Woodhead Route- Kendal Green LC to Barnsley Jct.

DMU cab ride on the Wath Branch

[@mervynsands3501]

Fabulous to see this route was filmed for prosperity. A great pity it was discarded in the way it was.

[@OliverWoodphotography]

It is really hard to take in the loss of all of this infrastructure! I always thought that the Woodhead line had a certain mystique and mood, mainly because of its exotic traction but also the landscape through which it passed was very effecting. The Class 47 headed Fiddlers Ferry coal trains used to pass within sight of my grandparents back garden near Cheadle as they were well into the start of the Cheshire leg of the journey. They were very frequent in the 70s.

[@cgrextreme]

what great footage, i live near the line and ive always had a big interest in the history and the class 76. thanks

[@pburr1973]

Absolutely huge wide-span OHLE masts at Barnsley Junction covering all the lines - to think all that infrastructure has gone!

[@EM-yk1dw]

It was very short sighted to close this route, scandalous in fact. The Manchester-Cleethorpes services could have gone over it, plus the Liverpool Nottingham services, (which could have run via Barnsley), therefore freeing up paths on the Hope Valley route. It would have also made Barnsley and Penistone within commuting distance of Manchester, not to mention Dunford Bridge as well. Ramblers would have been well catered for at Woodhead and Dunford Bridge. Real shame.

[@bluebus270]

As a litmus test i wrote to several of my local councillors asking if they thought it a good idea (if money was no object) to our local Aberdeen - Ballater line being reopened. Of the one councillor who could be bothered to reply, he said 'no'. With that lame duck attitude is it any wonder we have a railway system that is worse than the one in Bangladesh? And to think 25 years ago the government seriously touted the idea of closing the Settle - Carlisle. We must be a laughing stock.

[@davidgough3528]

brings back a lot a child hood memories fo me....................PRICELESS.................

[@bluebus270]

This route should never have been closed but we cant turn back the clock. However what we can do is bring in some sort of policy whereas the trackbed is left in situ for 25 years to allow for reopening at minimal cost. The Tories broke up BR so there is absolutely no chance of saving the tunnel let alone relaying the route. By the way the footage is excellent! Thanks sioz68.

[@Ropponmatsu2]

I live not far from here, and the incredible thing about this video is that everything in it is ALL gone. Barnsley Junction at the end is now a housing estate. I'd use the train to go to Sheffield if the direct line still existed. As it is, I go in the car as I am not interested in being sent all the way via Barnsley, and taking hours in the process.

[@Isochest]

I do agree with you and I frequently write to my MP regarding important decisions not being made. So us "little people" are not being listened to while the career egos of Westminster are chasing bungs by kissing the bad boys bums. I've had letters in the past about electrification from Tony McNulty saying hydrogen may be a better option. But you need renewable energy to make hydrogen and they're hindering that by opposing feed in tariffs. Dethroning these goons is a must!

[@MK55A]

Excellent comment - Knodhead !

[@Isochest]

I hope Woodhead reopens, even with the timid or corrupt Government ministers we have.

[@johnm2012]

At 1:54, it's an under-bridge from the point of view of the railway.

[@G0IMB]

That's right. The loading gauge is greater.

[@Ropponmatsu2]

I live in near Brockholes, it's a miracle the line has survived. 45 Minutes to get up to Penistone! God almighty. I can see how the reversal at Nunnery Jct. kills the service dead, but I had visions that it took maybe 30 at most, based on the fact that it took about 20 in the days of the Victoria services. Having looked at books on this route, the gradients are actually pretty serious by railway standards and so a regular DMU is out of puff at 40mph, but still, that's surprising, thanks.

[@citizenmilitia1]

This should be one of the Beechings Cuts that gets reversed. Connect it into the old Hull and Barnsley Railway and send express services down there. That would serve better than HS3 / Northern Power House Rail which seems to only want to duplicate the existing infrastructure between Liverpool-Manchester-Leeds

[@Isochest]

I'd rather have a nice railway on the trackbed with regular DMU commuter service plus freight traffic.

[@andythesoupdragon]

@MK55A It's fortunate the British loading guage is so tight,otherwise there'd be alot more railways converted into motorways. Some of the road lobby still seem to think they'd be able to run express coaches on these routes at 100MPH or more. Having been tailgated by a Scottish citylink coach at 55MPH in a 40 zone (mostly the A8 past Edinburgh airport) countless times illustrates the idiocy of coach transport

[@Isochest]

We can. Anyone can. The Élite can't bear it but the ordinary folk just do it.

[@bluebus270]

An interesting footnote is that the Conservative government commissioned beeching to prune the railway, and Barbara Castle was the Transport minister who butchered the network in the 60's. So they're both as bad.

[@bluebus270]

They've built a lovely cycle path from Ballater - Aberdeen. So thats OK then..........

[@Isochest]

This is sad: I think the lines may have been the product of an impermanent industry. But these routes would have a use today if the Government could or care to see. Passenger wise Barnsley-Doncaster as a link to London your city needs: The freight route still needs to be grown as oil runs out and other freight corridors become full up!

