The Woodhead Route

[Ramrig]

Back in the late 70's early 80's I managed a few trips to this route to see what was left of the Class 76's (mainly to collect numbers as I did not posess a camera back then) The problem was they were always weekend visits and nothing was operating. A visit in early 1981 and armed with a camera I recorded these 3 shots.

 

Then after joining the EM2 Society in 1986. A visit to the line was arranged by a certain Charlie Petty to see what remained of the route in August 1987, not sure of the actual date but all I can remember it was a Sunday.

 

Any how we started at the Manchester end of the line at Reddish depot. A big contrast to the previous shots

 

The local kids had been in and made sure no windows had glass anymore

 

From Reddish we moved to Guide Bridge. The Station first.

Then the Stabling point

 

Next Stop Godley Junction and the former Exchange Sidings.

 

The first shot shows a Pacer on a service train. Looks like there was no power that day.

One in each direction eeek

 

The remains of the junction can still be seen in the grass.

 

To Be continued.............................................

[Ramrig]

...................................

More shots of the exchange sidings at Godley.

The next picture shows the remains of the former turntable pit.

 

Next stop was the bridge over the former Mottram Yard.

First picture looking towards Manchester. The old staff halt can still be seen.

second shot looking towards Sheffield

 

Broadbottom station

 

Broadbottom Viaduct again with a Pacer.

 

Then a few shots of 31's and a 47 on track lifting trains.

 

Next Dinting Station

 

The 47 arrives Light engine from the track recovery train and heads off back towards Manchester

 

Hadfield Station was the next port of call.

 

Towards Manchester

 

Towards Sheffield

 

And on another visit I did record a 304 unit in the platform

 

To be continued.......................................................

[Allegheny1600]

I'll have to say it Steve,

The people who shut this route should be shot!

But then, there are sooo many other routes that have been criminally closed - all for the sake of the road lobby!

Bah! It's disgusting!

Thanks anyway, for posting.

Cheers,

John E.

[Michael Delamar]

woodhead shots, especially in the last days, always seem quite eeary. I cant put my finger on it, but they always have a certain atmosphere.

 

great shots, but very sad

 

Mike

[Gwiwer]

Woodhead was closed at a time of railway rationalisation; there was no money and so-called duplicated routes were still closing across the country. As well it had the misfortune, in a sense, to have been electrified early and thus was saddled with 1500vDC equipment which was obsolete by the late sixties.

 

Reading back through Railway Magazine articles of the time it is apparent that BR had studied the options and realised how contentious would be any decision to close a major trans-Pennine link. The justification given was that traffic could sustain only two routes and was already (at that time) in significant decline without apparent prospects for recovery. They conceded a need to keep three open if only to prevent Bradford and Halifax losing their direct link to Manchester but Woodhead was axed.

 

Sheffield - Manchester traffic was to be shifted to the Hope Valley with some modernisation of this route also undertaken. Coal traffic was already dying fast and the operational problems of the Worsborough Incline did not bode well for its long-term future. The need to maintain two stations on Sheffield also didn't help as Hope Valley trains already served Midland (as it was) and Victoria was firmly in the way of some city centre redevelopment plans.

 

The closure left the residents of Penistone more isolated than they had been previously as their only remaining rail service was the long way round through Barnsley and that was also under threat of closure for many years. Hamlets high on the moors had already lost any rail service before the through route closed as Woodhead station was an earlier casualty.

 

The 1952 double-track tunnel is said to be still in excellent condition and now serves a new purpose but not one which completely prevents a return to rail use at some future time. The older bores are still maintained as indeed they must be by law in perpetuity though would not be suitable for rail use again.

 

With the fortunes of rail significantly changed in more recent years there is now pressure of capacity upon the surviving trans-Pennine routes and it will be interesting to see whether any attempt is made to revive the Woodhead through route in the near future. Stranger things have happened as witnessed by the revival of the Waverley route southwards from Edinburgh. Quite how Manchester - Penistone - Sheffield trains would access their eastern destination without placing more strain on the Meadowhall - Sheffield stretch would be a question demanding some challenging thought.

 

My last trip over Woodhead was made unexpectedly one Sunday some time after regular passenger services ceased. The one-time St. Pancras - Manchester service was booked to divert via Corby and Barrow Hill one particular day and, with the benefit of staff travel, I felt it was necessary to take full advantage of such an uncommon operation. What we hadn't anticipated was that the leg from Sheffield would also be diverted; from Nunnery Junction via Victoria, Worsborough and Woodhead to the delight of one or two other enthusiasts aboard. Though behind a 45, not a 76; some of those were sighted along the way sad and idle in the several yards and sidings.

