Recent rambles round Rotherham

[eastwestdivide]

The camera's been busy recently, recording some of the changing scene in Rotherham.

First up, north to south on the former Great Central route.

Starting at the proposed site of the northern end of the tram-train extension, Eastwood footbridge behind the Parkgate shopping centre.

While most of the freight through Rotherham uses the former Midland line, there are a few workings on the GC, such as this empty limestone heading back to the Buxton area:

 

Heading south, a few before and after shots of Rotherham Central, rebuilt fairly slowly over the last couple of years, and now nearly finished:

The old:

on a bleary-eyed Sunday morning

 

and the new, all swooping roofs and smoked glass. The first taken from the canal warehouse that's now a furniture shop:

 

Moving on, we come to the new football stadium at New York, with that same limestone service (on a different day) passing by:

 

and a few steps further towards Sheffield, Booths scrapyard, which currently has some London Underground stock in (couldn't get a decent photo, but it looks like A stock from a distance). Here, a light loco 66 passes over the 1980s curve linking the GC up to the Midland:

 

From about the same point, you can see along the GC to where the Midland "Old Road" via Barrow Hill crosses. Two stencil-style speed signs visible:

 

Now the other side of the Midland "Old Road" bridge, at Ickles, the Aldwarke-Deepcar/Stocksbridge steel working passes, a train which from start to finish only passes a single open passenger station. We're still on the route of the planned tram-train.

 

Nearly across the border into the edge of Sheffield, this odd view is taken from the Halfpenny Bridge over the Don, showing new flood defence work beside the GC line in the foreground, and a view across what used to be the "Tinsley Towers" (Blackburn Meadows power station), past the M1 TInsley viaduct to a tram just arriving at Meadowhall station, parallel with the Midland route:

 

Then finally, the point where the current tram network will join up with the GC route, one stop out of Meadowhall. The signal in the second photo controls the junction into what's left of Tinsley yard:

[eastwestdivide]

Moving across to the Midland, the variety of traffic is greater.

Last Saturday saw a busy hour on the footbridge at the north end of the cutting through Masborough station:

A colourful advert on a scrap train:

 

A high-tech banana, the Network Rail measurement train:

 

What everyone was there for, Duchess of Sutherland on the Yorkshire Coronation:

 

And the Edinburgh-Southampton Cruise Saver Express:

 

A week later the Northern Belle was through on a Cambridge-Harrogate jolly:

 

Southwards to Masborough, where a train of rails, presumably from Scunthorpe, passes south:

 

And further on still, at Holmes crossing, where the chord from the GC line joins. Two styles of speed sign at the same location, and a replacement milepost beside the old post with a missing head.

[big jim]

Nice set of pics, although i used to sign (and am in the process of re-signing) the route from barrow hill to masborough i never did the line through rotherham central to aldwark jn until last week while i was route refreshing, its an interesting little route, quite a tight curve for 40mph, the tangle of old lines round there prompted me to google map it to see just what used to go where, scary to think how much has gone over the years

 

Hopefully i should have it back on my card soon to bring the chiltern mk3s back via the old road from doncaster all being well

[bluebottle]

Nice set of pics...

...scary to think how much has gone over the years

 

We all should be doing our bit, taking pictures like these and noting what, where and when as part of the continuing record of our railways...

[eastwestdivide]

Hopefully i should have it back on my card soon to bring the chiltern mk3s back via the old road from doncaster all being well

If you're not camera shy, you could give me a tip-off. Can't promise, due to work, but you never know.

 

We all should be doing our bit, taking pictures like these and noting what, where and when as part of the continuing record of our railways...

Yes, quite agree, and not just the railway either. The amount of stuff that changes over just a few years is amazing. I've photos from half a lifetime ago of places which are completely unrecognisable now.

[The Yorkshire Pud]

Nice pictures mate !!

 

This is my local patch ....... I pass most of these sites every day on my travels about, but it's great to see them anew ........ from the "business end" so to speak !!

