with closed season here on urbexing its time to look to local mooching before we over indulge in eating drinking and pantomime for the local amature dramatic society ( at which i would like to point out that i only wear lipstick for theatrical purposes)
much has written about firbeck colliery but not about the branch line that served it.
a quick history ...firbeck colliery nr langold notts was sunk in 1923 and was closed in 1968 as an unproductive pit the men being transfered to the nearby collieries of manton,dinnington,maltby,thurcroft,shireoaks,harworth or rossington collieries which have themselves now long since gone.
the line left the south yorkshire joint railway at firbeck jcn and turned right through tickhill across tickhill viaduct which will be dealt with in another thread towards the village of langold and firbeck colliery the firbeck branch or the firbeck light railway to give it its proper name was connected not only in the tickhill direction but also to harworth and the ECML by way of styrupp triangle so trains could be sent in either direction making the harworth branch one of the busiest railway branches in nottinghamshire and the colliery unique in that it never saw the new diesel era the firbeck branch being steam worked for all of its short 45 year life .
the route was quite a circuitous one leaving the harworth branch at styrupp jcn and crossing styrupp lane on a bridge and banking and continuing over further bridges crossing the oldcotes to harworth B road and the main maltby to blyth road at oldcotes before disapearing behind taylors farm and entering a cutting where it went under the main A60 worksop to doncaster road bridge before entering firbeck colliery sidings and firbeck colliery.
sadly closure came in 1968 and the trackwork and triangle were removed leaving harworth a branch line in its own right the colliery itself was demolished and the shafts sealed in the 1970,s
today many of the former colliery buildings still stand but only 2 are in use the rest lie derelict there have been plans to build houses on the site but as yet nothing has ever come of it.
after 49 years most of the branch line has returned to nature or been converted into fields a country park or field access
although some of the original railway artefacts still exist in some parts you wouldnt have thought a railway had ever existed here
picture list
1, 43847 passes under the main A60 worksop road at langold shunting coal wagons in firbeck colliery sidings while a red probably trent motors bus heads to worksop on the 33 service to nottingham the building on the right of picture is the hilltop working mens club which still stands today.
2, the view 49 years on of the cutting the above train was standing in.
3. a view of the remains of the filled in bridge from the other side of the A60
4, firbeck colliery sidings are now langold country park
5, the partially dismantled bridge crossing styrupp lane
6, the painted bridge plate can still be seen BRB FCB 3 ..reading british railways board firbeck colliery branch bridge 3
7, a concrete post which has long lost its sign stands in the undergrowth with the railway bank behind it
8, the other side of the bridge has been removed and is now a private access
9 &10, the railway banking has been removed to create a field access
11, looking towards stryupp jct the harworth part of the triangle turned right where the clump of bushes are
12 & 13 where the right leg of the triangle left the firbeck branch the banking still exists beyond here with a bridge and i would have liked to got some pictures of that but access is very difficult without tromping across the farmers field
much has written about firbeck colliery but not about the branch line that served it.
a quick history ...firbeck colliery nr langold notts was sunk in 1923 and was closed in 1968 as an unproductive pit the men being transfered to the nearby collieries of manton,dinnington,maltby,thurcroft,shireoaks,harworth or rossington collieries which have themselves now long since gone.
the line left the south yorkshire joint railway at firbeck jcn and turned right through tickhill across tickhill viaduct which will be dealt with in another thread towards the village of langold and firbeck colliery the firbeck branch or the firbeck light railway to give it its proper name was connected not only in the tickhill direction but also to harworth and the ECML by way of styrupp triangle so trains could be sent in either direction making the harworth branch one of the busiest railway branches in nottinghamshire and the colliery unique in that it never saw the new diesel era the firbeck branch being steam worked for all of its short 45 year life .
the route was quite a circuitous one leaving the harworth branch at styrupp jcn and crossing styrupp lane on a bridge and banking and continuing over further bridges crossing the oldcotes to harworth B road and the main maltby to blyth road at oldcotes before disapearing behind taylors farm and entering a cutting where it went under the main A60 worksop to doncaster road bridge before entering firbeck colliery sidings and firbeck colliery.
sadly closure came in 1968 and the trackwork and triangle were removed leaving harworth a branch line in its own right the colliery itself was demolished and the shafts sealed in the 1970,s
today many of the former colliery buildings still stand but only 2 are in use the rest lie derelict there have been plans to build houses on the site but as yet nothing has ever come of it.
after 49 years most of the branch line has returned to nature or been converted into fields a country park or field access
although some of the original railway artefacts still exist in some parts you wouldnt have thought a railway had ever existed here
picture list
1, 43847 passes under the main A60 worksop road at langold shunting coal wagons in firbeck colliery sidings while a red probably trent motors bus heads to worksop on the 33 service to nottingham the building on the right of picture is the hilltop working mens club which still stands today.
2, the view 49 years on of the cutting the above train was standing in.
3. a view of the remains of the filled in bridge from the other side of the A60
4, firbeck colliery sidings are now langold country park
5, the partially dismantled bridge crossing styrupp lane
6, the painted bridge plate can still be seen BRB FCB 3 ..reading british railways board firbeck colliery branch bridge 3
7, a concrete post which has long lost its sign stands in the undergrowth with the railway bank behind it
8, the other side of the bridge has been removed and is now a private access
9 &10, the railway banking has been removed to create a field access
11, looking towards stryupp jct the harworth part of the triangle turned right where the clump of bushes are
12 & 13 where the right leg of the triangle left the firbeck branch the banking still exists beyond here with a bridge and i would have liked to got some pictures of that but access is very difficult without tromping across the farmers field
