with december arriving its more or less closed season and time to turn to a spot of local mooching
much has written about firbeck colliery but not about the branch line that served it.
firbeck colliery nr langold notts was sunk in 1923 and was closed in 1968 as an unproductive pit the men being transfered to nearby collieries
all which have themselves now long since gone.
the line left the south yorkshire joint railway at firbeck jcn passing through tickhill and across tickhill viaduct towards harworth which was quite unique as the branch served both harworth and firbeck collieries the firbeck branch or the firbeck light railway to give it its proper name was connected by the styrupp triangle in the tickhill direction and also to harworth so trains could be sent in either direction making the harworth branch one of the busiest railway branches in nottinghamshire the firbeck section sadly only having a short 45 year life .
the route was quite a circuitous one after leaving the harworth branch at styrupp jcn and crossing styrupp lane on a bridge and banking the line continued over further bridges crossing the oldcotes to harworth B road and the main olcoates to blyth road before disapearing behind taylors farm and entering a cutting where it passed under the main A60 worksop to doncaster road before entering firbeck colliery sidings and firbeck colliery.
after closure 1968 the trackwork and triangle were removed leaving the harworth line a branch line in its own right the colliery itself being 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 became of it.
after a half a century most of the branch line has returned to nature or been converted into other uses although some of the original railway artefacts still exist
in some parts you wouldnt have thought a railway had ever existed here.
63847 shunts empty trucks back in to firbeck siding as a trent motors bus passes by en route to worksop the building on the right is the hilltop wmc and still stands today
above ...the cutting the train was shunting in 50 years on and below the other side of the bridge now filled in
firbeck colliery sidings now langold country park
above...the remains of a bridge over styrupp lane and bridge plate reading british railways board firbeck colliery branch bridge 3
a post in the undergrowth its sign long since gone the remains of the railway bank behind it
the otherside of the bridge has been removed and is now a private access
further up the farm bridge and banking has been demolished to create field access
the former trackbed looking towards styrupp jcn
the trackbed showing the harworth leg of the triangle on the right
looking down into the harworth leg of the triangle
much has written about firbeck colliery but not about the branch line that served it.
firbeck colliery nr langold notts was sunk in 1923 and was closed in 1968 as an unproductive pit the men being transfered to nearby collieries
all which have themselves now long since gone.
the line left the south yorkshire joint railway at firbeck jcn passing through tickhill and across tickhill viaduct towards harworth which was quite unique as the branch served both harworth and firbeck collieries the firbeck branch or the firbeck light railway to give it its proper name was connected by the styrupp triangle in the tickhill direction and also to harworth so trains could be sent in either direction making the harworth branch one of the busiest railway branches in nottinghamshire the firbeck section sadly only having a short 45 year life .
the route was quite a circuitous one after leaving the harworth branch at styrupp jcn and crossing styrupp lane on a bridge and banking the line continued over further bridges crossing the oldcotes to harworth B road and the main olcoates to blyth road before disapearing behind taylors farm and entering a cutting where it passed under the main A60 worksop to doncaster road before entering firbeck colliery sidings and firbeck colliery.
after closure 1968 the trackwork and triangle were removed leaving the harworth line a branch line in its own right the colliery itself being 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 became of it.
after a half a century most of the branch line has returned to nature or been converted into other uses although some of the original railway artefacts still exist
in some parts you wouldnt have thought a railway had ever existed here.
63847 shunts empty trucks back in to firbeck siding as a trent motors bus passes by en route to worksop the building on the right is the hilltop wmc and still stands today
above ...the cutting the train was shunting in 50 years on and below the other side of the bridge now filled in
firbeck colliery sidings now langold country park
above...the remains of a bridge over styrupp lane and bridge plate reading british railways board firbeck colliery branch bridge 3
the otherside of the bridge has been removed and is now a private access
further up the farm bridge and banking has been demolished to create field access
the former trackbed looking towards styrupp jcn
the trackbed showing the harworth leg of the triangle on the right
looking down into the harworth leg of the triangle
