Class 66 Cab Ride Immingham to Heywood Junction via Barnetby and Wrawby Junction Semaphore Signals

On the final days of semaphore signalling prior to the December 2015 North Lincs resignalling project, 66155 takes 6H60 (Immingham HIT to Drax) from Immingham Docks to Heywood Junction taking in the semaphore signals of Barnetby and Wrawby Junction.
Our journey starts at Immingham West Junction and we traverse the junction from the Down Killingholme branch towards Immingham Humber Road Junction where we continue to Brocklesby Junction via Ulceby Junction.
From Brocklesby we join the Down Cleethorpes towards Wrawby Junction via Barnetby. At Wrawby Junction we take the route to Scunthorpe on the Down Scunthorpe via Elsham, Appleby and the infamous Santon Bank where we require all 3000 BHP available to crest the summit at 12mph after hitting the bottom of the bank at 50mph.
After Santon Bank we head down in to Scunthorpe passing the massive Tata Steel blast furnaces and rolling mill and then head up the hill towards Scunthorpe Station. Once over the brow of the hill at Scunthorpe, we coast down Frodingam Bank towards Gunhouse Loop, keeping the speed at a steady 30mph for the heavy axle weight restriction on Frodingham Viaduct, then the line climbs out of the dip (still coasting) towards Althorpe station and Keadby Canal sliding rail bridge.
Passing over the sliding rail bridge at Keadby Canal doing 25mph, we continue on the Down Main towards Thorne Junction running parallel to the canal nearly all the way. As we pass Thorne Junction, we are routed on to the down slow line to allow a passenger service to take the Down Fast towards Doncaster from Hull. It is at this point we pass the now closed Hatfield Main Colliery. After 2 passenger services have cleared Stainforth Junction we are run on to the Down Thorpe Marsh towards Thorpe Marsh Junction and finally come to a stand at Heywood Junction where this service was "pathed" for 40 minutes.
All required permissions were granted for the filming of this service as it holds significant historical relevance due to the semaphore signals and various intermediate signal boxes that are now closed and removed after the December 2015 North Lincs Resignalling with control of the route being taken over by York ROC.

[@dieseldave3879]

An intersting tour of the industry in the North East! 🚂👍

[@phwbooth]

Excellent, and very enjoyable. Thanks.

[@RWBHere]

Thanks Frank. Fascinating to see how those lines and scenes have changed since the days before Beeching. I used to commute between Cleethorpes and Lincoln in the late ’70's, so knew some of that route quite well. I did have one chance to go inside a brand new Class 60 at Immingham. It was so new that the floors still shone! And it was luxury compared to the engines which preceded it. I can only guess what a 66 is like, now that the 60's seem to have gone into the pages of history.

[@coventrycitykid]

Superb video, didn't realise the cooling towers of the old Thorpe Marsh Power Station had been demolished though, I remember seeing the tops of them when I went to Hatfield and Stainforth about 8 years ago. It's sad to see the decline of railfreight in the area.

[@stevewyman2822]

..Great video indeed ...very nice interesting ride, passes through some very interesting landmarks & track side scenery & things..cool being that it is a SLOW ride...( around 30 - 40 mph )..as you get to see everything in detail...!!!.

[@David330ify]

Brilliant video. Really enjoyed. Thank you for posting.

[@komtasu]

Being an ex Immingham second man [173/78] that video certainly brought memories flooding back.When we used to go to Leeds with the tank trains with either a 47 or a pair 31s or a pair of 37s .

[@thomasnorton2679]

Fantastic film mate, Barnetby as always full of spotters.

[@stuartmenzies5339]

You realise how bad it's got because I live near Bedford on the midland mainline and you see so many empty large coal wagons ( not sure what type) being used for movement of other material, some even going to store. Again many thanks for posting really enjoy the cab views of the 66, hope you some more soon.

[@RWBHere]

Times are changing rapidly. This affects rail transport directly, and coal trains will be consigned to history within 5 years: All UK coal-fuelled power stations are scheduled to be shut down or converted by 2025, and maybe ahead of schedule, because they cannot be made clean enough to comply with emission regulations. We only have a handful left. The most recent was at Drax, early in 2019. These are the final stages of a process which was begun in the 1970’s, with the shutting down of many coal mines. Oil-fuelled power stations are also down to a few on standby, and they have not been used for almost 2 years. Finally, a few OCGT ones are only used during peak demand, because they are inefficient and expensive to run. Several coal and oil power stations have been converted to run on biomass, so that will be hauled by rail, if road transport is unavailable. One online source for more information is Gridwatch dot co dot u.k. Another is Drax Electric Insights.

