The Worsbrough Incline & Abandoned Collieries

We’re continuing our journey down the Wath to Penistone railway, Barnsley avoiding line. Once part of the historic Woodhead route which saw countless tonnes of coal and freight head westbound from the coalfields of Yorkshire to the hungry power stations of the west. We’re on a section of the line between Silkstone Common and Dodworth today that was made famouse for it’s unusually steep gradient, which caused a few interesting workings – the Worsbrough Incline (or Worsbrough Bank as it was also known). As well as this, there were several collieries along the way. We’ll see evidence of the former Old Sovereign and New Sovereign Collieries. Then part of the branch line to Wentworth Silkstone Colliery.

Let’s talk a bit more about this incline. Now it’s not an incline like I’ve covered in the recent past – not like those on the Cromford & High Peak. But at 1 in 40, it’s quite serious in terms of a mainline railway. For comparison, the well known Lickey incline is 1 in 37.7. Sheepasture on the Cromford & high peak was about 1 in 8.

This gradient and the heavily ladened coal trains using it was one of the drivers behind the electrification in the 1950s. However even the electric locos themselves needed to double head and even have two bankers at the back on some trains. During steam days, all westbound trains needed to be banked. So what is banking for those who aren’t familiar? We’re basically talking adding an additional engine (or two in some cases) at the back to give it a push.

Such was the scale of the job, In 1925 the LNER built the most powerful (and longest) steam engine to ever run on British tracks – The one-off Class U1. You’ll hear us refer to this as a garrett. Designed by famous Nigel Gresley and built by Beyer, Peacock and Company. On a typical day it would bank 18 trains from Wentworth Junction upto West Silkstone Junction. Though, not without issue. Multiple steam engines working hard through the Silkstone Tunnels, usually mean the poor crew of the Garett at the back would be met with a poisonous concoction of soot and smoke. They would detach, return down the incline light engine, before doing it all over again. It was no longer required after electrification and struggling to be practical enough for use elsewhere on the network, so it was scrapped in 1956.

The line east of Old Sovereign Coliery was opened in the 1850s, however it wasnt extended towards West Silkstone Junction until 1880.

This line only really served freight traffic and was littered with collieries along the way – the majority with the own branch lines. However, the line closed in 1981 when the full Woodhead route was closed. It is now part of the Trans-Pennine Trail. A long distance network of cycle paths.

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Welcome to part two of our at the wbor branch in South Yorkshire part of the peniston to WF line and famous for its challenging gradient in part one we started by looking at the West silon Junction where the line separated from the penniston to Barnsley line then covered both of the silon

Tunnels look look at these on the bridge obviously for the for the cables just like we’ve been seeing the uh the brackets all the way down this line haven’t we yeah it does look a bit bit Smoky down there so we’re on we’re on the WBUR

Incline at the moment um St train coming up you can really really see you can re mean we’re walking down it so we’re not really feeling the the uh the exertion of it um but yeah welcome back to this NE next part we’re making our way down from um West silon Junction down

Ultimately to Alm Junction um Glenn on that side and you might recognize John on there um so yeah we’re we’re heading down um so where’s BR incline it’s about 3 and 1/2 miles long isn’t it 1 in 40 gradient now let’s talk a bit more about this incline now it’s not an incline

Like I’ve covered in the recent past not like those on the cromford and high peak for example but at 1 in 40 is quite serious in terms of a Mainline Railway for comparison the well-known lick incline is 1 in 37.7 sheet pasture on the chumford and

High peak was about 1 in8 the gradient and the heavily ladened CT range using it was one of the drivers behind the electrification of the line however even the electric locals themselves needed to double head and even had two bankers at the back on some trains during steam

Days all westbound trains needed to be banked so so what he’s banking for those who aren’t familiar we’re basically talking adding an additional engine or two in some cases at the back of the train to give it a push such was the scale of the job that in 1925 the Ln

Built the most powerful and longest steam engine to ever run on British tracks the one-off class U1 you’ll hear is referred to this as the Garrett designed by the famous Nel gesley and built by Bayer peacock and Company on a typical day it would Bank 18 trains from

Wentworth Junction up to West silon Junction though not without issue multiple steam engines working hard through the silon tunnels usually mean the poor crew of the Garrett at the back would be meant with a poisonous concoction of sot and smoke they would detach return down the incline light

Engine before doing it all over again it was no longer required after electrification and struggling to be practical enough for use Elsewhere on the network it was scrapped in 1955 [Applause] 1838 yeah it’s got to be um this is a huset memorial that’s a sad story it’s all quiet isn’t it it’s a nice SP real put no graffiti on it yeah they good look good it’s coming down with the track bed just to look at this little

