Kingsbridge branch line

Kingsbridge branch line was a single track branch line railway in Devon, England. The line, which became known as the Primrose Line, opened in 1893 and despite local opposition closed in 1963. It left the Exeter to Plymouth line at Brent and ran , following the route of the River Avon to Kingsbridge. A proposed extension to Salcombe was not constructed.
History.
False starts.
In 1849 the South Devon Railway reached Plymouth with its broad gauge railway, connecting South Devon to London over friendly associate railways.
People in Kingsbridge and the surrounding district felt cut off from the benefits of railway connection, and in 1854 an ambitious project was put forward at a public meeting: the line was to run from Churston to Kingsbridge. The meeting generated huge enthusiasm, but little money was forthcoming and the scheme went no further.
In January 1864 another meeting took place in Kingsbridge proposing a more modest scheme from Brent station on the South Devon Railway main line to Salcombe via Kingsbridge. The cost of construction was to be £130,000, and this time tangible support was available; the scheme went to Parliament and obtained its authorising Act for the Kingsbridge and Salcombe Railway on 29 July 1864, with capital of £130,000.
This early success was not followed with much actual money, but two years later several deviations were required and even more capital needed; an Act of 23 July 1866 authorised additional capital of £60,000. A Mr Chambers was persuaded to be the contractor to the impecunious Company and work started a year later, on 24 June 1867. In fact very little was done and in 1871 it was proposed to abandon the scheme due to lack of money.
A viable scheme at last.
Ten more years went by, and a new Kingsbridge and Salcombe Railway was authorised by Act of 24 July 1887; the new Company purchased the rights of the earlier line for £3,500, and it was to run to Ibberton Head at Salcombe. Capital was to be £160,000 for the 16-mile line, and working arrangements were provisionally agreed with the Great Western Railway (GWR), which by now had absorbed the South Devon Railway.
Yet again enthusiastic planning was not matched by the putting forward of finance, and a year later only £1,500 had been subscribed.
Clearly nothing could be done in the circumstances, until on 28 October 1885 discussions took place with the GWR with a view to their taking over the scheme. A figure of £8,000 was tabled, increased to £10,000 which seemed to be acceptable at first. Then ambiguities arose over whether land supposed to have been acquired by the old Company was legally owned. Further meetings dragged on until on 21 March 1888 at Paddington, the purchase (of the unbuilt line) was finally agreed. It was formally confirmed on 13 June 1888.
Construction and opening.
With the resources of the GWR behind the scheme, construction now proceeded. The cost of the construction, which included 48 bridges, was £180,000. The line opened on 19 December 1893, 39 years after the first project was put forward. Wrangaton station had been renamed Kingsbridge Road, but reverted to its original name on the same day.
Although Brent station lay at the foot of Dartmoor hills, the line leaving Brent fell steeply at 1 in 60 to Avonwick and continued falling, less steeply to Gara Bridge and almost to Loddiswell. Rising there at 1 in 50, it reached a summit at Sorley Tunnel, from where it fell again at 1 in 50 to Kingsbridge.
Wartime use.
Field Marshal Montgomery used the line twice during World War II, firstly to review American troops training in the area and secondly in 1944 during Exercise Tiger.
Closure.
After the Second World War increasing use of road transport for goods and personal travel resulted in declining use of the branch line. Losses were stated to be £37,759 annually. The line closed to goods from 9 September 1963, and was intended to have closed completely on that date, however the change from summer to winter time tables of the Western National Omnibus Company, which was to provide the replacement service, was the following weekend and so the closure of the line was delayed until then. The last train ran on 14 September 1963.


Mountsorrel Railway

The Mountsorrel Railway was a network of industrial railway lines that served the granite quarries which dominate the Leicestershire village of Mountsorrel. After being closed in the 1950s, a section was reopened in 2015 as a heritage line run by Mountsorrel & Rothley Community Heritage Centre.
History.
Construction started around November 1859 on a line long. It ran from the local quarries of the Mountsorrel Granite Company at the north west of Mountsorrel, through the village on an embankment high, crossing the turnpike road on an iron girder bridge of span, over the River Soar on a viaduct of 5 arches (the largest being in width) and then on an embankment to the Midland Railway, half a mile south of Barrow-upon-Soar railway station. The engineer was Mr. Addison of London, the contractor was Mr. Herbert of Leicester and the cost of construction was £18,000 ().
By the turn of the century there were eight-and-a-half miles of track serving the local quarries, now owned by Tarmac.
The line was extended and by 1898 ran from the Great Central Railway at Swithland Sidings.
The line fell out of use in the 1950s, the track was taken up in the 1960s, and most of the route was abandoned. Part of the 'main-line' is now covered by a conveyor belt which runs from Mountsorrel Quarry to the site of the junction on the Midland Main Line, near Barrow upon Soar. The conveyor belt replaced the original railway in the 1970s.
Restoration.
A local resident, Steve Cramp, had been researching the railway and, as well as writing a book about it, led the project to rebuild the part of the railway going from Swithland to Mountsorrel. Donations came in for the project, including from Lafarge. The project reinstated one-and-a-quarter miles of new track to a small halt station under Bond Lane bridge. This enables the villagers of Mountsorrel to catch a train for nearby and then onto the rest of the preserved network. The line climbs at a grade of 1-in-62, which is far steeper than the gradients on the Great Central Mainline, as they reached only 1-in-175.
Despite numerous examples, none of the original Mountsorrel wagons had been preserved, so three wooden-bodied open wagons (two 5-plank bodies and one 3-plank) which closely resembled the old ones were selected to be returned to service in the official light grey livery of the old Mountsorrel Granite Company.
Open days had been held on the trackbed since May 2009, involving ecology groups and track bed 'tours among' children and adults. When finished, the plan is to provide the Great Central Railway with a secondary attraction, recreating various scenes from the past, including a time when children would ride in the open wagons on Sundays and days out.
By 2010, the group had completed ballast laying over the first mile from the junction with the GCR to Wood Lane. On 10 May 2010, the track work began with the placement of a right-handed point at Swithland Sidings, the first part of the new junction. In June, the group received a £5000 donation from the Great Central's support charity, bringing them closer to their goal to complete the track laying.
By May 2011, track had been laid over the first 300m of the branch line, which allowed the first trains to run on the railway since the track lifting trains in 1959. The group are currently in the process of fund raising for £16,000 to allow the next 450m of track to be laid.
By the end of April 2012, phase 2 had been completed, with a further 250-300m laid and many hedgerows planted, and fund raising for phase three was well underway (£11,000 of £23,000 raised so far). This will allow laying of the next 500m of track and take the track to Wood Lane, on the outskirts of Mountsorrel.
In early December 2012, track-laying passed through the bridge at Wood Lane. Materials had also been secured to reach the end of the line at Bond Lane. By this time, total project spend had been £90,000, with £9,500 still to be raised to complete the track to passenger-carrying standards.
The preserved line.
On 21 November 2013, the first passenger train travelled the railway towards Mountsorrel hauling the project volunteers. Project leader Steve Cramp said on the day that "It’s been an emotional time for us all, everybody has worked so hard over the last six years to bring this vision to reality and it’s so nice to actually see a steam train get back up to Mountsorrel."
On 27 January 2014, planning permission for a simple 50m-long platform built into the base of the cutting next to the bridge at Bond Lane was granted by Charnwood Borough Council. The platform was constructed from concrete blocks faced with Mountsorrel Granite. The aim for the new platform was to link up with Stonehurst Family Farm and Motor Museum bringing together the local community. The Platform is now known as Mountsorrel railway station. The tractor-trailer ride link to Stonehurst Farm is unable to happen after a retaining wall of the embankment for a conveyor belt had collapsed in March 2018 (It is built over the original trackbed of the Mountsorrel Railway in the 1970s by Tarmac Group (now Tarmac)). As of August 2019, the wall has still not been repaired and Bond Lane, the road connecting the station with Mountsorrel village itself is still blocked by the obstruction of debris and access is only available via a temporary footpath joining to a public footpath.
After eight years and over 80,000 hours of volunteer time, the Mountsorrel Railway was opened to the public over the weekend of 24 and 25 October 2015 by Lord Faulkner of Worcester, who is President of the Heritage Railway Association and Vice Chairman of the Science Museum.
The site of the former Nunckley Quarry now occupies Mountsorrel and Rothley Community Heritage Centre, which includes a coffee shop, heritage displays, a railway museum, a recreation of a Stonemasons' hut, like those that would have been used in Mountsorrel Quarry, a demonstrative narrow gauge railway and Nunckley Hill railway station.
, funds are needed for the construction of the Discovery Centre, a brand new building which will include teaching an even-more in-depth history of the local area and will be supplemented with an exhibition area, a library with archive storage, a lecture theatre/class room, a study room, advanced AR equipment for 'hands-on' learning and a large lobby. There is also the need for donations to complete the Railway Museum Extension, which will serve as a restoration area for rolling-stock, as well as the new extension of the Nunckley Narrow Gauge Railway, which also needs new track.
Locomotives and rolling stock.
Locomotives.
The last surviving locomotive of the original railway is a Peckett and Sons 0-4-0ST Works No. 1759 "Elizabeth" of 1928 currently undergoing restoration at Rutland Railway Museum in Cottesmore, with ambitions to bring it back to the railway once restored.


