A look back to almost 10 years ago and two of the workings in April & May 2013, of the nightly Stocksbridge Steel train, conveying billets from Aldwarke U.E.S. to the old Samuel Fox Steelworks for rolling down into bar and collection the next day. The, usually, around 1500 tonnes of material was deposited in the Ellen Wood sidings just this side of where the River Don passes underneath the track, the material was then taken into the Steelworks by the resident diesel shunter, see-
www.flickr.com/photos/imarch2/49569271056/
and
www.flickr.com/photos/imarch2/49569271126/
and
www.flickr.com/photos/daohaiku/48363095012/
for processing, the processed material is brought back out for collection the following day. In recent times, the Samuel Fox Steelworks came into the ownership of, first, Corus, then Tata, 'Greybull Capital', Liberty House Steel, & finally, an Indian Industrialist, Sanjeev Gupta. At Aldwarke U.E.S., this was TATA Steel, and before that, Corus-Steel, before that 'Tube Investments'(1956) and, finally, before that from its inception, 1823, the 'Park Gate Iron & Steel Co. Ltd.'
More on all this...
'...The early 1990s saw reduced demand and it was not until 1993 that growth in the UK economy gradually gathered pace and was reflected in a partial recovery in steel demand and price levels. The trend continued into 1994 and, helped by continuing efficiency and productivity gains, British Steel returned to profit.
The ownership of the business continued to change and in October 1999 a merger with Koninklijke Hoogovens to form Corus came into effect. While on 31 January 2007 Tata Steel bought Corus, which became Tata Steel in Europe. The company re-branded to Tata Steel in 2010.
In 2016, family investment office Greybull Capital purchased Tata Steel’s Long Products Europe business. This new business, comprised sections, special profiles and wire rod manufacturing across the UK and rail manufacturing across the UK and France. It was named British Steel and in 2017 acquired FN Steel – a respected manufacturer and supplier of premium wire rod and wire.
In 2020, British Steel’s UK assets, along with FN Steel, was bought by Jingye Group. Together we’re building stronger futures...
...By 1999 the former Company had been split in to three separate concerns, Bridon Wire had taken over the Fox Wire facility at Sheephouse wood, Corus Special Steels operated to the west of the Main Entrance on Smithy Hill and Avesta-Polarit operated its Stainless producing facility to the east of Smithy Hill in the Low Yard....'
...In 2006 Corus was bought by the Indian Company Tata and now trades as part of their TATA European Operations...
...At the beginning of 2011, the wire making facility at Sheephouse Wood is still in production as part of the Bridon Wire group. The Avesta-Polarit facility, which had previously amalgamated with Outokumpu of Finland, moved its operations and the site has since been cleared. The Corus facility was purchased by Tata Company, with the facility continuing to operate as part of their European operations. There are plans in place for the land east of Smithy Hill to be turned into commercial outlets. Having gained employment at 'Sammys' many people tended to stay for a life time of employment, each one having their own reasons for doing so. There is no doubt that this was considered to be a “family firm” not just for the Fox family but for lots of other families from the area...'
So a very colourful and diverse history and, this now all appears to be over as during the week of 22nd September information (via Marcus S.) was forthcoming that no more steel would be moved out of Stocksbridge by rail.. the last move out of the works by Liberty, bringing out old wagon stock, being in the last week in September; though we hold our breath that there may yet be another move or two to bring similar redundant materials out in the coming weeks..
So this set of three shots show the view of the steel coming up-grade along the last section of the Woodhead line. The upper picture, shows an E.W.S. class 66, 66067 hauling what was estimated to be about 1800 tons up the incline to Stocksbridge yard on the 6J57 working from Aldwarke U.E.S. The train is seen having just passed the old M.S.L. (G.C.R., L.N.E.R.) station at Deepcar which was sold off a long time ago and is now in private hands, and in recent years, for the 1st time, changed hands again. The Network Rail guy is out switching the trap points over, this is used to derail any runaway wagons but as someone pointed put, and as can be see in the top picture, the trap points would direct the runaways to the old Deepcar Station itself, if they got that far! After this the set will take the Stocksbridge Branch Line, owned by the steelworks, which will take the set into the Ellen Wood Sidings for decoupling and run-around of the loco. The end of the line for the Woodhead Route is just a little further on in what is now a walking track, the line ending abruptly in rampant vegetation; the weather speaks for itself and at one point it was thundering and fork lightning was seen off to the left of the scene!
(taken 16th May, 2013).
