Hull and Doncaster Branch
Hull and Doncaster Branch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other name(s) | Staddlethorpe Junction to Thorne Junction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | 1869 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Track length | 14.5 miles (23.3 km) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Hull and Doncaster Branch is a secondary main railway line in England, connecting Kingston upon Hull to South Yorkshire and beyond via a branch from the Selby Line near Gilberdyke to a connection to the Doncaster–Barnetby line at a junction near Thorne 8 miles north-east of Doncaster.
The line was sanctioned by parliament in 1864, and opened in 1869; much of the line is flat, with extensive straight sections; the crossing of the River Ouse required a major bridge, the Skelton Viaduct (or Goole swing bridge). There are two minor stations on the line Saltmarshe and Thorne North; the present Goole railway station was also created as part of the line, replacing an earlier terminus in the docks.
Description
The Hull and Doncaster Line is a railway running from Staddlethorpe junction (also known as Giberdyke junction) on the
At Goole the line diverges south-west passing over the westward running line of the former
As of 2014 Network Rail classes the line as a secondary route, part of the SRS H.08 set of route which include Goole-Knottingley and Moorthorpe-Knottingley-Church Fenton lines. The line is double tracked, with the exception of the junction at Thorne. The line code is TJG: TJG1 Thorne junction to Thorne is 1 mile 944 yards (2.473 km); and TJG2, Gilberdyke junction to Thorne North, 14 miles (23 km). Route availability is 8 or 9, with loading gauge W6 to W9, the linespeed mostly 70 miles per hour (110 km/h).[3]
The line is used for both passenger and freight trains, with an average of two passenger trains per hour.[3]
History
Background
Early proposals for a line connecting Hull to Doncaster included the Hull, Sheffield and Midland Direct Railway, promoted in 1845, which was for a line from the Hull and Selby Line near Gilberdyke, crossing the Ouse near Goole by a tunnel, then via Thorne and Kirk Sandall to Doncaster, then west to a junction with the North Midland Railway (Midland Railway) near Wath upon Dearne.[4][n 1] This was abandoned by 1846.[5] Another scheme, the Hull, Goole and Doncaster Railway was promoted in 1855 to connect South Yorkshire coalfields to Hull.[6][dubious ]
In 1860 another scheme, called the 'Hull and Doncaster Railway', was submitted to Parliament. The line was to run from the Thorne branch of the
The NER submitted a scheme for a railway connecting Doncaster (South Yorkshire) and Hull via a line from Staddlethorpe to Hull;[n 3] the NER's line face three other rival schemes: the independently promoted Hull and West Riding Junction Railway;[n 4] and lines from south Yorkshire towards Hull promoted by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR),[n 5] and by the SYR,[n 6] the 'Hull and West Riding Junction' scheme was withdrawn at an early stage, the remaining three schemes undertook and expensive three-way battle in Parliament for an enabling act. The NER's scheme was passed by the House of Commons but defeated in the House of Lords.[10]
In the next session of Parliament (1862/3) the NER reached an agreement with the SYR and
North Eastern Railway (Hull and Doncaster Branch) Act 1863 | |
---|---|
Act of Parliament | |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 26 July 1863 |
Text of statute as originally enacted |
The NER's act was enabled by Parliament 23 July 1863,
Construction
The line was to run from the NER's
Most of the route of the line was relatively flat ground, representing an easy route for construction of a railway.
Bridges were also required in close succession west of
Construction of the Hull-Thorne section, and straightening of the Doncaster-Thorne Line had begun by 1864;
The length of new line was 14.5 miles (23.3 km),[18][n 14] Brassey and Field were the main contractors for the line, represented by J. Stevenson; the main engineer was the NER's T. E. Harrison, with John Malt the resident engineer; Buttler and Pitt were contractors for the fixed bridges.[18][29][21][22]
1869–present
The line opened 30 July 1869.[30][n 15] The line replaced the former route into Hull from the south along the Normanton-York branch (former York and North Midland Railway) via Milford junction onto the Leeds and Selby Line. The original L&YR station in Goole became defunct with trains diverted into the new station.[31]
The line was the main route for south Yorkshire coal to Hull, together with the Hull and Barnsley Railway (after 1885).[32]
The
By the beginning of the 20th century there were also sidings to
