Elsecar Heritage Railway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Elsecar Heritage Railway |
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Peckett OQ Class no. 2150 "Mardy Monster" at the Elsecar Heritage Railway
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| Terminus | Elsecar- Rockingham station |
| Commercial operations | |
| Name | Elsecar Heritage Railway |
| Built by | South Yorkshire Railway |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Owned by | Earl Fitzwilliam, Barnsley Council, Elsecar Railway Preservation Group, Elsecar Heritage Railway Ltd |
| Operated by | Elsecar Heritage Railway Ltd |
| Stations | One, at Elsecar (Rockingham station) |
| Length | 1 mile (1.6 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1850 |
| Closed | 1984 |
| Preservation history | |
| 1994 | Reopened |
| Headquarters | Elsecar, Rockingham station |
The Elsecar Heritage Railway (EHR) is a special train line in South Yorkshire, England. It's a fun place where you can ride old trains! This railway uses a part of an old freight line that once carried goods from Elsecar Junction to Barnsley.
Today, the Elsecar Heritage Railway offers a tourist train ride that goes about 1 mile (1.6 km) long. You can ride on steam or diesel trains. The journey starts at Rockingham station, which is behind the Elsecar Heritage Centre. The train then travels to Hemingfield Basin and back. The railway uses many different types of old trains that have been carefully saved and restored.
The people who run the EHR hope to make the line even longer in the future. They plan to extend it to Cortonwood, adding a new stop at Hemingfield. This would make the railway twice as long, reaching 2 miles (3.2 km)!
Contents
A Look Back: The Railway's History
This railway line was first built to serve the mines and ironworks owned by Earl Fitzwilliam. He rented out these businesses to local iron masters. The line opened in 1850 as the Elsecar Branch, part of the South Yorkshire Railway. Over the years, it joined with other railway companies. Eventually, it became part of the LNER when the "Big Four" railway companies were formed.
After World War II, the government took over many industries. The mines became part of the National Coal Board in 1947. The railway became part of British Railways in 1948.
The Elsecar branch line closed in 1984. This happened after the last mine it served also closed down.
Work to restore the railway began in 1994. Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council started the project. The line reopened as a heritage railway in 1996, run by the Council. Then, in 2006, the Elsecar Heritage Railway company took over running the trains.
The Trains: Steam and Diesel Power
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The Elsecar Heritage Railway has a cool collection of trains. They use both steam and diesel engines to pull the passenger cars.
Steam Locomotives
These are the classic trains that run on steam! They are often used for passenger rides.
- Sentinel 0-4-0VBT No. 6807 Gervase. This engine is working and was fixed up in 2013.
- Sentinel 0-4-0VBT No. 9376 (unnamed). This one is currently stored.
- Sentinel 4wVBT No. 9599 William. This engine is also working and was fixed up in 2017.
- Peckett OQ Class 0-6-0ST No. 2150 Mardy Monster. This engine is currently being repaired.
- Avonside 0-6-0ST No. 1917 Earl Fitzwilliam. This engine is stored.
- Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns 0-4-0ST No. 7386 Birkenhead. This engine is being repaired.
- Hunslet 0-6-0ST No. 469 Hastings. This engine is also being repaired.
Diesel Locomotives
These trains run on diesel fuel. They are used for both passenger services and for moving things around the railway.
- Hunslet Engine Co. 0-6-0DH No. 6950 Louise. This engine is working.
- Yorkshire Engine Company 0-6-0DE No. 2895 Earl of Strafford. This engine is working.
- Sentinel 4w Elizabeth. This engine is working.
Passenger Carriages
The passenger carriages, also known as coaches, are painted in a classic British Railways maroon color.
- BR Mk 1 TSO No. 3958. This coach is ready for passengers.
- BR Mk 1 TSO No. 4903. This coach is also ready for passengers.
- BR Mk 1 BSK No. 35305. This coach is ready for passengers.
- BR Mk 1 SK No. 25562. This coach is ready for passengers.
Railway Stations
The Elsecar Heritage Railway has a few stations along its line:
- Rockingham: This is the main station and the railway's headquarters. It's located right next to the Elsecar Heritage Centre.
- Hemingfield: This is currently the end of the line. Work has been done to prepare for a new station here.
- Cortonwood: This will be the new end station when the railway's extension is finished.
The Cortonwood Extension Project
The railway is working hard to extend its line to Cortonwood. This project involves rebuilding two level crossings, which are places where the railway crosses a road. These are Tingle Bridge Lane and Smithy Lane.
Smithy Lane is a quiet road. It will have old-style crossing gates that train staff will open and close by hand. Tingle Bridge Lane is a busier road. For this crossing, the railway is putting in a special barrier system. The barriers will be lowered by hand from a signal box, but they will lift up automatically when the train has passed.
In May 2011, the materials needed for the level crossings arrived. A special donation plan was started to raise money for the rest of the project. The money raised helped buy the barriers and traffic lights for the Tingle Bridge Lane crossing. In August 2012, workers dug holes to find pipes and wires under the road before installing the crossing.
On June 21, 2012, the ground was cleared and leveled at Hemingfield. This was in preparation for building the new station there.
Then, on April 19, 2013, the Elsecar Heritage Railway installed the level crossing at Tingle Bridge Lane. They also started extending the line towards Cortonwood Colliery.
By June 2014, all the track was laid up to Cortonwood! There was still some work to do, like leveling the track and adding more ballast (the stones under the tracks). The railway is now working on making sure everything is perfect and getting the necessary approvals from local authorities and the Office of Rail and Road. This will allow them to open the extension for public train rides.
Cortonwood Mining Memorial
In November 2013, the Elsecar Heritage Railway received a grant of £50,000. This money was used to create a Coal Mining Memorial Park at Cortonwood Colliery. This site is very important because the big 1984-1985 Miners' Strike started there. The memorial park was finished in November 2014.
