Stocksbridge Steel train back on its old path at Limestone Cottage - 3760+763

For some weeks now, the last late night path of the Stocksbridge Steel train at 22:05, 6J52 with the return, 6J59, timed at 01:10 the following morning, which in fact ran 65 minutes early, occured were on the 21st and 22nd June this year. Since Friday 23rd June, there was no outbound working on the 22nd, the older timed path at 18:15, 6J57 has been operating and the earlier paths have been deleted from the time-table. With an indication from the Rotherham end, (thanks Baz), that the light-engine loco move, 0J57, from the Masbrough Freight Depot, into Aldwarke at around 17:00, was a class 60, it was time to get into gear and try out a new spot along the line. This locale had already been looked at in early April and which at that time looked promising, though of course the greenery hadn't sprung up then and now on arrival, it looked almost hopeless so, out with the shears! Departing Rotherham Central around 6 minutes early at 18:08, and from then on smartly coming along the Don Valley line through Woodburn, the set wasted no time in arriving here at 18:34, the locos headlights visible easily before it could be fully discerned in the shrubbery along back down the 1-in-100 grade, towards Wadsley Bridge. This is the 1495 tonne steel blooms/billet train on the 6J57, Aldwarke U.E.S. to the Ellen Cliff Sidings just 1.5km short of the Stocksbridge Steelworks; a local diesel shunter completes the journey, hauling the metal into the works, on the following day. Tonight, and partly the reason for being here a all, the steel train was hauled by a DBC class 60, 60007, 'Spirit of Tom Kendell' and seen hauling a similar train up here, this time at Woodburn Junction, in early September 2013. The line continues to be kept in good condition but the extensive palisade fence which has been erected along both sides of the line all the way along from Wadsley Bridge to Wharncliffe Wood is a very great eye-sore; a piece of it can be seen in the lower left corners of both pictures. Behind the camera at the other side of the road, the bridge is just out of shot to the right, is the still extant, 50s-looking building belonging to the Bachelors Foods canning factory but now occupied by other businesses, for a picture of it see-
www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/uploads/monthly_07_2010...
The work at the old TATA, ex-Samuel Fox, steelworks at Stocksbridge continues as does the one at Parkgate and two others which were all bought from TATA steel recently and the future of of the operation appears secure with new investment also being made, see. 'Liberty House take-over of Tata steel', here-
www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/liberty-house-ta...

This is one of the locations where its more easy to tell that this once used to be a double-track railway and with space still available for the OHL equipment; at many other spots its hard to accept that an electrified , double-track freight formation, could have found space to operate there...

(another link for Bachelors)
www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1661509

Taken on: July 24, 2017

Tags:

Limestone Cottage

Wharncliffe Wood

DB Cargo

Class 60

60007

Spirit of Tom Kendell

Switch on to Safety

6J57

Aldwarke U.E.S. to Stocksbridge Works

6J59

Stocksbridge Works to Aldwarke U.E.S.

GCR

LNER

Stocksbridge Works

Woodhead

Oughtibridge Station

Deepcar Station

Wadsley Bridge Station

Aldwarke U.E.S.

TATA Steel

Liberty House

Great Central Railway

MSL

London North Eastern Railway

Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway

River Don

Niagra Forge

Bachelors Canning « less

Sets appears in: • Wadsley Bridge

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, f/6.3, 1/320 sec, 28mm, ISO 1250 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens:	EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
Aperture:	f/6.3
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/320)
Focal Length:	28mm
ISO:	1250
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS4 Windows
Show full info

Stats: 818 views