.

That was all repaired, unbelievably since freight ended not that long after so it seemed a bizarre expense to incur, but I guess it was all needed to remove DB’s wagons. Here is a brief video of the repair works:

So loads of the track looks really new. Like brand shiny new like it was installed last week. There is a 3 way points at the south end of the river Don bridge. Looks brand new. RH goes no where. LH goes into a siding which was obivously an old runaround loop, but has a stop board half way. I'm not a rail expert, but just looks too shiny.



Further north, there looks like a much newer run around loop. The track looks brand new. It is well fenced off with CCTV everywhere.


I'm a bit annoying with myself really. In the 1980's as a child I remember the OLE being taken down on the woodhead route. One time we drove past and it was there, another time gone.

In the 1990's we regularly walked the trackbed on family days out, probably before it was officially transpennine trail.

In the early 2000s I found out the track to the steel works was still there while walking in Wharncliff woods.

And this week I realised that track to the steel works has a footpath along side it, 2 level crossings where you could easily watch, and I never went to watch a train. I was really surprised to find the track looking in good condition and obiously recent works done.




And its really easy to investigate the steel works part. There is a footpath alongside the northern bit. South of the River Don, the woods are fairly open access and loads of places you can get up to the fence for a look through.

 

[BR 45111]

Waiting….

Regards
Marcus

 

[MCSHF007]

Distant shot (from my bedroom window!) of 1Z23 passing over the Wicker Arches.

 

[eastwestdivide]

The train paused in Sheffield Victoria on the way up to Deepcar for the crew to take photos.

 

[Tim_UK]

The train today pulled to the stop board at Deepcar station, or there abouts. Waited a few minutes and then went back. And the crew took pictures.

 

[lyndhurst25]

Here it is approaching and crossing Brookhouse Viaduct on the South Yorkshire Joint Line. After a bit of a renaissance over the winter, this line has once again lost most of its traffic, with West Burton Power Station having been switched off the other week.

 

[D365]

Distant shot (from my bedroom window!) of 1Z23 passing over the Wicker Arches.

Fantastic shot. I knew we’d look good

 

[RGM654]

The train today pulled to the stop board at Deepcar station, or there abouts. Waited a few minutes and then went back. And the crew took pictures.

I was at the back of the train. We were told the loco had gone up to the boundary, which I presumed must be about where the station was though one couldn't tell from the back. It was a bit of disappointment not to reach Stocksbridge Works as advertised, but this was almost certainly "The Last Chance" to do the line at all (and likewise the Immingham circuit) and half a loaf is better than no bread.

 

[Tim_UK]

I was at the back of the train. We were told the loco had gone up to the boundary, which I presumed must be about where the station was though one couldn't tell from the back.

You wouldn’t have seen much more by being at the front.

And there’s a stop board just before the station buildings, then ground frame controlled trap points and then a boundary marker plate between the tracks.

I didn’t see exactly where the loco stopped but would have been within 50 metres of boundary.

The crew said the stop board was their limit.

 

[D365]

We certainly didn't see much in coaches G/F.

 

[TheHSRailFan]

A day late, was recovering from being exhausted.

It was a fun railtour. Certainly was cool going around Immingham docks. Was super weird going up the old deepcar/Woodhead Line/Great Central Main Line which in my opinion should be reopened, but that's a convo for another thread. It is especially weird on that section of track where you know it was a major line and it was electrified, but all the clues are disappearing and rotting away. It's really a shame we could be the last ones on that line. The Joint railway up to donny was alright, certainly nothing interesting in my books.

was still a fun tour though.

 

[D365]

Was going to write my own post but I’ve decided to echo @TheHSRailFan’s comments instead. A long day, but some great track and great traction. I’ve done a lot of walking up and down the Don Valley, but this was my first [and probably last] time traversing the Stocksbridge line.

Even from that small section alone, the magnitude of our loss [i.e. the former Woodhead route] is sinking in…