Deepcar 12''-FT version today 5/11/16

[great central]

After visiting the Barnsley show today, decent show by the way, I decided to head over and have a look at Deepcar.

I took a few photos with my phone, difficult in parts to realise a railway of any kind went this way, let alone Britain's first electrified main line.

We took many photos and made several visits to the area while planning and building Deepcar the 4mm-ft version. What's really sobering is that it was around 30 years ago, that's half a lifetime .

I must say I think the new owners of the station building have done a nice job, turning it into a very pleasant looking home but still retaing a lot of the original character. Bear in mind it closed in 1959 although when we were visiting it was still occupied by a retired railwayman.

 

 

First is a view of the trackbed a couple of hundred yards west of Deepcar station, the last scheduled electric hauled train here was in July 1981 The ballast is still underfoot

 

 

Next is a photo of a yard lamp buried in the trees alongside sidings beside the main line, I believe originally a loop extending pretty much to Wortley station, but when we were visiting a run round and departure siding. Sorry the picture is on it's side, no idea how to get it straight! 

 

 

The limit of the Sheffield line of the Woodhead route at the eastern end, the line now goes round the corner towards the steelworks, difficult to believe that the main line used to go to the right of this picture

 

 

The restored station building from the lineside, the opposite platform is fairly complete although quite overgrown. The track looks in fine fettle, hardly any weeds to be seen.

 

 

The front of the station building including original yard gatepost and a strategically placed wheel sometimes jealously guarded by a decent sized GSD

[eastwestdivide]

Hate to say it, but if you'd visited before the show, you might even have seen a train there. The autumn leaf special, with 20s each end, visits certain days of the week when the leaves are falling, including one at about 1030 today.

The steel trains from Aldwarke have been running after dark for a good few months now (used to be around 6pm from Aldwarke, but now around 11pm), so it's unusual to get anything up there in daylight now.

[great central]

Hate to say it, but if you'd visited before the show, you might even have seen a train there. The autumn leaf special, with 20s each end, visits certain days of the week when the leaves are falling, including one at about 1030 today.

The steel trains from Aldwarke have been running after dark for a good few months now (used to be around 6pm from Aldwarke, but now around 11pm), so it's unusual to get anything up there in daylight now.

 

Ah well, brings to mind a couple of photos I have somewhere (just don't ask where!) of a pair of 20s visiting while we were on one of our site explorations, is it really that long ago?

[russ p]

Whatever happened to British railways greatest post war achievement!

To coin a line from the Woodhead video

[eastwestdivide]

Following up "great central"'s visit, I managed to do the same in time to catch the leaf jetting train yesterday (Sat 12/11/16).

From Station Road, you can walk through woods to peer over the palisade fencing at a run-round loop on the bend of the branch into the steelworks, and I nearly decided to wait there for the leaf jetting train, but with time to spare, I walked down the ballast of the "main line", and I came to this point, where you'd have expected a fence, with Deepcar station in the background:

 

There was still an old warning sign in the trees, where some power lines crossed over the railway:

 

So I decided that the view from the old main line was better than peering over the palisade fence. BUT, the leaf jetting train stopped short!

I heard this whistling noise approaching, and when no train appeared and the noise didn't sound like it was moving, I edged forward to where there should perhaps have been a fence, to see this:

 

And by the time I walked back round to my car, and drove up to the far end of Station Road, it was still there, waiting for its booked time I think:

Don't know what the dogs made of it.

 

[Dava]

The Deepcar layout was always a very evocative portrait of the Woodhead line which is returning to nature. Penistone is also an interesting walk around the junction sidings.

 

Dava