Double track freight only route between Knottingley & Doncaster

[NightatLaira]

Apparently it only has 2 workings a day in either direction - which must be a record for such a long stretch of double track - to look at it on googelearth it diverges from the depot just east of Knottingley station, under the M62 and runs more or less in a straight line through places like Wormsley and Askern to a point on the ECML just north of the branch to Bentley and Adwick.

In some ways it's a surprise that more traffic does not use it. Does anyone have any more information on it such as the exact working times, the sort of freight it carries and what the line speeds are?

Has an HST ever been through here on diversion from Leeds at a time when both the Wakefield and Milford areas were closed?

 

[Tomnick]

At least some of the Grand Northern services are booked that way now, and at least one East Coast service semi-regularly runs that way (or used to?) for route knowledge. Freight-wise, it seems reasonably busy - I've been delayed at the LC in Askern plenty of times.

 

[NightatLaira]

That's interesting - a farmer who has an unmanned automated single-barrier level crossing on a lane between two of his fields on this route (see Cow Lane / Woodhall Lane LC in Wormsley) was telling me that there's only two trains a day in either direction... maybe they're missing something.

I must admit the rails did look quite shiny when I was last there...

 

[9K43]

Before EWS all MGR's out of Donny Up Decoy used this route via KY, Crofton and Kirkgate Station back to the Mill on both routes.
These trains were ^K96/97

 

[DaveNewcastle]

Does anyone have any more information on it such as the exact working times, the sort of freight it carries and what the line speeds are?

Linespeed out of Donny at Shaftholme Junction is 20, rises to 40 then back to 20 for the mile to Haywood Level Crossing. Then its between 30 and 60 for the 9 or so miles to Knottingley South Junction.

 

[NightatLaira]

Linespeed out of Donny at Shaftholme Junction is 20, rises to 40 then back to 20 for Haywood Level Crossing. Then its between 30 and 60 for the 9 or so miles to Knottingley South Junction.

Remarkably slow for such a straight route... I presume that is to ensure a good stopping distance for freight trains as most of the LCs are unmanned / CCTV monitored single barrier types?

 

[DaveNewcastle]

Remarkably slow for such a straight route... I presume that is to ensure a good stopping distance for freight trains as most of the LCs are unmanned / CCTV monitored single barrier types?

Don't know, but Thorpe LC is AOCL at 25mph and Heywood is CCTV at 20mph.

 

[Tomnick]

AOCLs have a speed restriction on approach to ensure that the Driver has a sufficiently good view of the crossing before becoming 'committed' to proceeding over the crossing. There's no need for speed restrictions on the approach to the other types of crossing on the line (all AHB, CCTV or locally controlled).

 

[Ploughman]

A few years ago a lot of the line had a low speed due to the amount of damaged concrete sleepers in place. These arose from a number of derailments of single wheelsets bouncing along. Rather than relay the lot they spot sleepered.
In some locations there was also mismatched rails in cess and 6ft ie 113 in 1 leg and 98 in the other. No problem if the track is tamped but a rerail was planned last year and queries raised as to why a tamper was required.