Connex South Eastern

Connex South Eastern was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Connex that operated the South Eastern franchise from October 1996 until November 2003.
History.
On 13 October 1996 Connex commenced operating the South Eastern franchise having beaten bids from a Management/FirstBus consortium, GB Railways and Stagecoach.
In December 2002, after the franchise ran into financial trouble, the Strategic Rail Authority agreed to bail it out with a £58 million injection, with the end date brought forward from 2011 until 2006. However continuing poor financial management resulted in the Strategic Rail Authority deciding to strip Connex of the franchise in June 2003. Connex South Eastern continued to operate the franchise until 8 November 2003 with the services transferring to the Strategic Rail Authority's South Eastern Trains subsidiary the following day.
Services.
Connex South Eastern ran passenger services from London Blackfriars, London Bridge, London Cannon Street, London Charing Cross and London Victoria to Hayes,
Bromley North, Ramsgate, Dover Priory, Folkestone Harbour and Ore and various destinations within including Orpington, Sevenoaks, Dartford, Tunbridge Wells, Ashford and Canterbury West.
It also ran services between Sittingbourne and Sheerness; Paddock Wood, Maidstone West and Strood; and Maidstone West, Redhill and Three Bridges.
Rolling stock.
Connex South Eastern inherited a large fleet of slam door EMUs from Network SouthEast.
In 1998 Connex South Eastern leased twelve Class 508s from Angel Trains that were surplus to Merseyrail Electrics to replace some Class 411s.
Connex South Eastern ordered 10 three-carriage and 102 four-carriage Class 375s, and 36 five-carriage Class 376s in a couple of batches with the first entering service in April 2001.
Depots.
Connex South Eastern's fleet was maintained at Ashford, Ramsgate, Slade Green and Gillingham depots.


Southend Pier Railway

The Southend Pier Railway is a narrow gauge railway in the English town of Southend-on-Sea, Essex. It runs for along the length of Southend Pier, providing public passenger transport from the shore to the pier head.
Operation.
The line is owned and operated by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, and operates every day the pier is open. The normal service uses a single train, and runs every half-hour. At peak times a two train service is operated, providing a 15-minute interval service. Trains operate between stations known as "Shore" and "Pier Head" with no intermediate stops.
Although once electrified, train service is currently provided by two diesel trains, running on narrow gauge track. Each train consists of a diesel-hydraulic locomotive at the southern end, five trailer coaches and, at the northern end, a driver control unit with passenger space. One train is named "Sir John Betjeman", and the other "Sir William Heygate".
A twin-track island platform is provided at each terminus, and there is a passing loop in mid-pier, but otherwise the line is single tracked. The pier head terminus is in the open air, but the shore terminus is enclosed, and also provides rail access to a workshop for maintaining the trains. The Southend Pier Museum is situated below the shore station.
History.
The current Southend Pier was preceded by a wooden pier built in 1830. In 1851, a narrow gauge horse tramway was introduced to convey goods and visitors to the pier head.
Construction of the current pier commenced in 1887, and the plans included provision for an electric railway. Construction of the line commenced in 1888, with electrification being carried out by Colonel R. E. B. Crompton. By 1890, of gauge single track had been laid, and a single toast rack style car was in use. By the following year, the line ran the then full pier length of and trailer cars were in use. The system expanded, until eventually, by 1930, four trains, each made up of seven cars, were running on a line that was double track throughout.
In 1949, the rolling stock was replaced with new trains similar in design to London Underground stock, built by AC Cars of Thames Ditton in Surrey. The new stock comprised four trains, again of seven cars, and was liveried in green and cream. Each train could carry up to 260 passengers. At a top speed of , the journey took four minutes each way, and during peak periods a train ran every five minutes, continuing until 11pm. The record for passengers carried in one day stands at 55,000.
In 1950, two redundant 1899-built trailer cars were acquired by Volk's Electric Railway in Brighton, where they were converted into motor cars numbered 8 and 9. These cars continued to operate in Brighton until the late 1990s, when they were again retired. Car 8 was returned to Southend to join the Southend Pier Museum collection, and car 9 is on display at the South Downs Heritage Centre at Hassocks.
In 1978, the electric railway closed, due to deterioration and the cost of repairs. The 1949-built electric cars were withdrawn, although preserved examples can be found in the Southend Pier Museum and the Lynn Tait Gallery in Leigh-on-Sea.
The railway was reopened by Princess Anne on 2 May 1986 after rebuilding to gauge. Two new diesel trains were built by Severn Lamb and introduced on a simplified line comprising a single track with a passing loop and twin-track terminal stations. As originally delivered, the trains were liveried in all-over burgundy with a white waist-band, but were repainted to a two-tone blue in 2006, retaining the white waist-band. They also carry a "Southend Borough Council" logo.
A battery powered single passenger car, built by Castleline of Nottingham, entered service in November 1995 for service in winter. This car is numbered 1835, the year that Southend Pier first appeared on Admiralty charts. There are also several wagons for maintenance trains.
On 9 October 2005, a fire severely damaged much of the pier head including the railway station. The station was temporarily re-sited, until a new and modern structure was opened on the original site in September 2009. Although the passenger trains were not damaged, two wagons used on maintenance trains were destroyed in the fire.
In September 2016, the railway was out of action due to emergency engineering works, though the pier itself was still open to the public. The Pier Railway reopened in late 2016. Two new Severn Lamb built trains are scheduled to replace the 1986 built trains in 2021.
External links.
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Breydon Viaduct

Breydon Viaduct was a railway bridge across the River Yare near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England that was built by the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GN).
History.
Breydon Viaduct was built to cross the River Yare just downstream of Breydon Water and hence connect Yarmouth Beach station to the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway line from Yarmouth South Town railway station. By doing so it gave passengers from the Midlands a direct link to Lowestoft. The Engineer-in-Chief of the work was Alexander Ross, the Chief Engineer of the Great Northern Railway. William E. Newman provided the mechanical and structural design and William Marriott acted as executive engineer. The bridge was long and consisted of five spans. The second span from the south rotated about its midpoint in the manner of a swing bridge to leave two passages for river traffic. This section sat on a cast iron pivot which used ball bearings which made the bridge so free running that it could be manually opened by just one person.
Work on the bridge began in 1899 and it was finished in 1903 at a total cost of £38,453. (equivalent to £ in ), It was the largest structure on the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway. The bridge was successfully weight tested on 8 July 1903 with a train of heavy engines and it was opened shortly after. The bridge was single track whilst the rest of the line was double track and so signal boxes were provided at each end. River traffic on the Yare had priority over trains that wished to use the bridge. The viaduct closed on 21 September 1953 prior to the rest of the MG&N line. The tracks over the bridge remained in place for several years afterwards before the bridge was finally demolished in 1962. At the time of its closure it was anticipated that major repairs would be required to keep it in service, although it was found to be in good condition when it was demolished. The closure left Yarmouth Beach station a terminus until it was closed in 1959. After its demolition the pilings remained in the river until the construction of Breydon Road Bridge in the late 1980s when they were removed. The new road bridge followed the alignment of the rail viaduct and was a drawbridge which could open completely in 90 seconds; the rail bridge could take up to ten minutes to open in strong winds.


South Eastern Main Line diagram


Liverpool, St Helens and South Lancashire Railway

The Liverpool, St Helens and South Lancashire Railway, was formed in 1889, but no services ran until 1895 and then only freight. Passenger services did not start until 1900. It incorporated the St Helens and Wigan Junction Railway. It was taken over by the Great Central Railway in 1906.
History.
The Railway was incorporated by Acts of Parliament in 1885-86 to enable the construction of a line from St Helens to Lowton (eight miles) and St Helens to Liverpool (ten miles). The lines had share capital of £210,000 and £340,000 respectively. The first sod was cut on 25 January 1888 by the Earl of Derby on the site of what became St Helens Central railway station. In July 1889 an Act of Parliament extended the completion time until July 1893. The opening ceremony took place on 2 January 1900.
The original intention was to connect to the Cheshire Lines Committee North Liverpool Extension Line at Fazakerley junction, to form a route to Huskisson Dock and Southport, but nothing ever came of the scheme west of St Helens.
Henry Seton-Karr was chairman of the railway at its opening.
Route.
The line ran from St Helens Central (GCR) railway station to Lowton St Mary's after which the route to Glazebrook was via the Wigan Junction Railways.
Closure.
The line closed to passengers in 1952. It was reduced in stages as freight traffic ebbed and flowed. The key milestones were:
In 2015 very occasional trains still served the Hanson plant.
On 7 March 2015 an enthusiasts' excursion titled "Sabrina's Tea Train" traversed the line.
A quarter-mile headshunt which ends at bufferstops approx 50 yards east of Bridge 13 over Edge Green Lane is the sole remaining section of the original route in use.
Re-Opening.
After purchasing the land surrounding the line at Edge Green in 2011, PF Jones Ltd worked with Hansons to restore the Kelbit line off the Haydock Branch Curve. The Kelbit line re-opens in 2018 and will be used by Hanson's to transfer raw materials from Shap Quarry, Cumbria to distribute across the north west.
Between and Golborne and Glazebrook High Speed 2 will use an alignment similar to the disused line in Phase 2b.


