The LNER Encyclopedia

Following on from the Peascliffe Tunnel thread...........

Barkston Junction to the north of this tunnel was obviously a popular spot during both steam and the early diesel days.
As mentioned before in the Peascliffe thread we always left before dusk as we found the area quite atmospheric, almost spooky, as the shadows lengthened.

One of my friends who used to visit this relatively remote location during that period has told me he once read an article about Peter Handford going there (at night !!) in the early 1960's to make some sound recordings. During his stay he had a "spooky encounter" in the signal box. However my friend cannot remember any of the details of this article or where he had read it. When did the signal box and the station close, would the signal box still be there in the 60's and can anyone throw any light on or remember this tale?

I don't know anything about the spooky tales, but Barkston South Junc box was certainly in use through the 60s. I would imagine that it was in use through the 70s as well.

I dont know when it closed. The station closed in 1955.

As a fan of Peter Handford's recordings and having some of them on CD I searched for Barkston Junction tracks on the Internet and came up with this:
http://www.we7.com/listen/Peter-Handfor ... -on-/radio
which shows that he was there on mid-summer's night (possibly in 1961).

Now another spooky thing. I set the tracks to play through the computer speakers and I was just enjoying a rather off-beat 3-cyl loco approaching when our dog, quietly asleep by the radiator, suddenly starts barking and rushing around the room. Thing is she hardly ever uses her 'voice' - the only time she occasionally barks is when we use the hoover. She's now calmed down again, but I think I'll need to use the headphones to listen to steam soundtracks in future! By the way she's not phased by steam locos - I had her with me on the Welsh Highland and the Corris Railways in the summer.

G'Day Gents

Try playing it track by track to see which one sets her off.................wonder if it's the one recorded at Barkston, there hearing is a lot better than ours.

manna

I have heard of this story before.

Micky wrote: A dog barks when a recording made at Barkston is played??.

Clever dog.

Hmm... we could be in trouble with any lineside recordings made at Weedon then.

The Diesels through the Decades CD has two relevant tracks, but seems no longerr to be available:
’Deltics’ at Barkston Junction, August 1961.
EE Type 4 at Barkston Junction. June 1961.
http://www.transportdiversions.com/publ ... pubid=1047

Time to read "The Signalman" by Charles Dickens again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A colleague has sent to me via email last night........

Not too far from the railway, on the main road is a spot where a ghost is said to appear lying in the middle of the road after dark.

The strange thing is that some people see the apparition and others do not. One report in the newspaper many years ago told of a couple driving home one winters' evening when suddenly the wife (in the passenger seat) screamed at high volume and shouted "look out". Her husband wondered what in heavens had got into her and just drove on.

Apparently the woman had suddenly seen this body lying in the road some yards in front of the car and they were about to run over it. The husband saw nothing.

Spooky!.

A strange story John, was this the Grantham Journal do you think?

I have had a railway accident report (1935) sent to me recently, not too far from Barkston and not really relevant, but an interesting read anyway.

Still finding answers to threads that have lain dormant for some time.

M.A. Vanns book - The Railways of Newark-on-Trent lists Barkston South Junction SB as closed 30.03.1972.

The box opened 21.05.1876 with a Mckenzie & Holland 30 lever frame and replaced by a 35 lever frame in 1936. The box was situated on the Up side just to the north of the road underbridge.

Page 184 of the book shows a photo of it

When I was young, must have been pre 1963 when my parents bought a car, we met a signalman from Barkston while on holiday, at Margate, if I recall correctly.
Anyway somehow or other I got an invite to go to the 'box sometime. Went one summers day with my mother. Train to Grantham then bus to Barkston village, which is quite a walk from the railway, or so it seemed. But it was well worth it to stand in the box watching various pacifics and other locos tearing by a few feet in front of me!

Hello 60156. I have often looked at these posts in the past, but I was very interested in the mention of the signalman from Barkston in Margate. My dad was one of the signalmen there from 1947 until he finally locked the door when the box closed in 1972. We used to holiday in Cliftonville/Margate in the late fifties so it might be possible that it was my dad who took you into the box. I used to visit him quite frequently, even though it was strictly illegal. The inspectors or stationmaster(when there was one) and other staff used to turn a blind eye. He didn't mention that he'd let anyone else not in the family into the box & I don't remember him talking to a spotter in Margate. He used to keep an eye on spotters though in case they were in danger.
It's possible that his mates also went to Margate, but I don't remember! Do you remember what the signalman looked like? I have a picture of my dad at work. He died in 2011 aged almost 98 after working on the railway from 1929 until he retired at 65 (49 years)

Thanks Barkstonian, what a lovely story.

It is great to think that a Barkston signalman lived until 2011. We used to cycle there, or go in my Dad's car if we were lazy; and we never would have ventured any further than the fencing by the old coal siding.

In fact, the biggest danger we faced was running along the road, in order to see locos on the Allington Junc - Barkston East Junc line.