South Yorkshire Joint Railway
Encyclopedia
South Yorkshire Joint Railway was a committee formed in 1903, between the Great Central Railway
(GCR), the Great Northern Railway
(GNR), the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
(L&YR), the Midland Railway
(MR) and the North Eastern Railway
(NER) to oversee the construction of a new railway in the Doncaster
area of South Yorkshire
, England
. The five companies had equal rights over the line, each of the companies regularly working trains over it.
As one of only two railways in England with 5 partners the South Yorkshire Joint Railway was the most "joint" of joint railways.
The line ran from Kirk Sandall Junction on the Great Central's Doncaster-Cleethorpes line to a junction with the Midland and Great Central Joint Railway, just south of Dinnington. The N.E.R. had access over the G.C.R. from Hull, the M.R. had access from the Nottingham-Worksop line, over G.C.R. metals from Shireoaks, the L&Y joined at St. Catherine's Junction from their Dearne Valley Railway
and the G.N.R. had connections to the south of Doncaster. As opened the S.Y.J.R. was 21.25 miles (34km) in length, including its colliery branch lines and connections to the several lines it crossed in its path. It opened to freight on 1 January 1909, and to passengers on 1 December 1910.The capital cost was almost £411,000.
In the grouping of 1923, the Midland and L&YR were grouped into the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), whilst the GCR, GER and GNR were all grouped into the London and North Eastern Railway
(LNER). It thus remained an LMS(²/5)-LNER(³/5) joint line until nationalisation into British Railways in 1948.
The line opened to [eventually] serve eight collieries, Markham main, Yorkshire main
, Dinnington Main
, Maltby colliery, Thurcroft Colliery
, Harry Croft colliery and it remains open today, although only Maltby colliery was still producing coal in 2010 [around 1.2 million tonnes pa according to the owners, Hargreave Services. The largest amount of coal traffic originating on the line was recorded in 1929, almost 3 million tons. This was the result of the new Firbeck and Harworth collieries coming into full production and their branch lines being part of the SYJR. This production total produced a net revenue for the SYJR of £81k - equal to about £4.3 million in 2008 prices, an astonishing figure for a line [excluding sidings] of just under 30 miles [47.4km.] By the end of 1929 capital expenditure on the SYJR had reached more than £710,000.
There were three stations on the railway, these being Dinnington and Laughton
, Maltby
and Tickhill and Wadworth, all of these being situated away from the villages in their title. Passenger trains were originally operated by the Great Central Railway and the Great Northern Railway and ran between Doncaster
and Shireoaks
, calling at all stations on the S.Y.J.R. and Anston
, on the Midland and Great Central Joint line. This joint passenger service operated for just one year before the G.N.R. left for the G.C.R. to continue on its own. From April 1920 the service was extended to Worksop
. Passenger traffic over the line was never great, with the largest total number of travellers - 60,220 being recorded in 1913. The service became Saturdays-only in June 1917 until April 1920 but was suspended from April 1926 to July 1927 due to the General Strike
and finally closed on 2 December 1929.
The route used encounters hilly country, and there are several large viaducts, the largest being at Brookhouse and, a rising gradient for most of its journey.
The station site at Maltby has been built on although the platforms are still evident, also at Tickhill and Wadworth the station site is full of sleepers and the platforms exist. The station masters house at Tickhill station is a now private residence.
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...
(GCR), the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
(GNR), the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways...
(L&YR), the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
(MR) and the North Eastern Railway
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
(NER) to oversee the construction of a new railway in the 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"...
area 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...
. The five companies had equal rights over the line, each of the companies regularly working trains over it.
As one of only two railways in England with 5 partners the South Yorkshire Joint Railway was the most "joint" of joint railways.
The line ran from Kirk Sandall Junction on the Great Central's Doncaster-Cleethorpes line to a junction with the Midland and Great Central Joint Railway, just south of Dinnington. The N.E.R. had access over the G.C.R. from Hull, the M.R. had access from the Nottingham-Worksop line, over G.C.R. metals from Shireoaks, the L&Y joined at St. Catherine's Junction from their Dearne Valley Railway
Dearne Valley Railway
The Dearne Valley Railway was a railway line which ran through the valley of the River Dearne in South Yorkshire. It was incorporated by an Act of Parliament on 6 August 1897 to build a line between Brierley Junction, on the main line of the Hull and Barnsley Railway, to junctions with the Great...
and the G.N.R. had connections to the south of Doncaster. As opened the S.Y.J.R. was 21.25 miles (34km) in length, including its colliery branch lines and connections to the several lines it crossed in its path. It opened to freight on 1 January 1909, and to passengers on 1 December 1910.The capital cost was almost £411,000.