[@Ropponmatsu2]

No, it is not up to Europe to oppose our government. WE must oppose our government. The line that runs down to Wath from Silkstone is steep for modern trains, a better routing is either via Sheffield or Barnsley centre. Remember that the coal trains to Wath and the mines that surrounded Rotherham are now sadly all gone. There is still real promise for the Woodhead route though, now that rail traffic is back on the rise, and why we should support it's reopening.

[@dafmancanjan]

cool!

[@Inkyminkyzizwoz]

@cleckheatoncentral I think you mean 'was', not 'is'! Anyway, I agree with you - I mean, even Beeching wanted to keep it open! (Mind you, it'll never happen in the current economic climate!)

[@Isochest]

It could have been converted to 6.25kV ac as the Great Eastern lines were using the same catenary and insulators and class 81-85 used as they were in effect dual voltage 6.35 and 25kV.

[@Manofkent77]

any possibility yet that they might re-open the two Silkstone tunnels as part of the Dove Valley trail path?

[@Ropponmatsu2]

I have a couple of questions about your working as a guard on this route. How long did it take to get down from Penistone to Sheffield station? I read somewhere that it was an incredible slog as the train did not stop anywhere in between, hence the low passenger use and the current route via Barnsley. (Wadsley Bridge, Stocksbridge, perhaps?) Because you were working that route, presumably you saw them dismantling it. How long did it take to clear Bsly Jct of all the track and such?

[@Isochest]

And nowadays, they are all so much worse, sadly. The numptocrats we have seem hell bent on burying us:-((((

[@bluebus270]

They are trying to reopen a stretch of the old Aberdeen-Ballater line, but various bent and corrupt councillors on Aberdeenshire Council are using every trick in the book to throw a spanner in the works. Is a pattern forming here?

[@Isochest]

@cleckheatoncentral It makes no sense. To what kind of mind does the closure of woodhead and its continued closure make sense to? Those that govern have minds that make them unfit to govern, yet they seek this power.

[@Isochest]

I agree with the 25 year policy, but as it stands the present government appears corrupt on many fronts. Energy bills are rocketing, but the UK Government is blocking renewables which could lower prices. Other countries in the EU have successfully promoted renewables (wind) but this shower is trying to keep them out of the energy mix. They must be lining themselves up for plum jubs with the energy incumbents! Let's get rid! I agree all parties are as bad!

[@MK55A]

By the way i've worked on the railway for 40 years. I have two questions to your reply 1, so why did it decline to rail traffic, 2, if it was outdated to 25KV, then why did they re-wire 25KV Dinting, Glossop, to Manchester ?

[@EM-yk1dw]

Basically BR were told if it wanted the money to electrify Hitchin Leeds Edinburgh, and Norwich and Harwich, certain economies had to be made, this line closing being one of them.

[@leeosborne3793]

The line completely ran out of traffic - the power station coal trains eventually reduced to a tiny number, and maintaining an entire line, non-standard locos and non-standard electrification became impossible to justify. The Hadfield line had a decent case for retention and conversion to 25kV because it carried a lot of commuter traffic, but the rest was completely uneconomic.

[@Isochest]

Yes, the traction fits the difficult terrain. But we are rational people and Politicians, Oligarchs and other Power Cravers are not. An ancient Greek Philosopher said the people who should govern are the ones who do not want to. How true. Look up Psychopathy and Narcissism and you will find the qualities of our MPs, Government and Power Élite: Stinks, doesn't it?

[@MK55A]

@cleckheatoncentral I can tell you why it was shut down ! because the Tory party closed it, then they went to close the mines, In which they did and in 1984 they were going to come back to us,(BR) in fact they shut part of the Midland Main (Cudworth) and now they are in again, they will finish the lot off

[@MiLLwallpaul231258]

is anything of this left ?

[@charlier7548]

Only as a cycle route sadly

[@Ropponmatsu2]

MGR wagons mostly went to Fiddlers Ferry power station near Widnes, by the Mersey. The problem with the Woodhead line was that the trains ran on DC power to rail yards outside Manchester, the wagons had to be uncoupled and coupled to a new loco to send them onwards. This is inefficient. But to explain why the Woodhead route was shut, due to the fact that it's electric system was "DC," rather than the "AC" power that you get on the railways today is too hard to fit into the remaining characters!

[@Isochest]

What a waste of good infrastructure. In the UK: In England, at least according to our (Scots with an anti-English grudge)politicians "Infrastucture" may well be an obscenity! All I can say is More power to the Overhead Wires or "Mais força às catenárias" as the Portuguese would say.

[@Dripfed]

1) Globalisation is a bitch. Foreign imports undercutting our own manufacturing and mining...We cannot compete without cutting wages, but can't do that in a union dominated era. Thus decline in primary/secondary industry = less railfreight. 2) Country had sod all money, but commuter traffic worth hanging onto more than long distance. I agree, closing Woodhead was crap...But am aware why it was closed. The UK doesn't operate in isolation sadly.

[@Isochest]

Global Monopolism as it is is psychological. It is not invincible. Leaving the EU is the first step for Britain.

[@Isochest]

Perhaps not too much when we're rid of Gordon.