South Eastern Trains

South Eastern Trains (stylised as Southeastern) was a publicly owned train operating company that operated the South Eastern Passenger Rail Franchise between November 2003, when it took over from Connex South Eastern, and 1 April 2006, when Southeastern began operating the new Integrated Kent franchise.
History.
South Eastern Trains began operating the South Eastern franchise from November 2003, taking over after the franchise was removed from Connex South Eastern. On 18 January 2005 the Strategic Rail Authority issued the Integrated Kent franchise Invitation to Tender to the shortlisted bidders.
On 30 November 2005 the Department for Transport awarded Govia the Integrated Kent franchise. The services operated by South Eastern Trains transferred to Southeastern on 1 April 2006.
Services.
Main lines.
From London termini (London Victoria, London Bridge, London Charing Cross, London Blackfriars and London Cannon Street) unless otherwise stated;
Suburban lines.
The suburban services (called ‘Metro’ in the SET timetables) ran to:
Rolling stock.
South Eastern Trains inherited a fleet of Class 365, Class 375, Class 411, Class 421, Class 423, Class 465 and Class 466s from Connex South Eastern. During its tenure South Eastern Trains introduced the remaining Class 375s into service as well as the full Class 376 fleet. All remaining Class 411, Class 421 and Class 423s were withdrawn and scrapped by October 2005, while the Class 365s were transferred to West Anglia Great Northern in 2004. Rolling stock was maintained at Ashford and Ramsgate depots.
External links.
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East Lincolnshire Railway

The East Lincolnshire Railway was a main line railway linking the towns of Boston, Louth and Grimsby in Lincolnshire, England. It opened in 1848. The ELR "Company" had leased the line to the Great Northern Railway, and it was the latter which constructed the line and operated it, as its East Lincolnshire Line.
As the Great Northern Railway completed its network, the East Lincolnshire Line formed a main line to Louth and Grimsby. In the latter decades of the nineteenth century seaside leisure pursuits became important, and the line became the trunk route supporting branches to Skegness, Sutton on Sea and Mablethorpe. Agricultural produce was important throughout the life of the line.
As road transport became more convenient, the line lost custom, and in 1970 it closed except for the portion from Boston to Firsby, which supported the Skegness branch, which continued in use. All intermediate stations on the ELR, and all of the route from Firsby to Grimsby were closed to passengers in 1970.
Authorisation.
The East Lincolnshire Railway was authorised by Act of 26 June 1846, with permitted share capital of £600,000. The authorisation was to build a mile line built from its own terminus at Pasture Street in Great Grimsby to Boston, where it was to join the Loop Line of the Great Northern Railway, which had been authorised the same day. The potentially much larger Great Northern Railway immediately entered negotiations to lease the East Lincolnshire Railway. The GNR's purpose was to secure territory to itself, and it did so by acquiring, by lease or by purchase, authorised lines in areas it sought to control. The GNR took the East Lincolnshire Railway on a lease at 6% of its paid-up capital, an arrangement described as "somewhat improvident".
This lease was made immediately after the authorisation of the two lines, and was renewed later as a lease for 1,000 years. The East Lincolnshire Railway Company was from that time a financial shell, only concerned with distributing the lease charge of £3,600 annually to shareholders.
Originally the ELR had intended to provide its own terminus at Pasture Street in Grimsby, but the GNR agreed with the Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway to use its Grimsby station. The following year on 2 July 1847 a further Act authorised the ELR to build a branch half a mile in length to make the connection to the GG&SJR. The Great Grimsby company soon merged with others and became the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. Further share capital of £10,000 was authorised. A further Act of 9 July 1847 authorised the acquisition of the ELR Company by the Great Northern Railway, although this was not acted on.
It was the Great Northern Railway which built, and later, operated the line. Most of its extent was a perfectly straight line with no heavy cuttings. There were ten bridges, three over the line and seven under the line. The contractors were Waring and Sons of Louth. The architects of the station buildings were John Grey Weightman and Matthew Ellison Hadfield of Sheffield.
Opening.
The 14-mile section between Louth and Grimsby opened on 1 March 1848. The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway opened its line from Grimsby to New Holland on the same day. The MS&LR and the GNR both used the Grimsby station; the MS&LR and GNR arranged to run over each other's lines. The original passenger service was five trains each way on weekdays over the 30 miles between Louth and New Holland, with two trains each way on Sundays. New Holland was the ferry terminal for Hull.
Later that year, the East Lincolnshire Line was further extended southward, from Louth to Firsby (at that time spelt Firstby). This opened on 3 September 1848, and on 2 October 1848 the line was opened from Firsby to a temporary station at Boston; the entire East Lincolnshire Railway authorised system was now complete.
GNR Loop Line.
Work had been proceeding on the GNR Loop Line, and the 58 miles from near Peterborough through Boston to Lincoln opened on 17 October 1848. That line was double except for a mile at Boston immediately south of the junction of the East Lincolnshire Line and the Loop Line. This was awkwardly squeezed in between houses at Witham Town and the River Witham, on the north approach to the skew bridge over the Grand Sluice. It was soon realised that this was not proper, and the section was made double track by a deviation (to the other side of the houses) on 11 May 1850; the point of junction of the East Lincolnshire Line was shifted slightly as well.
These line openings enabled through journeys to be made to London from Lincolnshire and from Hull (by ferry to New Holland), using the Eastern Counties Railway or the London and North Western Railway from Peterborough southwards.
Connecting lines.
The East Lincolnshire Line formed a spine from which a number of branch lines diverged. Its straight course led it to by-pass several important towns, and the development of seaside holidays and excursions from the 1860s generated a demand for easier transport links.
Geographically from south to north, these were:
Spilsby branch.
Spilsby was a significant market town, and a branch line from the East Lincolnshire Line at Firsby was promoted locally. It opened in 1868. Although the branch line was busy enough, servicing loans taken out during the construction period was perpetually problematical, and in 1891 the Great Northern Railway purchased the company. The passenger service was suspended in 1939 as a war economy, and never reinstated; the line closed completely in 1958.
Wainfleet and Skegness.
The East Lincolnshire Railway followed a direct path to Grimsby, and in doing so passed by the coastal towns. As seaside holidays became popular in the third quarter of the nineteenth century, these towns realised that they suffered from not having a good railway connection, and in some cases set about rectifying the matter. The Wainfleet and Firsby Railway was authorised in 1869 to build from Firsby on the East Lincolnshire Line to Wainfleet, which was a semi-defunct port halfway to Skegness. It opened in 1871, and road transport completed the journey to Skegness. This wasn't satisfactory either, and in 1873 a line from Wainfleet to Skegness completed the branch line.
The junction at Firsby faced away from the most important traffic, and a west to south curve was installed in 1881. The Skegness branch carried a very heavy holiday traffic.
Mablethorpe and Sutton on Sea.
Like Skegness, Mablethorpe developed as a seaside resort for excursionists and holidaymakers. A branch line was opened by the Louth and East Coast Railway in 1877. Sutton le Marsh, a few miles to the south, was also popular, and the Sutton and Willoughby Railway and Dock company opened a branch line in 1886, and used the pleasanter name Sutton on Sea for the resort. This line was more practical, as it was south-facing, enabling an easier approach for the holiday trains. A major part of the Sutton and Willoughby Railway and Dock was the construction of a fishing harbour to rival Grimsby, but the company never generated enough money to attempt the dock. (Later on, other companies promised to open it, but they also failed.) The distance between Sutton and Mablethorpe was not great and the company decided to build a railway to fill the gap; that opened in 1888. This had the effect that the holiday trains nearly all approached Mablethorpe by running through (and calling at) Sutton.
The Sutton and Willoughby company was absorbed by the Great Northern Railway in 1902, followed by the Louth and East Coast Railway in 1908.
Louth to Bardney Line.
The Louth to Bardney line was planned to run to Five Mile House, near Lincoln, and provide a through run between Lincoln and Grimsby, also connecting (as yet unproven) ironstone resources. The line was cut back for lack of money, and opened to Bardney in stages between 1874 and 1882. The hoped-for through trunk traffic did not appear, and the ironstone was available in small quantities only. The line remained a penniless local line. It was reluctantly purchased by the Great Northern Railway in 1883.It closed to passengers in 1951, and completely in 1960.
Kirkstead and Little Steeping Railway.
As holiday traffic to East Coast resorts became dominant, the roundabout route from the Midlands and Northern population centres to Skegness via Boston (reversing direction there) became increasingly an irritation. In 1911 the GNR decided to build the New Line, between junctions east of Kirkstead and west of Little Steeping. The line was 15 miles long, and it opened in 1913. Much of the holiday traffic was diverted over it; its local traffic was modest, and confined to agricultural business.
Railmotors.
The long and thinly populated tract of the East Lincolnshire Line led the directors to consider how passenger operation might be made cheaper. In the early years of the twentieth century, a number of railway companies experimented with railmotors. These were self-contained passenger coaches which had a small integrated steam locomotive. Central retractable steps enabled passengers to board and alight from simple platforms at ground level. In 1905, such a service was started between Louth and Grimsby, and a number of new halts were opened: (, , , , and ).
The railmotors had mixed success; their limited passenger capacity led to problems at busy times; and they were incapable of hauling a tail load of any great weight.
Commercial results.
The East Lincolnshire Railway company had promoted the construction of the line to connect Grimsby to Boston. It was fortuitous that the Great Northern Railway built an important route through Boston, giving useful connectivity to the East Lincolnshire Line, as it became. Nevertheless the intervening terrain was largely rural and very thinly populated. Trunk passenger travel from Grimsby to London was not enough to sustain the line. The development of Skegness, Mablethorpe and Sutton on Sea brought a huge and unforeseen volume of traffic to the relevant parts of the line, and indeed at the peaks overwhelmed the capacity of terminals to handle the traffic.
When passenger and goods transport by road became practicable and convenient in the 1920s and after, the use of the line gradually declined accordingly, and there was a possibility in the early 1960s that the whole network, including the Skegness branch, might close. Protests had an effect, but only a delaying effect in general.
Closure.
The line was recommended for partial closure in the 1963 Beeching Report as it was not felt to be economically viable. The closure went through two public enquiries before being approved at the end of the decade. The final decision was to retain services between Boston and Skegness, and retain the remainder of the line for freight. The passenger service throughout the East Lincolnshire Line and all branches was closed on 5 October 1970, with the exception of Boston - Skegness. A special train ran that evening, with 1,000 spectators at Louth station.
Skegness was to continue to be served by train from Boston via the 1881 curve at Firsby. All the stations on the original East Lincolnshire Line closed, but the Skegness trains traversed the line from the site of the former junction at Boston to Firsby South, and then over the Skegness branch. In addition the section from Grimsby to Louth remained in use for goods trains to Associated British Maltsters at Louth, but this ceased in December 1980. The line was offered to the Grimsby to Louth Preservation Society to run as a heritage railway, but they could not afford the £400,000 required. A special passenger train ran over the line before it was lifted.
Restoring Your Railway.
In March 2021, two bids were submitted to restore the line from Louth to Firsby and the line from Mablethorpe to Firsby as part of the third round of the Restoring Your Railway fund.
Preservation group.
The Lincolnshire Wolds Railway now operates a heritage railway system. It owns the five miles of trackbed from its present terminus at Ludborough to the Fairfield Industrial Estate at Louth, where a substantial site for a new station has been set aside.
References.
Citations
Sources


