Jones the Steam

Are you modelling Selby? If so, what era will it be? I ask because I have started researching for a project based on Selby, but very much a 'capture of the essence' rather than a scale model. The size of the station is far too large for me to tackle.

I was speaking of the way the train was handled at Pontefract Baghill. Pontefract Junction box controlled the junction at the north end of the station and the bay platform and dock. The box was not open 24 hrs a day, rather Pontefract Junction is open 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Monday to Saturday, and closed all day Sunday. Hence the use of the south bay at Baghill. I believe the ex-Hull service ran into the Up platform at Selby and was divided there and then, one set went on to Leeds and the second (2 coachs) set went forward to Baghill. Please find a PDF of results of my research in this topic string.

2447 EP Hull.pdf

Motive Power and Consist I might ask, what might be the loco and carriage diagrams in the 1922 service? Would be a LNER D20 (NER Class R) be suitable?

Missing Service In the 1947 WTT, there is a ECS working from Clifton carriage siding to form the 16:30 service starting from Pontefract for York. I found the service peculiar, in that it is a long way to send empty carriage stock, just for a return EP return service. When I inspected previous year’s WTTs, and later ones, I found there was nothing similar. The two types of passenger services, work the Sheffield – York line in tandem with each other. Whereas an ordinary passenger service makes multiple stops along the line, express passenger trains only call at the principal stations like Pontefract Baghill. In some of the timetables, they show ordinary passenger trains running from Sheffield and stopping at Baghill. After the passengers leave the train, the empty stock is then transferred to the North Bay. A following express train then stops and passengers for Hull will get off, and the passengers from the earlier ordinary train can take advantage of the express to York. The ordinary passenger train then follows the express, again calling at intermediate stations. What I realised, was an express service that ran through Baghill in 1947 had been suspended. To make amends, I believe they laid on the ‘special’ service as temporary measure, as in later timetables, there was an express service that filled the bill. Your mystery service might be some such similar, to make up for a missing ordinary service. Hull Mail Service Alternatively, there is a service made up of two carriages sets from Selby. One set is of two coaches and the other three. The sets are used as a shuttle service through to Hull. There two sets are combined to make up an evening mail train from Hull. When the train gets back to Selby, it is divided, and the three-carriage set goes through to Leeds, while the two-carriage set goes through to Baghill. Just as soon as the two carriage set forwarded from Selby arrives at Baghill, and the passengers have alighted on to the Up through platform, the train is shunted forwards and back into the South Bay. This clears the main line. The mail from Hull is unloaded sharply, ready for an Up express cross-country that arrives shortly afterwards. Mail is dropped off and loaded before the express continues south. The ex-Hull is then transferred to the Down loop and the loco turned ready for the return trip to Selby. There are many instances of mail transfers at principal stations. The 1922 Ackworth extension could well be such, where mail is dropped off and collected. The temporary extension might be to make up for a missing service.

The halt was just short of the colliery, way past Ackworth Moortop Goods Only Station.

This maybe a better photograph, as you can see the station name. This and the main photograph by Peter Cookson.

Signalling along the line was divided between the MR and NER, NER at the northern end, MR towards the southern end. They interfaced at Moorthorpe North Junction (NER) and Moorthope Junction (MR) at Moorthorpe station. South from Pontefract, Ackworth was the only station ostensibly NER. Moorthorpe had Sheffield - Leeds Services running through it, so the service you speak of would have given Ackworth services a much-needed boost. (Think about Leeds Postal services in both directions). Just south of Ackworth is Brackenhill Junction, which gave access to the Brackenhill Light Railway and Hemsworth Colliery. Just short of the colliery complex along this line, there was a halt, for use of the coalminers. I'm taking a punt here, but is there a chance the service ran on from Ackworth Station to provide a service to the halt? I have never found any evidence of a coal miners service to the halt, does the 1922 timetable?

Another masterpiece in the making, well done Peter.

Do you Facebook? There is a site that covers the line past Ferrybridge: York to Sheffield Railway - Dearne Valley Line.

The GCR made a great deal of use of the S&KJtR on services through Sheffield to York. The MR railway ran into Sheffield Midland and cross country to Birmingham and beyond, whereas the GCR reversed at Sheffield Victoria down to Banbury and then Swindon. D.L. Franks lays out detail of both passenger and freight services in his book: Swinton and Knottingley Railway, Dalesman Books, 1979. I know LNER D10's were used over the line, but they might be a little too late for you. LNER J11's certainly. If you Facebook, there is a site: York to Sheffield Railway - Dearne Valley Line. It tends to be post war and modern era, but some interesting stuff pops up and you might pose your question again there. A lot of local people and local history groups there to.

Hi Jeff, great to hear from the actual author of the books and software. It's a cracking piece of programming. The year 2000 was a very sad time for quite a few popular lexicons and compliers. My favourite at the time as Pascal and I missed out on Delphi. I was forced into C++ and wasn't impressed at all. Pascal was very tight on type casting and variable assignments, C+ and C++ didn't give a dam which could gave some very peculiar results. I'm using Windows 10, which provides it's own support environment for legacy software, and I suspect, Windows will do it for a while yet. I wondered if lock both ways in the normal position it might not work, because in the book you say "The 'BW' suffix does not apply to releases.". Where I am, that's the very thing I needed. The application is still very useful and still make good use of it yet. Was there/is there a help forum anywhere? The Templot2 site has frozen the only Trax forum I've found. It would be nice to have somebody check over what I've done and it's along the right lines. Thanks for now, Steve.

Hi Nick, I hope you are keeping well. Thanks very much for posting all three elements of the signalling scheme at Eppleworth. It's great to see each one and then see how each element helps to interpret the others. It seems fairly straight forward to reverse the locking in the locking chart so that the FPL lever in in the normal position when it is locking the associated point. I know you'll understand. I've developed my own signalling planning and interlocking chart. What is really useful with the Trax 3 software is the testing facilities. So helpful. Thanks Steve

Hi Stephen, I've checked out the Handbuilt and Templot pages, but no luck. The focus is on the track work, whereas Trax3 focus is on signalling. There used to be a Yahoo! group site, but is appears to be closed. There was a Trax forum on the old Templot2 web site, but since the new one has opened, the Trax support group has gone. It's a shame, I there is a lot of value in Trax 3.

Hi Michael, one of the six rules laid down by the Ministry of Transport for interlocking states: "The signalman shall be unable to clear a fixed signal for a movement of a train until after he has set the points in the proper position for it to pass, and blot them as necessary." The signals Nos. 5 and 8 have multiple locks applied to them, each lock has to be cleared before either one or the other of them can be released. So yes, the point level No. 14 has the be reversed to release signal lever No. 8, but FPL 13 also has to be in place to.