The line remains closed but new plans for its future have now been revealed - and work on the track is already underway. But spiralling financial problems, compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic, saw the trust surrender the lease back to the council. These have either come to the end of their working life, are no longer in use at the railway or are not expected to be used in the future., Barnsley East MP Stephanie Peacock called the railway a central part of Barnsleys proud industrial and cultural heritage. Earlier this month it was announced that 16 buildings in the village had either been newly listed at Grade II or given upgraded protection status by the government. Earl Fitzwilliam is currently on display on a short stretch of track in the yard at Elsecar until the time and resources can be found to carry out the requisite work to restore it once again to working condition. if (window.innerWidth >= 768) { This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, This website and its associated newspaper are members of Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). The railway was a freight-only branch of the Mexborough to Barnsley line that closed in 1984 when the last mine shut. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, This website and its associated newspaper are members of Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). One of the sites prized assets - the almost 70-year-old Mardy Monster steam locomotive which has hauled carriageloads of families at events held at Elsecar Heritage Centre - was previously sold by the trust, reportedly without the knowledge of board members. By. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. The line was built to serve Earl Fitzwilliam's collieries and ironworks, which he leased out to local ironmasters. Tanfield Railway Blog: Elsecar Heritage Railway Yet an update from Elsecar Heritage Centre has now confirmed that investment is being sought to re-open the line, and it has been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England. Pitsford worked in the ironstone industry until the late 1960s, being initially preserved at the Fawley Hill Railway before being transferred to the Nene Valley Railway in 1972. The Bristol school of industrial locomotive design is further represented on the EHR by the lines piece de resistance in the form of the Mardy Monster. The railway's collection of steam locomotives are used regularly for passenger services. This means that we need a very close understanding of archaeology and ground conditions to plan for future structures that may be required for that new vision for the heritage railway. Barnsley Council are currently looking into how to secure this. I presume all this means that owners of stock based on the railway haven't received assurances that it'll be seeing use any time soon? var banners = ['mpu2', 'mpu3', 'mpu4', '']; This locomotive went on to have a somewhat chequered career, being sold to Thomas Hill of Rotherham, a concern that had close connections with Sentinel, and which even converted some of the latters locomotives to diesel power, in 1960. This did not include any rolling stock. We've been really lucky that Mike's taken them on as they have important historical connections to the K & ESRs preservation era which is now longer in years than its prenationalisation independent company era. The latter, being a quiet road, will be protected by manually-operated crossing gates of traditional design. The Earl's parties were conveyed by coach from Wentworth Woodhouse to the station to join these trains which were known, and shown in railway publications as "E.F.W. Elsecar Railway in 2021 and forwards | RailUK Forums White Light Events - Elsecar Mind Body Spirit & Wellbeing Festival. The EHR had planned to eventually operate the line into Cortonwood, with a new halt at Hemingfield, doubling the length of the line to two miles. } One type of locomotive that is very well represented in the EHR collection is Mike Harts collection of Sentinel patent high-pressure-geared locomotives produced by the Sentinel Wagon Works in Shrewsbury. As reported in issue 272, officials of the trust which runs the mile- long line handed back the . Heritage Railway. Although the lease was handed back, the charity retained rolling stock - giving fresh hope that a long-term deal can be struck in order to reopen it in the future. Restoration began in 1994 as a project of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, and the line reopened as a heritage railway in 1996, operated by the Council. Its a much-loved place and a real asset for the village and its industrial heritage. Tingle Bridge Lane is a busier road, and the railway is installing a semi-automated crossing barrier system, with barriers manually lowered from a signal box, but automatically raised by track circuitry. On 19 April 2013 the EHR installed the level crossing on Tingle Bridge Lane, financed by a Director's loan, and began extending the line into Cortonwood Colliery, as the next step of the Project.