Did Anyone Travel From Sheffield Victoria Station ?

[hillsbro]

Hi johnpm - glad the timetables are of interest. My older brother and I also used to go trainspotting to Retford. I remember going there one Sunday in 1961, only to find that all the main line trains had been diverted via Lincoln. So we went conkering instead.. I also travelled to Retford on the Master Cutler in 1964 when it was Pullman stock. You couldn't use day return tickets on it, but I had a "holiday runabout" ticket which was actually valid. I can still see the look on the posh Pullman-car attendant's face as he disdainfully allocated me a seat. I'm sure he didn't like to allow this scruffy-looking sixteen year-old trainspotter on his train but he was powerless to stop me... Here is a scan of the runabout ticket which I still have. Although it states that it "must be given up on expiry", when I returned to Victoria Station in the evening of the last day of validity, I managed to convince the ticket collector that I was going "home" on the 10-15 pm tran from Sheffield Midland to Brightside..

 

The trains from Sheffield Victoria to Cleethorpes via Retford continued to Gainsborough Central and then via the "Brigg line" to Barnetby. For many years this line has only had a handful of Saturdays-only trains, but thanks to the Hatfield landslip closing the Doncaster-Thorne line it has had a "new lease of life" and is now carrying a great deal of diverted freight, notably coal. On Saturday, Transpennine Express (whose services via Scunthorpe have been cancelled since the landslip in February) are due to begin a Sheffield-Cleethorpes service via this line.

 

I remember well the crossing at Retford. It was apparently the introduction of "merry go-round" coal trains that led to the Retford dive-under being built (by Henry Boot's) in the 1960s, as the crossing would have caused too many delays to their schedules.

 

Great days indeed!

[johnpm]

Great memories hillsbro! I still take my youngest grandson age 5 to see trains on the NYMR (which I live near) & Durham where he lives. Things are very quiet on NYMR at present - the recession seems to be biting. Good thing is Sir Nigel Gresley (of which Society we are members) is up & running again.

Looking forward to the Mallard 75 celebrations at York in July.

[Dreb48]

Hi hillsbro and johnpm. I used to go regularly to Retford from the Vic late 50s spotting like you guys.

Used to sit on the wall at the end of the station with my Tizer and Marmite sandwiches. It was the only time my dad ever went with me spotting.

He knew nothing about engines but loved to hear the cry of ' Streak 'and then the whole wall trembling as it thundered through at speed.

In contrast to that was the clanking of the lengthy goods trains on the cross over line.

Happy memories

[Puffin4]

I travelled on a number of occasions to and from Victoria station, on holiday to east coast resorts. I don't actually remember it closing but I recall that I last used it in about 1969, to Manchester and back.

 

I was a much more frequent user of Midland station as I used to spend most weekends in the Hope Valley in my teenage years in the 1950's.

 

Mike

[Sandy Steer]

In the1950's my family took the Devonian from Sheffield Victoria to Paignton -It was a long journey in those days.

[hillsbro]

The Devonian actually left from Sheffield Midland station on its journey from Bradford (Forster Square) to Paignton. The 1954 timetable gives the departure time from Sheffield Midland as 11-19 a.m. Here is a 1950s photo of the train at Gloucester, as usual being pulled by a "Jubilee" class 4-6-0, this one being No 45651 Shovell. There is actually a book about the train.

[billhaley]

The Devonian actually left from Sheffield Midland station on its journey from Bradford (Forster Square) to Paignton. The 1954 timetable gives the departure time from Sheffield Midland as 11-19 a.m. Here is a 1950s photo of the train at Gloucester, as usual being pulled by a "Jubilee" class 4-6-0, this one being No 45651 Shovell. There is actually a book about the train.

 

As you seem to be knowledgeable on these matters, do I remember correctly catching a train to Plymouth in the early 50's, late in the evening, and which got to Dawlish/Teignmouth around dawn?

[hillsbro]

Hi billhaley - yes, this overnight train has been mentioned in other threads. It isn't shown in the timetable I have (valid from 21 September 1953 to 13 June 1954) but it was most likely a summer only service. It may perhaps have been a June-September extension of the 11-30 p.m. train from Sheffield Midland to Bristol.

[Sandy Steer]

The Devonian actually left from Sheffield Midland station on its journey from Bradford (Forster Square) to Paignton. The 1954 timetable gives the departure time from Sheffield Midland as 11-19 a.m. Here is a 1950s photo of the train at Gloucester, as usual being pulled by a "Jubilee" class 4-6-0, this one being No 45651 Shovell. There is actually a book about the train.

 

Hi my memory not being what it was, I must have been mistaken although I cannot remember going from SheffielMidland. I do know we travelled from Sheffield Victoria at some time because we caught the service bus from Chapeltown and got off at the Wicker to walk to Sheffield Victoria. Now I will have to think where we would have been going as, in those days as a family, we hardly went anywhere except Bridlington or Scarborough and that would have been with the Yorkshire Traction.

[hillsbro]

Hi Sandy Steer - the destinations served by Sheffield Victoria station are shown in the scans I linked earlier in the thread. They are from a 1954 bus guide - I'll repeat them here: "]Page 1. Pages 2-3..Pages 4-5..Page 6.