Moorend Works was situated a little further to the south. The works were established in the 1860s, although its exact purpose at the time is unclear, but Newman & Owston Moss Litter Co Ltd took over the site in 1888. They negotiated a short branch line with a passing look, in an agreement dated 24 April 1889. It ran eastwards from the main line, sweeping round to the south as it entered the works.[37] The peat company merged with the Griendtsveen Moss Litter Co Ltd on 11 May 1893, and the siding agreement was assigned to them on 15 February 1894. In addition to 3 ft (914 mm) gauge tramways, they built around 14 miles (23 km) of canals on the moors to serve the works.[38] The British Moss Litter Co also took over this works, in 1896, and the siding agreement was assigned to them on 14 October 1898.[38] The works were destroyed by a fire in 1922, after which no further peat was processed there, although the remaining buildings were used as a maintenance workshop until 1956. The standard gauge siding was not lifted immediately after production ceased, as it was still in evidence in the mid-1930s,[39] and appears on the 1948 Ordnance Survey map, although not on the 1956 edition.[40]
In 1910 a new route of the L&YR (Pontefract-Goole Line) into Goole was opened, avoiding the former path into the docks, joining the line just east of the original junction; also in 1910 the Goole and Selby Line began running into Goole station via the new L&YR line onto the Hull-Doncaster branch.[41][42] In 1909 the NER also obtained an act to widen a short section of the line on the approach to Staddlethorpe junction.[43][n 16]
Thorne Colliery (opened 1924, closed 1958) was connected to the railway line by sidings.[map 16][44]
The Skelton Viaduct has been struck by boats on multiple occasions. Damage was sufficient to cause the temporary closure of the line in 1973 and 1988.[45]
See also
- Hatfield Colliery landslip, colliery landslip which blocked the route south of Thorne in 2013
Notes
- ^ "Hull, Sheffield and Midland Direct Railway, via Goole, Thorne, Doncaster, Rotherham and Mexboro'", The Law Times (notice), 6 (135): 34–35, 1 November 1845
- ^ "Hull and Doncaster Railway", The London Gazette (22450): 4503–4504, 23 November 1860
- ^ "North-Eastern Railway. (Hull and Doncaster Branch).", London Gazette (22568): 4799–, 22 November 1861
- ^ "Hull and West Riding Junction Railway", London Gazette (22570): 5091–, 29 November 1861
- ^ "Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. (Doncaster, Goole, and Hull Junction Lines.)", London Gazette (22568): 4759–, 22 November 1861
- ^ "South Yorkshire Railway. Extension to Hull; Power to Use Hull Dock Railways; and Powers to Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway; and other Powers.", London Gazette (22569): 4920–, 26 November 1861
- ^ "Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. (Doncaster, Goole, and Hull Junction Lines.)", London Gazette (22684): 5759–, 25 November 1862
- ^ a b c "North-Eastern Railway. (Hull and Doncaster Branch.)", London Gazette (22683): 5614–, 21 November 1862
- 25 & 26 Vict.c. 141); An Act to enable the South Yorkshire Railway and River Dun Company to make Railways near Sheffield and Thorne, and to exercise other Powers.
- The act added a straightened deviation of the SYR's earlier canalside line. See: South Yorkshire Railway. (Railways near Sheffield and Thorne; Powers over Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway; Closing Road at Hexthorpe.), 26 November 1861, pp. 4921–
- ^ "South Yorkshire Railway. (Alteration of Line to Thorne, and continuation of Branch from that Line ..", The London Gazette: 5472–, 18 November 1862
- 26 & 27 Vict.c. ccxxxviii); An Act to enable the North-eastern Railway Company to construct a Railway from the Hull and Selby Railway at Staddlethorpe to the authorised Line of the South Yorkshire Railway near Thorne, with Two Branches therefrom, to raise additional Capital; and for other Purposes.
- 26 & 27 Vict.c. 146); An Act to enable the South Yorkshire Railway and River Dun Company to alter their authorized Line; to purchase the Barnsley Coal Railway; and for other Purposes relating to the same Company.
- ^ The Dutch River and canal bridges were supported on iron columns, similar to that used on the Skelton Viaduct.[22]
- ^ Sheardown (1869, p. 71) gives a figure of 18 miles between Staddlethorpe and Thorne, seemingly erroneously.
- ^ Sheardown (1869, p. 70) gives a date of 2 August.
- ^ "NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY. (Additional Powers with reference to New and Existing Railways, Jetty, Roads, Footpaths and other Works ...", The London Gazette (28199): 8787, 24 November 1908
References
- ^ a b Ordnance Survey Sheets 228NE, 228NW, 228SW, 237SE (1904–1950)
- ^ a b Ordnance Survey Sheets 237SE, 252NE, 252SE, 252SW, 266NW, 266SW (1904–1950)
- ^ a b "London North Eastern and Midlands" (PDF), Route Specifications, Network Rail, pp. 121–124, 2014, archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2014, retrieved 24 July 2014
- ^ "Hull, Sheffield, and Midland Direct Railway", London Gazette (25045): 6681–6683, 28 November 1845
- ^ Clarke, Hyde, ed. (1846), The Railway register and record of public enterprise for railways, mines, patents and inventions, vol. 3, p. 127
- ^ Tomlinson 1915, p. 553.
- ^ Tomlinson 1915, p. 589.
- ^ Tomlinson 1915, p. 593.
- ^ "Notes from the Northern and Eastern Counties" (PDF), The Engineer, 11: 270, 26 April 1861
- ^ Tomlinson 1915, pp. 606–607.
- ^ Tomlinson 1915, pp. 608–609.
- ^ Tomlinson 1915, p. 608.
- ^ Rickards 1863, pp. 893–4, "The South Yorkshire Railway Act, 1863" .
- ^ Rickards 1863, pp. xx, xxvii.
- ^ Rickards 1863, pp. 1075–1076, "The North-eastern Railway Company's (Hull and Doncaster Branch) Act, 1863".