Chumhill rail accident

The Chumhill railway accident occurred 26 February 1913 in England, killing two. The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway maintained an exemplary safety record throughout its short existence, from 1898 to 1935, and no passengers or members of the public were ever killed or injured.
Overview.
There were, however, two accidents resulting in fatalities to railway employees. The other was at Braunton Road.
On 26 February 1913, four men of the Chelfham Bratton track gang were travelling in wagon No. 10 - a 4-ton open. They were in possession of the token and the wagon contained leaves and debris collected from trackside cesses. Whilst running down the 1 in 50 gradient from Bratton Fleming to Chelfham, the speed increased and the vehicle's brakes were unable to control the descent. Upon reaching a sharp reverse curve by bridge 25, the wagon left the track, coming to rest at the foot of the bank.
George Barrow was killed outright and William Welch died a few days later on 2 March. They were both buried in Bratton Fleming churchyard. The two men who survived, Foreman Ganger George Dymond and F. Dinnicombe, attributed the accident to wet leaves on the line.
The wagon was recovered, repaired and returned to service, with the replacement planks left unpainted for some time after the accident.


Forest of Dean Railway

The Forest of Dean Railway was a railway company operating in Gloucestershire, England. It was formed in 1826 when the moribund Bullo Pill Railway and a connected private railway failed, and they were purchased by the new company. At this stage it was a horse-drawn plateway, charging a toll for private hauliers to use it with horse traction. The traffic was chiefly minerals from the Forest of Dean, in the Whimsey and Churchway areas, near modern-day Cinderford, for onward conveyance from Bullo Pill at first, and later by the Great Western Railway.
When the South Wales Railway was proposed in 1844, the FODR was awarded £15,000 to modernise its line and make a broad gauge edge railway in connection; the FODR was slow to implement this and in 1849 the South Wales Railway purchased the FODR outright, making it a branch of its own network. The line was steeply graded and difficult to work, and it was often congested due to heavy traffic.
In 1907 passenger traffic was instituted using railmotors, a low-cost means of carrying light passenger traffic, and for some time this was very successful. Trains ran from Whimsey, later extended northward to Drybridge on a contiguous line built by the GWR. Newnham was the main line junction station, although some branch trains ran through to Gloucester. As motor bus services became dominant, the passenger services became unprofitable and they were withdrawn in 1958. The network was closed completely in 1967 as mineral traffic ceased.
First proposals for a tramroad.
The Forest of Dean Coalfield had long been a source of mineral working, for iron ore and coal. Free Miners had statutory rights in the Forest, which protected them from external competition. However this limited the extent to which large scale operations could be undertaken. A number of short tramways were built in the Forest, but the road network was extremely difficult and transportation of mineral products to market was expensive and uncompetitive. Timber in the Forest was used for the construction of ships for the Royal Navy, and Crown Commissioners protected the forestry in a way that also impeded industrialisation of the mining.
The first railways—in fact plateways—in the Forest of Dean were designed to connect the rivers Severn and Wye, and it was not until 1806 that a serious proposal came forward to take minerals down the eastern area, southward along the Cinderford valley. That idea failed to progress, but the promoters together took land leases and announced that they would build a railway despite the setback. Work began on the line northward from Bullo Pill; no Parliamentary authority was needed as the land had been acquired.
The Bullo Pill Railway Company.
Towards the end of 1808 a further bill was prepared to authorise a public railway or tramroad from the summit of the hill above Churchway Engine (north-west of present-day Cinderford) to Cinderford Bridge. This became the "Bullo Pill Railway", which was incorporated on 10 June 1809. There were several short branches serving mineral workings.
On 20 September 1809 a press report announced "the tunnel is completed through Hay-Hill to the Forest of Dean, which is connected with the River Severn, and a channel thus established, by which the valuable productions of the Forest may be brought to market with a feasibility hitherto unknown." The Haie tunnel, at 1,100 yards in length, was one of the earliest to be driven for a railway.
The Bullo Pill Railway was probably completed soon afterwards. The track was of the L-plate form in which plain wagons wheels could run, guided by the upstand of the L. There are uncertainties about the gauge, but four feet measured between the outer faces of the vertical flanges, is generally assumed.
The Whimsey branch was built about 1823, and Whimsey later became an important focal point for private tramroads running northwards.
The Forest of Dean Railway takes control.
By 1826 the Bullo Pill Railway was almost at a standstill and Edward Protheroe, a prominent coal-owner in the Parkend area and chairman of the S&WR, purchased the whole concern, including the Great Bilson colliery, selling the railway to a new company he formed, the "Forest of Dean Railway" Company, of which he was the chairman. An Act was obtained on 5 May 1826 authorising the new company to purchase and maintain both the Bullo Pill Railway and the private line, and to make the latter public. The eighteen subscribers included Edward and three other Protheroes, and the capital was £125,000 in £50 shares. The maximum tolls were maintained over the BPR section, and tolls were laid down for the private section.
The line was in a poor state when the FODR company was formed in 1826, and it was probably then that a chaired form of track was introduced. The chairs weighed 11 lb; they had two bosses fitted into holes in the sleeper blocks, and a dovetail form seat, into which the plate was keyed with an iron wedge. These plates were still 3 feet long, and weighed about 50 lb.
In April 1833 the mild winter was blamed for a reduced demand for house coal which led to a low dividend of 13s per share. In July 1835 the shares (nominally £50) were quoted at £27, but a dividend of 13s per share was again paid. Four months later the figures were £28 and 15s respectively. By October 1837 trade was improving, and 19s per share was paid for the half year. In April 1838 a fall in trade produced a 17s dividend, but in the following year the directors noted with satisfaction how the Dean Forest (Mines) Act 1838 had stimulated mining and trading activity in the district, and in 1839 and 1840 the dividend was up to about 5%.
In October 1834 William Allaway asked the board for permission to use a locomotive on the tramroad. He enquired as to "the weight that six wheels would be allowed to carry", and he probably had in mind the six-coupled engines then being used on the Sirhowy Railway. He was told that the tramroad was not constructed for such engines, and that no "plans or proportions" had been submitted which would indicate what alterations might be necessary.
Proposed duplication of the route.
By 1836 the lack of a double line, and stoppages at the tunnel, were causing frequent complaints. A sub-committee was appointed and reported in October 1837 that growth in traffic would soon necessitate new provision, in particular for coastwise trade to the west. They suggested a railway from Cinderford Bridge to a new harbour at Brimspill, or Purton, and it was agreed that the chairman should write to Robert Stephenson, asking him to send a surveyor to prepare plans, "on the understanding that the chief superintendence of the undertaking will be entrusted to him, Mr Stephenson".
His report was read to the board on 12 April 1838. He stated that Brimspill was the natural outlet for that portion of the Forest. The new branch was to be 5 miles 68 chains long, and he estimated that the cost, including locomotives, other power and a stock of wagons, would be £40,000. The Crown authorities had approved the line, and it was hoped that iron, iron ore, and coal would be exported from the new harbour, while Bullo harbour would be retained for the existing trade. Stephenson's bill for the survey was £267 8s.
A Bill was introduced into Parliament for the new line from Cinderford Bridge, passing through two tunnels, and touching the village of Blakeney on the way to Brimspill. However the Bill was thrown out for failing to comply with standing orders; some buildings had been omitted from the plans and there was a discrepancy in the datum levels. The chairman, Protheroe, immediately wrote to Stephenson, but he was abroad and George Parker Bidder replied. Bidder could only plead the difficulty of complying with the new and complicated standing orders, and dismissed a 12 feet inaccuracy in a level as "purely clerical ... not significant". The company decided to re-apply for an Act, but the idea was overtaken by the idea of main line railways in the area.
The South Wales Railway.
The South Wales Railway was proposed in 1844, encouraged by the Great Western Railway; it was to run from Standish, south-east of Gloucester, to South Wales. There would have been a bridge across the Severn at Fretherne. However it was argued by opponents that this would impede shipping intending to reach Bullo Pill, and to avoid the opposition the promoters of the South Wales Railway agreed to purchase the Forest of Dean Railway for £30,000 and improve it, providing a new branch line to the Severn at Brimspill.
In the event, for unconnected reasons the South Wales Railway Act of 1845 authorised only the section westward from Chepstow, and the crossing of the Severn was omitted. Nevertheless, the South Wales Railway proprietors confirmed on 31 October 1845 the agreement for conditional purchase of the Forest of Dean Railway, the chairman stating that the cost would be £101,000.
The South Wales Railway introduced another Bill in 1847, seeking powers to convert the Forest of Dean Railway line to a broad gauge railway, but this was opposed by the Severn and Wye Railway on the grounds that the different gauge would prevent the interchange of traffic at Churchway. Daniel Gooch, for the SWR, agreed that they could preserve the tramroad down to Findall Mine level, near the tunnel, to meet S&WR objections to a break of gauge at Churchway. The South Wales Railway Act was passed on 2 July 1847, and the SWR was authorised to rent or purchase the FODR and to divert, widen and improve it, constructing a locomotive railway. The branch to Bullo Pill was to pass under the South Wales line, permitting direct traffic to the docks, with a spur to the main line.
Acquisition of the Forest of Dean Railway.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, as engineer of the South Wales Railway, was not satisfied with the proposed conversion because of the steep gradients involved and the uncertainty as to whether the line might continue to be worked by horses. The South Wales Railway had priorities elsewhere, and the purchase and conversion by them was left in abeyance. The FODR meanwhile, with the promise of their concern being purchased, suspended any expenditure on maintenance or repairs.
This enabled the FODR to enhance its profits: in 1848 the FODR paid a dividend of 8%, but in September 1849 Brunel reported an interview with local traders, who "feared the trade would be seriously inconvenienced if not actually stopped, unless arrangements were made to keep the line in repair". The South Wales Railway board then authorised its solicitors to guarantee the average cost of one month's repair of the FODR. The following month it was reported that a bill had been filed by the FODR to enforce performance of the agreement, and the South Wales Railway thereupon requested Brunel to negotiate some arrangement with the FODR. On 7 November 1849 the South Wales Railway agreed to purchase the FODR for £90,000, to be paid on 27 January 1853. The South Wales Railway was considered to be in possession from 27 July 1849.
