Peak Rail Presents - Doug Copley's Lineside Images #16.2 Barton-on-Humber Branch and Tileries(1985)

'Doug Copley's Lineside Images' are 68 titles filmed 1980's, 1990's & 2000's variously 12-90 minutes long. They come with Doug's own commentary and tend to follow lines of route, or particular workings, filmed over multiple return visits.
In Alfred Hitchcock (filmmaker) style, Doug occasionally makes brief cameo appearances in his own films.
Doug Copley
Doug gave annual shows to Peak Rail Sheffield Branch. When he died in 2008 his films were kindly made available to the Peak Railway Association by his family so that appreciative enthusiasts can continue to enjoy his work in his memory.
During his working life as a steelworks commissioning engineer he travelled extensively and the collection includes South America, South Africa, India, Turkey (steam), and Australia. The UK collection includes many secondary lines, and also industrial railways. A treasure trove.
DCLI DVD #16-2 Barton-on-Humber + tileries (1985) (18 min) with sound and commentary.
Branching from the Cleethorpes/Grimsby-Barnetby 'mainline' at Habrough, a return trip down the Barton-on-Humber Branch calling at Ulceby, Thornton Abbey, Goxhill, New Holland and Barrow Haven to terminate at Barton-on-Humber.
the Branch Class 114 DMU take the south-north side of the Habrough-Brocklesby-Ulceby triangle.
at Ulceby, see freight on the Immingham-Brocklesby-Barnetby axis with Class 37 on loaded steel coil, and a Class 47 with empty oil tankers.
Thornton Abbey still has its large wooden running-in station nameboards, and the station which opened in 1849 replaced a temporary station half a mile away at Thorton Curtis built just one year earlier.
just south of Goxhill was the one-time junction for Immingham Dock via the Barton & Immingham light railway which closed 1963 except for the truncated south end which is now used as a headshunt for the Immingham Biomass terminal.
Oxmarsh Crossing box where the single-line token to Barton is collected.
New Holland was once a busy place before the regular pedestrian and car ferry service from New Holland Pier to Hull ceased with the opening of the Humber Bridge in 1981. For many years the ferry service was operated by 3 coal-fired paddle steamers Lincoln Castle, Wingfield Castle and Tattershall Castle but when they were retired, mv 'Faringford' was brought up from the Isle of Wight to perform the final honours from 1978.
New Holland Pier is now in private hands. Although a network of conveyors have been installed, the signalbox, canopies, and station buildings were largely untouched and remained intact. Doug obtained permission from New Holland Bulk Services to go onto the pier to view them.
A railway triangle existed at New Holland with passenger services from Barton and from Cleethorpes both entering New Holland Town station, then continuing double-track-rail with narrow single-track-road alongside (traffic-light-control) to New Holland Pier for the ferries to Hull Corporation Pier.
When the Pier closed to trains a new simple platform for New Holland was erected on the third side of the triangle. A new rail service commenced Cleethorpes to Barton Interchange connecting with a new Scunthorpe-Hull bus service via the Humber Bridge, to cater for former ferry foot passengers.
between New Holland and Barton, Barrow Haven is a request halt by a little creek, just large enough to enable small cargo vessels to berth at the quay.
on arrival at Barton, passenger traffic is brisk.
at 8m20s the dmu starts its return journey and on the outskirts of Barton passes the sidiing to the erstwhile Associated Chemical Company fertiliser factory (later Albright Wilson, later ICI) who received rail traffic in bogie tankers, as seen on this film at 13m 12s. This siding was used for run-around purposes when Barton trains were loco-hauled. The plant closed in the late 1980s and no trace remains.
between 9m.0s and 13m12s a fascinating 4 minute digression to see the 2' gauge railway and antiquated working methods at Far Ings Tileries, producing pantile roof tiles in the shadow of Humber Bridge looming above.
Barrow Haven, a Class 37 passes with UKF bogie tanks for the Associated Chemical works at Barton, whilst mv 'Edelgard' loaded with timber, sits in the mud at the quay. A lone passenger waits at the wooden platform and flags down the DMU.
another wooden platform at New Holland and then Oxmarsh Crossing box again, where the single line token is surrendered.
Goxhill station with DMUs and then the Class 37 running light-engine to Immingham depot, having deposited the tanks at Barton. Goxhill is the last station retaining its original buildings, albeit now in private ownership.
to finish we see the branch DMU rejoining the 'mainline' at Habrough, and then double-headed Class 37s thrash through Ulceby with iron-ore empties bound for Immingham close the film.
For more information on the Peak Railway Association please visit our website
peakrailwayassociation.co.uk/

[@russthebus1]

Thanks very much indeed for showing these old films. An invaluable record of how things were!

[@bryanwhitfield7125]

Fascinating. Wonderful footage.

[@TheDaf95xf]

Happy memories 😊

[@lnerrules-iw6ry]

Nice Footage there. Ulceby Junction Signal Box was demolished in late December 2015.

[@duncancurtis5108]

At Barrow Crossing the signalman has to run out and push the gates shut.

[@stevenweasel2678]

Great and important Record