Tram-Trains for Sheffield to Rotherham

[eastwestdivide]

First time I've managed a photo of the repaired 399204 (came back into action in January 2020).

Here at Rotherham Parkgate today, just catching the sun.

 

 

Looking more closely, you can see that 204's leading vehicle, 999202, has still got the "Theo" charity sticker, originally applied when that vehicle was part of tram 399202. 

399202 now has the corresponding vehicle from -204 - it was created after accident damage to 202 and 204, using the undamaged parts. Both end of -202 also carry "Theo" stickers.

Confusing.

[eastwestdivide]

Another attempt at getting the tram-train with the fortnightly Saturday Tinsley-Immingham steel. As you can probably work out from the deliberate blur, the 1359 departure from Parkgate-Cathedral causes the steel train (booked to pass Rotherham Central station at 1356 and Rotherham Parkgate Junction at 1359½) to be checked at the signal. 

The driver of the steel train crawled round the curve, possibly hoping to avoid a complete stop, but ended up stationary for 2-3 mins. There's a Northern service southbound just before the tram, so weaving that lot through the conflicting junctions is a bit of a nightmare.

Edited March 14, 2020 by eastwestdivide

[eastwestdivide]

Found another location today, up the embankment where the "old road" crosses the tram-train line, right side of the fence of course. The virus timetable has only one tram-train an hour, so getting a photo of one with a diverted Daventry-Grangemouth "Malcolm" container train would be an extreme stroke of luck.

Not my day for the lottery today, so here's a faked photo of the imagined crossing, with tram-train 201 going under as a 66 heads for Scotland:

[eastwestdivide]

Well nothing much to report here. TT still running half-hourly to Parkgate.

The Exol Pride oil products tanker (formerly the Humber Pride) came along the canal today as I was passing - pure chance I was there at the right time.

Pity it passed the bridge about 30 secs too early for a full shot with the tram-train arriving:

 

 

[eastwestdivide]

With the November lockdown, the tram-train service has gone down to one an hour with an early finish in the evening. Tram tickets valid on various buses for later travel.

https://www.stagecoachbus.com/news/yorkshire/2020/october/service-changes--updates-from-wednesday-4-november

 

[eastwestdivide]

Passing through Parkgate today, I noticed that the park & ride car park at the far end of the shopping centre has been expanded. The older section now has 24 spaces +1 disabled, and the newer section, part tarmac, part gravel, adds 67 more spaces +1 disabled and +1 motorcycle.

Not very well filled, but it is a Saturday. Before the lockdowns, the 24-space car park was well filled in the week.

 

1) Looking towards Sheffield, older section on right, newer on left, trams and railway through Rotherham Central are out of shot to the left:

 

2) Newer section with tarmac spaces and lighter gravel passageways beyond the no pedestrian signs. The line to Rotherham Central runs between the warehouses in the background and the silver car at the back of the photo. Tram stop out of shot to the right:

 

3) Gratuitous shot of 399201 at the Parkgate tram stop. Car park is away to the left:

 

4) Location map from openstreetmap, numbers corresponding to the photos above:

[eastwestdivide]

A story I missed from early November, the "two-year pilot scheme" of the Rotherham tram-train extension has come to an end.

Story here from Rotherham Business News website, as I can't seem to find the original press release:

http://www.rothbiz.co.uk/2020/11/news-7513-tram-train-trial-ends.html

from which:

Quote

...Travelling on tramlines in Sheffield and the rail network in Rotherham, the award-winning service has taken on 1.5 million passenger journeys, and celebrated a 100% satisfaction rate, since its launch in October 2018.
The scheme’s success has driven a commitment for Tram Train to continue to run in South Yorkshire beyond the end of the pilot.
Rail Minister Chris Heaton Harris, said: “The South Yorkshire Tram Train is a flagship scheme that has transformed public transport connections in the region and could act as inspiration for similar schemes elsewhere.
“The £125m invested by the Department for Transport has resulted in millions of passengers using the new network, helping unlock our economy and better connect communities.”
Over ten transport authorities, including Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Cardiff, are seeking to create their own Tram Train service, following the success of the South Yorkshire scheme, which was funded by the Department for Transport and delivered by South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), Network Rail and Stagecoach Supertram...

 

and

Quote

...The SCR [Sheffield City Region] Mayoral Combined Authority is asking the Government to foot most of the £439m bill to renew the existing Supertram network.
Plans in the region‘s Transforming Cities Fund scheme and Integrated Rail Plan for Tram Train also include a permanent 300-space park and ride at Parkgate in Rotherham and a new station and park and ride at Magna...

