More Disused Railways of the Rother Valley & Killamarsh

Welcome to this feature video from the border of Sheffield & Rotherham, South Yorkshire & Derbyshire. A site of a multiple main lines passing through along with many colliery branches, junctions and sidings. This must have been heaven for trainspotters. That was, many decades ago. These days the majority of the lines are now disused. Abandoned and torn up, with plenty of remains to look around. Of course, we’ve covered this area many times. This was my stomping group for 15 years until recently. I’ve covered many miles in and around the footpaths, official and unofficial.

In this video, me and @mrbetamax1969 look around some of the bits I’ve not covered before.

Firstly we see the remains of the former flour mill in killamarsh, the bridge that carried it over the River Rother, which suffered flooding and now demolished.

Where Rother Valley Country Park lake sits now was originally a scrap yard – Thos. W. Ward of Killamarsh. Many steam locos and wagons were cut up here. Nothing remains due to open cast mining, but we can spot a few things.

We look at the 4 lines which crossed the Meadowgate Lane footpath, with the Lancashire Derbyshire & East Coast Railway, Midland Railway (still open), Great Central Railway and the Holbrook colliery branch.

We then look at a few of the remaining bridges for the Holbrook Colliery Branch, which ran to the GCR near Beighton.

Just south of Killamarsh, we look at a spot call Cat Gallows, which had a bridge cross the GCR and Chesterfield Canal.

Also featuring Killarmarsh Central station and various disused railway bridge remains.

Renton’s youtube channel – @mrbetamax1969www.youtube.com/@mrbetamax1969

Previous videos
Rother Valley Railway – https://youtu.be/mT4u3_EdrAM
GCR – https://youtu.be/t50P6B-7k1Q
LDECR – https://youtu.be/TqVbXUWpe7g

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[Applause] [Applause] Hi morning I’m out in killer Marsh today well kill SL SLR Valley um I’ve got um Renton with me um have a look at renton’s YouTube channel and there’s a few shorts around the area if you’re local and we’ve come to have a look this is an area I’ve done

Extensively um in the past and I’m going to try and convince people that um this is a new video y um so we’re on the Great Central Railway at the moment this is the Great Central Mainline again like I said I’ve covered this before on quite

A few videos um but we’ve just just we’ve been talking about this since for quite a while now we’ve been meaning to just to come down and have a a look at a few more things that I didn’t really cover in there um because uh he’s local

So he’s got a different perspective and he’s got small photographs to show us that we’ll do a kind of now and then comparison as we walk Around A few weeks ago I did put a post on social media with a drone shot of where I’m stood right now asking how many bridges can you see in this Photograph we’ve got the LD ECR just behind me there and just behind me there is the Great Central uh Bridge that’s the river

River rather tongue twister to say um now there’s are two obvious Bridges you can see those now some people commented Four Bridges now I know where the third bridge is there’s an Old Mill it’s now an animal feed Factory um There Was An Old Bridge here

Look this is the remains of the bridge over the r you can see the abutment on the other side as well look you can still see the the steel girder things on the end there look some kind of pipe work there yeah this went into the the mill just up

There the mill which is of a more modern construction these days sat between the Great Central and the Lancashire darbishire and East coastlines it was referred to as Glover’s Mill and Valley Mill we can see the line to the mill on this map from 1953 we’ll see more of

This line shortly I’m not aware of the opening and closing dates of this Branch but it did suffer badly from flooding in the 1930s which caused extensive damage I assume it was rebuilt as it does appear on later Maps this is under the Great Central Bridge so that’s trans

Penine Trail going over the top I don’t I’ve ever seen underneath here in all these years it’s not in the best of condition actually I didn’t realize collection of bricks there can’t immediately see where uh they’ve fallen from though but quite a bad crack up on that top corner there look it’s completely

Coming away I suspect it’s just a bit of sidence or something like that and there would be that line going into into the mill but you can see there there’s the yard with those two old lry trailers can you see the old you can just about make out the old embankment C

You thre there look just down down the bottom there still on the subject of that Old Mill line do you remember this quite sco have me off of The Edge this cutting here um I have covered on on previous videos again that’s the same line that’s the mill line is going

Off up there to join one of the other lines and obviously what we’re we’re looking at just to remind you that was a bridge don’t forget um that’s why these these um these walls are there that’s why that little cutting is there and the railway lines came off the ldcr which is

The other side along shabish East Coast across here and joined up with a great Central so suppose it has it’s having to drop um a little bit isn’t it there but it’s a great Central you can just see people walking on there you can see can’t you can see the