The South Wales Railway New Works Act was dated 3 July 1851, and it authorised the construction of a single-line broad-gauge locomotive railway from Churchway Engine and Whimsey to the main line (using parts of the tramroad), and a new wharves branch at Bullo; this was in substitution for the 1847 Act. The South Wales Railway opened its line from near Gloucester to a temporary station at Chepstow East on 19 September 1851.
Brunel reported on 25 February 1852 that the contract for the enlargement of the FODR tunnel and the construction of another through Blakeney Hill, was to be let during the month. The final meeting of the FODR Company took place in London on Friday 10 September 1852. In February 1853 the conversion work was going ahead, but the enlargement of the tunnel was proving difficult, especially as the heavy winter coal traffic on the line had to be maintained during the work.
By February 1854 the operation of enlarging the old tunnel had been completed. The railway to Churchway and Whimsey, with the dock branch, was opened for coal traffic on Monday 24 July 1854, as a broad gauge branch of the South Wales Railway. The work had cost £120,000; the line was 7 miles 20 chains long, and the Bullo dock branch was 53 chains long. For some time to come Whimsey was regarded as the centre of the traffic activity on the line; Cinderford as a community had not yet developed significantly.
Operation as a broad gauge railway.
The broad-gauge railway was primarily intended to take the products of the Forest out of the district, but there was a large traffic between the works (principally iron-ore from the Parkend district, and coal from Wimberry, to the eastern furnaces) and several of the pits had only tramroad connections. The S&WR board agreed on 26 May 1854 to keep the tramroad open from the junction with the Lightmoor branch to Churchway and Whimsey "for the present", and the east–west traffic continued on the tramroad throughout until an interchange wharf was put in at Churchway. There loaded tram wagons were placed on broad-gauge flat wagons by turntable, for onward transit to Cinderford ironworks.
The steep gradients and the large number of sidings made operation of the former FODR network unusually difficult. The ruling gradient on the main stem was 1 in 48 near Upper Soudley, and 1 in 41 on the Churchway branch.
A former station master at Bullo Pill recounted the operations:
The single engine stationed at the junction did all the branch work and shunting and, north of Bilson, its duties included taking three empty wagons to Nelson colliery and collecting three laden ones, fetching wire from Churchway (whence it had been brought by tramroad from Lydbrook works), and carrying Edge Hill iron-ore from Whimsey (for Dowlais works). Coal traffic, averaging 40 wagons daily, was generally taken down to Bullo sidings in the afternoon, and on to Swindon next morning by two trains. Some 30 trucks of pig-iron, from Cinderford and Soudley, were brought down in the morning. No brake vans were used, and the three guards in charge of the trains rode on the tops of the wagons. The opening of Trafalgar, Foxes Bridge, East Slade and Stapledge collieries led to a down-going traffic of nearly 100 wagons.
The account recalls an instance when, a train of 99 wagons having been made up at Bilson, the yard was vainly searched for one more, and the guard had to leave with only ‘99 on’, to his great disappointment. This gross overloading led to an event in the autumn of 1863, when a train of 70 wagons broke in two near Shakemantle. On discovering the shortage, the driver stopped below Shakemantle siding, whereupon the 30 truant wagons ran into the train, creating a confusion of wreckage which took five days to clear. It also led to the limiting of trains to 45 wagons and the employment of a third locomotive, so that four trains a day could be worked down. Traffic continued to increase, and on most days a wire had to be sent to Gloucester for two special engines to clear Bullo yard. Occasionally, a train would take wagons to Grange Court, the guard riding on the last truck carrying a red flag and a supply of detonators. Later, broad-gauge trains were despatched in the evening to Salisbury via Swindon, avoiding the wait through the night at Bullo.
In 1867 traffic was worked by train staff and ticket, on weekdays only (always the practice), with a guard to every 15 wagons. Four locomotives were based at Bullo Pill and were respectively referred to as the Bullo Yard engine (which worked the docks branch), the Branch engine (which worked up to Bilson), the Forest engine (which worked north of Bilson, and returned to Bullo with the last train), and the spare engine.
Public goods stations were originally provided at Ruspidge and Whimsey, the former being called "Cinderford", from the settlement around Cinderford Bridge. A GWR circular of 26 November 1884 stated "It has been arranged to open the new goods station for Cinderford, which is situated at the Whimsey sidings on the Forest of Dean branch, on the 1st December and to call it 'Cinderford' instead of Whimsey. On and from the same date the present Cinderford station will be called 'Ruspidge'."
A public goods station was opened at Bilson in August 1862. In 1867 the Forest engine worked three trips for coal from Churchway and one ore trip from Whimsey, to Bilson. The branch engine worked seven trips down to Bullo Pill Jen, one a pick-up goods; there was also a short working down to Quidchurch to fetch ore back to Bilson, and a late trip if required leaving Bilson at 6.0 p.m. There were balancing workings, including two pick-ups which called at the various sidings as required; the journey time for a through train down from Bilson was usually 20 minutes (25 in the opposite direction), while the pick-ups were allowed one hour in each direction.
E Fletcher, the local traffic superintendent, stated in 1869 that about 1,500 tons passed down the branch daily, beginning early in the morning, but work ceased early in the afternoon "for want of sufficient traffic". He also mentioned that some of the collieries served—Churchway, Quidchurch, Spero, Bilson, Prospect, Winnings, Cinderford Bridge, Woodside and Paragon—had ceased work after the broad gauge line had been completed.
Conversion to standard gauge.
The Great Western Railway, as successor to the South Wales Railway from 1863, converted the gauge of the South Wales Railway line during the weekend of 11 and 12 May 1872. The former FODR line was converted at the same time.
On 15 September 1873 the triangular junction with the S&WR at Bilson Junction was opened for traffic. Brain's Tramway crossed both S&WR and GWR lines at the same point and the GWR erected a disc-and-crossbar signal which became famous as the last survivor of its type.
Operation in 1895.
In 1895, the FODR main line was worked by train staff and ticket, supplemented by telegraph, in two sections, Bullo to Ruspidge and Ruspidge to Bilson. Due to the steep gradient, up trains were limited to 40 loaded wagons by day, 30 by night, reduced in bad weather, and had to stop at Ruspidge for pinning down of wagon brakes. They had to be drawn down the bank at not more than 10 mph, and no train of more than 20 wagons (or 25 with two engines) was to leave Ruspidge for Bullo unless the line was signalled clear all the way through, which could not be done within 25 minutes of any up passenger train being due on the main line.
The Churchway branch was worked by the Bilson shunting engine, as was the Whimsey branch, which at that time extended to Speedwell siding.
In the 1895 regulations, it was explained that at the level crossing with the Lightmoor colliery line, signals were provided for both lines, but the signalman had no communication along the line, and the crossing signals were not interlocked. "Mr Crawshay’s Engine Driver" was to maintain only such a speed as will enable him to pull up with certainty clear of the crossing, and every instance of his failing to do this must be reported by the signalman.
Whimsey.
When the broad gauge railway was completed and opened in 1854, Whimsey was one of the two northernmost points, the other being Churchway. The line terminated alongside Whimsey Colliery; however, this appears to have closed soon afterwards and it seems that most of the railway traffic originating here in the early days came from elsewhere. The original FODR tramroad from Bullo Pill had also terminated at Whimsey until it was extended by private tramroads to Nailbridge in 1834, and to Westbury Brook Iron Mine in 1842.
A northward extension from Whimsey to Speedwell siding was opened for mineral traffic in July 1885.
Cinderford.
The Severn and Wye Railway only reached a Cinderford station that was some distance from the settlement itself, and for many years this was a source of complaint. On 2 July 1900 an extension was at last made to a new Cinderford station, but no connection was made with the FODR line until 6 April 1908, when a 31-chain loop was brought into use, from Bilson Junction to Cinderford Junction; the disparity of levels was such that the connection rose towards Cinderford at 1 in 51. The GWR had asked for the junction in July 1907, offering to contribute to the cost of the station, and its expenses, in the ratio that GWR trains bore to the total number using it, two GWR "motor-car" units to be equivalent to one conventional S&WR train. The loop was authorised by the Great Western Railway (General Powers) Act of 16 August 1909, and was used for many years by passenger trains only.
The Cinderford station was constructed on a lavish scale, and experience showed that its running cost was more than the income from the station supported. As early as May 1927 the station signal box at Cinderford (S&WR) was taken out of use, and in 1929 the S&WR passenger trains were withdrawn. A limited S&WR goods service continued until 25 July 1949, and the track was severed in 1951. In 1958, the FODR auto-trains were discontinued, and the station was closed to local parcels traffic as from 1 November 1962, although it remained in use for goods traffic.
The opening of Northern United colliery in 1935 produced new instructions for working the Churchway section. Loaded trains were limited to 40 ten-ton wagons or equivalent (soon amended to 35) throughout down to Bullo, while upgoing empties were limited to 23 as far as Bilson, and 15 on the Churchway branch. They were to be propelled up to the colliery from Bilson, with a brake van leading, the open end at the head, and the guard warning anyone on the line by means of a horn.
Passenger traffic.
The Bullo Pill Railway and its successor, the Forest of Dean Railway, were never seriously planned for passenger operation, although the possibility had been mentioned more than once.
By 1904 motor bus services in country districts began to be a real cause of competition for the railway. The GWR was seeking methods of catering economically for light passenger traffic, using steam railcars. These consisted of a passenger coach into which was built a four-wheeled steam locomotive, duplicate driving controls being provided at the opposite end from the locomotive. The very limited power of the small traction unit was always an issue, and on the steeply graded Forest of Dean Railway section it proved impracticable. Instead higher capacity units known as auto-trains, consisting of a tank locomotive coupled to one or two coaches were used. The coach remote from the locomotive had driving controls and a mechanical linkage enabled the driver to operate the locomotive regulator. Some configurations marshalled an intermediate trailer between the driving trailer and the locomotive, and in the extreme this could be done both ends of the locomotive, giving four passenger coaches.
