Old Railway Enthusiasts

[Texas 10]

I think there's probably another thread dealing with this topic but I'm not sure of the title so...... Can anyone remember a station called Checker House? It was on the G.C. I think, between Worksop and Retford. Or was it the old Great Northern? I've looked on Ordinance Survey maps going back a few years and it's not shown. I was regaled of tales, as a kid, of trains belting thro' that section.

[blue11265 10]

http://www.signalboxes.com/chequerhouse.php

 

Funnily enough I found this the other night. Great site by the way.

[mikeG 16]

Any model railway collectors may be interested in the 2 engines I have for sale - see 'items for sale'. Both Sold.

Edited October 11, 2010 by mikeG

[Texas 10]

Thanks for that Blue11265. Interesting spelling of Checker/ Chequer, I always thought it was the former. I'll have to have another look at the O.S. maps and see if I can see the other spelling anywhere.

[hillsbro 28]

It would seem that "Checker House" is the correct form. In Col. M.H. Cobb's monumental work "The Railways of Great Britain - a Historical Atlas" it appears as Checker House, the station having opened in 1852 and closed in 1931 - see here. Bartholomew's Gazetteer uses the same spelling, as does the Wikipedia list of closed railway stations - see here.

[Texas 10]

So, did anyone ever trainspot at Checker? And if so, did trains go like the clappers thro' there? What community, do you think, did the station serve? According to O.S.maps there are no villages or houses nearby. I always imagined it was just a box to protect the crossing.

[blue11265 10]

So, did anyone ever trainspot at Checker? And if so, did trains go like the clappers thro' there? What community, do you think, did the station serve? According to O.S.maps there are no villages or houses nearby. I always imagined it was just a box to protect the crossing.

 

Texas, The line speed through Checker House is 60 mph. I dont think that it would have been any higher than that all those years ago.

[Texas 10]

Another question. Anybody ever heard of a Stocksbridge Railway? I heard it was a private railway built by Samuel Fox for use of his workforce and they traveled free.

[libertarian 10]

Another question. Anybody ever heard of a Stocksbridge Railway? I heard it was a private railway built by Samuel Fox for use of his workforce and they traveled free.

 

Wikipedia is your friend!

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stocksbridge_Railway

 

Hope that helps, and as it says it is still open for freight, though in slightly reduced form. To see it look on Google maps for the only railway in Stocksbridge and thats it (it joins the old Great Central mainline at Deepcar and so from there south the line was originally something different).

[27001Ariadne 11]

Re the Stocksbridge Railway, whereas it now ends on Corus's (formerly Samuel Fox's) yard more or less opposite the Silver Fox pub, it previously continued onto the long forgotten Sheffield Corporation Railways, shown on th reproduction 1903 O/S map. Built to convey workers & materials to the reservoirs, these are the mysterious disused railway embankments that I've heard commented on by passengers on the 20A bus, seen on the righthand side going uphill toward Langsett, before the line dives under the road to the reservoir side. At the Corus end it's now severed by the Stocksbridge byepass.

[Texas 10]

Thanks for the feedback 27001Ariadne ( that's a hell of a psuedonym). I haven't got a O.S map showing the full rail line but I managed to find a trace on one published in 1988. That's at O.S. 221006 approx, east of Langsett and just north of the A616. I presume also that the old track follows the footpath, shown by the pecked line.

[hillsbro 28]

I just found these photos of Checkerhouse signal box and station..