Sherwood Colliery Sidings South
20169 running round 8T59 (Metal Box Train) on 3 May 1979. The procedure when a brake van was part of the train took a bit longer.:
1) Loco, vans and brake run on Down clear of crossover 7.
2) Loco detaches and runs forward clear of North Ground Frame which is released and loco runs via empty sidings to reappear at signals 20/19 and with signal 20 runs across connections 9 & 7 onto Up Main.
3) Back over crossover 7 grabs brake (only - leaves vans), forward onto Up, crossover normal pushes brake back clear of 7.
4) Loco forward, then reverse over crossover 7 grabs the vans. (This is the point when I took this photo).
5) Forward again over crossover, crossover normal, set back and get the brake.
6) Sets off on Up, back whence it came.
As I have said in my Signal Box diagram text "The Metal Box factory at Sutton wasn't always served via this route. Initially the siding was accessed from the Great Northern Leen Valley Extension, via a 2 lever Ground Frame released from Sutton-in-Ashfield (GN) box. That line, though, closed in 1968 and access was then provided via a link running from the Midland Kirkby Sidings box". Below I add a bit more detail into how that was done:
Metal Box Oddicroft factory had continuous rail access (maybe a few hours missing at first changeover, about a week at second changeover).
When GN shut 27 May 1968 they slewed Summit Box Up Headshunt into former GN Up Main and Metal Box trains ran via Kirkby Sidings MR box Summit Colliery access connection with a double reversal and through Summit Empty Sidings. The ground frame at Metal Box became handpoints, buffer stop in Up GN a short way north of Metal Box points.
GN was lifted around this just leaving the Metal Box branch from Summit Empty Sidings (Summit Colliery shortly afterwards with the last production shift being on 12 July 1968). The access to the Metal Box siding can be seen at the top of the plan for Kirkby Sidings, see here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52328610469/in/album-...
This change came in useful when the new 1972 deviation line was built at Kirkby-in-Ashfield as it was to pass straight through the GN Empty Sidings access - but they retained it until the last minute and added a set of points in the Metal Box line so track trains and tampers could work on the southern part of the 1972 line.
Metal Box branch closed for about 7 days whilst they pierced through the Empty/Metal Box access line and could finish off the northern part of the 1972 line.
At the end of the week they swapped both ends over to the new line and reopened the Metal Box Branch from the new Kirkby Summit box.
At Sherwood Colliery the steam winding engine was still functioning when I took this photo. I believe steam ceased in 1983.
Sherwood Colliery Sidings South
20169 running round 8T59 (Metal Box Train) on 3 May 1979. The procedure when a brake van was part of the train took a bit longer.:
1) Loco, vans and brake run on Down clear of crossover 7.
2) Loco detaches and runs forward clear of North Ground Frame which is released and loco runs via empty sidings to reappear at signals 20/19 and with signal 20 runs across connections 9 & 7 onto Up Main.
3) Back over crossover 7 grabs brake (only - leaves vans), forward onto Up, crossover normal pushes brake back clear of 7.
4) Loco forward, then reverse over crossover 7 grabs the vans. (This is the point when I took this photo).
5) Forward again over crossover, crossover normal, set back and get the brake.
6) Sets off on Up, back whence it came.
As I have said in my Signal Box diagram text "The Metal Box factory at Sutton wasn't always served via this route. Initially the siding was accessed from the Great Northern Leen Valley Extension, via a 2 lever Ground Frame released from Sutton-in-Ashfield (GN) box. That line, though, closed in 1968 and access was then provided via a link running from the Midland Kirkby Sidings box". Below I add a bit more detail into how that was done:
Metal Box Oddicroft factory had continuous rail access (maybe a few hours missing at first changeover, about a week at second changeover).
When GN shut 27 May 1968 they slewed Summit Box Up Headshunt into former GN Up Main and Metal Box trains ran via Kirkby Sidings MR box Summit Colliery access connection with a double reversal and through Summit Empty Sidings. The ground frame at Metal Box became handpoints, buffer stop in Up GN a short way north of Metal Box points.
GN was lifted around this just leaving the Metal Box branch from Summit Empty Sidings (Summit Colliery shortly afterwards with the last production shift being on 12 July 1968). The access to the Metal Box siding can be seen at the top of the plan for Kirkby Sidings, see here www.flickr.com/photos/192151030@N08/52328610469/in/album-...
This change came in useful when the new 1972 deviation line was built at Kirkby-in-Ashfield as it was to pass straight through the GN Empty Sidings access - but they retained it until the last minute and added a set of points in the Metal Box line so track trains and tampers could work on the southern part of the 1972 line.
Metal Box branch closed for about 7 days whilst they pierced through the Empty/Metal Box access line and could finish off the northern part of the 1972 line.
At the end of the week they swapped both ends over to the new line and reopened the Metal Box Branch from the new Kirkby Summit box.
At Sherwood Colliery the steam winding engine was still functioning when I took this photo. I believe steam ceased in 1983.