Disused Railway Explore - Rother Valley & Beighton Junction Sheffield - GCR, LD &ECR

Join me on another disused railway explore as we look at some old abandoned sites around the Rother Valley and Beighton Junction near Sheffield. All sights in the videos are shown on a map, so you can go and see them for yourselves.
00:00 Intro
02:58 Beighton Castle and old North Stavely Curve/Coking Plant/Midland Junction (River Rother)
06:03 Disused Great Central Line remains
08:55 Great Central Railway old girder bridge over Midland Railway
09:58 Killamarsh Junction and Demolished Signal Box Remains
12:11 Norwood Colliery Line Old Brick Viaduct remains
15:34 River Rother Three Disused/Missing Bridges
17:22 Junction/Crossover of Great Central and LD&ECR lines
20:00 LD&ECR bridge over Norwood Branch
23:24 LD&ECR abandoned Jackdaw Viaduct & Girder Bridge (LD&ECR crosses Waleswood Branch)
25:12 Killamarsh Central Old Signal brackets and remains
We are looking spefically at a small section of land in the Rother Valley - which lies between Sheffield, Rotherham and Chesterfield on the borders of South Yorkshire and Derbyshire.
Historically, this area was a busy hub of collieries, plants and railway yards. All served by a vast network of lines.
We look at the two main lines that ran through the valley
- Midland Railway (the old road is still in use today and carries freight to avoid Sheffield and the odd passenger train)
- Great Central Railway - now disused and repurposed into a thriving trail (Transpennine Trail)
Threading between the two main lines were a network of branch lines. The main one being the Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway (LD&ECR). It is this line which leaves behind some of the most interesting features.
We start by looking at a old photo from the 1950s of a once impressive junction (Midland Line & North Staveley Curve) and comparing it to today - a shadow of it's former self.
We take a walk down the old track beds and take a closer look at some of the old bridges & viaducts (some in not so great shape), some missing completely.
In the undergrowth, if you are prepared to explore further, you will find countless examples of old signal gantries, sleepers, telegraph poles and even a demolished signal box - wreckage left to be reclaimed by nature.
All maps used are taken from Rail Map Online - www.railmaponline.com/UKIEMap...
Credit for photo of Killamarsh Junction Signal Box -
www.killamarsh.org/photo-galle...
Beighton Castle Old Photo - author unknown, but taken from Old Beighton Facebook group.
**Wobbly Runner**
Please give the video a like and hit subscribe.
My channel was set up in 2020 mainly to feature my running adventures. I planned to film and showcase the days out and destinations my running travels took me. Mainly the Peak District and the sights and marvels of Sheffield and the surrounding regions.
However due to Covid restrictions, I found a new interest in researching and exploring old abandoned places - railway lines, canal, woodland, parks to name a few.
So the videos you'll find will be mainly be of those things. Of course, where possible I'll be running to my destination.
Facebook Page - / wobbly.runner
Instagram - / wobbly.runner

[@WobblyRunner]

02:58 Beighton Castle and old North Stavely Curve/Coking Plant/Midland Junction (River Rother) 06:03 Disused Great Central Line remains 08:55 Great Central Railway old girder bridge over Midland Railway 09:58 Killamarsh Junction and Demolished Signal Box Remains 12:11 Norwood Colliery Line Old Brick Viaduct remains 15:34 River Rother Three Disused/Missing Bridges 17:22 Junction/Crossover of Great Central and LD&ECR lines 20:00 LD&ECR bridge over Norwood Branch 23:24 LD&ECR abandoned Jackdaw Viaduct & Girder Bridge (LD&ECR crosses Waleswood Branch) 25:12 Killamarsh Central Old Signal brackets and remains

[@johnsometimesoffandsometim8933]

I often walk around this area and always find something new Quite fascinating really

[@WobblyRunner]

It's like a maze of footpaths too isn't it

[@jasonburke2596]

Brilliant video Paul, I've been at Rother Valley today on the MTB and seen many of these remains of our railway heritage. Thank you for this!

[@WobblyRunner]

Ah rorher valley. The place that keeps on giving. Incidentally I've been out filming here again this week for more stuff I didn't cover on this video.

