Peak Rail Presents- Doug Copley's Lineside Images #18-4 Sheffield to Penistone via Deepcar (1983)

Описание: The electrified Woodhead line closed in 1970 but Penistone was still served by Huddersfield - Penistone - via Deepcar - Sheffield services which passed through the now derelict Sheffield.Victoria station and onward for an additional half mile to stop alongside the Midland Nunnery Carriage sidings. After reversal they descended the curve to Nunnery Main Line Jct and into Sheffield Midland.


From 16 May 1983 passenger services were diverted from Penistone's Barnsley Junction to travel via Silkstone Common and Dodworth to 'Barnsley Interchange' and thence Wombwell, Elsecar and Chapeltown to the new station at 'Meadowhall Interchange' to join the Midland route through Brightside and Attercliffe Road to Nunnery Main Line Jct and into Sheffield Midland.


This film is from 1983 in the final weeks of running via Deepcar and starts at Sheffield Midland. We head north through the cuttings, to Nunnery Main Line Junction where we diverge, curving quite sharply upwards and eastwards towards the Midland's Nunnery Carriage sidings, still served by an '08' shunter and in use for Sheffield-St Pancras services still hauled by Class 45 'Peaks'. The far eastern end of these sidings is now Sheffield Supertram Nunnery Depot.


At the top of Nunnery curve, we cross to the parallel GC tracks where the train reverses and the crew change ends.


Now travelling west, in half a mile we pass through the closed (1970) former Sheffield Victoria station whose buildings are derelict but still largely extant. We then rumble on to the Wicker arches planned by Sheffield's own John Fowler who later went on to design the famous Forth Railway Bridge.


By the former Neepsend Power station see flashbacks of Class 76 (EM1) dc electric locos working loaded coal trains westward, and then 'Five Arches Viaduct' before passing Wadsley Bridge station which closed in 1959 but still has its full size BR ER blue enamel station-running-in boards.  This station still saw occasional use for football specials to Sheffield Wednesday's nearby Hillsborough stadium. Sidings immediately west of the station were used for run-around and stabling before the footex return journey.


Next are the one-time Batchelors Foods Ltd pea factory sidings.


At Oughtibridge, the signalbox name boards read "Oughty Bridge" (2 words). 

A 1938 John Fowler diesel shunter works between the station sidings and down through the woods to the yard at British Tissues Ltd papermill by the River Don.


Beyond Oughtibridge, pass the sorry remains of Wharncliffe Wood signalbox.


Next Deepcar station and sidings, once a busy place and the start of the Stocksbridge Railway running down to the ecxhange sidings of Samuel Fox Steelworks (later British Steel, Tata, Liberty Steel), still hanging on by the skin of its teeth today.  In 1982 there were no less than 16 locos owned by British Steel working the Stocksbridge steelworks, all built by the Yorkshire Engine Co of Sheffield.


As an aside, for a few seconds on the film (20m29s - 20m38s) is a Janus loco running coupled with an old brake van stencilled 'Stocksbridge Railway'  This vehicle came to Peak Rail and was taken on for restoration by the 'Wednesday Gang' of volunteers from Peak Rail Sheffield Branch, working evenings first in Brightside Goods Depot  -  now a Royal Mail sorting office  -  and latterly given space amongst the diesels by John Wade and his 'can-do' team at the South Yorkshire Railway at Meadowhall, who later relocated and morphed into the Heritage Shunters Trust, with their own impressive shed and extensive collection at Peak Rail's Rowsley South site today.


Leaving Deepcar, next are the twin bores of Thurgoland tunnels. From the train you can clearly see the twin and single track bores. At electrification there was insufficient clearance for twin overhead catenary wires, so the solution was to reduce the double track tunnel to a centrally-aligned single 'up' line under the highest part of the bore, and then build a parallel new bore alongside for the down line.


Next is lonely Blackmoor Crossing signal box, seemingly in need of a little tlc.


Finally the elevated signalboxes at Penistone are reached

First 'Barnsley Junction' with the re-aligned track, freshly ballasted, for the Huddersfield to Sheffield service to be imminently re-routed via Barnsley Interchange and Meadowhall Interchange. 


Then 'Huddersfield Junction' with the L&Y branch heading north away from the former Woodhead route to Manchester heading west.


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POSTSCRIPT  -  "DEATH OF A SUPERLINE"  -  Add-ons 1985/86 (3 min)


SUNDAY 9.9.1985

Oughtibridge  -  removal of redundant overhead electrification gantries.


SUNDAY 12.1.1986

Wadsley Bridge  -  former up line being removed, 'Gentlemen' toilet enamel sign, still extant!!