Worsbrough Branch, Silkstone Tunnels

Continuing our disused railway series of videos around the Lost Woodhead route – the UKs first electrified mainline railway, now abandoned. We’ve made our way eastwards on what was a busy freight route and major coal superhighway between the coalfields of Yorkshire and the power stations in the West.

We’re on the Barnsley avoiding line, or the Penistone to Wath line. Or the Worsbrough branch as it was also known. The line to Penistone was opened by the Manchester Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway in 1880, before becoming part of the Great Central Railway. In the 1950s, it was electrified all the way between Wath and Sheffield to Manchester…more on that on our Woodhead videos.

We leave the Barnsley line at West Silkstone Junction. Here our trains join what was known as the Worsbrough Bank, or Worsbrough incline. We’re going down it today, but wetbound trains had some serious gradient work to content with – but more on that in the next episide in this series.

Shortly after the the junction, we would pass through two short Tunnels – Silkstone Tunnel 1 and 2. Now closed off for access to the public. Just as impressive as the two tunnels is the deep cuttings that envelope the tunnels.

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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[Applause] [Applause] [Applause] welcome bars of this morning come to have a look at something that’s related to the Woodhead Railway um uh we’re looking at the section of track that ran between peniston and W and the disuse section we’re starting today from silon probably going to be doing this over a

Number of videos I don’t know how many yet um but more specifically what I’m interested in this is the bars the avoiding line um is the worb incline or the worb bank and we’ll uh explain a little bit more about that when we uh as we make our way down

So this fits in really nicely with the series that we’re doing on uh on Lost Woodhead because I don’t know if you remember when we was filming on our way into penniston I think it was episode two of our lost Woodhead series we came across Barnsley Junction where the

Active Railway line from uh from Sheffield and Barnsley joined us just near peniston station now this Railway line we’re going to see that Railway line just up here so Bary Junction was where once the trains come out of a Woodhead they have a split to go through Sheffield which would like be your

Passenger trains and some freight trains but you also had a line off to W that left at Barnsley Junction as well and that’s this line and it was basically this is a freight line Freight only line it was basically a Barnsley a voiding line just in that direction is silkon

West Junction um just out of view um can’t get any further into that we can’t get into the cutting to get any closer unfortunate so we’re just St on the bridge this line you can see here is is the peniston to barnesy line um UST field to Sheffield

Line and then looking back that way to uh about to silkon um and this bridge we’re on top of a bridge here it’s more of a VCT actually I’ll bring you around and show you because as well as that line running in parallel to that line just down here

Is I suppose what you could say start of the W were incline bit of water down in down in there that’s a huge cutting I don’t know if it’s coming across on on camera on that we can see on this old map the two lines running parallel for a short time

Also visible from the Drone making this visit after several spells of heavy rain and storms The Cutting and access to the junction was made Difficult by standing water so that we’ll have to wait for another day but we can still see the junction and the old Hut in these

Shots so that is a long way down there that is very very deep down there uh and there’s the bridge so three arches on this side actually I can see the bit I’ve just being stood on over the active Railway line that’s just like that’s a steel G

Bridge just a Three Arch VI up on this side we’re in the cutting now we’re in the bottom of the track bed very very boggy track bed like a bit of an obstacle course John getting through there it is can you see the tunnel it’s not far it’s not far away

The reason why we’ve we’ve come this section there’s two tunnels two silkon tunnels we making our way down uh down in this cutting look at it can you see how big this cutting is either side he really really do some work here to uh excavate this um but yeah look in front

Here it’s the first of the the first that we’re coming across of two silkon tunnels oh you know what can you believe again I’ve left my notes at home all my notes with all the facts all the things I need to remember to tell you when I’m

Out and about left them on the kitchen side again um I can’t remember if this is a longer one I think this is the longer one longer are the two tunnels find a way around this Shrubbery around the side they’re doing their best to uh trying to keep you away from here aren’t

They let’s cling to the wall so there we can’t really we’ll have a we’ll have a look in but there’s the there’s the portal a western portal tunnel CLA is doing it into you’re not getting in that a you not it’s uh short of been bricked up that’s

Probably one of the most 40i toal railing setup I’ve come across in my few years of doing this it’s your usual S field tunnel is it filled isn’t it the other it is yeah it’s totally fill is this the longer one or the shorter one that’s the long one it’s the longer one

Yeah you can see the refuges Refuge points just on on the left on the right hand side there I’m assuming there’s one on the left as well got a little torch that is a long way down we’ve just been stood down there can’t even see the tunnel portal it’s just here here just

Down the bottom big drop down there has a Shear drop as well don’t get too no stopping down too close no the tree and there’s the portal to the other the other tunnel the shorter tunnel you can see it through the trees there is a long way

Down there doing well to see in this don’t think there’s any way down there that is horrifically deep horrifically deep cutting down there just on the approach to the the second silks and T from the other side we’ve got this recess reinforced concrete recess not a signal box or

Anything here is it just no a recess for equipment or something quite sure anyone knows what that is so here is um the what is this this Eastern end is it my bearings the Eastern end of the second the silks and to and you can see the other side of this

One look it’s not a very long one at all it looks like it doesn’t it same size uh through the sludge let’s have a look through the railing shall we put the light on definitely locked yeah it’s got a padlock on it so that’s inside

It seems our visit was a few months too late as it appears that the Gap in the fence had being closed very recently preventing access inside the tunnel and into the cutting Beyond I don’t do breaking and entering or vandalism on this channel so we’ll respect the

Railing repair for now we’re not having much luck today are we if you watch my Dunford Bridge Woodhead video you might remember the story about Keith whoit in the Dunford e signal box this is another photo on Keith’s fantastic flicker page I’ve seen this photo shared so many

Times on videos and websites without crediting Keith’s name but it was taken in 1983 2 years after the closure looking back from the second tunnel towards the first we do need to mention a heroin story that gave the tunnels an unfortunate claim to fame murderer and kidnapper Michael Sams used the track

Bed and tunnels for his Escape in 1992 after kidnapping a state agent Stephanie Slater his Ransom was exchanged by the bridge where we started this video that’s very very rude of me um we’re 20 minutes into this video now and I’m not introduce you know John already

Um he’s a regular let like to introduce Glenn who’s joining us for the first time today hello you’re just from just up the road aren’t you just down just down the hill down the hill um so that’s the two tunnels um to at silkon tunnels we’re heading down these are at the

Summit of something I’ll keep referring to the whereb where were incline and we’re not really going to be feeling the benefit cuz we’re we’re cheating we’re walking down the words were incline um but we’ll cover that in the next uh in the next episode and I’ll uh I’ll end

This one here with the junction and the two tunnels and we’ll see you on the next one Cheers [Applause]