[@stuartmenzies5339]

Saw a most peculiar incident at Wellingborough station on Saturday. A class 66 hauling cement had to stop at the station because he was low on fuel but his boss made him carry on with the job. So he stopped at the station and then had to walk a mile or so up to the siding to pick up another loco and come back and attach it to carry on. A bet his boss is in trouble lol! A bet there is not much turn around time for loco's like these, has this ever happened to you?

[@msperry50ca]

Like the ride..thanks….by the way your stopping point is Haywood Junc not Heywood Junc..which makes a big difference when you are trying to plot the route on a track atlas.....

[@samharper5881]

Great high-quality, sharp vid.

[@TheBarnem13]

Thanks this is brilliant and the description is fantastic great quality stuff cheers!

[@robinmoss5470]

Very good video with excellent picture quality. The only criticism I have is that it would be helpful if captions providing the names of stations and junctions appeared at the appropriate moments. Not of us are experts on the railways of Lincolnshire!

[@gammock9871]

I agree whole heartedly! I had to look at my OS map but it did mean I enjoyed the video again!

[@davidfinnigan7611]

Class 66 long times coal and stone, irons and train and cars and lorry trucks and ships and aircraft.. My name is David Finnigan in live Chelmsford I have horns heading aids in for deaf when is come chelmsford and in Colchester Essex. Thank you for very much.

[@thommarion8273]

Wonderful video.

[@banksroadmodernimage7358]

What super video here!!!! All my old spotting places round immingham too. Ive subbed to your channel👍😎

[@jayblake7005]

Great vid much thanks

[@Mydadsdog]

These are strong trains.

[@gammock9871]

I enjoyed this video. Watched it twice. Would love to see and photograph the old signal boxes but I live near Manchester so it's a long drive if they are no longer there. To the best of your knowledge can you tell me if the boxes at Medge Hall, Appleby Lane, Elsham and Ulceby Junction still exist please before I make a wasted trip?

[@WestinghouseProductions]

Appreciate the compliments. Thank you. This footage was taken just before the decommissioning of all the signal boxes you listed with transfer of control to York ROC. Appleby and Elsham were removed with the crossings being turned in to automatic OD crossings. Ulceby and Medge Hall have also been removed.

[@gammock9871]

@@WestinghouseProductions Thank you for your quick reply. That is a shame because these structures are becoming rarer. I asked because the Wrawby box is listed as disused but still stands according to another video. Those I listed seemed to have been viewable from level crossings. It looks as though Wrawby is inaccessible from a point of view of taking photos. Long live Morton, Fiskerton and Rolleston on the Nottingham to Lincoln line!

[@rodhard688]

Love those two tone European horns!

[@heykan1234567]

Great Video, I live in Lincoln and quite often see freight trains on that route to Grimsby too. May I ask is there a rule state that Class 66 cannot haul more that 32 of those LPG wagons because when every time I count how many of those wagons passed it never exceeds 32 wagons. Thank you again for this video with the amazing scenery!

[@dominickmiecik9549]

super video bat way you use fish eye camera?

[@ol1ver49]

Very interesting, though I was hoping it might go to Heywood near Rochdale (some lick that!). I was confused by the ending - online OS map doesn't indicate a crossing of the ECML to link with the Knottingley line, though it shows on aerial view.. Is that a new freight link, or one that's been taken out since?

[@joeking5310]

What is that station @18.50, is it disused? Is it Brocklesby? One of the best looking stations I've ever seen. On a par with Surbiton!

[@stuartmenzies5339]

Great videos mate thanks for sharing. Is it just 66's you drive

[@WestinghouseProductions]

Cheers. Those and 59's. It's a shame we don't have those up this way anymore. It's also a shame how rail freight has declined so dramatically over the last 18 months too.

[@johnwebster3224]

Great journey - especially showing the new East Coast flyover to bypass Joan Croft Junction. Did you record from Haywood Junction or not?

[@WestinghouseProductions]

Hi John. I didn't record from Heywood to Knottingley as the battery on the GoPro died.