Tunnel and that quaint look at the little Arch micro tunnel oh that’s lovely cool little GRE so we’ve been seeing these all the way along the line haven’t we um sick of seeing them walking over the old wood line um the base of obviously the overed electric gantri is but look look at

Those those big bolts are they are they elect are they for electric are they what would have carried live current possibly we’re still walking down hill it’s quite a drop show you this bridge something quite interesting look and obviously it’s got you see the old the gerder uh

Base on on there you see we’ve got the the old original bridge and can you see there’s some blue brick there’s a little stage of blue bricks that’s where they’ve had to raise the bridge when they put in the electrification we can still see some right it’s got some kind

Of brace on as well look underneath interesting just feels like the feels like the Trail’s dropping off a cliff here it’s going down and down and down it’s funny when you you you walk sometimes you you don’t you don’t really you don’t really notice inclines on

Railways as a general thing you do on this one is it’s not as bad as sheet pastures or anything like that but any you’re on the high peak Trail but it’s certainly noticeable so that’s the railway line just leaving behind there we’re heading over this

Field here um to have a look um some of the remains of the new Sovereign cery some of the sends there we can already you can make out really really clear really the level the banking of the old track bed so is this it then is this is this

The this is the this is the sidings that runs on there it ends up joining the trail but before that were built this was the the end line right for it was extended down I’ve looked on the 1840 1880 Mar is a for of the 1888

13 and there’s all of this on and it comes on here and It Gos on there so the old old uh is new this is new Sovereign isn’t it this is the old old Sovereign this is the old sorry sorry guys I’ve been uh I’ll give you false information

Coming down the hill just there so just having a look around the side and there’s a lot lot of stone work a lot of masonry and things all related to the the cery and the sends the railway sends and these are really Old Railway Railway sends these here all

These this would have been the the EAD what would have loaded the call onto the sidings here sing here that went went back to join it but this is where the P was of old bricks here plus it’s a lot of a lot of Brick Works around the

Around the Barnsley area not seeing any there’s there’s no names on them they’re not all unade yeah there’s no names on these on these bricks what a a fantastic little pocket of History actually SPO down here isn’t it spoil down look at all those masonry I mean these look like they’re

Off a building or something don’t they what what what are these from these are like the huge ornamental stones that you get like capping Stones coped Stones all beveled and angled yeah look at look at this down here careful down the banking old red brick with a lot more of

These L pieces of masonry on top that’s old those are bricks are well weathered aren’t they look is it something a wheel went in perhaps this maybe you do see similar kind of designs and things don’t you to this various places whatever it was quite a large structure there’s

Bricks All Along The Other Side here in fact I’m just standing all piles of bricks fantastic I love stuff like this especially stuff like this that you find at the side of old Railways if you can see this banking just curving curving round to the right hand side there [Applause] look

It’s got a bit of water in now isn’t it showing you this just blue brick this side of the line and it’s red brick that side of the line so this is where the the old Sovereign branch line that we’ve just be over a look this is where it it joined

Back on was it right the line that we’ve walked on so far from West silson Junction and Beyond was opened in 1880 however as we heard glint referred to a short time ago when looking around the old Sovereign ruins this branch and the line from here towards wbor originally opened in

1852 this Branch not only served the old Sovereign cury but also the former more end cury yeah the junction was also uh the location of a signal box as well yeah you can see the the banking coming in you can see that the line’s definitely con converging

Here John’s just having a rumage around see if there’s any remains of the signal box but I think he’s going to be out of look um still got bits of ballast ballast out on the foot it’s coming out over to have a look at this the gate these old gate

Posts so we’ve just seen uh old Sovereign Cy been around the side is this all in here was new Sovereign Cy another little uh detour off the off the track bed just to have a look again this is new sing Cy so many cies to see along this line it’s quite overwhelming

Looking uh the maps and the details but look at this old uh what’s it called again Glenn new S no that this this bricky thing he heead that was it fire a big fireplace now someone’s had a bit of a bonfire at this a mystery are isn’t there look inside

So steel beams there look coming across so that’s where they they drop the coal to load onto the wagons and basically tunnel the old bricks but then you’ve got like red bricks set into the into the structure look so these were all all sings on here

Just flash up uh flash up the maps and you’ll see all the buildings and the sidings uh on the map um just look bring it down here because there’s a it’s a loading platform or something cuz this is all on the side of the side ends what just navigate through the trees

Bear with me oh there you go and all the way down here look it’s not it’s not in the best that’s the condition that one is it well mind you is any of it all the maps yeah more disused things look we’re just right behind uh that Arch brick Arch that

We’ve just been looking at there something is all demolished the little Narrow Gauge rails look miniature well little baby rails sticking up out of the ground yeah is that a stairfoot brick it is isn’t it what the barar time go from that right so we’re on top of