In the grouping of 1923, the Midland and L&YR were grouped into the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), whilst the GCR, GER and GNR were all grouped into the London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
(LNER). It thus remained an LMS(²/5)-LNER(³/5) joint line until nationalisation into British Railways in 1948.
The line opened to [eventually] serve eight collieries, Markham main, Yorkshire main
Yorkshire Main Colliery
Yorkshire Main Colliery was a coal mine situated within the village of Edlington, south west of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England.The colliery was created by the Staveley Coal and Iron Company, which bought land in Edlington and leased the right to exploit the coal reserves under this and...
, Dinnington Main
Dinnington Main Colliery
Dinnington Main Colliery was a coal mine situated in the village of Dinnington, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire.Until the coming of the colliery Dinnington was a mainly agricultural village with a small amount of quarrying in the area....
, Maltby colliery, Thurcroft Colliery
Thurcroft Colliery
Thurcroft Colliery was a coal mine situated in the village of Thurcroft, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England.In 1902 the Rother Vale Colliery Company leased the rights to work coal from below the Thurcroft Estates which were owned by Messrs...
, Harry Croft colliery and it remains open today, although only Maltby colliery was still producing coal in 2010 [around 1.2 million tonnes pa according to the owners, Hargreave Services. The largest amount of coal traffic originating on the line was recorded in 1929, almost 3 million tons. This was the result of the new Firbeck and Harworth collieries coming into full production and their branch lines being part of the SYJR. This production total produced a net revenue for the SYJR of £81k - equal to about £4.3 million in 2008 prices, an astonishing figure for a line [excluding sidings] of just under 30 miles [47.4km.] By the end of 1929 capital expenditure on the SYJR had reached more than £710,000.
There were three stations on the railway, these being Dinnington and Laughton
Dinnington and Laughton railway station
Dinnington and Laughton railway station was situated on the South Yorkshire Joint Railway line between the villages of Dinnington and Laughton-en-le-Morthen, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England....
, Maltby
Maltby railway station
Maltby railway station was located on the South Yorkshire Joint Railway on the eastern edge of Maltby, South Yorkshire.The station was opened in 1910, built by the Great Central Railway , who operated the passenger service over the SYJR between and jointly with the Great Northern Railway...
and Tickhill and Wadworth, all of these being situated away from the villages in their title. Passenger trains were originally operated by the Great Central Railway and the Great Northern Railway and ran between Doncaster
Doncaster railway station
Doncaster railway station serves the town of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the East Coast Main Line north of London Kings Cross, and is about five minutes walk from Doncaster town centre. The station is managed by East Coast...
and Shireoaks
Shireoaks railway station
Shireoaks railway station serves the village of Shireoaks in Nottinghamshire, England. It was opened by the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway in 1849...
, calling at all stations on the S.Y.J.R. and Anston
Anston railway station
Anston railway station was situated on the Great Central and Midland Joint Railway line between the villages of North Anston and South Anston near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England....
, on the Midland and Great Central Joint line. This joint passenger service operated for just one year before the G.N.R. left for the G.C.R. to continue on its own. From April 1920 the service was extended to Worksop
Worksop railway station
Worksop railway station serves the town of Worksop in Nottinghamshire, England.Opened in July 1849 by the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway, part of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, it is today an intermediate stop on the regional service from Lincoln Central to...
. Passenger traffic over the line was never great, with the largest total number of travellers - 60,220 being recorded in 1913. The service became Saturdays-only in June 1917 until April 1920 but was suspended from April 1926 to July 1927 due to the General Strike
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
and finally closed on 2 December 1929.
The route used encounters hilly country, and there are several large viaducts, the largest being at Brookhouse and, a rising gradient for most of its journey.
The station site at Maltby has been built on although the platforms are still evident, also at Tickhill and Wadworth the station site is full of sleepers and the platforms exist. The station masters house at Tickhill station is a now private residence.