[@minifridgegaminguk2533]

The house on the far left at 26:53 is the one I was living in at the time, that’s so weird

[@jameshowitt2463]

There is a lot of traffic there waiting to be picked up but some potential customers have very long memories. AIUI Immingham (or Grimsby) maybe getting car traffic back.

[@geoffbarry9540]

For all the comments about the collapsing UK railfreight industry, there are still signs of development. What are the new lines approaching Applehurst Jn - as was, in my 2006 Trackmap? It seems to have been totally redeveloped...

[@DanaMackstormdog94]

Do you operate EWS 66's ? Thanks, Dana.

[@Geeves8612]

I never did get my cab ride Paul!

[@WestinghouseProductions]

Geeves8612 heck there fren! I know :(

[@brianburns7211]

What do you think about the new Garbage Electric Class 70? I drive in US and Canada, and will take an EMD any day.

[@WestinghouseProductions]

Brian Burns thankfully I never had to suffer those fugly heaps as they are operated by other freight companies over here 👍

[@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf]

70s are incredible machines and our /8's are tons(litterally) better than the shed 66s I've driven. So they should be to,having plenty more BHP!! They may not look attractive, and neither does a shed,but they all have a purpose for us drivers.

[@brianburns7211]

Michael G Here in North America, EMD was the gold standard until the early 1980s. The 50 series was not one of the better models, but GM redeemed itself with later models. GE started out selling EMD. The problem was that the GE locomotives didn’t respond too quickly, and loaded very slowly. They always seemed to have lots of rattles and squeaks in the cab. By the mid 2000s, they finally had a good locomotive. Over here many of us like the -2 line, which included several different sized locomotives. That is what class 59 is based on. I really miss the old days with 4 3000 hp SD40-2 model, 8000t train.

[@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf]

@@brianburns7211 That was last century. Things different now.

[@brianburns7211]

Michael G The railway is in business to make money, and I get that. Although inefficient compared to modern technology, the old EMD models were wore comfortable to run, and easier to work with.

[@leathandrubb]

Hi there.What pit was that at1.25.Thank you.I used to work at Askern pit as an underground loco driver

[@WestinghouseProductions]

It’ the old Hatfield colliery. It was one of the last pits to close in Yorkshire.

[@leathandrubb]

@@WestinghouseProductions Thank you and yes i thought it maybe Hatfield colliery.

[@michaelbenson3124]

Those windscreen wipers are a bit dodgy !

[@jerrybell5424]

I don't get it

[@RWBHere]

The description explains it clearly.

[@philipmadhatter4006]

What’s to get ? It’s a clear video of a drivers view from immingham to heywood

[@jerrybell5424]

Thanks Philip for your comment,its caused me some concern because 1: I don't remember watching this video and 2: I never usually comment on anything and don't remember doing so this time. So either I've been hacked or my mental capacity is fading 🤪

[@philipmadhatter4006]

@@jerrybell5424 hacked by train geeks lol could be worst tho lol

[@thomasalexander5300]

how come you couldnt name the town's you went through for us Yanks thaT are too poor to come and enjoy your country and you people

[@geoffbarry9540]

Try google maps...I don't have any problems in Australia.

[@allanxxx8789]

Is this vid available anywhere without stupid game adds or any adds....soon as an ad appeared I look at other vids. Cant be bothered with vids with adds every few mins...Why go to the trouble of making great vids then allow media advertising company ruin it....

[@papamike9866]

Stopped watching after four minutes of 5kph. Weeeeee!

[@WestinghouseProductions]

First 10 minutes are very slow going due to the linespeed coming off Immingham Bulk.

[@anonfrank546]

boring. you got to go to one of them european train ride videos through and around mountains lots of beautiful scenery and woods and forests. the scenery in this was like from southern illinois, flat as a pancake and overcast.

[@mrbluesky2050]

we'll try and import some mountains into Yorkshire for you, I blame plate tectonics and erosion myself.

[@WestinghouseProductions]

Next time I'll book the sun to shine for 47 minutes of the day in a south easterly direction. :)

[@SynchroScore]

As a resident of Illinois who has traveled the southern end of the state, both by road and rail, I can assure you that it is not remotely flat. Between Carbondale and the Ohio River the Illinois Central main line barely has a straight rail as it threads its way between hills.

[@internet123ism2]

Anon Frank not boring at all.

[@Channel-ij5px]

Anon Frank your comment was boring