On 1 November 1906, £14,956 was authorised for the "adaption of mineral lines in the Forest of Dean for passenger traffic". Work proceeded quickly with the construction of halts at Bullo Cross, Upper Soudley, Staple Edge, Bilson, Whimsey and Steam Mills.
The service was instituted on 3 August 1907, from Newnham to Steam Mills Crossing, with the intention of extending it to Drybrook, and to Cinderford (S&WJR). Five services were operated on weekdays, taking 29 minutes down to Newnham and 30 minutes on return. A short run was made from Bilson to Steam Mills and back early in the morning, and on Saturday there was a late evening service from Newnham to Whimsey. Halts were provided at Ruddle Road (on the main line), Bullo Cross, Upper Soudley, Staple Edge, Ruspidge, Bilson (Cinderford), Whimsey, and Steam Mills, and in the first six weeks’ working 20,824 passengers were conveyed, including 3,319 on August Bank Holiday. The patronage was far beyond the expectation of the promoters.
On 4 November 1907 the service was extended to Drybrook halt via Nailbridge halt, the basic service being six journeys each way, with extra short runs from Bilson to Drybrook, and Drybrook to Whimsey. On 6 April 1908 the Cinderford Loop was opened and the trains were extended to Cinderford station, from where they reversed back to Bilson Junction signal box before completing their journey. In November the platforms at Bullo Cross, Upper Soudley, Staple Edge, Nailbridge and Drybrook were raised from 1 ft 2 in. to 3 ft in height.
Workmen's cars were introduced on 4 January 1909 to convey colliers between Drybrook and Whimsey and Bilson halts, but notices dated July 1909 and subsequently make no reference to the Bilson halt which had, in fact, been closed from 6 April 1908. In June 1910, five hundred men from Lightmoor Colliery travelled to Blackpool (via Grange Court, Hereford, Crewe, Manchester and Wigan). Bilson was re-opened from 2 April 1917 and closed again from 1 October 1920, but unadvertised use was made of it in later years and it appeared in official timetable alterations in March 1930. It was finally removed in 1944. Ruddle Road halt, although on the main line a little south of Newnham, was served only by the branch trains. It was closed on 29 April 1917, due to disappointing patronage.
On 28 September 1910 the Board of Trade belatedly authorised the use of the branch for passenger traffic by means of "motor cars", also for excursion trains run between Cinderford and the main line, provided these did not call at the halts. By 1913 certain trains were running to and from Gloucester, and one had been extended to Grange Court, a pattern which was continued throughout the service, with Newnham bay platform becoming used less as more trains were extended to Gloucester.
The service between Cinderford and Drybrook was withdrawn from 7 July 1930, the last trip being on Saturday 5 July, whilst in December 1932 a Saturdays-only evening train from Cinderford to Gloucester was worked without a guard as an economy measure. The method of working in 1952 was thus: the auto set left Lydney at 7.20 a.m. for Grange Court, running thence to Cinderford (arrive 8.45) and leaving for Gloucester at 9.0 (arrive 9.43). The auto made two further trips to Cinderford and back, and on Saturdays only there were two evening trips each way between Cinderford and Gloucester, and an afternoon short working between Cinderford and Newnham only, connecting there with main-line trains. The stock was worked back to Lydney during the week as the 5.30 p.m. auto from Gloucester, but as empty stock on Saturday. The passenger service was withdrawn on and from 3 November 1958; the last run was on Saturday 1 November 1958.
No normal passenger trains were ever operated (apart from occasional excursions), and the auto-trains handled all the traffic.
After 1918.
By the late 1920s the sheer volume of traffic in the movement of coal, and the corresponding flow of empty wagons, had created serious problems on the branch once again, this time complicated by the passenger service. Eastern United Colliery was in a fairly cramped position and had limited siding space, which required regular clearance, especially during the winter when the colliery was at full output. During the summer there was the problem of loaded wagons of coal awaiting orders. With such limited siding space, the colliery could not hold them and the GWR soon filled any available siding accommodation to capacity.
The output from both Eastern and Northern United Collieries kept the Forest of Dean branch very busy, but the somewhat restricted accommodation at Bullo Junction was critical. About 1932, additional loops were provided, but at the same time it was proposed to demolish the engine shed, extend the siding through it and extend the adjoining siding to provide accommodation for a further fifty wagons.
Despite the problems in coping with the output of the two new collieries at Eastern and Northern United, other traffic was in decline. Passengers were increasingly attracted to the more convenient motor bus services, and other collieries and industries were dwindling. Ruddle Road Halt had been closed on 29 April 1917 and Bilson Halt was closed again from 1 October 1920 although it reappeared in later timetables. The rest of the decade saw further economies in the face of increasing competition from motor buses in the Forest. On 17 May 1927 Cinderford signal box was closed, the signals taken out of use, and the line from Cinderford Junction to the terminus was worked on the one engine in steam principle.
Closure.
Drybrook Quarries were closed and the branch from Whimsey ceased to function in February 1953. The section from Churchway sidings, back to Bilson, closed on 28 December 1965, and the rest of the line, back to Bullo Pill, closed to freight on 3 August 1967. The Bullo Pill Docks line closed on 12 August 1963.
Topography.
Main line.
Leaving the South Wales line at Bullo Pill West box (considered to be the zero point for mileages), and crossing the main road, Bullo Cross halt (32 chains) was on the down side, after which the line climbed to Hay Hill tunnel (1,064 yards). Less than 300 yards separated Soudley tunnel from Bradley Hill tunnel (299 yd) and beyond, on the up side, was a gated spur, Soudley siding, serving a small wharf by the road. Upper Soudley halt (2 m 17 ch) was on the up side. The line made a sharp turn northward at Scilly Point, and an early siding of that name served Findall iron-mine. Blue Rock tunnel (109 yards) followed, after which came Shakemantle siding, established by 1856 on the up side. This served the iron mine, and later the great limestone and dolomite quarries. The quarries had no road access as late as 1936, but for some years the siding, still partly laid with old broad-gauge bridge rail, was derelict.
At the northern Shakemantle connection a short siding on the down side, Quidchurch, served a wharf on which a tramway incline (probably rope-worked) from Quidchurch colliery terminated. Another curve, under a road bridge, brought the line to Eastern United colliery, near the site of Staple Edge brickworks, themselves served by sidings existing in 1856. The colliery sidings diverged from the passing loop, on the up side of which was Staple Edge halt (3 m 26 ch). The loop was opened on 14 December 1913 to serve the new colliery. Later, two sidings were added on the up side, for additional wagon storage, but they were probably never used and they were later removed. A small siding at Meerbrook was laid by 1878, on the down side, serving a tramroad spur from Staple Edge quarry.
At Cinderford Bridge the Speech House road was crossed on the level, with Ruspidge Halt (4 m 5 ch) immediately beyond on the down side. On the up side a single siding served the old goods shed. In 1925 an existing disused siding was extended to form a loop leading to two new sidings for obtaining ballast from the ironworks slag-tip. The replacement was lifted in 1939 but, long before, a short branch, built with the broad-gauge line but lifted after a few years, crossed the brook by a 3-arch stone bridge to Cinderford Bridge colliery.
Passing Cinderford ironworks site on the up side, there was Bilson Ballast siding, used as a runaway siding in 1895, the points for it being set by hand, unless a train was passing. Beyond this was the Lightmoor Colliery Railway ironworks branch and, adjacent on the up side, was Bilson halt. The colliery railway on the down side, with a loop siding, ran under Letcher's Bridge which, until 1929, carried the Crump Meadow tramroad. Bilson Yard (4 m 74 ch) had three long tracks giving access to the Churchway branch, with a separate line on the up side, which divided to form the Whimsey and Cinderford station branches.
There were other sidings for the Crump Meadow and Foxes Bridge collieries, the goods shed, and the Trafalgar colliery tramway, together with a spur off the Cinderford line, used as a rail- motor lay-by.
The Whimsey branch.
The Cinderford line followed a sharp curve, past the site of Cinderford Junction (5 m 27 ch), to Cinderford station, formerly S&WR property. The Whimsey branch passed under the S&WR line, by the site of the Dam Pool, a relic of Cinderford ironworks; adjacent, on the up side, was a broad-gauge siding, probably called Spero.
On the down side again Broadmoor brickworks and Duck colliery (5 m 40 ch) were served by sidings until post-war years, and beyond was Whimsey Halt, opposite which, on the up side, was a short-lived broad gauge branch to Regulator Colliery. Whimsey goods station (5 m 60 ch), renamed Cinderford Goods in 1884, was on the up side. Behind it was a large sawmill, once served by a siding, and Berry, Wiggins & Co.'s depot, established in 1949 for transferring bitumen from rail tanks to road tankers. On the down side was Dowlais siding, with the wharf on which the tramroad from Edge Hill terminated.
Whimsey was the terminus of the branch from 1854 until the Mitcheldean Road line was built. The Mitcheldean Road and Forest of Dean Railway was authorised but ran out of money before completing construction, and it was acquired by the GWR. The GWR completed the construction but left it unused for some years, after which they opened the section from Whimsey to Speedwell sidings (6 m 63 ch) in July 1885. The extension to Drybridge followed in 1907 - 1908 on the introduction of passenger railmotors.
The continuation of the line was therefore a GWR construction, in adoption of the Mitcheldean Road and Forest of Dean Railway route. Steam Mills halt was on the up side beyond a level crossing, after which came a shallow embankment, a bridge across the tramroad, an unusual joint bridge taking the Trafalgar tramway and the railway under a road, a skew girder bridge across the tramway, and Nailbridge halt (up side). Immediately beyond the halt was a bridge carrying the Drybrook road, followed by Speedwell siding, a loop to the running line, serving the Speedwell Newbridge level. Though officially closed in 1897, activity continued thereafter and the siding connections were not finally taken out of use until 6 January 1938.
From Bilson Junction to Churchway.
The FODR line continued northward to Churchway: the New Bowson Deep Coal Company had a siding, licensed in 1868, but this fell out of use and in 1925 Bowson N & S ground frames were opened, traffic being taken up to Churchway for running round, before continuing to Bilson.
Brickworks siding, on the up side, was put in to serve the small Hawkwell tinplate works, established in 1879 in connection with the existing Hawkwell colliery. In 1937 Brickworks siding (5 m 67 ch) was brought into use. The Northern United colliery was opened in 1935, when two ground frames were brought into use on the up side, one near Brickworks siding controlling outwards traffic and the other, nearer the branch terminus, controlling inwards empties. The private sidings, gravity-worked, covered part of the Hawkwell railway route, and further on crossed the site of East Slade colliery sidings which existed in 1856 but fell out of use, with the colliery, in about 1905. The terminus of the Churchway branch was a short loop; a private siding, long out of use, served the Nelson colliery and brickyard.