St work can’t you we’ve just being stood on on top of here in case you’ve uh not not realized line would have gone across I think this line I’m trying to remember when I’ve done these videos in the past yeah I’m sure this was like a link

That was put in a bit later when the ldcr was was bought or when it merged into the GCR just so they could connect up uh connect up the track so they had running running right into Sheffield without having to go round through cat Cliff you know on the

Sheffield District Railway I don’t know if yeah I’m sure I’m sure that’s right jogging my memory back do it this in the completely wrong order here looking back through that cutting we just been filming it I’ve never known it around here so clear we just been wondering if

Someone’s been coming and taking away some wood for uh uh for firewood or something like that think this is that this is the Line This Is The Track by De look into that Old Mill I’m not going to walk all the way down it’s uh it’s although it’s it is pretty clear it’s

It’s still bit of a battle with the trees you get you get the idea um looking off towards the mill but we’re on the side in that side we’ve got the Lancer darbishire East Coastline or the west or K line as later people know it but there’s still a lot of stuff chucked

Down the side of the bank another one of those are they are they fish plates they definitely would aren’t they those yeah could be completely off piece it might not be a fish plate but the uh it does look like the the metal fish plates that you that you come across doesn’t it

Curious yeah there’s all sorts and look over there that’s the that’s the embankment for the Great Central all the stuff you can see here you can see sleepers and things yeah all sorts of fittings if I just get across the stream woman look at I’m assuming these are like old from old Telegraph

Poles no you know you could just there’s the uh there’s a proofing pudding what is it then is it a yeah is that the telegraph pole there the top of top of something there isn’t it yeah you spend hours getting up and down these embankments can’t you another again I’m assuming it’s from

From the same Telegraph pole it’s got look the the metal bracket that alerted us but there it is there’s the there’s the Fallen Telegraph pole there look what’s this bit of an insulator it’s great you find these sometimes and they’ve got some of some of the writing

On we found those around clown that said Ln R that’s rather Valley Country part that’s the lake you can see I mean it’s a nice nice little spot is in lots of people enjoying enjoying a morning walk this morning reason we’ve come to fetch you we it’s not always been a lake has

It this was open casted in when was 1970s was it yes about 76 it started yeah so before that it’s surprising what what was down there where the lake is now we had we had an old um scrapyard Yeah by Wards yeah Wards there’s a couple there there

Was one at Bon that’s kind of still kind of there’s still a scrapyard on the side is ba yeah but uh yeah only one picture of this area uh looking at that bridge which confused us for a long time cuz it’s an old steamer and it’s basically

In a scrap yard with an awful lot of scrap and yeah uh and that was just down there wasn’t it that steam chain is just down in in in the lake where the lake is just just down here yeah and you’ve got that old photograph taken from roughly

Where that building is that if you can see the wooden building where they do the water cable ski thing from now haven’t you yeah 95 95 and so it’s not the this Railway line that banking you can see there that the West for branch or the laner darbishire East Coast take

Note of the bridge in the background of Keith Polo’s photo I think that’s the bridge we’re going to see in a few moments the Thomas W Wards kilas scrapyard opened just after World War II along with its baon scrapyard just near the old Bon station they cut up numerous

Locomotives and wagons fading to today’s areial image we can see its location relative to the main Rother Valley Lake that that bridge is just in those trees here we’re going to go and have a and have a look so yeah I mean well don’t forget

We hadot as well in the lake as well we had the line going off to it Norwood col yeah yeah via Norwood col yeah yeah and and straight up before M1 were put down that’s it see M1 from here and we had the waleswood curve as well at the other

End of the park the other going over the the the far end yeah complet Viaduct there’s one picture oh bed gree Viaduct right where the visitor center is now yeah just out just out of sight around around the other side of these Tre yeah amazing to think who who who comes here

And walks around this Lake not realizing the history that was I didn’t I I lived on the banks of this Lake all that time and yeah M times I’ve done a lap round around here so just for some perspective I mean right where we’re looking in front of it

There would have been a railway line here’s the bridge that we’ve uh just been talking about just coming into view and that was that line I think it came from the middle in Railway memory says me correctly uh and there’s the bridge that’s what we could

See look at that’s a river down there now isn’t it yeah River completely without of shopping troling I’ve never I’ve never it’s not meant to be a river obviously I’ve never been down in there you know I keep saying I’m going to have a look I thought maybe we’ll might get