 

 

 

Cheers !!

 

Simon.

[big jim]

 

One of of our firms buildings, at one time, used to be a Loco Repair Company, so the yard still has the rail sidings coming in off the main line ....... albeit not in use any more.

 

 

 

I don't really know the area other than driving trains through there but Would that be the old yorkshire loco factory on the thyborough branch?

 

The first chiltern set may be passing through on tuesday or wednesday with any luck, not me on it though

[buckdancer]

Thanks for that!

Coincidentally (and slightly off topic and it features more canals than railways) , I was watching a fascinating video about old Rotherham the other day - see http://www.yfaonline.com/film/rotherham-seaport-town?destination=search%2Fapachesolr_search%2Frotherham+seaport+video%3Ffilters%3Dtype%253Ayfa_film%26highlight%3Drotherham%252Cseaport%252Cvideo%26mode%3Dquick%26solrsort%3Dscore%2520desc%252C%2520sis_cck_field_film_id%2520asc&highlight=rotherham,seaport,video

[The Yorkshire Pud]

I don't really know the area other than driving trains through there but Would that be the old yorkshire loco factory on the thyborough branch?

 

The first chiltern set may be passing through on tuesday or wednesday with any luck, not me on it though

 

Hi big jim

 

I believe the Buildings were once owned by Thomas Hill (Rotherham) and used for the rebuilding of Steam Loco's into Diesel Hydraulics.

 

Also (according to Wikipedia) the factory was built on the site of the former Kilnhurst Station of the Great Central Railway ........ eeh !! ....... I never knew that !!

 

 

 

You learn summat everyday !!

[The Yorkshire Pud]

Thanks for that!

Coincidentally (and slightly off topic and it features more canals than railways) , I was watching a fascinating video about old Rotherham the other day - see http://www.yfaonline...m,seaport,video

 

Thanks for posting this mate !!

 

Very interesting glimpse into the past of my home town ....... and just 3 years before I was born .

 

The cooling towers have gone now (just a few years ago) but the Minster (Rotherham Parish Church) is still there in all its splendour. Not much else I could recognise, but the women boarding the pleasure boat ....... I was checking the faces very carefully !! ....... any one of them could have been my Mum, Auntie or Gran on a day out ........ you never know !!

 

Cheers !!

 

Simon.

[eastwestdivide]

One addition to the GC line - the TInsley-Immingham working at 2pm on a Saturday, photographed standing with one foot on a post and one hand holding on to the oxygen pipeline which parallels the canal and GC line in the vicinity, presumably set up to serve the many steelworks in the area.

Anyone know what the containers (?) are for on the back of the train (3rd photo)?

Rotherham's new station in the background:

 

 

[eastwestdivide]

And to round off the story, Booth's scrapyard, with a Tiphook ferry/CT-marked wagon, minus a bogie, arriving on a low-loader:

 

and through the railings, some London Underground 'A' stock with the old Millmoor football stadium in the background:

[Fat Controller]

The wagons carry 'cassettes' from the Tinsley plant to Immingham, whence they're shipped to Sweden, carrying the slab shown. They are returned with coil, rolled in Sweden- presumably the containers hold the straps that retain the coil in one direction, and the cradles for the coil in the other. Certainly more economic than having two completely different sets of wagons.

[big jim]

been looking through my photobucket account and these are the only picutresi can add to the thread.....

 

rotherham masborough looking north while i was waiting with a light engine 56 for the 66 to clear

 

 

looking south while deivering a brand new fastline 66 to doncaster, (returned with the drs 66 with another one coupled a few hours later)

 

 

 

[eastwestdivide]

Bit of a lucky coincidence today, not so much the train, here at Rotherham Road, empty power station FGD limestone (I think) back to the Buxton area. That oxygen pipeline is visible in the right foreground, and I'm standing on the bridge over what was the start of the Stubbin incline up to the collieries above Rawmarsh:

 

...or the red '60' that crept past on the Midland line over my shoulder while I was taking the first photo:

 

...but the activity on the canal behind - Humber Pride delivering oil products to Green Line. That's roughly at the far end of the line of boats seen here. It's more fun once it's finished offloading, as this is the last place on the canal that it can turn, so it has to back up a quarter of a mile or so, then do something like an 11-point turn, churning up mud and scattering swans and anglers alike.