In the lower picture at left, but now changed out of all recognition, since the clearing of the land over to the left and the construction of the Fox Valley Shopping area, see-
www.flickr.com/photos/imarch1/49538374276/
and, at this end, a large housing development extending all the way to the far corner beyond the lit lamp standard, where where the River Don passes under a bridge, crossing from the north to the south side of the line. The rail building on the right, now a private residence, is still extant and looks a bit out-of-place, amongst all the new housing, a heavy concrete flood defence wall with large metal gate, interestingly running alongside the track on the left, leaving the housing estate open to the flood-waters of the River Don, if it ever floods again! The track from the housing estate passes through the metal gate, usually open, and then up the hill to the centre of Deepcar, and since the completion of the redevelopment, there is also a walking/cycling path along the track to the right all the way along to the main road intersection in Deepcar in the distance. Behind the camera all the area once occupied by the Steelworks has been cleared for the shopping area leaving only a small sidings space alongside the flood wall, see-
www.flickr.com/photos/imarch2/49569271126/
and more pictures of the wider area, here-
www.flickr.com/photos/imarch2/49569271056/
the materials which were stored in the large derelict space, which Adrian Wynn and I used to amble and walk through in the early years of the 2010s, have been moved onto the Samuel Fox site, so releasing the land for the redevelopment which took place thereafter, as seen in the link above. The track shown here is that which passes through the Ellen Wood sidings, with red DBS class 60, 60054, see-
www.flickr.com/photos/daohaiku/31251091157/
and here-
www.flickr.com/photos/daohaiku/45466216714/
in the distance and where the billets brought up from Aldwarke, reside until the local diesel shunter brings them across the River Don bridge and into the works for rolling. Just one charter has been up here in recent years, the B.L.S Charter, 'The Luca Pezzulo Express', with W.C.R.C. 37669 & Colas Rail, 37521, see-
www.flickr.com/photos/daohaiku/48363095012/
and
www.flickr.com/photos/daohaiku/48362959316/
and a video, here-
www.flickr.com/photos/daohaiku/48362959151/
Here is some of the text which accompanied one of the pictures at that time regarding the lead loco making a foray over the river bridge and into the Fox Valley area-
'... All done and parked up and the cameras are out with lots of admiring glances as the decision by the driver is apparently being taken about whether or not to attempt the crossing of the River Don bridge and on into Fox Valley; I have to thank the guys I spoke to at the track-side for their help and information with all this stuff, 'nosey-parkers' seem to win out occasionally! ...
...The report came back after a while that the drivers had taken a look at the bridge, in fact walked over it, but considered on this occasion, prudence would rule and the move over to Fox Valley would not happen this time, but having inspected the area, they would consider it a possibility that the B.L.S. may well organise another trip with more appropriate traction/carriages... whatever that may mean...'. (Those taken on 20th July, 2019).
(taken 11th April, 2013).
In the lower right picture, taken against glaring sunlight, shows EWS class 66, 66151, arriving with the evening's Aldwarke U.E.S consist, 6J57, each wagon carrying around 75 tons of steel ingots, the train is running into the north section of line where it will divest itself of the inward bound material and then move off head to reverse and wait for the night's return material to be backed onto the loco, by the diesel shunter, for the south-bound move, 6J58, back to Aldwarke. At this time and direction the sun was just out-of-shot and a bit of a pain to get the exposure un-saturated .. gradient filtering has helped but the highlights in the sky at top left are blown. At the time and for a few years after, until quite recent times, this operation went on almost every week-day evening, leaving Aldwarke at 18:17 and arriving into here about 18:50, with the return timed for around 21:00 back to Aldwarke; almost invariably the workings utilised EWS and latterly DBS class 66s with, on occasion, particularly in winter, a DBS red class 60 deployed instead; as seen in the link above.
(taken 16th, April, 2013).
Since this date and the redevelopment of the Fox Valley area, much has changed here now, with all the old lineside structures now removed with a new pedestrian/cycleway installed, new green wire-mesh fencing erected with new lighting, see the last three links above, the latter making it more difficult to take photographs, the 'friendliness' of the area has also deteriorated to some extent as well..
Finally...
The parlous state of the U.E.S. and the Steelworks here is well known, a clip from the local 'Star' newspaper-
'...Some 762 people work in the High Value Manufacturing Division of Speciality Steels in Stocksbridge It supplies the aerospace, energy and industrial engineering markets. Speciality Steels also employs 865 across three businesses in Rotherham. Earlier this week G.F.G. boss Sanjeev Gupta said that while the group was in a strong position, some parts of Liberty Steel were loss-making. Now, he is in a race to find new financing...'
I am not sure what the current state is, one steel train every few weeks does not bode all that well... the business over the last 10 years has had a rather chequered history of stops and starts with new financiers coming to the fore.. this time it does look like the end has come.
