To the Barrow

Once a year, Barrow Hill Roundhouse opens its doors for an event specifically taylored for diesel enthusiasts. I missed it last year for one reason or another. This year they bolstered the event with a few trips out onto the mainline from within the otherwise private site, so after finding out at the eleventh hour that the Saturday trips would involve a Class 31 it quickly became a must-do event!


This was my chariot for the first leg of the journey. The shiny and new Class 185s are gradually entering regular service on the Manchester Airport - Cleethorpes route, and the trip from Manchester Piccadilly to Sheffield was my first reasonably long journey onboard one, having previously only been as far as Stalybridge. Other than being very shiny and new, there is little to set them apart from other Classes of unit - except the accelleration. They go like a buttered squirrel out of a catapult (now try getting that mental image out of your head).

They sound quite good too, for a unit, but inside I noticed that where you sat greatly affected how much thrash you got. :o)


A quick High-Speed-Train+Free-Shuttle-Bus move later and I was at my destination. There was a good display of locomotives both in and outside of the roundhouse, with the above loco needing the most protective eyewear to view. It is 20056, returned to working order and customized by HNRC for use at the Corus Steelworks in Scunthorpe. What a beast.

I heard a few people whining about how it looks "stupid" painted like that and so on. These are the sort of people who take my "Faith In Humanity" level down a few notches. Can they really be so out of touch that they think Corus have their loco's in that livery for "fun"?

Anyway, it was soon time for the mainline mini-tour to Deepcar along part of the former Woodhead Route with 37603 and 31454.


On the right you can see the old Deepcar station platform. The line carries on for a short distance and a branch off the Woodhead line still serves Stocksbridge Steelworks (for how much longer?) but this is as far as we went. Is there a more anti-climactic location for a railtour anywhere in England? Still, it was a good run with both loco's and the route all being "winners".

All told it was a very satisfying day out, even if doing it meant I would have to miss the ELR Summer Diesel Gala. The Barrow Hill event organizers do seem to put a lot of effort into keeping things interesting for the punters, so I'll be intrigued to see what they pull out of the bag for next year.