Wath Upon Dearne to Cudworth

Incredible rare footage taken from the cab of a Class 45, from Kilnhurst to Carlton Sidings on the Midland Mainline...Now all dug up.....

[@Cuderth1]

Just come across this smashing little video and it brought back good memories for me. I am a Cuderth lad and I joined the Railway from leaving school. I was a box lad in Cuderth Station Box and a Signalman at Houghton Main and finally Signalman at Royston Station. This was in the 60s and now there's nowt but the single line up to Redfearns Glassworks.

[@MK55A]

Thanks Chas, must have waved at you lots of times, I went over the railway from 1974 until June 1978, it was horrible to watch the railway being destroyed. I cycled over the route in December 1999 and then walked over the route in 2008 and 2010 and 2011.

[@MK55A]

Thank you Charles, glad you like it - must have waved at you a few times ?

[@leer798]

Great rare footage . I remember as a kid them digging railway up :( we used to bike over from darfield to where wath marshalling yard was as there had been loads of humps left for us to ride up and down on the bikes ! Too young then to obviously appreciate what we were losing ! I’ve never been able to find footage or even pictures of wath marshalling yard ! Plenty of tinsley!

[@poodle559]

This is amazing footage. I was born in Wath and we go spotting at Wath Rd Junction, as well as where Wath North station once stood and of course the Yard which was just to left of Wath main. The view from Wath Rd Junction of Manvers main belching steam out of the coolers is how i will always remember Manvers. So sad to have witnessed it all disappear., but glad to have found this.

[@MK55A]

@MrDavros1234 Thank you again for the information, it is now easier to get to the H&B bit from the new road they have built right through where Cudworth North Sidings Signal Box was, by the way you can still see the base of it ! Walked the route from Darfield to Oakenshaw in April, incredible, yet Chevet cutting is still in perfect nick, just can't believe we went over it 25 years ago with proper trains !

[@rubyait]

Great to see all those fantastic signal boxes IN USE. I guess we’re all just softies.

[@MK55A]

Magic, thank you for that information

[@MK55A]

At the beginning we pass Kilnhurst South and where the station was, 0.50 is Wath Road Junction, 0.56 the Class 40 is stood on the 'Up Slow'. 1.27 the distant on the 'Down Slow' is Wath North Signal Both. 1.58 is Manvers Main Colliery. 2.05 is Wath North Siganl Box on the right. 2.15 is Wath North 'Section Signal'. 2.25 is Deanre Valley with Dearne Valley Colliery on the right. 2.36 beyond the bridge on the right is Houghton Colliery.

[@MK55A]

2.38, approach to Cudworth, the line coming in from the left is from Stairfoot, 2.48, the box is Cudworth Station South. 2.53, Cudworth (Midland) Station. 3.10, Cudworth South Jn Box . 3.24, Cudworth North Jn Box, the line coming in from the left is from Monk Bretton Sand Works. 3.30 the bridge parapets for the H&B, and 3.35 on the right is Carleton Yards.

[@ewloe01]

What a great vid! Hands up who would have loved to sit in the second mans seat in a peak on the midland mainline? Or elsewhere? My hands are up!

[@MK55A]

O yes, could sign this route now, never forgotten.

[@MK55A]

@baconsandwich2007 You are correct, give British Rail credit at the time, they did try and 'backfill' the banking/viaduct but to no avail, anyway the tories where closing everything they could find so it was on the cards for closure. My last trip over there was in July 87, though buy that time it had been severed at Darfield, a couple of mates and I actually walked the route in April 2011, really sad to see the state of the railway, BUT I believe they could still re-open it.

[@MrDavros1234]

Evening MK! Just looked at the Spitfire Railtours site and the Jorvic Explorer III railtour(the first of the two scheduled down to Royston) has now put forward/back to Sat 5 November, which just leaves the Pathfinder one for this Saturday , I estimate it should reach Royston c. 4pm or so (supposedly due back at Sheff Midland 17.30). Ah well less standing about in the cold, eh?

[@dearne75]

wath road junction box with manvers main pit behind it-wath main pit is near wath north.shame darfiield just missed out on the footage,spent hours watchin trains ther when i was a kid-now all gone like it never happened!

[@MK55A]

@MrDavros1234 Many thanks for the comment, i have a friend who took a few stills at the time, and i hope one day to come across the footage you mentioned. Miss going over, we signed the route to Birmingham. The film at the time, if i can remember was about £20 for 5 minutes worth.

[@MK55A]

Hi, it was filmed in 1980/81ish - BR tried very hard to keep the line open, but when the Tories decided to kill the mining industry off (and the rest of the country) plus the railway industry which followed later (which most of the frieght/parcels/newspaper traffic/post office traffic went on the roads & they haven't finished yet !) now the NHS (I'm getting excited !)

[@MK55A]

@MrDavros1234 There is only a bridge parapit left on the 'down side', i think the foot tunnel still does survive though very overgrown.

[@MrDavros1234]

Afternoon MK! I walked down to Cudworth North Junct, last Thursday afternoon and the sand train didn't appear, or least perhaps after i gave up the ghost at 1755hrs. I met another enthusiast there(!) and he told me that 37 612 light engine had gone right upto the Ardagh works gates earlier in the day............on a social note the Prison Service was omiitted from your list of sell-offs - already eight former public sector shovels are in the process of entering the private sector.....

