High Dyke Branch

[61070]

Dave - thanks for coming on here; your photo from above Stoke tunnel is a good one. Not many people took pictures of the High Dyke branch. There are a few in one of Colin Walker's books.

A pal and I went to Buckminster once to 'explore' the railway there (we travelled in his parents' ex-car, a VW Beetle pre-'A' reg). It must have been the early 70s. There were some former BR diesels (Class 14?), along with at least one ancient-looking goods brake van - either ECJS or WCJS (East/West Coast Joint Stock) it had on its axlebox covers I think. I know I've got some photos somewhere that I took on the visit, so I'll try to look them out. I also went to Market Overton on a later occasion to see Pendennis Castle (shouldn't really mention a GW loco on this forum, but I think we've got away with it!).

[stokebank]

Re turning 'angle' and turntables at Grantham. I've always understood the 'angle' was installed to accommodate larger locos and the scissors cross-over on the 'angle' was to reduce space required for a 'proper' triangle. Many sheds would only have space for a turnatable, but there seems to have been plenty of available land at Grantham. There's a good track diagram of Grantham in Hoopers 'GN Engine Sheds' (I've haven't got it to hand, so cannot recall which volume it is).

Sadly, in recent months, new houses have covered the area where the turning 'angle' was situated.

[61070]

Hello stokebank, thanks for the information on the 'angle'. I'm sure you're right about the arrangement being to reduce the space a normal triangle would occupy. I will try to get hold of a copy of the volume of GN Engine Sheds which covers Grantham. It's all houses where the 'loco' used to be now, isn't it?

DaveF - sorry, it wasn't Buckminster we went to in the early 1970s. It was Harlaxton, on 21st December 1971. I've found the photos - there are only 8. They are b/w, and some of them are similar to shots that are on your site, including pictures of the two out-of-use steam locos Ajax and Rhondda. The old goods brake van was ex-LNWR, with one axlebox cover marked 'WCJS', and in my photo you can just about pick out 'LMS' painted on the side - the van's in the background of one of your pictures.

Here are two of the photos. Not as good quality as my dad's I'm afraid.

Came across this too - have you seen it? http://www.meltontimes.co.uk/melton-mow ... 4861980.jp

[DaveF]

Hello stokebank, thanks for the information on the 'angle'. I'm sure you're right about the arrangement being to reduce the space a normal triangle would occupy. I will try to get hold of a copy of the volume of GN Engine Sheds which covers Grantham. It's all houses where the 'loco' used to be now, isn't it?

DaveF - sorry, it wasn't Buckminster we went to in the early 1970s. It was Harlaxton, on 21st December 1971. I've found the photos - there are only 8. They are b/w, and some of them are similar to shots that are on your site, including pictures of the two out-of-use steam locos Ajax and Rhondda. The old goods brake van was ex-LNWR, with one axlebox cover marked 'WCJS', and in my photo you can just about pick out 'LMS' painted on the side - the van's in the background of one of your pictures.

Here are two of the photos. Not as good quality as my dad's I'm afraid.

Came across this too - have you seen it? http://www.meltontimes.co.uk/melton-mow ... 4861980.jp

Many thanks for the link, I'll look out for it.

David

[strang steel]

I hope that I may be allowed to venture slightly off at a tangent, but on the subject of High Dyke iron ore trains, most were destined for Frodingham I presume, but I remember seeing one or two photos of A1 Pacifics on a train bound for Aldwarke. The wagons nearest the loco were vacuum fitted.

Was this a regular service, and was an A1 regular motive power? If so, how frequently did it run, and during what time span? Was the train fully fitted or just partial?

Sorry, so many questions.

[rob237]

The Frodingham/Aldwarke (and motive power) ore trains were recently covered in thread:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3466
Cheers
Robt P.

[strang steel]

Thanks,

Sorry, I missed that on my search.

[rob237]

The Grantham triangle was no ordinary triangle, but a scissors arrangement, as you say. This was unique to Grantham, at least as far as Britain is concerned.

IIRC, there was also a similar turning triangle at Woodford Halse shed, on the former GC...
Main users being the Annesley O1's and 9F's for the return home with their 'Windcutter' empties.
Cheers
Robt P.

[kudu]

Sorry to come late to this.

Was the Woodford triangle a "scissors" type, as at Grantham, or the more conventional sort, as at Doncaster, say?

(There's also a Woodford shed thread here which finishes with this question (Jun 10), so post any replies there if you like.)

Kudu

[peejay]

Reading through this thread I haven't noticed any reference to the Industrial Railway Society http://www.irsociety.co.uk/. In their Industrial Railway Record archive there is an article by Eric Tonks published in December 1963 entitled Ironstone Tramways of the Midlands - (3) The Ore Mining Branch of United Steel, which just happens to be the Highdyke branch. The article deals more with the business end of the branch rather than the interchange with the ECML. The Easton adit mine is now the site of the Christian Salvensen "chip factory", as it is known locally.

Hope this is of interest.

Peter

[peejay]

There is an article and a photo of High Dyke signal box here: http://www.signalbox.org/gallery/e/highdyke.htm .

I have some scanned images of busy scenes at the exchange sidings with Tangos much in evidence not to mention a glimpse of an 8F in the sidings and a 9F pounding up the bank to Stoke tunnel, but I need to remind myself of the copyright citations before putting them up here, or rather in the photographs section. Pictures now uploaded (Sat. 17/7/10).

Class 47 D1528 at High Dyke http://www.class47.co.uk/c47_zoom_v2.ph ... 1020086000 April 1970.

Peter

[grantham8]

Several bits of info on Highdyke.

Some of the trackbed still exists --I think mainly from near Stoke tunnel upto the A1. The original rail bridge across the A1 has only recently -2009-been demolished with alterations to the B6403/A1 junction although some abutment still exists on the Colsterworth side. The trackbed was still owned by BRB footpaths and fencing was certainly maintained --upto again 2009-- adjacent to the chip factory near Burton lane ---I worked there and had an annual peppercorn rental to pay on land used by PAS(grantham) . Ownership of the trackbed may have changed since then --at one time Sustrans had some interest .

Nobody has mentioned the derailment of a type2 sometime in the 60s---any recollections or photo ---I am sure that one appeared in the Grantham Journal.

Think that Brush type 4s with a brake tender were used in the latter days .

[strang steel]

There is a short video of the branch on the B&R video no.113 Along LNER Lines Part 2.

[workev]

In compiling some notes from a Grantham fireman, I came across a working that has me slightly perplexed.

During the mid-1950s there was an evening Iron train from High Dyke to Aldwarke in Rotherham, Train 1228 leaving Grantham at 8pm. This train was hauled by a V2, rather than the usual O2, and went up the GN line as far as Retford.

According to the fireman the engine would return with some empties to High Dyke, but I can find no reference to this working in the WTTs.

Can anybody help?

Ian

[strang steel]

Hello Ian.

The working is in my Doncaster 59/60 WTT.

At this time it was a 6.12pm from Highdyke, but not due to reach Retford until 12.56am so I do not know what it was doing in those 6 hours. It was a class J working then and even ran on a Sunday, but I have seen later photos of it as a fully fitted train with an A1 on the front.

The return working is 1037, the 10.7pm from Greasboro Road to Highdyke empties, reaching Retford at 12.25am.