NEW MILLS TO HAYFIELD

[david_barrett]

Post Deleted.

Edited November 29, 2015 by david_barrett

[mikes]

Personally i think that the closure of this line was a big mistake, if it were still open now it would probably be a popular little line with walkers and tourists coming to the area. If only they would re-open it, in terms of physically achieving a reopening there is very little that would stop this happening. The only major structure missing is a section of embankment and bridge over the road at Birch Vale, and the fact that the station area is now a car park. Of course the reality is this will probably never happen but we can dream lol

 

As for the video, I have seen this before and it just shows what a lovely sleepy branch line this was - great to see in colour too which must be fairly rare. This gives us a little hint of what it was like riding down the line in a selection of the DMU's used - mainly derby lightweights, metcam lightweights, and later on class 104/108's sat behind the driver for the 2.5 mile journey from New Mills Central, or even earlier in a lovely mixed rake of none corridor gresley, thompson, and BR MK1 suburbans with a 4-4-2 Robinson C13 at the head.

 

Mike

[Reorte]

Don't some services currently terminate and reverse at New Mills Central? The signal box is still there too so would the terminating trains just running up the branch instead, and the box controlling access to the branch, have worked without very much additional overhead?

[synthnut]

Fascinating little film. Obviously someone went to quite a lot of trouble to film it with all the internal scenes of the signal box etc. such a shame we can't have a drivers eye view like that these days (unless you happen to be a driver of course) just a sideways blur!

Pitty the video's in such low definition, and I mean the video aspect, not the original. It's only in 360p and really does the old standard 8 an injustice. Also the motion artefacts are horrible in some places, such is the YouTube compression. Would live so have seen how it would look with a decent transfer and in a less lossy version...

 

TTFN

Ben

[mikes]

Don't some services currently terminate and reverse at New Mills Central? The signal box is still there too so would the terminating trains just running up the branch instead, and the box controlling access to the branch, have worked without very much additional overhead?

 

Reorte

 

You are absolutely correct, a number of services run through to, and turn around at New Mills Central, and in fact stabled within the tunnel as late as the early 90's (i think!). The services which still turn around at New Mills still run roughly to a similar timetable as they always have, so an extended service to hayfield would not delay things very much

 

The branch could easily have been rationalised to remove the need for the two signal boxes, the token could have been swapped at New Mills, and if there were still any sidings required these could have been from a local ground frame at Hayfield (although these had already been removed in the later years of the line)

 

Mike

[seahorse]

For a period after closure, there was no change to the timetable. So the train went through the tunnel ( to the still-manned signalbox), sat there for the duration of a trip to Hayfield, and then returned to Manchester

 

A semi-serious question - how long does a line have to be closed for the accumulated inflation-linked savings to be enough to pay to re-instate it??

[TheSignalEngineer]

............................, in terms of physically achieving a reopening there is very little that would stop this happening. The only major structure missing is a section of embankment and bridge over the road at Birch Vale, and the fact that the station area is now a car park. Of course the reality is this will probably never happen but we can dream lol

 

 

Mike

There's also a bridge and some embankment missing at High Hills Road between New Mills and Thornsett.

[couplands]

Hi,

 

I live in Birch Vale, backing onto the Sett Valley Trail...the route of the original Hayfield to New Mills line.

 

I'm hoping to model the line and specifically Hayfield station.

 

Does anyone have a track layout of the Hayfield station..?

 

I'm collecting photos of the line, so if anyone has any they would be happy to share, please let me know.

 

Any information gratefully received.

 

kind regards

 

Simon

[lmsforever]

Very interesting film just shows how shortsighted BR and all involved were in closing  down the line nowadays it would be thriving with full trains at the peaks run as a long siding trouble is we still seem to have the same attitude.

[seahorse]

You can find the track layout on www.old-maps.co.uk.

For  information about the line, there is the Foxline book "Manchester to Hayfield". Also one about the Kinder reservoir which includes the railway from the station ( no actual connection)

[coachmann]

I liked this line in its C13 steam hauled days and I have the Foxline book on the branch having produced the cover. Sadly all the video reminds me is how uninteresting branchlines looked when DMU's too over. Perhaps not to those who weren't around at the time though. 

Edited March 27, 2015 by coachmann

[couplands]

The local theory about the closure is that Beeching stated that the Hadfield line (near Glossop) should be closed and a spelling mistake meant that Hayfield was closed instead.

 

Not sure I believe that myself..;-)

 

cheers

 

simon

[couplands]

I'm trying to get hold of a copy of the Foxline book, so hopefully that will help my quest for more detail about the line.

 

Ken (who made the video) ran the local newsagent and was very involved in the local rail scene.

 

cheers

 

simon

[Reorte]

I liked this line in its C13 steam hauled days and I have the Foxline book on the branch having produced the cover. Sadly all the video reminds me is how uninteresting branchlines looked when DMU's too over. Perhaps not to those who weren't around at the time though. 

I can see where you're coming from, but the line in DMU days looks more interesting than no line (and IMO more interesting than most that are still around).

[robertcwp]

Here are the photos I have in my collection:

 

108_Hayfield_c1968 by robertcwp, on Flickr

 

108_Hayfield_undated by robertcwp, on Flickr

 

108_Hayfield_6-69 by Robert Carroll, on Flickr

Edited March 10, 2019 by robertcwp

[couplands]

Many thanks Robert, much appreciated.

 

cheers

 

simon

[colin.divall]

On 27/03/2015 at 20:06, couplands said:

I'm trying to get hold of a copy of the Foxline book, so hopefully that will help my quest for more detail about the line.

 

Ken (who made the video) ran the local newsagent and was very involved in the local rail scene.

 

cheers

 

simon

Anyone interested in the branch might like to buy a copy of Hayfield: From Rail to Trail, a 25 min DVD some friends and I finished recently about the last years. It uses most of Ken’s lovely colour film from 1969 (with his full permission I might add), plus recollections from locals about travelling on the line etc. A snip at a fiver (with all ‘profits’ to charity, so we’d rather not see it posted on You Tube....); available only from the newsagent in Hayfield. It’s also showing in the heritage centre in New Mills.

 

Colin