Down today just have a look in the uh on the old Railway line that runs under this bridge no chance it’s just as full as the rather is isn’t it today that down there def so it’s quite a quite a cutting that this line this line went through and as

I say originally it would have gone straight through where R Valley is now so that that photo there look looking over the lake almost The View that we’ve just had that’s a View today quite different from in the trees isn’t it yeah I covered this this I don’t know

If you how long you’ve been watching my videos I covered this was one of the first dissu Railway walks I did when I just lived over there but I think I commented then about the poor state of the bridges on this Old Line ironically this is of all the lines that are

Disused up here this is the one that’s most recently been disused yeah that’s looking back over the lake um down over towards the line to that to the scrapyard and then looking back out this way back down the line went underneath I mean the bridge is gone it’s been

Infilled now but the Great Central Railway just crosses in front here but that that bridge has been infilled so yeah that’s a railway line now now full of water I we’ll get down there one day um it has been a line I’d like to uh I’d

Like to cover in any way I can but I don’t think I’m walking under there AR anytime anytime soon right where’s that dog on mine just disappeared oh God I’m having flashbacks that’s another bit of fish plate goo move God see what we just we just found wooden things similar to that

Haven’t we I’d love to know if anyone knows did they ever make wooden fish plates a rather familiar spot isn’t it looking a little bit old overgrown look on this side houses have appeared we’ve got some more photos here so trying to get an angle where we’ve

Not got glare um station building still up in that one look tracks are up what year is that one 98 that one 98 so railway’s long gone hasn’t it then and then this one 2000 2000 so scaffolding up just doing the bridge up um yeah and the building’s still there somewhere in

The background isn’t it not much has changed over than the building’s gone and few more trees these days building these for this is quite a while aren they they were just starting these about a year ago when I came down and film last yeah yeah easy probably 15

16 months yeah that’s your old station was down there your old station building wasn’t it that’s where it Was right this foot path kind of epitomizes um everything that’s going on around here around um on the approach to Bon Junction and R Valley starting off there obviously we’ve got the the old LD ECR West th goo Branch going over the top straight away know that foot path that’s just a

Foot path we’ve got the old Midland Railway the Midland old road going over here but did you know there was another two Railways that passed underneath this foot path yeah so the next time you’re walking up or down to R Valley um from meadowgate road entrance

This used to be the where the old Great Central went underneath there obviously this has all been changed Beyond recogn now this P’s probably even at a different level but there’s where the truck bed would have been just yeah just where it come off the Gera Bridge it

Swung around there and then made its way down there up to Bon Junction but it wasn’t the only track it wasn’t the only line to pass through here though CU you remember um there’s the HBO um HB Hull Brook line that also swept under here and just joined up with a great Central

A bit a bit further up [Applause] this isn’t this this is a a uh just a what you call a concession Bridge back in the day not in great condition but that’s the old middle and Railway the middle and Old Road Chester Bar wheel R him there isn’t it now so just up from that rusty old

Bridge around about where we stood here and I’m just trying to figure out if there was a cut in here um that’s been in fils but there was a branch line off the Great Central Line um just um the other side of that uh the G bridge and I

Went down into Hull Brook called Y and we can we can take this path that takes us down to one thing of that line that’s left and I’ll show you when we get up there we just been walking along the the top of an embankment and I wasn’t sure

If it was related to the railway see it’s changed so much here since this whenever this line closed um but we’ve come just come down a flatland embankment there there some masonry on there but this seems to be a lot clearer than when I used to uh come around here

When I live around here but look the all of a sudden this is now visible these blue blue bricks and it’s it’s a little Bridge AB bment look overneath over uh over this little Brook and it lines up perfectly with where where we’re heading fantastic I’ve lived here I’ve come down

This path so much over the years and I’ve never never noticed that that that was there yeah look look at that that great still see the old red bricks in the banking looking then I know what I can only assume is is a capping Stone still sat on the top

So can’t see anything the on the other side though and here is the only uh remains of that Alber line that I thought there were before we just find there was abutments uh this this this little bridge look just going underneath uh all is that Station Road above it is isn’t it

Station Road between Sheffield Road between uh halfway and killer [Applause] Marsh it’s still the original top on there I mean I don’t know when or who is painted that that lovely shade of blue but it it looks like it has been repainted quite recently it’s quite a nice paint job isn’t it

We’re just walking up a little uh little Farm Lane um by the side right by the side of the Great Central Railway to uh to our left it’s just on this banking at the side of us um between Kil Mar and renish Shore um this is like an