York junction


Gilgarran Branch

The Gilgarran Branch (occasionally referred to as the Gilgarron Branch) was a single track railway line connecting four separate railway companies in the former county of Cumberland, now part of Cumbria, England.
Origins.
The original Gilgarran Branch was authorised by Act of Parliament on 2 August 1875 to run from a junction near westwards to Gilgarran No 2 Colliery. Extensions were authorised on 27 June 1876, before the original branch opened, to what would become and down the valley of the Lowca Beck to the coast at . The line as a whole became known as the Gilgarran Branch.
The line was proposed by the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway (WCER), but by the time it opened in 1879 the company had been bought out by the LNW and Furness Railways who operated its routes as the "LNWR & FR Joint Railway", known locally as "The Joint Lines".
The WCER was commercially successful, paying a significant dividend throughout its existence, but arguably it overplayed its hand, increasing its rates on its near-monopolistic core mineral traffic in the 1870s so much that local Ironmasters decided to dig deep in their pockets and create a new competitor, in the form of the Cleator and Workington Junction Railway.
The Gilgarran Branch was one of a series of defensive measures aimed to stymie the new company.
Construction and connections.
The branch was built westwards from the Joint Line's to line at Ullock Junction , a remote, upland spot with no road access. This first , gently graded section as far as opened in 1879 and served Wythemoor Colliery and the then recently opened Distington Ironworks.
At Distington the branch both met and crossed the rival CWJR's main line which also opened in 1879. The layout resulted in Distington station having five platform faces, which would turn out to be an immense overprovision.
The branch's second stage curved sharply southwestwards immediately north of the station, following Lowca Beck for downhill at an average gradient of 1 in 53 until it joined the goods lines near on the Cumbrian Coast Line. This section opened in 1881 and included at a junction known as "Bain's Siding" with a mineral line to Harrington No 10 Colliery on the clifftops at Lowca, in effect making a junction with the Lowca Light Railway.
Passenger services.
No passenger service ever operated on Sundays on any part of the branch.
No passenger service ever operated on the Ullock Junction to Distington section.
Public passenger services were provided over two periods between Distington and , using the branch northeastwards from Parton. Two trains a day ran in both directions from this section's opening in 1881, but they were withdrawn in 1883 through lack of custom. The service was reinstated from autumn 1913 (sources disagree whether from October or from November), running on Thursdays (one round trip) and Saturdays (two round trips) only, being withdrawn again at the end of August 1914 at the outbreak of the First World War.
Demand for services to a station serving Lowca from Whitehaven was remedied from 11 January 1915 by opening near the foot of the branch, from which workers could climb a steep track to their workplaces. A three-times-a-day, unadvertised, workmen's service was provided until buses provided a more attractive service by 1929, when it was withdrawn.
A second workmen's halt was provided on the western section of the branch around the time of the Second World War, known as . Research continues on details of location, dates and services.
Freight services.
As with almost all railways in the area, the dominant traffic was freight in general and minerals in particular. In this regard parts of the Gilgarron Branch were first and last out.
The branch's first customer was Wythemoor Colliery, east of Distington. It closed in 1886, a mere seven years after the branch opened, due to "incompetent management". The colliery reopened in 1904 and wound coal until the 1920s, but the branch eastwards to Ullock Junction from the junction with the colliery siding closed in 1919, all coal heading westwards thereafter. The second customer was Distington Ironworks which ceased production in 1922, overtaken by technological progress in steelmaking. In 1888, for example, just one train a day ran out and back from Ullock Junction to Distington Ironworks, one train a day ran out and back from Parton to Bain's Siding and one train a day ran out and back from the coast to Distington Ironworks, meagre fare for the investment in infrastructure. Perhaps worse, commercially, was that the bulk of traffic to and from Distington Ironworks travelled on the rival CWJR, with only a meagre amount of pig iron travelling down the western part of the branch through Parton to Whitehaven.
The First World War brought extra demand for iron, steel and coal and threw the branch a lifeline. The April 1917 Working Time Table shows three Up mineral trains travelling the first eastwards from Parton Junction to Workington Iron & Steel Co's No 4 Pit and two travelling beyond to Distington Ironworks, with an extra on Saturdays, all matched by Down trains.
The line eastwards from Distington Ironworks closed after Wythemoor Pit closed, followed on 2 May 1932 by the section from Distington to Bain's Siding. This left two sections of the branch with rails in place:
The former was to gain an unexpected and as yet undocumented railway life during the Second World War when the High Duty Alloys company was established on the ironworks site, making a wide range of materials, including Hiduminium for war use, such as in aircraft parts. After the war, however, the rail traffic generated for the branch or the CWJR main line was described by an ex-employee as "negligible".
In the early 1960s occasional scrap wagons were loaded at the former Gilgarran Branch Down platform which was being used as a scrapyard by Hanratty's of Workington.
All tracks at Distington were finally closed on 26 September 1965 and subsequently lifted.
The most westerly end of the branch, from Parton to Bain's Siding led a charmed life, outliving not only the rest of the branch but almost all other Joint Lines' and CWJR lines. It survived until May 1973 as it was used to deliver coal from Solway Colliery, Workington, to the washery and bi-product plants at Lowca, the remains of the Lowca Light Railway (LLR) along the clifftops being used to take the finished products away northwards to Moss Bay. The coal was worked southwards from Solway to Parton sidings along the coast line then reversed up the remains of the Gilgarran Branch, past the site of Parton Halt, to Bain's Siding. The points were reset and the train pulled forward up the valley side to Lowca. This zig-zag met the need to climb from sea level which the LLR achieved by extreme gradients.
Lowca's most widely renowned concern - the locomotive manufacturer Lowca Engineering - stood in the Vee between the coast line and the Gilgarran Branch, but mentions of rail traffic to the site are very elusive.
Special trains.
Two enthusiasts' special trains composed of guards vans were run over the zig-zag downhill from Lowca to Parton, having been hauled up to the clifftop via the Lowca Light Railway route through with its famous 1 in 17 incline. The first ran on 2 March 1968, followed on 26 May 1969 by the "Furnessman", which enjoyed steam banking up Copperas Hill and steam haulage down to Parton from Lowca.
Afterlife.
By 1981 just a stub remained near the site of Parton Halt, but this had been swept away with the other Civil Engineers sidings at Parton by 2013. The general line of the branch southwest of Distington has been used for improvements to the A595, though the exact course is only followed in part. East of Distington fragments can be discerned, but most has been returned to agricultural use.