[eastwestdivide]

My last trip over Woodhead was made unexpectedly one Sunday some time after regular passenger services ceased. The one-time St. Pancras - Manchester service was booked to divert via Corby and Barrow Hill one particular day and, with the benefit of staff travel, I felt it was necessary to take full advantage of such an uncommon operation. What we hadn't anticipated was that the leg from Sheffield would also be diverted; from Nunnery Junction via Victoria, Worsborough and Woodhead to the delight of one or two other enthusiasts aboard. Though behind a 45, not a 76; some of those were sighted along the way sad and idle in the several yards and sidings.

That St Pancras-Manchester Sunday train was a favourite of mine when I lived in Leicester - epic diversions, only some of which you could work out from the dated changes in the timetable timings.

Today the route's mostly cycle route, and it gets knee-high in mud most of the year, at least on the Yorks. side of the tunnel.

[Gwiwer]

1500vDC still used in other places as well . Locally to me our suburban trains around Melbourne run on that system as do the Sydney ones. Both networks are quite sizeable but suffer from lack of power for modern comforts such as air-conditioning. As a traction system 1500vDC was superceded by 6.25KvAC (used on some BR lines for some years) then by the now-standard 25KvAC during the early 1960's. On the other side of Manchester the MSJ&A electrics also ran on 1500vDC from Oxford Road to Altrincham until that line was re-equipped (as was Hadfield a little later) with 25KvAC and the elderly (and very different) units from both routes were retired.

[Talltim]

I've never seen pics of 142s on the Woodhead before. Nice

[Ramrig]

The next few shots up to Woodhead tunnel.

 

The first shot we caught up with the track lifting train/gang near Valehouse.

 

Next stop Torside crossing. The signal box and all the OHL gantries had already gone. Charlies then "Chariot" is parked across the crossing. (He dosen't park a vehicle, just abandons it!! )

 

 

We then visited the site of the former station at Crowden (No Pics) before moving on to Woodhead Tunnel. At an earlier visit the track and Gantries were still in place

 

On this visit though the track recovery gang had done there business and also the team removing the OHL gantries.

I have a comparison shot taken at Woodhead in 2005 ish. I will look it out and post it.

 

To be continued the other side of the tunnel..........................

[96701]

1500vDC still used in other places as well . Locally to me our suburban trains around Melbourne run on that system as do the Sydney ones. Both networks are quite sizeable but suffer from lack of power for modern comforts such as air-conditioning. As a traction system 1500vDC was superceded by 6.25KvAC (used on some BR lines for some years) then by the now-standard 25KvAC during the early 1960's. On the other side of Manchester the MSJ&A electrics also ran on 1500vDC from Oxford Road to Altrincham until that line was re-equipped (as was Hadfield a little later) with 25KvAC and the elderly (and very different) units from both routes were retired.

 

Tyne & Wear Metro is 1500Vdc

[andy stroud]

Any idea when the last train actually worked through the tunnel, or even just someway inside it? I'm sure I have seen at picture of a 37 and brake van at Dunford Bridge taken in 1985. I just wondered if the 'through route' had been severed by then.

Andy

[Edwin_m]

As a traction system 1500vDC was superceded by 6.25KvAC (used on some BR lines for some years) then by the now-standard 25KvAC during the early 1960's.

 

There was never an end-to-end scheme using 6.25kV. It was used on parts of the early 25kV schemes where they couldn't easily get the larger clearances needed for the full 25kV. Improvements in technology or in understanding allowed 25kV to be provided with much smaller clearances and eventually the 6.25kV sections were converted.

 

On the other side of Manchester the MSJ&A electrics also ran on 1500vDC from Oxford Road to Altrincham until that line was re-equipped (as was Hadfield a little later) with 25KvAC and the elderly (and very different) units from both routes were retired.

 

I think it was quite a lot later - MSJ&A conversion was part of the West Coast scheme in the 60s and Hadfield stayed on DC until well into the 80s. Incidentally the Hadfield route is still double track as far as Dinting though the triangle there and the legs to Glossop and Hadfield are single.

 

Incidentally Manchester to Altrincham was converted yet again and is now 750Vdc as part of the Metrolink network. Is three voltages on one line some kind of record?

[Edwin_m]

The 1952 double-track tunnel is said to be still in excellent condition and now serves a new purpose but not one which completely prevents a return to rail use at some future time. The older bores are still maintained as indeed they must be by law in perpetuity though would not be suitable for rail use again.

