Beechings Rambles #4 ~ Hull to Barnsley Railway

For as long as I can remember going back to the heady days of travelling in a 'Trannie Van" across the Wolds to go Painting & Decorating with an Adult Training course back in 1988/89 I spied what turned out to be the air shafts sticking up in the middle of the field near Riplingham and it aroused my curiousity all those years ago. 

Thirty years later the patience and dogged determination bore a fruitful yoeld after my erratic scramble through ankle grabbing brambles in finally visiting the Eastern Portal of Drewton Tunnel. Despite finding the entrance barred by padlocked gate  it was still an exciting find.

Once an essential part of the Hull to Barnsley Railway network it closed to rail traffic back in 1958.

A rail system apparently born out of jealousy of the North Eastern Railway opened on 20th July 1885 by the Hull Barnsley & West Riding Junction Railway and Dock Company (HB&WRJR&DCo.) ,
"It was a poorly conceived scheme beset with early bickering and the creation of a difficult route through large chalk hills. The attendant tunnels and deep cuttings were financially crippling, returns were inadequate to ensure a secure future."

On the short mile walk from being parked at Little Weighton it was nice to see remnants of bygone days

Starting at Alexandra Dock in Hull, it stretched a length of 66 miles almost reaching Barnsley, stopping just short at Stairfoot. More information can be found on these links

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hull_and_Barnsley_Railway

https://www.lner.info/co/HBR/history.php

Little evidence remains of the track bed in places given over to private land, but treasured gems can still be enjoyed if you look closely
(a small section of track)

The next image is one of my favourites of this section of track reliving the glory days of steam in Little Weighton cutting & Drewton Tunnel. Unbelievable to try and imagine this when the bizarre reality has one standing on a massive pile of quarry infill material making you look down into the tunnel entrance.

Passenger services between Hull and South Howden ended in 1955. Through freight on the same line ended in 1958, with complete closure between Little Weighton and Wrangbrook junction in 1959.

By 1970 the only parts of the line still with traffic were the Hull elevated section, and a few short sections with industrial uses.Alexandra Dock closed in the 1980s and the rail connection was removed, subsequently the dock re-opened but without a rail connection"

The above text comes from this incredibly interesting site

http://www.popflock.com/learn?s=Hull_and_Barnsley_Railway

Day 2

Well after drafting this edition of "Beeching Rambles" I decided to go back the next day as see as I couldn't ice skate owing to closure. After learning of Sugar Loaf Tunnel my curiousity was aroused and I decided to go back on a Famous Five quest in search of another tunnel (with tunnels, cake and ice skating it doesn't take much to make me happy.)

After only learning yesterday of it's existence from a friend I parked up at Beverley Clump near Riplingham and walked the shortest route via The Wolds Way. 

After looking at the map I ventured West and discovered Weetley Tunnel First (132yds) and like the Eastern Portal of Drewton Tunnel was fenced off. 

Another one down and onto Sugar Loaf Tunnel (132yds) next where I came across a lovely surprise in the form of an intact three span bridge just before the tunnel entrance. 

After an uphill scramble out the other side I decided to press on to try and discover the Western portal of the Drewton Tunnel (354yds) after a long tromp in the mud I eventually reached my goal. In a sorry state compared to it's glory days of grandeur the entrance peeked out the mud

That speck of light you can just make out is indeed the other end of the tunnel a mile away, but I wasn't about to go investigating on my own without a hard hat and no-one knowing my where abouts. 

So three tunnels later and a belly full of cake from nearby Drewton Farm Shop & Tea room.

I feel like I've learnt alot more about the Hull to Barnsley Railway now than I did and my walking boots need a good clean. 

I do hope you enjoyed the report? 

If it helps, here are the route maps from both days 

Beechings Rambles #3 Snowdrift at Bleath Gill

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. Too busy working, walking and skating.

After yesterday's ramble in the mist, I felt compelled to share my findings.

Completely inspired by the Youtube video "Snowdrift at Bleath Gill (1955) 

With my love of enjoying old rail trails, we drove the two and a half hours up to Barras in Cumbria and into low cloud cover.
We managed to find the trail quite easily and joined it just near Clatteringdike Nook where the first evidence of railway paraphernalia emerged out of the mist in the form of an old workman's hut. We decided against the bleakness of an easterly direction and headed towards Barras Station.

After initially reading up quite abit of material on the internet, I would very much like to Thank Alen McFadzean for his interesting blog giving me an insight of what to expect on the walk
https://becausetheyrethere.com/2011/03/24/bleath-gill-whatever-happened-to-the-heroes/
A fascinating and cheerful write up of bygone days. I see he had much better weather for his walk though.

Unperturbed by the mist, we ploughed onward and was thankful for the bridge we crossed early on as the rest had to be negotiated without and I'm far too old for long jump these days.The trail itself was relatively easy going in some places, but grateful for the thankfully absent bovine livestock was rather chewed up in others.












The South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway, thanks once again to Mssrs. Beeching & Marples meant the line closed back in the 1962 so the sound of clickety clack on the track was a distant echo, but for the Wuthering Heights atmospherics was very easy to imagine. In nearly sixty years there was the expected air of crumble and decay, but the romance was still there, especially whilst trying to peer for tell tale smoke marks on the bridge we walked underneath.