- ^ a b Sheardown 1869, p. 71.
- ^ Tomlinson 1915, pp. 635–636.
- ^ a b c Railway News & 14 August 1869.
- ^ Sheardown 1869, p. 72.
- ^ Engineering & 27 October 1871, p.265, col.3.
- ^ a b Railway News & 5 December 1868, p.578, col.2.
- ^ a b "The Hull and Doncaster", Railway News, 11 (279): 450, 1 May 1869
- ^ Sheardown 1864, p. 28.
- ^ Sheardown 1865, p. 30.
- ^ a b Sheardown 1866, p. 34.
- ^ Sheardown 1867, p. 46.
- ^ Sheardown 1868, pp. 62–64.
- ^ "The Midland District", Railway News, 11 (270): 211, 27 February 1869
- ^ Helps, Arthur (1888), Life and Labours of Thomas Brassey (7th ed.), p. 91
- ^ Tomlinson 1915, p. 634.
- ^ Hoole 1986, pp. 40–41.
- ^ "Article title not known", Herapath's Railway Journal, 62: 1157
- ^ Judge 1994, p. 53.
- ^ Judge 1994, p. 205.
- ^ Judge 1994, p. 223.
- ^ Booth 1998, pp. 30–31.
- ^ Booth 1998, pp. 66–67.
- ^ a b Booth 1998, p. 68.
- ^ Booth 1998, pp. 70–71.
- ^ "1:10,560 map (1948 and 1956)". Ordnance Survey.
- ^ Hoole 1986, p. 41.
- ^ Ordnance Survey. Sheet 237SE. NB Goole-Selby Line missing from the 1938 provisional revision
- ^ Tomlinson 1915, Appendix A, p.764.
- ^ "1:10,560 map (1948)". Ordnance Survey.
- Skelton Viaduct §History.
Maps
- ^ 53°44′54″N 0°44′06″W / 53.74846°N 0.73511°W, Staddlethorpe junction
- ^ 53°36′04″N 0°59′26″W / 53.60120°N 0.99062°W, Thorpe junction
- ^ 53°42′03″N 0°53′02″W / 53.70092°N 0.88390°W, Potter's Grange junction
- ^ 53°42′47″N 0°50′30″W / 53.71318°N 0.84166°W, Skelton Viaduct (Goole swing bridge)
- ^ 53°41′40″N 0°53′36″W / 53.69440°N 0.89347°W, Bridge over Goole docks line
- ^ 53°41′38″N 0°53′38″W / 53.69388°N 0.89380°W, Knottingley and Goole canal bridge
- ^ 53°41′32″N 0°53′40″W / 53.69236°N 0.89445°W, Dutch River bridge
- ^ 53°36′43″N 0°58′36″W / 53.61203°N 0.97667°W, Stainforth and Keadby canal bridge
- ^ 53°36′56″N 0°58′23″W / 53.61559°N 0.97302°W, Selby turnpike (A614) bridge
- ^ 53°43′19″N 0°48′35″W / 53.72188°N 0.80963°W, Saltmarshe station
- ^ 53°42′18″N 0°52′27″W / 53.70497°N 0.87430°W, Goole station
- ^ 53°36′58″N 0°58′21″W / 53.61619°N 0.97242°W, Thorne North station
- ^ 53°40′37″N 0°54′26″W / 53.67684°N 0.90725°W, Marshland junction
- ^ 53°38′48″N 0°56′33″W / 53.64656°N 0.94256°W, Junction for Peat moss works siding (Moorend works)
- ^ 53°39′45″N 0°55′26″W / 53.66257°N 0.92384°W, Junction for Peat moss works siding (Creyke's siding)
- ^ 53°38′42″N 0°56′40″W / 53.64489°N 0.94445°W, Junction for Thorne Colliery sidings
Sources
- Booth, Adrian (1998). The Peat Railways of Thorne and Hatfield Moors. Industrial Railway Society. ISBN 978-1-901556-04-9.
- Judge, C. W. (1994). The Axholme Joint Railway. Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-441-8.
- Rickards, George Kettilby, ed. (1863), The Statutes of the United Kingdom and Ireland, vol. 26
- Sheardown, William, Doncaster in 1864 [1865, 1866, 1867, 1868, 1869]. Its vital statistics, town improvements, markets, railway system etc.
- Sheardown, William (1865), Doncaster in 1864
- Sheardown, William (1865), Doncaster in 1865
- Sheardown, William (1865), Doncaster in 1866
- Sheardown, William (1865), Doncaster in 1867
- Sheardown, William (1865), Doncaster in 1868
- Sheardown, William (1865), Doncaster in 1869
- Bradshaw's Railway Manual, Shareholders' guide and official directory for 1867, vol. 19, 1867, p. 258
- "New route from Hull", Railway News, 10: 578, 5 December 1868
- "Opening of the Hull and Doncaster Railway", Railway News, 12 (294): 157, 14 August 1869
- "Swing bridge over the River Ouse; North-Eastern Railway", Engineering: 264–265, 27 October 1871
- ISBN 978-0-946537-31-0.
- Tomlinson, William Weaver (1915). The North Eastern Railway; its rise and development.