 

I think you are referring to the power lines which are just about to be relocated from the older tunnels into the 1952 tunnel. I believe these would have to be moved back again, or to another route entirely, if the tunnel was ever re-used by rail.

 

With the various high speed line studies concluding that a new high-speed route across the Pennines is not viable then Woodhead is one of the few potential options on the table for increasing trans-Pennine capacity.

[Paulb1973]

woodhead shots, especially in the last days, always seem quite eeary. I cant put my finger on it, but they always have a certain atmosphere.

 

great shots, but very sad

 

Mike

 

Agree with that. There are many pictures on the internet of the Woodhead route just before and after its closure. Seeing OHLE masts without wires or track beneath seems rather sad. There are a few clips on YouTube from the cab of a DMU (from a camera planted at the front) in the late 70's/early 80's. At that point, track has been removed, overhead gantries cover thin air as loops and sidings had already been lifted.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Looking at these pictures, especially of the modern Woodhead Tunnel, makes me think of all the money, time and effort put into creating it. Then one day a decision is made to just scrap it all. So sad; such a waste. My memories of travelling over the line were the half empty trains and the condensation running down the inside of the Mk1 coaches. The scenery appeared more wild and desolate than on the other Trans-Pennine routes. Sheffield Victoria always seemed to be a cold and draughty place to me.

[Gwiwer]

That sounds about right. Desolation, isolation and fogged windows .....

 

Given that of the four major trans-Pennine routes only two were at all duplicated (Woodhead and Hope Valley both gave direct Sheffield - Manchester links) then it was one of these which would have been the first candidate for closure back in the 70's when traffic was falling and investment money just wasn't there.

 

There was little justification for retaining the Hadfield - Penistone section based on traffic generated when freight was already in what seemed then to be a terminal decline. The lightly-loaded passenger trains have already been referred to. Intermediate stations on the Hope Valley don't generate that much traffic but the route was thought to be a better option for the future with somewhat easier gradients. It also released the Sheffield Victoria site for development and removed the ongoing need to maintain a fleet of middle-aged locos and Reddish depot. These were all costs which were though of as superfluous at the time and expendable.

 

The cost of building a new tunnel as recently as 1952 for barely 20 years use would have been seen as legitimate investment in those early BR days with then-new electrification and a "brave new World". We cannot predict what technological change might occur over 20 years nor what changes there might be to traffic patterns.

 

Had the BR Board the benefit of 30 years-worth of foresight and the funds to support four money-losing T-P routes back in the day then Woodhead might still be with us and now taking its share of the task. It may yet return if rail's fortunes continue to grow and the other routes can no longer meet traffic requirements. But it would not do so on the basis of a viable business case just to serve local communities along the way. A major link has gone but few people have been left without a rail service of any sort in consequence; most of the intermediate stations had closed long before the route itself.

[WR Tim]

I've never seen pics of 142s on the Woodhead before. Nice

 

 

I have reported this comment as being obvious trolling/deliberately inflamatory

[Pennine MC]

 

There was little justification for retaining the Hadfield - Penistone section based on traffic generated when freight was already in what seemed then to be a terminal decline. The lightly-loaded passenger trains have already been referred to. Intermediate stations on the Hope Valley don't generate that much traffic but the route was thought to be a better option for the future with somewhat easier gradients. It also released the Sheffield Victoria site for development and removed the ongoing need to maintain a fleet of middle-aged locos and Reddish depot. These were all costs which were though of as superfluous at the time and expendable.

 

 

Mmm, we seem to have lost the 1970s again there somehow. Not sure that that's an accurate reflection of the timeline, given that freight workings (and hence the requirement for maintaining the EM1s) continued for eleven years after passenger services finished. IIRC at the time, the rationale was indeed that the line would continue to serve as a freight artery (and coal traffic at least was still healthy) - why else would money have been spent on dual braking and MU-fitting a significant part of the EM1 fleet...

[Edwin_m]

Mmm, we seem to have lost the 1970s again there somehow.

 

I think Gwiwer is referring here to the situation in the late 70s/early 80s when the continuing decline in freight traffic led to final closure. When passenger services were withdrawn freight traffic was still heavy and was felt to need a dedicated route.

 

I agree full closure was probably the right decision in the circumstances of the time, but compared to some other routes it would be relatively easy to restore if future traffic demanded it. In my view that future traffic would be freight rather than passenger.

[Pennine MC]

I think Gwiwer is referring here to the situation in the late 70s/early 80s when the continuing decline in freight traffic led to final closure.