Alternative route less Cycles I suppose you could say uh and there’s this old don’t know what would you describe this as was this is this a base Moun for a bridge yeah yeah so we had a foot bridge going over the Great Central the railway

Here this is the the bottom of it blue brick original um original built and the line was built and there was also a bridge over the canal wasn’t there yeah cat Gallows this is cat Gallows this is cat Gallows right and this that was the name of this bridge was it this foot

Bridge why no idea bit of a morbid name is it uh morbid name so we’re up at track bed level now um just there just out of view down below is that base of that bridge and it just came straight straight above us here yeah shortcuts wton from Kil Marsh

Aington just through that clearing there um we you can just nip up the bank in here can’t you and we can see the other side of that bridge I mean these Stones e just come down to trap bed level now it’s just a nice convenient path Tangled Up got to show me the

Way so would this be the other side of the bridge then it’s just here the Canal’s just here and it all links in with the history I want not going over there Gordo oh my God no out of the canal um there we go there some water in the canal in this section

Look and there’s a toe path it’s probably just worth mentioning that foot path is quite a a steep climb about fi I can tell you I used to when I used to do my Hill training that seems a long time ago now there’s another foot bridge at

The top that crosses the old uh Lanas daisher East Coast Railway God that Canal stinks do it yeah that little bit of water wow a lot of moving water L Yeah anyone who’s ever um run walk cycle down transpan Trail between Still Still Mar killer Marsh and renishaw stavely I’ll know this little dip just before you see the turn off to uh to West Thor Hills um yeah so that the path dips down it was an Old Bridge it didn’t always

Used to be like this it was a little what would you say it’s like a cette for Farm access that went so we’re down in the bottom basically what would have been the bridge still got the little openings here look you can see so I suppose it’s a cut a long long story

Short this bridge is missing isn’t it it’s been dug out wonder if it was an arch bridge just Arch so you can see like there’s banking still either side so we’re stud just just by the the bottom level of the bridge and you can see down here you can see bits of

Masonry look and on the side you might not be able to see it but I can I can see it it’s quite a bit bit more there yeah I just explaining when we was walking up we uh now I have filmed this quite a number of occasions but it’s the

Footage has always been too dark to use so that there is the base of an old Telegraph pole which we can see get around the other side of this tree actually we can see Li laid down here and it’s still L the insulators on be careful on that fence go though

Wow look at look at that look at the arms it’s properly intact I hope this light on this new cameras sit Lo out it’s an insulator I know the insulator collectors out there I mean if it was decent people would have had them but they’re not they’re not full ones are

They look show you that one there that’s been that’s been burnt yeah it’s amazing to see them isn’t it with full arms more or less still holy intact and then the the brackets it’s never moved does it as it fell it’s been been failed the we’re just by on the approach to uh

That Gara bridge that crosses the Midland Railway so we’re actually on the track bed at the moment of the Great Central Railway um youve got a comparison photo haven’t you to what it used to look like yeah on March 86th before the trees invaded uh that’s just

Over at top you can actually see just the top of ger the bridge there oh yeah on that top as it goes over top reflection on it yeah yeah yeah it’s just no trees around whatsoever it’s a different landscape isn’t it it used it is to be Barron I

Mean all over Rother Valley would have been open cast and Nature’s certainly done a good job at clearing it uh um taking it back hasn’t it yeah it w it over there it is here is that g Bridge fit the camera through there we go if you’ve been down R Valley you’ll

Know where we are right now you’ll recognize you’ll recognize this bridge the old Great Central Railway swung its way over the top of the Midland Railway the local artiness of what they burnt there then looks like that’s like a a piece of clothing or something isn’t it yeah

You can see that g bridge look just on the left of that photo can’t you taken in the exact same place that g bridge is just out of view Behind These trees I think this is the uh the jewel in the crown for all the dissu rail

Always around here isn’t it it’s where the laner derish East Coast crossed over the waleswood curve so which don’t forget we stood on right here going underneath the span was a railway line as well was a waleswood curve no under no underneath here is yeah it’s looking a little

Bit very very poor state of repair this viu so I hope you’ve enjoyed that little look around R valet at some of the other bits that we’ve not covered before so as always thanks to all my channel members anyone who’s bought me a coffee or sent me a super thanks it really is

Appreciated cheers for renon for his company and goo for the entertainment so until next time thanks for watching take care and we’ll see you [Applause] soon A