Heck Ings near ECML

[balne-wonderer]

Spent a couple of hours at Heck Ings over the weekend. It’s a great location because there are frequent freight trains on the Pontefract line as well as the occasional passenger service going towards Leeds or Goole. You also get a decent view of the ECML as it goes past Hensall quarry, not very far at all from the awful Great Heck rail crash site.

However, I noticed something last weekend that I hadn’t noticed before. I approached the level crossing from the north side (usually I approach from the south and park at that side of the crossing so as not to disturb the crossing keeper) I noticed that there is two old bridges along the road that have been partially removed. It would appear that there used to be a link from the ECML to the Pontefract line.

I just wondered why and when this was removed? As this section of the Pontefract line and that section of the ECML is frequently used by freight surely it would have been a good way of moving freight between the two? Anyone shed any light?

(sorry if I have any line names or terminology incorrect, like I said in a previous thread, I love trains but I know little about rail infrastructure)

 

[John Webb]

I'm not quite certain about the exact location of the road with the level crossing you mention - I assume this is the minor road just east of the ECML and the LC is over the Pontefract to Goole line. According to OS maps there was once a connection from the East side of the ECML to the North side of the Pontefract-Goole line. But an atlas of BR in 1955 does not show this connection, which suggests it's been dismantled for some time! Neither does it appear in the similar atlas for 1922.
You would probably find the following link of interest:
http://www.geograph.org.uk/browse.php?p=380034 as this shows photos of the LC and one of the disused bridges.
The poster of the bridge picture comments that the link has been out of use for "over 100 years"!

There are quite a few disused lines in that area. The 1955 atlas shows that the short branch to Drax power station was once a line that came from several lines that merged at Kirk Heaton and then went NE under the ECML and the Goole line (with a connection to the latter) and then E to arrive at Hull. A short distance NE of the Pontefract-Goole and Drax line junction, a line from the latter went S under the Goole line and then went on to the Doncaster area. Even in 1955 this was a freight-only line.

 

[balne-wonderer]

Thanks for the reply. Excellent information, that is indeed the crossing i was talking about. There is some fantastic areas of railway and railway history in certain parts of East and North Yorkshire that are unknown to many. There is also several good places to view the ECML in Yorkshire such as the mentioned Heck Ings, Hensall Quarry, Great Heck and Balne High and Lowgate.

I've also visited the site of the old Selby to Goole line that was dismantled in the 60's, up until recently there was a bridge over the A1041 that used to carry the railway. I was shocked when I walked the route a couple of years ago to find the odd sleeper remaining as well some very short pieces of track.

I'm always amazed at just how much of the railway network was ripped up in the 60's.

 

[John Webb]

Thanks for the reply.....

My pleasure.

.....I'm always amazed at just how much of the railway network was ripped up in the 60's.

I lived through the Beeching Report as a teenager and was appalled at the demolition job that was done on many lines. It's interesting that some lines that closed then are now reopened or are being worked on for reopening. On the other hand without the Beeching cuts where would our preserved railways be?

 

[PinzaC55]

The bridge and curve you are referring to was built in about 1875 (off the top of my head!) but never actually used. It was suggested at one time that it could be reopened to allow Drax coal trains to run via Selby and possibly a Selby to Goole passenger service but like most sensible ideas nothing happened.