 

 

 

Seems very odd then, that the passenger services are mentioned in such a context; in fact I've read it several times now and it's not at all clear what he is referring to. Doesnt make for a clear narrative, IMHO

[Gwiwer]

I'm a fair way off in time and distance so the memory might be a little askew now. Wasn't it 1971 when the passenger service was withdrawn? Freight lasted several years longer which is why passenger diversions were possible for several years after cessation of the regular service. It was one of those which provided my unexpected final trip over the route.

 

Although there was a lot of wagon load freight still on the railways and a respectable amount of coal shifted over Woodhead the days of the SWB wagon as a whole and rail-served collieries in the area more specifically were already numbered and the City of Steel was witnessing a contraction in its famed industry.

 

I'm not sure how much the air-brake conversion of some of the 76's and some of the wagons was intended to keep them running for a long term future and how much it was just money blindly spent because there was a national program of conversion underway anyway.

 

National politics of the mid-70's will not have helped with miners strikes, rail strikes, power workers out as well and the nation on a 3-day week. Traffic was lost to rail never to return. Coal mining has arguably never recovered; it took the railways a long time to shake off their tarnished image as well.

[Pennine MC]

 

I'm not sure how much the air-brake conversion of some of the 76's and some of the wagons was intended to keep them running for a long term future and how much it was just money blindly spent because there was a national program of conversion underway anyway.

 

National politics of the mid-70's will not have helped with miners strikes, rail strikes, power workers out as well and the nation on a 3-day week.

 

 

The wagons in question here weren't conversions, the Fidlers Ferry coal circuits AFAIK used existing MGRs. Despite the 3-day week, coal in general terms was still thought sufficiently bouyant to warrant the ordering of the first 56s, plus rebodying of large numbers of traditional mineral wagons. I think the other significant AB traffic over Woodhead was the BOC tankers, plus some Speedlink in later years - again all existing AB stock.

 

And I doubt that even BR would have unthinkingly dual-braked (and MU-fitted) a fleet of locos that could only be used on one route purely because they stood still long enough :icon_confused:

[Michael Delamar]

Agree with that. There are many pictures on the internet of the Woodhead route just before and after its closure. Seeing OHLE masts without wires or track beneath seems rather sad. There are a few clips on YouTube from the cab of a DMU (from a camera planted at the front) in the late 70's/early 80's. At that point, track has been removed, overhead gantries cover thin air as loops and sidings had already been lifted.

 

and the overall surroundings, the hills, but the long overgrown grass everywhere.

 

seen quite a few layouts based on, but dont think anyones really tried to capture the overgown rundown atmosphere of the line

 

Mike

[jamie92208]

There was never an end-to-end scheme using 6.25kV. It was used on parts of the early 25kV schemes where they couldn't easily get the larger clearances needed for the full 25kV. Improvements in technology or in understanding allowed 25kV to be provided with much smaller clearances and eventually the 6.25kV sections were converted.

 

 

 

I think it was quite a lot later - MSJ&A conversion was part of the West Coast scheme in the 60s and Hadfield stayed on DC until well into the 80s. Incidentally the Hadfield route is still double track as far as Dinting though the triangle there and the legs to Glossop and Hadfield are single.

 

Incidentally Manchester to Altrincham was converted yet again and is now 750Vdc as part of the Metrolink network. Is three voltages on one line some kind of record?

 

There were two schemes that used AC at 6000 volts or thereabouts.

a) The Midland's Lancaster Morecambe, Heysham, scheme that was a prototype for doing Derby Manchester. This was at 6,600 volts 25 Hz, and the OHLE equipment was used, with a few modifiactions, as a test bed for the WCML scheme. They changed the supply equipment to 6,250v 50Hz and also put in som expermimental OHLE near Scale Hall to test various types, as wel as putting 'new' stock on the line converted from ex LNWR Oerlikon DC stock. This was done in th early 50's and lasted until 1965.

B) The LBSC suburban system which was also at 6,500v 25Hz. This worked into the 1920's before the Southern Railway electrical engineeers decided to standardise on 750D 3rd rail. This was a short sighted decision as the LBSC scheme was designed from the bginning as a potential mainline system and was meant to go through to Brighton.

 

bck to the thread The pictures are great. I will ahve to dig out the shots that I took in the arly 70's when i was a student at Huddersfield. I'll try and sscan them and port them.

 

Jamie

[beast66606]

I was a student in Sheffield during the late 1970s and was forced to travel over the Woodhead many times due to weekend diversions, well someone had to do it.

 

I photographed at Guide Bridge and Reddish as well as hanging out of the train windows photographing signals and boxes during the diversions - one day I will get a round tuit.