[@jasonburke2596]

Great stuff mate. I look forward to watching it. I have put my mountain bike pal’s onto your channel. One of them has already watched this today and he loves it. 👍

[@WobblyRunner]

@jasonburke2596 nice one :)

[@mikewhitchurch387]

The objects on the LD&ECR line at 21 minutes are rodding stools, they raised the signal operating cables and rods over uneven ground or on the side of embankments to keep them level. It's an interesting area, I lived in the Westfield and Waterthorpe in the 70's and 80's and spent quite a bit of time down there in the days before the country park, things were a lot clearer and all 3 routes had traffic on them, suitably photographed of course!

[@WobblyRunner]

Thanks Mike You're right, it's a fascinating area. I would love to have been around have seen in when it was at it's peak.

[@suzyqualcast6269]

LD&EC Railway used to depart Chesterfield agin the Portland Hotel, West Bars terminal Station.... exiting Town over the Horns Bridge fr tall and high viaduct in engineer's brick over the bottom end of Birdholme, there and then to depart, East, along what is now the road towards the M1 but then wor rail track out n awy.. Can remember when they attacked it, dragging it down.

[@WobblyRunner]

As luck has it, I'm making a video in Chesterfield very soon 👍🙂

[@craiglogistics2092]

Fascinating video, especially the Great Central and LD&EC railway remains, I shall share this on my Great Central Railway now & then group on Facebook so you can get some more thumbs up

[@WobblyRunner]

Thanks very much Craig. Appreciate it 🙂

[@darylslinn5704]

Great video.... it amazes me how much has just been left in situ for nature to recover.

[@WobblyRunner]

Thanks Daryl. It amazes me too. I'm sure there is lots more in the undergrowth too that I've not discovered.

[@JANGLEPOP1]

Excellent video of a fascinating area for railways, sadly mostly gone. If only we could go back and video all these lines in action. I believe the Junction/Crossover at 17.22 to be Killamarsh South Junction. Thank You for sharing the video.

[@WobblyRunner]

Thanks very much. I didn't realise it was called Killamarsh South Junction.

[@seamusmcevoy2011]

Another fascinating piece of history, nice one. You are very lucky to live in an area that has so much to offer when it comes to the railway network (disused), and you explain it so well.

[@WobblyRunner]

Cheers Seamus. Yeah that small pocket of land was such a treasure chest for old railway stuff. I've just moved away unfortunately, but I'm over towards Worksop way and it turns out there's also loads of old stuff round here too to get out and explore.

[@sirkirbingtonthe3rd]

I live just around the corner in Westfield I absolutely love stuff like this

[@WobblyRunner]

Thanks very much. So much to see around here.

[@sirkirbingtonthe3rd]

@@WobblyRunner oh yeah definitely

[@bownsaway]

Walked down there a few times very interesting video thanks for showing it.

[@WobblyRunner]

Thanks very much Keith. It's one of my favourite places.

[@jasinere35]

those u shaped concrete structures were for the relay cabinets & right near the end of vid you focus on the central station did you know that the wall on the left is all that remains of a road over bridge that does show on the older maps

[@mrbetamax1969]

Top vid pal...13.25 on ya clip ...behind you in that forest is a concrete utilites double lamp post ..aways looks strange stuck in middle of a wood..

[@WobblyRunner]

Been through there hundreds of times and can't believe I've never noticed.

[@mrbetamax1969]

Best time of the year to see it now..like war of the world style.

[@mrbetamax1969]

@@WobblyRunner my profile pic is the lamp post took about 28 years ago so trees have devoured it...

[@WobblyRunner]

@@mrbetamax1969 @MR betamax oh yeah can just about make it out there.

[@WobblyRunner]

@@mrbetamax1969 So it it between the transpenine trail and the current railway line?

[@johnm2012]

Isn't the second phase of HS2 planned to run alongside the MR Old Road, pretty much where the GCR used to run? Having committed to phase one I hope they complete the project and don't just leave it as a London-Birmingham link.

[@WobblyRunner]

Yeah I agree. Can't see it happening though. No doubt it will get downgraded at best. The original planned route was pretty much following the GCR and old road, but now the main route is bypassing Sheffield it is planned to follow a route closer to the M1.

[@johnsometimesoffandsometim8933]

Do we need to save 15 min to get to london only to be delayed by half an hour or so when we get there?

[@mrbetamax1969]

Put some pic on my KZbin channel from way back westthorpe line still down .