A 'Then & Now' piece featuring the DRS RHTT set at Main Street, Rotherham - RC1950s+4983

This pair of shots compare the scene over-looking the railway formation, from the Main Street bridge in the mid-1950s on the left and last week on the right. The angle of view has had to be changed in the recent view as on the left-hand side there is now a large tree blocking the view in the direction from which the older shot was taken. The mid-1950s shot shows the Westgate Branch bridge abutment over just one line of the GCR's formation, the line coming into the cattle dock area in the foreground and also passing behind that and on towards Main Street at its junction with Don Street where there were more sidings and access for an Iron & Steel Scrapyard. The land occupied the latter and much more, has now been taken by the large Rotherham COuncil offices and it and the R.U.F.C New York Stadium now dominate this area on the left. On Rotherham Central's down line platform, at the very end, is a water crane and beyond that, just to the right of the water crane right next to other bridge abutment, is Central Station's signal box with a class 08 shunter having been given the signal to proceed onto the up line. The signalbox was still in use at th8is time and survived for a few more years, being demolished by the early 1970s and the whole site cleared not long after in the signalling updates in the early 1980s. The character of the site as it was speaks for itself of course, there is a Hillman Imp, I think, over on the left just beyond the cattle docks behind the down line platform, Central had staggered platforms and the up line one was at the other side of Main Street, behind the camera. In the background, testament to the heavy industrial scene in the area with steel works and other concerns all over the place and on the right, just in front of the diesel shunter, the mall artificial channel carrying water, otherwise known as the 'Holmes Tail Goit, which carried water from the River Don further upstream near the Holmes Rolling Mill just this side of Holmes Lock, the water then being carried through the Alma Works at Holmes and on into the London Works, the Brinsworth Iron & Wheel Works and the Oxygen Works, in this locality, all on the site of of which is now 'C.F. Booth Metal Recyclers Ltd.' and finally under the lines here, to outflow back into the River Don, not far from Main Street Bridge. 'Goit' appears to be a language peculiarity associated with the two counties of the Roses; Red & White, for Lancashire and Yorkshire. In the right-hand corner, a set of 7 chimney stacks in a row which I recall used to be known as 'The Seven Sisters', the lens of the camera which took this shot clearly showing some geometric aberration.. In the right-hand picture, the much changed scene today as a pair of D.R.S., Electro-Diesel Locomotives, class 20s pass through the same site with 20303, ex-D8127, 'Max Joule 1958-1999' in the lead and at the rear, 20305, ex-D8095, 'Gresty Bridge' on the 3S14, Woodburn Junction to Hull RHTT working. The 'Holmes Tail Goit' culvert looks to be being dug-out as its possibly blocked and causing an issue with the temporary car parking area which have sprung up on the right since the Rotherham Bowling Alley was demolished a few years ago. The RHTT has 20305 bringing up the rear and it is passing the right-hand bridge abutment, only just visible in the left-hand picture, behind the signalbox. The Sheffield & Rotherham Railway's Westgate Branch line passed over the GCR lines here to traffic into Westgate Station on Main Street, this bridge abutment has several horizontal rope marks on one corner from the time when the bridge went across the S&S.Y.N., 'Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation' canal. This 'cut' was filled in by the M.S.L.R. the canal diverted and the bed of the old canal used for their rail formation, much detail related to all this, as well as pictures of the bridge abutment, can be seen here-
www.flickr.com/photos/daohaiku/26425061234/
The up line platform, behind the camera on the other side of Main Street bridge, of the GCRs line though Rotherham Central Station had, mounted in the bank above the platform, a fish tank with a mirror set above it at 45 degrees, so that folk on the platform could see the fish swimming round in the tank... this must be a first... and, probably, last use made of this type of 'station feature'!!

Taken on: November 5, 2019

Tags:

Rotherham Central

Ickles

Direct Rail Services

Electro-Diesel Locomotive

Class 20

20303

D8127

Max Joule 1958-1999

20305

D8095

Gresty Bridge

3S14

Woodburn Junction to Hull

Rail Head Treatment Train

Sandite Units

FEA-B RHTT A Tank Wagons

Northern Rail

Class 142

142095

Gainsborough Central to SheffieldSheffield Supertram

Sheffield Tram/train

Class 399 Emu

Electric Multiple Unit

399203

2A35

Parkgate Via Tinsley Meadowhall to Sheffield Cathedral

M.S.L.R.

Manchester Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway

Holmes Chord

Sheffield P.S.B.

Signal S0746

Signal S0747

Signal S0748

S&S.Y.N.

Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation

River Don

G.C.R.

Great Central Railway

R.U.F.C.

Rotherham United Football Club

New York Stadium

OHL Equipment

C.F. Booth Metal Recyclers Ltd.

Sheffield & Rotherham Railway

Westgate Branch

Westgate Station

Holmes Tail Goit

Guest & Chrimes Ltd.

Alma Works

Holmes Rolling Mill

London Works

Brinsworth Iron & Wheel Works

Oxygen Works

Rotherham Bowling Alley « less

Sets appears in: • Rotherham

Stats: 2,223 views