At the moment, it's about the only commercial traffic on the S&SYN this far up. Until a couple of years ago, I used to see an occasional barge for steel at AMA, just by Parkgate, and there may still be stone traffic from the magnesian limestone quarries near Sprotborough.

Anyway, Humber Pride this time, while other times I've seen Humber Princess:

[bluebottle]

rotherham masborough looking north while i was waiting with a light engine 56 for the 66 to clear

 

 

 

Well-composed picture, BJ - It would look well in the Creative Photography thread

[The Yorkshire Pud]

Bit of a lucky coincidence today, not so much the train, here at Rotherham Road, empty power station FGD limestone (I think) back to the Buxton area. That oxygen pipeline is visible in the right foreground, and I'm standing on the bridge over what was the start of the Stubbin incline up to the collieries above Rawmarsh:

 

...or the red '60' that crept past on the Midland line over my shoulder while I was taking the first photo:

 

...but the activity on the canal behind - Humber Pride delivering oil products to Green Line. That's roughly at the far end of the line of boats seen here. It's more fun once it's finished offloading, as this is the last place on the canal that it can turn, so it has to back up a quarter of a mile or so, then do something like an 11-point turn, churning up mud and scattering swans and anglers alike.

At the moment, it's about the only commercial traffic on the S&SYN this far up. Until a couple of years ago, I used to see an occasional barge for steel at AMA, just by Parkgate, and there may still be stone traffic from the magnesian limestone quarries near Sprotborough.

Anyway, Humber Pride this time, while other times I've seen Humber Princess:

 

Hiya eastwestdivide

 

 

The barge you captured in the photos ....... Humber Pride ....... I drove slowly alongside it about a week or so back, along the couple of hundred yards or so of canal that leads up to where I work.

 

It was about 7.50am, and I remember it well, because I was checking out the red colour scheme on the barge ....... I am currently building my first layout (Riverside Cement) and I am featuring a barge on it. I was thinking about what colours to paint it, and then I see this barge going to work !! ....... you guessed it ....... my barge is going to have red paintwork !!

 

Inspiration indeed !!

 

Cheers.

 

Simon.

[eastwestdivide]

The barge you captured in the photos ....... Humber Pride .......

It was about 7.50am,

Hello Yorkshire Pud.

Do you have any idea if that barge traffic runs to any sort of timetable? I've seen it offloading at the Rotherham end but never seems to be a particular day of the week, although I've usually seen it in the afternoon rather than the morning.

Humber Pride, Humber Princess and Rix Phoenix (below, in case you prefer blue) have all visited

 

Cheers,

ewd.

 

[The Yorkshire Pud]

Hello Yorkshire Pud.

Do you have any idea if that barge traffic runs to any sort of timetable? I've seen it offloading at the Rotherham end but never seems to be a particular day of the week, although I've usually seen it in the afternoon rather than the morning.

Humber Pride, Humber Princess and Rix Phoenix (below, in case you prefer blue) have all visited

 

Cheers,

ewd.

 

 

Hi mate

 

Sorry, can't really help you with that one.

 

That was the first time I have seen any of those three barges you mentioned (it was heading towards Rotherham) and barge traffic along that canal is very light ...... almost non existent truth be told.

 

I have worked next to the canal for 22 years now, and usually its just the odd painted up narrow boat type you see.

 

That said, I don't watch the water all day, so hundreds of barges could be sneaking past for all I know !!

 

BTW, here's the Barge I was talking about, waiting for its paintwork.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks again for the info and the great photos.

 

Cheers.

 

Simon.