Ealing rail crash

The Ealing rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 19 December 1973. The 17:18 express train from London Paddington to Oxford—with approximately 650 passengers on board—was derailed while travelling at around between Ealing Broadway and West Ealing. Ten passengers were killed and 94 were injured, and it was Britain's deadliest train crash of the decade until the Moorgate tube crash which killed 45. The cause of the accident was an unsecured maintenance door that had fallen open whilst the train was travelling, after having struck several lineside objects, it struck a Point machine at Longfield Avenue, derailing the entire train
Sequence of events.
Locomotive design.
The train involved in the accident was hauled by Class 52 diesel-hydraulic no. 1007 "Western Talisman", which had been manufactured in 1962 and was based at Laira Depot, where it had run an estimated 950,000 miles since its entry into service. Like all engines, the Class 52 featured several Lead-acid batteries primarily to pre-heat and start the two engines. The Class 52's batteries were located in four different containers on the engine between the bogies. To protect the batteries from damage whilst the train was running, the battery chambers were sealed with a door, which was originally designed in use on the similar Class 42. The door would lock in position whilst the train was running via carriage-locks that would be activated by a square-key, but the Class 52 had an additional feature in the form of a pear-shaped metal catch known as the "Pear-drop". This would catch the battery box door in case the carriage-locks failed to engage, which had happened on the Class 42 before. When a Class 52 had its batteries examined, the standard procedure would be to replace the batteries in the chamber before locking the carriage-locks and then the pear-drop before the train would be allowed to leave.
Repairs at Old Oak Common.
On 17 December 1973, "Western Talisman" was the locomotive on the 05:45 Plymouth-Paddington service and had run normally as far as Reading where one of the locomotive's two engines broke down, to which another locomotive was forced to haul the train to Paddington, where the "Western Talisman" was stored until the afternoon of 18 December, when the engine was worked to Old Oak Common Depot for maintenance to be carried out to fix the problem. The engine arrived at Old Oak in the late evening, and was put under the control of maintenance staff. At around 22:00, Engineer C.O. Pitter was directed to charge the batteries of the locomotive, to which he opened a battery box door and plugged in the wire to charge the batteries. Owing to some difficulty in getting the door to fall without raising the "pear-drop", Pitter was forced to raise the "pear-drop" before he could open the carriage-locks and left the catch in this way up until the point that he finished duty at 06:30 on 19 December, finding the engine still on charge.
At some time between 06:30 and just after 07:00, when Shift Supervisor L. Wiggins came to discuss matters and found that somebody had closed the battery box door, although at this time, such an event was usual and when Pitter put the locomotive on charge, he had run the wires underneath the locomotive's skirting and as such, they were unaffected by the doors, which due to the cramped conditions of Old Oak's maintenance area, were oftentimes shut to save room. At no point after Wiggins' visit did anybody either re-open or lock the battery box doors until 12:00, when Wiggins' assistant G. Abbas arranged to have the locomotive moved outside for engine testing. Abbas told the engineers in charge of the engine to "Box it up", which meant that the locomotive was to have any and all overhanging doors shut and locked for movement, which included the Battery box doors, that were now under the control of Engineer F. Ashley, who had not had reason to examine "Western Talisman" until Abbas told him to. Ashley correctly removed the wires and took the locomotive off of charge, but under the belief that the doors were locked, failed to examine the battery box doors and left them in the open position with the "pear-drop" still raised and Abbas failed to examine his work. As such, the engine was moved out of the Maintenance shed with the door open.
At 14:00, "Western Talisman" was released from repairs and was scheduled to haul an Empty Stock train to Paddington, before it would then run the 17:18 Paddington-Oxford service, and was driven from Old Oak Common to Paddington under the command of Driver T.D. Owen and Secondman R.P. Woodnaugh, both stationed at Old Oak. Under the standard arrangements, Owen examined the engine before taking it to Paddington and failed to notice the unsecured door, primarily as his main responsibility when examining the locomotive was to check the train heaters, make sure the locomotive was set to run off its batteries and to make sure no pipes or wires were still attached.
Derailment.
Journey to Longfield Avenue.
At Paddington, "Western Talisman" formed the 17:18 Oxford service, 1A82 that consisted of ten coaches, comprising two Corridor Second coaches, a Corridor First, three Corridor Composite coaches and five additional Corridor Seconds, with the crew consisting of Driver Owen, Secondman Woodnaugh and Guard J. Wells. Owing to the large number of passengers boarding, the train departed Paddington late at 17:29, running on clear signals all the way to Longfield Avenue, the train was travelling at at the time of the derailment.
At some point on the journey before the train passed Old Oak Common, the unsecured battery box door fell open and projected outside of the loading gauge of the train, allowing it to strike objects close to the line. Later investigations examining the route that 1A82 took found that the projecting door had caused damage to lineside equipment and structures at Old Oak Common and at Acton Main Line, although none of the crew or passengers reported feeling anything unusual between these areas. However, as the train passed through Ealing Broadway, the projecting door struck the platform ramp heavily and caused notable damage to the Down Main platform, dislodging several coping stones on the platform. The impact damaged the battery box door to the point that the hinges had broken, allowing the door to fall beyond its limit, now dangerously close to the ground. This impact was felt and heard by several witnesses, including Driver Owen and Secondman Woodnaugh, who both believed at the time that the engine had simply crossed over a bad rail joint and decided that they would report it at Reading.
Crash.
With the signals being clear for 1A82 and there being no sign of anything wrong, the train was still running at full speed as it approached Longfield Avenue, at which a crossover was placed to allow trains to cross from the Down Main Line to the Down Relief line in the area controlled by the Signalbox at Old Oak Common, which controlled the points by sending an electrical signal to the switch motor. On the day of the accident, the crossover had not been used and was set for 1A82 to remain on the Down Main Line, but owing to the damage sustained by the door at Ealing Broadway, the door was in such a position that when the locomotive passed the motor, it hit the motor with some force, which forcibly changed the points and derailed the train, with the rear bogie of the engine taking the crossover whilst the front bogie remained on the main line.
"Western Talisman" was thrown onto its right side, skidding down the track in roughly a straight line for , blocking both the Up and Down Main line. The first coach was totally derailed but remained upright and followed the locomotive with minor damage to rear of the right side of the coach, as the second coach had swung 90° to the right of the coach and fallen onto this side, blocking all the lines, with this action causing the next three coaches to jackknife, with severe damage being sustained by the fourth coach, including a bogie from the third coach crashing into the coach, which is believed to have caused the majority of the serious injuries and fatalities. The front's of the third, fifth and sixth coach in addition to the rear of the fourth coach had all crashed into the cutting on the side of the line and sustained moderate damage. The remaining coaches were all derailed, but remained in line and suffered only minor damage, with the rear of the train coming to a stand just past the damaged points motor, whilst lying between it was the battery box door that had been torn off by the impact with the motor.
In the minutes after the derailment, both Secondman Woodnaugh and Driver Owen freed themselves from their derailed cab and carried out track protection by calling Old Oak Common on a Signal Telephone, at which point the Signalman, who had suspected a derailment when his instruments showed that all the lines in the area were blocked even though 1A82 was the only train in the area, called emergency services at 17:39. The Police arrived at the scene at 17:44 with the Ambulance and Fire Brigade arriving shortly afterwards, with recovery work continuing late into the night. In the meantime, with a major railway mainline having been totally blocked, British Rail arranged for trains to be either be terminated at Reading, or would be diverted between West Ealing and Old Oak Common via the Greenford branch line and the Acton–Northolt Line, which was used until 18:45 on 20 December 1973, when the Relief lines were opened, which were used for traffic until the Main lines were repaired and re-opened on 28 December, though the removal of speed restrictions took until 2 January 1974.
Victims.
Ten passengers were killed and 94 were injured. Of the injuries and fatalities, it was believed that the majority of the serious injuries and deaths occurred in the fourth coach when a derailed bogie crashed into the body of the coach near the front of the coach during the derailment.
Accident Report.
A Report into the accident and its causes was written by Colonel Ian McNaughton and published in September 1974 which discussed the causes of the accident and how to prevent a re-occurrence of it. His report considered that the primary fault of the accident was due to poor working procedures at Old Oak Common's maintenance area, with the fact that somebody (It was never determined who or when) closed the battery box door without securing it, or notifying the Electrical Engineer. Engineer Pitter was criticized for locking the pear-drop in the raised position, even after he had opened the door but the main blame for the accident was laid with Engineer Ashley, who failed to examine the door's two locks prior to the engine's departure under the inexcusable belief that since the locomotive doors appeared secure, it meant that the locomotive would not require any examination. Similarly, Mr. Abbas who asked for the locomotive to be "boxed up" was also criticized to a lesser degree for the fact that he did not examine the locomotive and wholly took Ashley's word on the matter. Driver Owen was not required to examine the battery box doors, and as such he was not criticized for failing to see the unsecured door. It was also noted that the primary error that caused the accident, Pitter's decision to secure the pear-drop, was caused by the fact that engineers at Plymouth had, without permission, made it so the pear-drop could be screwed into the raised position, which McNaughton believed was, although well-intentioned, unnecessary and could lead to instances such as this.
Owing to the investigation into the accident, the safety catch on the Class 52s was re-designed and replaced on all locomotives of the class by August 1974.