That that loading thing here see how far I can get around safely not that way a little window there look and show you when that’s the top of where we’ve just being stood underneath that shaft look at the little descriptions on there that NCB little cold board WMC like a wheel housing doesn’t

It see the X humaning the big one in the middle it on you drain or a tunnel or or what I don’t know got to see in though so much little uh things left on this little so you can get a picture from this one of what we

Was looking at before K you look you know with the exactly the same Stones as we saw just Chu to one side the old Sovereign yeah the old Sovereign side I mean that’s what basically tells you where they went what was it another old building related to the

Cery it’s there lots of things lots of things inside we’re just debating if it’s safe it’s a bit bit bit too clutter to walk around but I can stick stick the camera in can I Old Railway lamp wow brilliant it so that’s that’s see it’s red use it at the back of the

Train is it the one that used to put paraffin in is it a paraffin lamp kenyons nice another detour off the main off the main Railway line and we’ve got a branch line here that went down to the old went withth silkon col we’re going to have a walk walk down

Um known nickname I understand this Cy as as Levy you see the old this Branch line is showing on early 1900 Maps as disused however on the 1955 map the railway is in use again down to Wentworth silon Cy remember previously I mentioned the Garett joining westbound trains is a banket from Wentworth

Junction well that was from here the engine was stored here during the week quite big weren’t these curious concrete shortes what were these what were these then were these Electrify the line or something they they did come up here with the um did they so this was electrified down here

As well you us to shun the call up here yeah um and then obviously the Garett you us to push it from there right where is it the Garrett used to park up then was that was that on here must been a side in here somewhere I mean it’s just interesting

The the the different branch lines and complexes there so many col is uh coming off this this wor Ranch just fets you down um just off the side of that that Branch line um known I’m told locally is the levy line um just to have a look at this

Little actually get down here at this there’s not that much water in here how a look at this cette look are they so well made aren’t they see the Keystone in the middle and this is just a as as this is just a dke takes the opportunity to uh wash my feet on

[Applause] here just just on the banking this little brch side look see little fish plate just sat nestled by that tree that’s being chucked down yeah all certainly tell it’s an Old Railway line can’t you You you’ll notice the the lands opened out quite a bit it’s it’s it’s really really widened and then we can see on on the old maps that we’re checking as we’re going along um this was this was an area of sidings here probably nothing to show you but

It’s it’s interesting just to uh just to point it out yeah very uneven uneven piece of land lots of silver birch trees um which is always an indication um a former Railway run wow second explosion wow get out of here feels like I’m being shot at what’s this I spy through the trees

Oh wow Excuse excuse the brambles look at this check the map see if there’s any signal box or something here that’s quite a [Applause] sizable so site of the old coming up to the site of the old straford col now picnic tables again it’s opened out a little

Bit there are further sidings um around here as you would expect yes stra away so what we’re looking at here is all the water being pumped out um of the old Stafford cery and it’s filtered through these these read beds there’s a lot of water coming out just on the

Side theway line just there is the old pit entrance uh to Stafford is it staff it’s straford isn’t it straford c um various things but look at this the old the old rope the whole all old haage rope is being repurposed into uh into fence into fence in reuse and [Applause]

Recycle rower Railway Cottages there this there’s a bench mark on the other side metal disc and you to stick it in there and then they used to put the stuff on it and that’s where they used to do the the surve right ah so it’s not a Mason’s

Mark then no it’s a right Sor seen these right I’ve learned something there so this yeah so there see them everywhere that’ll be on that’ll be on your map it does Bridge them symbols are everywhere on the old Maps BM I we having a conversation with someone recently I

Can’t remember who went we was wondering what they were I’ll send you the invoice S I don’t think so another one of them recesses there look we can’t bit hidden though that one sign that’s signal box John sign excellent right just come down to have a look this bridge look about what little

Bit of uh little bit of overhead obviously some of the electrification is it is it or is it for telegraph I’m not sure but plenty of brackets on the under side of this bridge look all kinds of brackets on here are these more of those uh little cable hangers

Like we saw in the bridge further back possibly brackets all the way up only on one side right we set off this morning with the intention of getting to to Alm Junction um which is actually where my cars parted we’ve spectacularly failed because we’ve only made it as far as

Gilroy uh today which is we’ve not ever made it to to to where we’ve not ever made it over the M1 there’s just been so much to see we’ve been filming for what we’ve been filming for close to 6 hours and we’re now losing the light so we’re

Going to have to knock this one on the head for today and come back and finish uh this story of the W Branch so thanks very much as always to John it’s always a pleasure and thanks to Glenn for your input today we’ve seen a lot of stuff

Welcome been really valuable um um so yeah so as always to all my channel members anyone who’s bought me a coffee anyone super thanks Etc appreciate it take care and we’ll see you Soon