[@MrDavros1234]

Morning MK! I didn't realise that cine film was so expensive in the mid-70s! Must mention that on Saturday 15 october there are two enthusiasts tours on the route! Firstly a Spitfire Railtours from York (dep 11.30) using 2 X DRS class 37s and a WCRC class 47, and then a Pathfinder Tours one from Goole (haven't seen any timings for the MML bit!) using two Class 37 and a class 60. The old H &B parapet makes an ideal viewing point. Think it's accessible by car from fish Dam Lane, Mk Bretton??

[@MexboroughBuildings]

@MexboroughBuildings: I think 0:51 is the box at Wath Road Junction.

[@MrDavros1234]

@MrDavros1234 Evening MK! Went to Cudworth North Junct last Saturday to see the Pathfinder "Jorvic Explorer" - haulage was with 66 024 and '065, with a multi-coloured rake of Mk i and Mk 2 opens. was talking to a Network Rail guy there and apparently the sand train only runs on tuesday and Thursdays now. Wasn't there a "scrap glass" (for want of a better description) working from Scotland some years ago?

[@MK55A]

@MrDavros1234 Thank again for the information and comments. Don't know about using this route for HST2, these dickheads that are running the country, won't think of that like we would ! Look at the Great Central route out of London, no gradients, no junction and no loading gauge, how many MP's would know that ?

[@MrDavros1234]

Just seen this for the first time, and WOW - brought a big lump to my throat when I view the dereliction around Royston & Cudworth now. Anyone got any footage of Carlton South - Goose Hill Junct. he asked optimistically?!

[@MrDavros1234]

Evening MK! My turn to thank you for the information I think! I haven't actually driven along the Cudworth by-pass yet, despite the fact I live at Royston! Does the parapet and impressive embankment still survive? Presumably the old foot tunnel nearby to Cudworth North box has gone and some of the former H & B trackbed as well. I think the former Carlton South Sidings site is a bitof an eye sore now tbh, particularly around Weetshaw Lane, where of course the former road bridge once stood.

[@MK55A]

Hi MrDavros, wish I knew the 37 was coming, i would have down with the camera. I have some footage from 2000 taken from a Class 31 from Crofton right up to the gates at Monk Betton, but the footage is too long for youtube - hope I get a 'longer' account. lol about the Prison sell offs, yep thats another one, like it...... Shame about the sand train not turning up, all the best...

[@techstaralien1082]

Ian's cortina estate forever on u tube at 0.50. This was filmed around 1979 to 1980.

[@MrDavros1234]

Afternoon MK! Had a walk across/along the old MR this afternoon - could not believe how the trees have taken over everything! Climbed up to the top of the old H&B parapet - absolutely useless for photography from there I'm afraid! There isa well worn path onto the old "down fast" for reasonable shots though.Was pleased to see the old H&B surviving on the other side too. Wassuprised to see part of the up slow survive and made into a passing loop, does that mean it is single-loco haulage now??

[@daystatesniper01]

Just think 99.9% of things filmed on this video are now gone ..........

[@MexboroughBuildings]

Can anyone list the places this passes please?

[@MK55A]

@MrDavros1234 Good evening, yep, thats how it was was when we walked it. The question about single-loco haulage, depending on the size of the train, I suppose you could take two loco's up, providing you have enough room to run round your train

[@YorkshireBeaver]

Soo then.. 0.00 to 0.15 is Kilnhurst up to B6090 road bridge. 0.19 to 0.50 is Swinton station to wath rd signal box (Ragby?). 1min to 1.30 manvers coking plant. Watching this brings back the heavy industrial Stink of Tar distillers and Coking Plant. 🤮. Great to watch thou!!

[@MKKID28]

Long time since Wath had a station

[@jasinere35]

still does have a station & its sat there in the middle of an industrial estate used soley as a private dwelling

[@davidknight140]

I do believe Wath on Dearne central closed in 1959 and Wath North in 1968.

[@MK55A]

Totally agree, but until you get railway people running railways - PS, like the German bit and I didn't need Google Translate - as I know German !

[@Isochest]

When was this taken? The abandonment of deep mining coal subsidies must have been part of this rail route's demise;-(. Coal subsidies at least guarantee locally produced energy and cushion the economy from global disasters

[@MK55A]

Well, I don't know if you work for the railway, I do (40 years) and watched it being finished off by the Tories - its now run by computer wiz kids ! who don't know anything about running the railways ! I know Labour haven't done a lot for the railway but the Tories are just destroying it, finishing off what they set out to do in the 60's and 80's

[@scaleop4]

shame there is nothing left of it now..you can't evan tell anything was there. other than the Trans Pennine Trail path that's it. its just a walk way.

[@LHoriginal]

There is an old tunnel type thing that is still therem but where the rails were are now filled with water. If you're interested here is a video of it kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpfKl61nYpqfmdE

[@scaleop4]

@@LHoriginal i know the place you posted..you cant even tell anything was there, crazy

[@poodle559]

@@LHoriginal That old type tunnel thing you talk about full of water was the line from Wath Yard to Mexborough. I remember the concreate tunnel being made 79/80 ish

[@LHoriginal]

@@poodle559 yeah, I think it's called something like 'wath road tunnel'

[@MK55A]

WOW ! another one that doesn't know anything about the railways !