 

[eastwestdivide]

"Tram-train learning hub" launched. See

https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/network-rail-and-partners-launch-tram-train-pilot-learning-hub

 

Quote

Network Rail, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) and Stagecoach Supertram have together launched the Tram Train Pilot Learning Hub, containing a wealth of information drawn from the collective experience of designing, constructing and operating Britain’s first Tram Train system...

 

The hub – a key objective and outcome of the pilot scheme – is a comprehensive body of learning available free of charge that will benefit and boost future light and heavy rail hybrid schemes like Tram Train. It is hosted by the web-based SharpCloud system and is further enhanced by easy navigation, a high-quality graphic interface and updates through to mid-2021.

Simon Coulthard, Network Rail’s Head of Light Rail Knowledge & Development, said: “The launch of the learning hub marks another major milestone in the delivery of the Tram Train Pilot. I thank my colleagues in SYPTE, Supertram and Network Rail for helping to compile the information and data that makes this a very comprehensive learning resource. I hope colleagues in the industry will find the hub valuable as they assess the potential for Tram Train elsewhere.”

...

 

First person to say "lessons will be learned" wins...

[kimflop]

Finally some movement on the new stop at Magna. 

https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/public-consultation-launches-for-new-tram-train-stop-and-park-ride

[eastwestdivide]

On 05/12/2020 at 15:16, eastwestdivide said:

Passing through Parkgate today, I noticed that the park & ride car park at the far end of the shopping centre has been expanded. The older section now has 24 spaces +1 disabled, and the newer section, part tarmac, part gravel, adds 67 more spaces +1 disabled and +1 motorcycle.

Not very well filled, but it is a Saturday. Before the lockdowns, the 24-space car park was well filled in the week.

Quoting myself from last year...

I was at Parkgate today, a midweek day at about 0945, and there were 14 cars in the 95 spaces set aside for the park & ride.

Looks like working from home has taken its toll, according to that unscientific survey.

 

Nothing much else to report. The service is still 2 per hour, and has been running reliably whenever I've seen or used it. I'd say moderate loadings through to Rotherham and Parkgate whenever I've been on board, but nowhere near enough to justify a third tram an hour.

[eastwestdivide]

Threading the Tinsley container and spoil trains (see https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/48442-tinsley-yard-and-sheffield-international-railfreight-termial/page/2/) through the passenger service of DMUs and tram-trains at Rotherham Central is sometimes an interesting exercise, even with the reduced passenger service at the moment: one tram and one DMU per hour each way are missing compared to pre-Covid timetables.

The timings have to be a bit careful because of conflicting movements (a) at Parkgate (the trams), (b) at Rotherham Central Junction (the DMUs via the single track Holmes chord), and (c) on the single track section at Tinsley East Jn.

 

In a 15-minute period to 1100 this morning, there was a Leeds-Sheffield DMU, a tram to Parkgate, containers to Tinsley, an Adwick-Sheffield DMU, a tram from Parkgate and containers from Tinsley. 

 

Standing in the gloom near the canal basin by Parkgate, I managed to photograph the tram heading for Parkgate passing a container train into Tinsley:

 

While the containers going the other way turned up just after the tram had gone back round the corner out of sight, the signal for the containers clearing just as the tram disappeared:

(between the loco and the signal you can see the remains of the line that went to an incline to the Stubbin collieries.

 

Edited December 18, 2021 by eastwestdivide
typo

[eastwestdivide]

While out an about today I snapped tram 399204 crossing the Don by Tinsley East Junction:

 

The reddish remains of a girder bridge visible on the far right centre are (I'm pretty sure) the one in these Flickr photos from 1981 (it's embedding automatically when I paste the links):

 

 

[eastwestdivide]

At the Parkgate end of the tram-train, work is well under way on a link road from Aldwarke Lane through a new park and ride area into the Parkgate shopping complex. Hopefully this will bring a bit more custom to the service. 
These are all looking NE from the Parkgate shops. The tram terminus is behind me to the right, and the chimneys are Aldwarke steelworks. The railway from Rotherham Central is on the right, in front of the light-coloured warehouses. 

 

Edited October 7, 2023 by eastwestdivide
Extra info

[eastwestdivide]

Work continues on the Parkgate park and ride car park photographed above (how many times can I put “park” into a sentence?), and meanwhile go-ahead has been given for a new tram stop at Magna on the heavy rail section, e.g 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-68556755
with a focus on providing more park and ride capacity:

Quote

…customers struggling to use park-and-ride sites for Meadowhall, Ikea and Centertainment after 07:30 the new stop would also ease pressure on people using cars…

Two platforms and a bridge. 
Magna is here (google maps):

https://maps.app.goo.gl/ixMFSZFdp1etD5Da8?g_st=ic