Westbound freight train near West Silkstone Junction
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Westbound freight train near West Silkstone Junction by Ben Brooksbank as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
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Westbound freight train near West Silkstone Junction
Image: © Ben Brooksbank Taken: 11 Aug 1950
View eastward, towards Barnsley (also Wath via Worsbrough). The train, headed by an ex-War Department 2-8-0 (No. 77138) is a Class H freight bound for Pensitone and the Woodhead Line to Manchester (ex-Great Central) and has probably come from Wath Yard up the very heavily graded Worsbrough Branch that by-passed Barnsley. The masts and cross-beams had been erected over 10 years earlier when the electrification of the route had begun, but was interrupted by the War and then the building of Woodhead New Tunnel. WD No. 7138 was built by Vulcan in 11/43 and loaned to the LNER at Newport (Tees-side) until 11/44 when it went to the GWR at Swindon: it was shipped to France in 1/45 and worked on the Dutch Railways for over two year. It was returned to England in 1947 and loaned to the LNER, working for many years - as here - from Mexborough and was withdrawn eventually (as BR 90587) in 2/66.
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Image Location
Latitude
53.527909
Longitude
-1.590251