RCTS Merseyside, Chester & North Wales Branch - Observation at Chesterfield and Visit to Barrow Hill

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Observation at Chesterfield and Visit to Barrow Hill - 17th July 2009

The view from the brake van just before we started our trip.. Geoff Morris

A party of 9 assembled at Chesterfield for a station observation on Tuesday July 14th. Those who travelled from Chester via Derby had unusual sightings in the form of 66723 stabled in the siding adjacent to Chester power box, 66709 in the EMD facility at Longport and Advenza’s 66844 parked at the south end of Derby station. The latter’s presence prompted one Liverpool member to make a journey to Derby. He travelled there in one of the former Hull Trains Pioneer units (so getting in some new haulage in the process).


Reconstruction work is now focused on the south end. 222013 arrives on a terminating service from St Pancras under a threatening sky.. Geoff Morris


	Recently-delivered Advenza's 66844 stabled at Derby. Geoff Morris


Original buildings at Barrow Hill (although the roundhouse has a new roof). The new building in the distance is used by Nemesis Rail.. Geoff Morris


	Class 40 D213 (Andania) pokes out of the rear of the roundhouse.. Geoff Morris

A private visit to Barrow Hill roundhouse had been arranged as an alternative to spending the whole day around the station and 6 of the party opted for this. The appearance of their Chairman (an RCTS member) at Chesterfield station, to check that we had transport to their site, provided a foretaste of the welcome that Barrow Hill would provide us. A suitably large taxi had been already ordered and we arrived on site at 12:30.


Operations manager Mike Sedgely (right) briefs us about the visit. Dave Darwin (centre) was the driver for the brakevan tour.. Geoff Morris

We were met by operations manager Mike Sedgely, volunteer Dave Darwin and a couple of very young lads (one of whom was a work experience student while the other had been a volunteer at Barrow Hill for 3 years). In contrast to their youth, Dave had spent much of his working life at the shed and was able to regale us with a flood of information about what had changed over the years. However his main purpose was to drive the loco that would take us on a brake van tour of the site ! This came as (very welcome) surprise to us (not least our visits organizer !!).

Initially Mike explained how the site is now set up and listed the companies who lease facilities there. The better-know of them include the Harry Needle Rail Company , Nemesis Rail and the Deltic Preservation Group, all of whom lease (mainly new) buildings on the site. As it was a working day we were unable to enter their buildings, nor walk though their yards, but as a result of the brake van tour we were able to identify almost every loco in their yards.


Number collecting the easy way as we (literally) go for a spin on the turntable !. Geoff Morris

We first toured the roundhouse (which has a replacement roof but otherwise retains much of its original features). This now houses a mix of steam, diesel and electric traction. A list of locos present is included at the end of this article. Stanier Black 5 45110 (normally on the Severn Valley but now stored here following expiry of its boiler ticket) stood next to a “local “ engine, Johnson Half-cab 41708 which spent much its life lalocated to the shed while working at the nearby Staveley Ironworks. 60532 (Blue Peter) dwarfed most of the shed’s occupants. We (literally) had a spin on the turntable, which made number collection an easy exercise.


	Views of the party on the brake van (2). Geoff Morris

A brake van stood awaiting us at the shed entrance with a Drewry 0-4-0 attached. Despite advancing years, everyone managed to climb into it and cab rides were also available during our tour. Dave drove the loco, the senior of the 2 young lads was guard while Mike clamped points and moved stop boards to protect our various manoeuvres. Our tour initially took us out of the shed yard on to the connection from Network Rail. After securing points we ran up to the end of the headshunt which is on the formation of the former branch to Springwell. It is now used to stable VSOE stock (when used for tours to Chatsworth House) and for short rides (normally in coaching stock) during public events. Mike told us that they have plans to add a second track which would enable locos to run around here. A photo stop at the buffers allowed members to transfer from brake van to loco cab (or vice versa) before we reversed along the connection up to the Network Rail boundary. This took us alongside the yards where Nemesis Rail and Harry Needle had numerous diesels stabled. We reversed back to the shed connection and a final reversal took us into the shed yard where we alighted. Dave and the 2 young lads then shunted the loco and brake van back into position while Mike took us up the old coaling ramp from where the remaining locos in the Nemesis Rail and Harry Needle yards could be viewed. Finally we inspected the diesel and electric locos parked outside the roundhouse, the most notable of them being the unique AC electric 89001 - a cop for at least one party member.


Photo stop at the end of the headshunt on the former line to Springwell. . Geoff Morris


	Views of the party on the brake van.. Geoff Morris

Almost 2 hours passed very quickly and all-to-soon our taxi arrived and we had to bid farewell to Mike after giving him a donation to reflect the time and trouble he had taken for us.


	John is revealed as 222003 departs Chesterfield for Sheffield.. Geoff Morris

Some party members had remained at Chesterfield all day and met a Sheffield member on the footbridge north of the station. Chatting with them it transpired that we hadn’t missed anything notable on the main line. Network Rail liveried 31285 passed, light engine, heading north on the goods lines only to reappear heading south no more than 15 minutes later - it must have reversed in the Barrow Hill area. Our last hour saw quite a burst of freight activity with 7 freights passing (and members returning via Derby passed another 3 northbound freights between Chesterfield and Ambergate).

Those travelling home on the Norwich - Liverpool service were relieved to find a 4-car class 158 formation as this provides a peak hour service on the Sheffield - Manchester - Liverpool corridor. Those travelling via Derby and Crewe were delayed by a bridge bash in the Longton area which resulted in their train being turned back at Stoke and so they finally got to Crewe an hour later than intended - an unfortunate end to an otherwise excellent day.

The following lists are provided in good faith from observations by Geoff Morris & Alan Donaldson

Geoff Morris
31/07/09