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.