Drax branch Junction to Hull line history

[Michael Delamar]

After travelling over this stretch as far as Drax power station recently Id like to learn more about the line that once carried on towards the coast.

When it closed. What locos would work along the line etc.

I also noticed another line nearby to the power station. Again any history on the area would be most welcome.

 

Many thanks

 

Mike

[ForestPines]

That was the Hull & Barnsley Railway, promoted by Hull to compete against the North Eastern. It was not, to be frank, a wonderful success, and its Hull terminus, Hull Cannon St, closed to passengers in 1924.

 

Apart from the Drax line the main surviving chunk is the "High Level" line orbiting Hull, now the only route serving East Hull's docks; and of course the Alexandra and King George V docks themselves.

[Michael Delamar]

Thanks very much,I notice now Hull Cannon Street is on the disused stations website, along with other stations on the line.

 

We went through the remains of this station which I think was Carlton Towers?

 

[caradoc]

I would recommend the Bellcode book, 'Railway Memories No 12, The Hull & Barnsley Railway' (Stephen Chapman, 1999) for the history of this fascinating line. I do wonder what would have happened if the H&BR had gone to the LMS at the Grouping, instead of to the LNER ?

[45125]

I would recommend the Bellcode book, 'Railway Memories No 12, The Hull & Barnsley Railway' (Stephen Chapman, 1999) for the history of this fascinating line. I do wonder what would have happened if the H&BR had gone to the LMS at the Grouping, instead of to the LNER ?

 

It wouldn't have gone to the LMS as it was taken over by the NER before grouping.

[ForestPines]

It wouldn't have gone to the LMS as it was taken over by the NER before grouping.

Pedantically, it was taken over by the NER as part of Grouping, not before it - the Railways Act had already specified which group the H&BR should end up in.

 

Hull Corporation, as one of the major shareholders, had I understand lobbied for the H&B to be included in the LMS group to try to preserve the level of commercial competition on the Humber, but to no affect. The H&B had earlier had a good relationship with the Midland, and came close to being bought out by the Midland shortly after opening, as its level of construction debt was causing financial difficulties.

[waggy]

A mile or so from Drax P S  the line takes a sharp left curve ( the former H&B track bed continues straight on ) and uses the former NER  Selby to Goole line which i believe was closed in 1964. 

[SwissRailPassion]

The line via Carlton is the Knottingley to Goole section of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway from Manchester etc. The divergence to Drax uses the H and B as far as the power station where the loop crosses the Selby and Goole line formation and part of the loop uses the trackbed. The Selby and Goole branch is extant at Brayton as a long Pway depot and siding running almost to the missing overbridge on the Camblesforth Rd.

[waggy]

The line via Carlton is the Knottingley to Goole section of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway from Manchester etc. The divergence to Drax uses the H and B as far as the power station where the loop crosses the Selby and Goole line formation and part of the loop uses the trackbed. The Selby and Goole branch is extant at Brayton as a long Pway depot and siding running almost to the missing overbridge on the Camblesforth Rd.

 

The L&Y line goes through Snaith which is over a mile to the south of Carlton and is single track. The line half a mile or so to the north of Carlton is the H&B line to Drax and is double track

[SwissRailPassion]

My mistake. I should have been clearer. The L and Y is a double line to Hensall and at Drax Branch junction the old H and B route is used to gain access to Drax. The L and Y continues as a line single to Goole.

[Edwin_m]

I was looking yesterday (for unrelated reasons) at this 1959 re-appraisal of the Modernisation Plan.  Interesting to note how much emphasis there was on closures of lines and stations, several years before Beeching.  It uses the H&B as an example of a closure that had already taken place, on the grounds that the route duplicated others and with the reduction in freight traffic there was no difficulty accommodating it elsewhere. 

[micknich2003]

I would recommend the Bellcode book, 'Railway Memories No 12, The Hull & Barnsley Railway' (Stephen Chapman, 1999) for the history of this fascinating line. I do wonder what would have happened if the H&BR had gone to the LMS at the Grouping, instead of to the LNER ?

An interesting book, but contains many mistakes.

[micknich2003]

A c1949 via of Carlton, and taken from the Fireman's side of a WD 2-8-0.

 

[micknich2003]

That was the Hull & Barnsley Railway, promoted by Hull to compete against the North Eastern. It was not, to be frank, a wonderful success, and its Hull terminus, Hull Cannon St, closed to passengers in 1924.

 

Apart from the Drax line the main surviving chunk is the "High Level" line orbiting Hull, now the only route serving East Hull's docks; and of course the Alexandra and King George V docks themselves.

Alexandra Dock has not been rail connected since the '80's, and was closed for some years, though now it is back in use.

[micknich2003]

A rare apperance of a passenger train, Alexandra Dock, October 1964.

[micknich2003]

No railway on this view of Alexandra Dock, but a nice snap shot of everyday life c1900.

[micknich2003]

Drax station c1959.

[Michael Delamar]

I take it Drax branch junction wasnt what it was called originally?

[micknich2003]

Michael, the junction came with the building of the Power Station.

 Attached H&BRly signalling layout of Drax.

 

[beast66606]

Click to zoom on the maps, drag to scroll.

 

http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/sidebyside.cfm#zoom=12&lat=53.7359&lon=-1.0513&layers=11&right=BingHyb

[Yorkshire Square]

This is very much my stomping ground as a young lad! We lived in Carlton until 1983 and then moved to Camblesforth where I also bought my first house when married in 1993. As a teenager I was a member of Carlton Towers Model Railway Club and we built a model of Carlton Station in one of the rooms of Carlton Towers. The model was OO and my leanings were toward N at that time, so along with a few others I gradually drifted away.

 

I was always amazed that a village as small as Drax had two stations. If the H&B was a latecomer vying to take business from the L&Y on their Leeds - Goole - Hull line and the NER on their Selby - Hull line, what was the NER itself thinking with the Goole & Selby Railway? 

 

As you can see from the comparative maps linked above, the Goole & Selby line was subsequently used for the alignment of the A645 link road removing heavy road traffic from Snaith and Rawcliffe. Drax Hales station on the G&S was just adjacent to Brockholes Lake, dug to provide embankment material for the railway, and a very nice fishing lake.

 

Further to the west, the G&S crossed Barlow Common and following the lines closure, a run of sidings was retained here for PW purposes. It was also used as an overnight stop for Royal Trains certainly into the eighties.

[Michael Delamar]

Would any members know of any archive DVD preferably steam era of the route between Wakefield Kirkgate and Drax?

 

Many thanks.