Clitheroe - Hellifield to get year-round service

[55018ballymoss]

Just to tackle the point about diverting the York-Blackpool North service via Hellifield. This is not possible without two sets of points being clipped and scotched for the movement to take place as both points do not have facing point locks! (I know this as I am one of the signallers at Hellifield!)
I will be very interested in how we will be operating the Winter service of terminating services at Hellifield, and will check this when I am back at work.
Last Christmas the Ribble Valley Railway Association ran a special from Blackburn to Hellifield and back on the Saturday before Christmas, and after terminating at Hellifield, the stock ran empty via Settle Junction to form the return service, to avoid the need for clipping and scotching.

Just to finish my post from earlier. There are two ECS moves associated with the new service, timed to leave Hellifield a few minutes after arrival from Preston/Blackpool North to Settle Junction and back to form the return service. Which is good news as I will not have to clip and scotch the points for the return working!

It is good to see this new service. Hopefully in time it will be operated by more than just one crew so that another out and back run to Hellifield can be accomodated, to provide a later timed service. Ultimately, it would be nice to have it running more often and on every day of the week. It may take a few years to see if that is just wishful thinking or possible...

 

[IanD]

In all fairness climbing Whernside in winter can be a hit and miss with regard to the weather but with the summer timetable (which is obviously what I quoted) there is plenty of time arriving at Ribblehead at 10.52 and not heading home until 19.07. In which case Whernside is a very realistic target, or perhaps get off at Horton and head for Penyghent. And even with the winter timetable, Penyghent is a realistic target for the physically fit.

Ah crossed wires - my comment was about the new services.

 

[Darren R]

Just to finish my post from earlier. There are two ECS moves associated with the new service, timed to leave Hellifield a few minutes after arrival from Preston/Blackpool North to Settle Junction and back to form the return service. Which is good news as I will not have to clip and scotch the points for the return working!

On the odd occassion engineering results in trains from Leeds terminating at Hellifield - how is that done? Do they run ECS to Settle Junction too? (Not strictly relevant, I know - just curious!)

 

[RichmondCommu]

Ah crossed wires - my comment was about the new services.

No worries! With regard to the winter timetable I would agree that time is rather limited but of course we also have to factor in the limited day light hours. You could always walk along the Coal Road from Dent to Garsdale or spend the afternoon in the Station Inn at Ribblehead! Happy travels
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Just to finish my post from earlier. There are two ECS moves associated with the new service, timed to leave Hellifield a few minutes after arrival from Preston/Blackpool North to Settle Junction and back to form the return service. Which is good news as I will not have to clip and scotch the points for the return working!

Please accept my apologies for the stupid question but what does mean?

 

[Tomnick]

Clipping and scotching is the act of securing a set of points (necessary in all cases for a facing move with a passenger train where no FPL is available, and sensible for any unsignalled facing moves where no detection is available - the latter being the case for a shunt back into the Up platform at Hellifield, or the former if they were to depart in service from the Down platform) with a point clip to hold one switch rail tight to the stock rail, and a scotch (wedge!) to hold the other side open.

 

[lyndhurst25]

From Monday to Saturday, the bus service number 10 leaves from Clitheroe Interchange to Settle, via Slaidburn, at 0937/1132/1347/1627/1827, so there is connectional means for travellers arriving at Clitheroe Interchange on all those six days. This is quite a scenic bus ride through part of the unspoilt country areas of north Lancashire and offers the opportunity to pass through the iconically named hamlet of Cow Ark.

Weren't there through train+bus fares for this and the other Bowland Transit bus routes? I can't seem to find the "Clitheroe Bus" destination on brfares now though. I hope that this hasn't gone the same way as the East Lancashire Day Ranger and been withdrawn.

 

[55018ballymoss]

Clipping and Scotching for a move back along the Up Main in the wrong direction into the Up platform at Hellifield? Only if all other moves are not possible! This is such a risky move as there is no signal facing to the move beyond the platform to stop an overrun... At least for a train that has to turn back using the down platform there are signals (even if some are ground signals) to control the move, and the clipping and scotching is only in place of a Facing Point Lock.

As for the other question about turning back services during Engineering work, it all depends where the blockade is. Normally the easiest option is to run the stock empty to Settle Junction to turn back, however recently when the blockade was at Settle Junction (for renewal of the main to main crossover, and single lead onto the Carnforth branch) we were forced to change this.
The decision was made to clip and scotch the junction from the Down Branch to Down Main so that only the Down Main route was available, and the Down Branch could only run into the Down Goods Loop for the duration of the blockade (all day Sunday for five consecutive Sundays). This meant that all trains terminating from the Skipton direction could terminate and then start from the Down platform to return towards Skipton. At the time of the blockade there was no passenger service from the Clitheroe branch, only the route learners for the DalesRail service, so they were accomodated in the Down Goods Loop to turn back towards Clitheroe.

Very long winded, I know, but I hope it helps explain things.

 

[30907]

That route passes through some most attractive country scenery that can be viewed during the journey and is an experience to savour in its own right. There has been a change of operator from Tyrer Bus who were running that service when we last used it and a cursory check on different sites shows either Little Red Bus or Holmswood Coaches as the current operator. The bus leaves from one of the stands at Clitheroe interchange. Perhaps someone local to the Clitheroe area on this thread may give you current vehicle provision on the route.

I entirely agree about the scenery but hadn't thought of it as a way of reaching the S and C - maybe when I get to bus pass age...
I've not seen the service recently but Tyrer and Holmeswood tend to use very similar modern low-floor vehicles, not sure about Little Red Bus but as the services are subsidised by local authorities I'd expect accessible vehicles.

 

[Darren R]

Clipping and Scotching for a move back along the Up Main in the wrong direction into the Up platform at Hellifield? Only if all other moves are not possible! This is such a risky move as there is no signal facing to the move beyond the platform to stop an overrun... At least for a train that has to turn back using the down platform there are signals (even if some are ground signals) to control the move, and the clipping and scotching is only in place of a Facing Point Lock.

As for the other question about turning back services during Engineering work, it all depends where the blockade is. Normally the easiest option is to run the stock empty to Settle Junction to turn back, however recently when the blockade was at Settle Junction (for renewal of the main to main crossover, and single lead onto the Carnforth branch) we were forced to change this.
The decision was made to clip and scotch the junction from the Down Branch to Down Main so that only the Down Main route was available, and the Down Branch could only run into the Down Goods Loop for the duration of the blockade (all day Sunday for five consecutive Sundays). This meant that all trains terminating from the Skipton direction could terminate and then start from the Down platform to return towards Skipton. At the time of the blockade there was no passenger service from the Clitheroe branch, only the route learners for the DalesRail service, so they were accomodated in the Down Goods Loop to turn back towards Clitheroe.

Very long winded, I know, but I hope it helps explain things.

Not long-winded at all - merely precise! And it certainly explains NetworkRail's reluctance to terminate at Hellifield - sounds a major pain to implement! Is it signalled for departures from the Down platform onto the Up Main towards Skipton? Never noticed a signal at the southern end of the Down platform. (But it has been a while since I was up there last!)

 

[55018ballymoss]

Yes, it was a shame when the major renewal last October did not include new facing point locks to give more flexibility with movements.
Yes, there is a double ground signal at the end of the Down platform, and the bottom one reads through the main to main crossover and onto the Up Shipley Main. Not ideal to use a ground signal, but better than nothing!