Aldwarke Junction
Encyclopedia
Aldwarke Junction at Parkgate near Rotherham
, South Yorkshire
, England
is a major railway junction. It was constructed in 1965 as a part of the Sheffield district rail rationalisation plan.
At this point the double track former Great Central Railway
line from Sheffield Victoria to Mexborough
(where it joined the South Yorkshire line to Doncaster
) came within 50 yards of the four-track former North Midland Railway
line from Leeds
to Derby
. The original junction was a double track cross-over (scissors crossing) taking traffic to and from the GC lines to the two "slow" lines of the North Midland in the direction of Leeds and to and from the "slow" lines of the North Midland to the GC, in the direction of Mexborough. Further cross-overs were installed to make possible a move from the "slow" to the "fast" lines ( and v.v.) on the North Midland at each end of the junction.
This gave access and egress via the GC to the northern end of the newly built Tinsley Marshalling Yard
at Sheffield and to its southern end via a connection from the North Midland line at Treeton, south of Rotherham.
Operation of the junction and the immediate vicinity through new multiple aspect colour light signalling, four aspect on the Midland "fast" lines and three aspect on the Midland "slow" and G.C. lines, was installed controlled from a new power-operated signal box set just to the north of the scissors crossing. The signal box closed in the late 1970s when the new Sheffield power box took over responsibilities for the area, however the building remained, firstly as an emergency facility due to its strategic location, and later as a staff building.
in 1966.
Today the junction is a known bottleneck with many local stopping trains, fast expresses and freight trains all converging on the junction. Prior to its demise, Railtrack had plans to reinstate the third and fourth running lines north of the junction as far as Swinton junction and remodel Swinton station to increase capacity. These plans were not adopted by Railtrack's successor Network Rail in the short term. However the Yorkshire and Humber Route Utilisation Strategy
mentions the quadrupling of this section of line as a possible necessity for Control Period 5, ie 2014 at the very earliest.
s. The road names, however, reflect the railway theme, although most not from the railways of this area. (Note: The nearby "Great Eastern Way" is, in fact, named after the Isambard Kingdom Brunel ship of the same name; the metal plates for its construction being produced at the Parkgate Iron and Steel Company).
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
is a major railway junction. It was constructed in 1965 as a part of the Sheffield district rail rationalisation plan.
The Location
The junction is sited immediately north of the site of the former Parkgate and Rawmarsh station, which closed in 1968.At this point the double track former Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
line from Sheffield Victoria to Mexborough
Mexborough
Mexborough is a town in the metropolitan borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, situated on the north bank of the River Don west of its confluence with the River Dearne...
(where it joined the South Yorkshire line to Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
) came within 50 yards of the four-track former North Midland Railway
North Midland Railway
The North Midland Railway was a British railway company, which opened its line from Derby to Rotherham and Leeds in 1840.At Derby it connected with the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at what became known as the Tri Junct Station...
line from Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
to Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
. The original junction was a double track cross-over (scissors crossing) taking traffic to and from the GC lines to the two "slow" lines of the North Midland in the direction of Leeds and to and from the "slow" lines of the North Midland to the GC, in the direction of Mexborough. Further cross-overs were installed to make possible a move from the "slow" to the "fast" lines ( and v.v.) on the North Midland at each end of the junction.
This gave access and egress via the GC to the northern end of the newly built Tinsley Marshalling Yard
Tinsley Marshalling Yard
Tinsley Marshalling Yard was a railway marshalling yard located near Tinsley in Sheffield. It was opened in 1965 as a part of a major plan to rationalise all aspects of the rail services in the Sheffield area, and closed in stages from 1985 with the run-down of rail freight in Britain. It was also...
at Sheffield and to its southern end via a connection from the North Midland line at Treeton, south of Rotherham.
Operation of the junction and the immediate vicinity through new multiple aspect colour light signalling, four aspect on the Midland "fast" lines and three aspect on the Midland "slow" and G.C. lines, was installed controlled from a new power-operated signal box set just to the north of the scissors crossing. The signal box closed in the late 1970s when the new Sheffield power box took over responsibilities for the area, however the building remained, firstly as an emergency facility due to its strategic location, and later as a staff building.
Closures
The construction of the junction allowed a double track curve at Swinton between Swinton Town station and Mexborough to be closed. At the same time, Sheffield to Doncaster trains were re-routed to Sheffield Midland over the new junction as a part of the plan to close Sheffield Victoria, also resulting in the closure of Rotherham CentralRotherham Central railway station
Rotherham Central railway station is in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. The station was originally named "Rotherham", becoming "Rotherham and Masborough" in January 1889 and finally "Rotherham Central" on 25 September 1950...
in 1966.
Rationalisation
In the late 1980s and early 1990s the junction was remodelled. The third and fourth running lines north of the junction were removed and the connection to the G.C. in the Mexborough direction was moved to be a single-line ladder junction north of the existing junction, thus removing the complexity of the double-scissors crossing. To enable trains travelling from Sheffield to Doncaster to call at the new Swinton station the previously lifted double-track curve to the Mexborough line from Swinton was replaced and all passenger traffic routed via this, rendering the former GC line from Aldwarke to Mexborough goods-only.Today the junction is a known bottleneck with many local stopping trains, fast expresses and freight trains all converging on the junction. Prior to its demise, Railtrack had plans to reinstate the third and fourth running lines north of the junction as far as Swinton junction and remodel Swinton station to increase capacity. These plans were not adopted by Railtrack's successor Network Rail in the short term. However the Yorkshire and Humber Route Utilisation Strategy
Yorkshire and Humber Route Utilisation Strategy
The Yorkshire and Humber Route Utilisation Strategy is a Route Utilisation Strategy , published by Network Rail in July 2009 ; it was the twelfth RUS to be completed, not counting the partially completed Network RUS....
mentions the quadrupling of this section of line as a possible necessity for Control Period 5, ie 2014 at the very earliest.
Industry in the area
The junction is sited within a heavy industrial area. Although the coal mines (Aldwarke and Roundwood collieries were adjacent to the junction) have closed, the last in 1964, the Parkgate Iron and Steel Company invested heavily in the mid-1960s in the development of a new site alongside the GC with rail access. Nowadays the site is owned by Corus and comprises not just the Aldwarke (new site) melting and steel processing but was developed further with the opening of the Thrybergh Bar Mill in 1976. At the north end of the junction, adjacent to the North Midland line, and rail connected to it, is situated the just post-war, and now closed, Roundwood Rolling Mill (commonly known because of the size of the mill as the "11 inch mill"). However, the former blast furnace and open hearth steel melting plant to the rear of Parkgate and Rawmarsh station are gone, replaced by large retail parkRetail park
In the United Kingdom, a retail park is a grouping of many retail warehouses and superstores with associated car parking. Its North American equivalent is a power centre. Retail parks are found on the fringes of most large towns and cities in highly accessible locations and are aimed at households...
s. The road names, however, reflect the railway theme, although most not from the railways of this area. (Note: The nearby "Great Eastern Way" is, in fact, named after the Isambard Kingdom Brunel ship of the same name; the metal plates for its construction being produced at the Parkgate Iron and Steel Company).