Lost Woodhead - Penistone to Hazlehead

Welcome to the 4th part of our Lost Woodhead series. We’re making our way from Deepcar all the way (eventually) to Hadfield. We’ve covered the history of the line before, but just a reminder, the Woodhead route was the UKs first electrified mainline, but closed in 1981.

Last time out we looked at the town of Penistone from the old Woodhead station platforms to the original station and coal drops. We left you just as we’d polished off a couple of huge bacon sarnies (that’s a sandwich for anyone not from around here) to the west of the old Penistone Goods junction. They should keep us going for an hour or so. We’ll take this episode just short of Dunford Bridge.

We pass the sites of Thurlstone and Shore Hall crossings before reaching the site of the former Bullhouse colliery.

The scenery improves as we progress along the line, switching between cuttings and embankments. Passing the site of the heart warming story of Warren House cottage. Next up is Hazlehead bridge and station. The station buildings remain as private residence, as well as the station hotel and railway cottage at road level. At the west end of the station was wide area with seven lines. Here is the site of a junction. This Branch line from Hazelhead closed in 1964, but Im not sure exactly when it was opened. It made it’s way up to Crow Edge, Hazelhead colliery, Sledbrook Colliery, Hepworth Iron Works on what looks quite an incline. Ive seen the figure of 1 in 25 mentioned The line of the track bed is still very much visible from the air and the road.

We have a drink at the Magic Wood Cafe before heading up the trackbed towards Dunford Bridge.

The line opened in 1845, built by the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway. It became part of the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway in 1847. In 1897 it became part of the Great Central Railway (GCR) and it’s mainline between Manchester and London (via Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester). In 1923, it was grouped under LNER (London North Eastern Railway). Before upon nationalisation moving under British Railways in 1948.

Before the outset of WW2, plans were drawn up to electrify the section of the GCR between Manchester and Wath and Sheffield. Steam hauled heavy freight trains were struggling over the steep gradients on the line at the time. The project was delayed by the war, but was completed in 1955. The overhead wires energised at 1,500 volts DC. Whilst this was tried and tested technology (and is still standard in the Netherlands), the comparatively low voltage meant that a large number of electricity substations and heavy cabling would be required. It also made regenerative braking by transfer of power from descending to ascending trains in the same section of line comparatively straightforward.

Having seen major investment in the 1950s, the line was controversially closed to passenger traffic on 5 January 1970. Freight continued until 1981 when the line was mothballed. The tracks were ripped up in the following years.

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