Healey Mills Happenings?

[NoOldEngine]

Hard to tell with all the trees, even with binoculars, can't see those brine tanks that where there for years, things might have been cut up. I'll have a better look next week.

There was some scrap removed from the site a while back, but no idea what.

 

[stibz]

Looked like one guy only there on Wednesday this week, with a loader with forks on, lifting sleepers, most of the top end of yard cleared, where they have plans for new sidings. we will see, can't imagine much more happening before xmas.

 

[NoOldEngine]

Looked like one guy only there on Wednesday this week, with a loader with forks on, lifting sleepers, most of the top end of yard cleared, where they have plans for new sidings. we will see, can't imagine much more happening before xmas.

Nice to see the old place having something to do. Sad driving over the bridge and watching nature take over.

 

[fishwomp]

Stopped at Healey Mills today - no sign of those new sidings yet. Does anyone have any more knowledge on the plan?
I read that a new depot is to open at Frizinghall to host EMUs during Neville Hill disruption next year - is the Healey Mills plan a similar idea for diesel units, or unrelated?

 

[dekwyk]

If you look at your photo closely you'll see that quite a way in, some of the tracks have been lifted.That's happened recently, and there were a couple of vans in the distance earlier in the week, so work is progressing albeit slowly.
The plan AFAIK is to use HM to stable units during the TRU .

 

[stibz]

 

[dekwyk]

Yes if you look closely you can see where the rails have been chopped off, this is a very recent thing, within the last 10 days, further up their where guys working last week, in the distance. before this it had been quiet since before xmas

I think I've just said that Stibz my friend

 

[fishwomp]

I think I've just said that Stibz my friend

Thanks both. That is good to read (both times )

It sounds like there is plenty of time before the Neville Hill blockade to complete the job.

One observation would be that the former footbridge into the yard/depot is long gone - so the new stabling point will be surrounded by active running lines. I guess road and foot access will be from the west end by the signal box.

 

[Zak bevington]

Stopped at Healey Mills today - no sign of those new sidings yet. Does anyone have any more knowledge on the plan?
I read that a new depot is to open at Frizinghall to host EMUs during Neville Hill disruption next year - is the Healey Mills plan a similar idea for diesel units, or unrelated?

View attachment 153935

I’m working there this Friday coming so I’ll try and gather some more info then

 

[stibz]

Something is happening again, areas marked out with cones and a few machines moving around, that I could see off the bridge 26/3/24
Photo today 28th March 24.

 

[stibz]

66705 with the 6G79 0358 Belmont Down Yard to Healey Mills S.S. loaded with used track sections, unloaded in there this morning
Twice more since this post, latest on 26/06/24 same headcode.

​

 

[Westerndiesels]

Sorry if this has been answered before.

I was looking at street view and it appears that under the vegetation there is lots of metal track from the marshaling yard still in place.

I know it's a drop in the ocean to a massive organisation but the track would still have a reasonable scrap metal value. I wonder why it's not been lifted.

 

[zwk500]

Simply put, because it'll cost more to pay somebody to go down and lift it than you'd get in scrap value.

 

[Railwaysceptic]

I was about to make the same point. Healey Mills is not the only location where long disused rail is still in situ. I wonder if the de-industrialisation of the U. K. economy is why scrap metal has such a low value.

 

[Westerndiesels]

Ah yes makes sense. Imagined scrap was quite a lot but of course it wouldn't be cheap to lift what with proper risk assessments and method statements and quite right too. Thank you.

I actually love seeing rail under vegetation when I travel. I always try to imagine how it all once looked.

 

[Teaboy1]

I believe it will disappear 'overnight' if left for too long in place. Sooner or later it will be targeted by the metal thieves. Same happened to Harworth colliery branch near Tickhill a few years back, 1 mile disappered over Xmas and Boxing Day hols !!

 

[Iskra]

It’s being brought back in use soon, so presumably some work is going to happen to bring it back to standard or replace some of it.

 

[Y Ddraig Coch]

Llandudno Junction also has lots of old tracks from the days it used to have sidings still in situ and some of it is even still signalled. All completely over grown with full on trees and bushes now though. Nobody has been near it in around 30 years probably.

 

[Ploughman]

Getting Road vehicles and machines into the Mill yards has always been a major problem.
Cars and Transit type vans ok but anything larger struggles with height restriction.

 

[Geeves]

I could well be wrong but I believe the whole yard was sold to EWS years ago which of course now lies in the hands of DB, I don't think scrap metal is on their radar considering the amount of abandoned, locos, yards and general detritus they have sat around.

Any way as others have said presumably Network rail has bought back some of the yard as it's currently being resuscitated to stable trains when Neville Hill closes down for a couple of years for rebuilding.

 

[stibz]

Hi, Street view does not always show the truth. Here is the truth about the track & yard. Lots lifted & scrapped, for the new sidings. They did get machines in, to unload track panels from enginners trains, stack them and lift track to dispose of and get taken away month ago.

 

[stibz]

Action at Healey mills 10/09/24 New machines in yard. Plus 66310 with a load of new ballast.

 

[stibz]

Work started again on new sidings at healey mills last week.

 

[GardenRail]

Work started again on new sidings at healey mills last week.

This little project should be entered for the worlds smallest, slowest, most secret project in the Western World.

 

[geoffk]

Any plan to realign the main line tracks past the yard as a normal double track? This would make road access into the former yard easier, especially if redeveloped for housing in the future, subject to concerns about flooding.

 

[stibz]

Any plan to realign the main line tracks past the yard as a normal double track? This would make road access into the former yard easier, especially if redeveloped for housing in the future, subject to concerns about flooding.

Not that we know of.(no known plans) but you know how things change sometimes.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Oct 2024 ==

First track sections laid Friday 18th for new sidings, its a start.

 

[fishwomp]

Not that we know of.(no known plans) but you know how things change sometimes.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Oct 2024 ==

First track sections laid Friday 18th for new sidings, its a start.

Thanks Rob for the photos.

From: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rob_transpennine_upgrade/54095541663/in/photostream/lightbox/ - all lines converge onto a single buffer stop / headshunt at the west end. That wouldn't be useful if this was for DMU storage. Have we any more insight as to why this work is happening?

 

[Senex]

Any plan to realign the main line tracks past the yard as a normal double track? This would make road access into the former yard easier, especially if redeveloped for housing in the future, subject to concerns about flooding.

Better still, put the main lines back on their original alignment and get rid of the sharpish curves introduced when the yard was built.

 

[Spartacus]

Better still, put the main lines back on their original alignment and get rid of the sharpish curves introduced when the yard was built.

Unless you're planning on big improvements to the line speed throughout I can't see the point, the line speed around the yard is the same as the line speed either side of it, 60 between Thornhill Jn and approaching Kirkgate West Jn.

 

[PhilH]

Thanks Rob for the photos.

From: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rob_transpennine_upgrade/54095541663/in/photostream/lightbox/ - all lines converge onto a single buffer stop / headshunt at the west end. That wouldn't be useful if this was for DMU storage. Have we any more insight as to why this work is happening?

NR plans to use Healey Mills as a local distribution centre for TRU work from spring 2025. Stock stabling for Northern is planned for a five-road depot at Hillhouse, closer to Huddersfield, with commissioning expected end Sept 2025