The BR Standard Class 2 2-6-0 No. 78018 that gave cause to this story by getting stuck in the snowdrift on 24th February 1955 has thankfully been restored and is I understand currently housed at Loughborough. (Please correct if I'm wrong) 

Whilst the Line originally travelled from Barnard Castle to Kirby Stephen it was only a short section we decided to undertake owing to the inclement weather. As I try and report in my blogs any facilities or conveniences, one has to understand the bleak remoteness of this ramble, there are certainly no public conveniences, but on a plus note, there is layby car parking at54.511169, -2.199981

We continued onwards on past the suspected location of the once stuckfast engine onwards towards Barras where after passing an old railway building in a very sorry state

 

I can't help wondering if this is the site where they found the old the old Bleath Gill Railway sign (see link)
http://www.cwherald.com/a/archive/volunteers-dig-up-bleath-gill-rail-sign.170979.html
A little farther on we found our way well and truly blocked by a "wall that Jack built" where I didn't fancy doing myself a mischief in the damp by trying to scramble over it.

We retraced in a roundabout way our steps back to the overhead bridge and walked via the road down towards Crag Green with a view to reaching the Belah Viaduct, but on this occasion had to make do with the "end of the line" being near the spring that runs under Mousehill Low Bridge and evidence of an old parapet.

  

Whilst we enjoyed our six mile walk, it has certainly inspired me to want to venture up that way again and find the site of the once grand Belah Viaduct and the old signal box.
I've included an image of our rather erratic route caused by a serious lack of decent signage to divert via public footpaths. It would have been alot easier had we had better visibility, but it was still an immensely enjoyable walk. I just with the authorities would embrace it's potential for Tourism instead of it being given over the moss and the cows.

Beechings Rambles #2 Newark to Bottesford Railway

"The Newark to Bottesford railway was open to passenger traffic between 1878 and 1955, with Cotham station opening in 1879. The line offered a route to Nottingham and Leicester and at one time trains ran directly to Northampton. The local gypsum industry helped to keep the line open for freight traffic and the occasional diverted passenger train until the 1980s and indeed the Royal Train passed through in April 1984."
"The route starts direct from Newark Northgate station, and is traffic-free all the way to the village of Cotham. It follows the trackbed of the old Newark to Bottesford railway, closed in the 1980s, and provides a welcome green corridor between the two communities as an alternative to busy roads."

National Route #64

The section I did was only a short reccy from Hawton Lane to Newark Station. Even in that short two mile route on Easter Sunday, it was surprisingly pretty, sided in two places by large ponds. The daffodils pleasantly in bloom in the March sunshine. The route was busy being used by walkers, runners, cyclists and families. Good metalled track for the part I did. 

More details of this Rail Trail can be found at: 
http://www.sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map/route/newark-to-cotham

There is also a handy PDF leaftet:
http://www.sustrans.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/newark_to_cotham.pdf

Beechings Rambles #1 Beverley to Market Weighton line

Wilberforce way ~ Beverley to Market Weighton Railway

I visited this section of the old Beverley to Market Weighton railway on 22^nd March 2016 in a round about way as I’d originally taken a wrong turn out the car park, so after carrying the pushbike over a stream and scrambling up an incline I finally got “on track” so to speak. This initial venture was mainly to scope out the route for a return visit, so hopefully there’ll be more images to come.

Right, the history;

“The York to Beverley Line was a railway line between York, Market Weighton and Beverley. The line was sanctioned in 1846. The Market Weighton to Beverley Line opened in 1865. The line once was a preferred route for trains running directly between the English cities of York and Kingston upon Hull. Before closure the route Hull-Beverley-Market-Weighton-York had daily direct trains and was often referred to as the Hull-York Line. The line was recommended for closure in the 1963 Beeching report and closed in November 1965."
“Construction of the second part to Beverley was delayed for 17 years delayed in part by the downfall of George Hudson, and a less favourable financial environment following the collapse of the 1840's railway bubble; the North Eastern Railway revived and completed the scheme in the 1860s; the Market Weighton to Beverley Line opened in 1865.”
“The Hudson Way is part of the old railway line that linked York to Hull from 1865 until 1965 when it was shut under the famous Beeching Axe.”

Parking is available at Ings Road / Grange Way (Beverley) and toilets / refreshments at The Hayride just across the main road. The track as I found out on my return can be easily accessed from the car park and starts off with a metalled track which quickly turns to a mud track, slurpy in places depending on the weather. In the above photo, there was something that looked like a spring burbling under the bridge, so I was very glad I was on the bike this time so as not to get soggy feet.

Beechings Rambles ~ The Beginning

"Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching (21 April 1913 – 23 March 1985), commonly known as Dr Beeching, was chairman of British Railways and a physicist and engineer. He became a household name in Britain in the early 1960s for his report "The Reshaping of British Railways", commonly referred to as "The Beeching Report", which led to far-reaching changes in the railway network, popularly known as the Beeching Axe."

I wouldn't consider the word popular to be used in the same sentence as this Lord’s name, but generations later I suppose in a roundabout way he did us outdoor enthusiasts a favour. It was whilst walking down yet another of this Country's dismantled railway lines I was inspired to come up with this very Blog.

I'd be thinking for a while I might perhaps find out more about this notorious man I'd come to grow up with in the back of my mind of his unforgettable act that upset so many in years gone by. At the same time I found myself enjoying more and more walks and cycling on the very track beds he in essence caused to be.

So, it is with this is mind, that I’d like to share with you what I’ve lovingly nicknamed, “Beechings Rambles”. Instead of “Tales from the riverbank” it won’t be Ratty or Mole, just Barmy Bev on either two legs or two wheels from an old disused Railway line somewhere in England’s green and pleasant land in words and pictures.

So hold on tight, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride and remember NOT TO PULL THE EMERGENCY CHAIN!!! It doesn’t work anyway, very much unfortunately like the Railway Lines anymore.

(March 2016)