|
Close this window
Derwent Valley Light Railway
The DVLR opened in 1913, within
the terms of the 1896 Light Railways Act, joining York (Layerthorpe) with
Cliff Common, not far from Selby on the line to Market Weighton. It served
largely agricultural communities, with intermediate stations at Osbaldwick,
Murton Lane, Dunnington, Elvington, Wheldrake, Cottingwith, Thorganby and
Skipwith. The passenger service was not a success, and ceased in 1926, but
the freight lasted for many more years - and, as a kind of swan song, a
steam-hauled passenger service ran in the last years of the line's life.
By this time the line was a very rare survivor - not grouped in 1923, nor
nationalised in 1948, it was still operated by the same company that built
it.
1964 marked the beginning of the
line's decline - the Selby - Market Weighton line was to become a Beeching
casualty, which would end the DVLR's days as a through route. With little
traffic from the southern part of the line, the line beyond Wheldrake
closed, with a railtour in Feb 1965 marking the last use of that section.
Elvington - Wheldrake closed in 1968, and Dunnington - Elvington in
January 1973 - just under a year before my first photographic visit at the
end of that year. Ironically, that last closure marked the end of the
line's association with the valley of the River Derwent.
Dunnington station, the end of the line by the time I paid
my first visit - December 1973
Dunnington was the home of a firm which dried grain (barley) for the
scotch whisky industry, despatched in the familiar bulk grain wagons. An
ancient (1947) Fowler diesel "Churchill" (works no. 4100005) was used to
shunt the wagons; one of the DVLR's ex-BR 03s would then trip them back to
Layerthorpe, where they would then travel along the BR Foss Islands branch
onto the main line. Churchill is seen on a warm August evening in 1974.
 Before
he came to Dunnington, "Churchill" used to work at Colthrop mills, near
Newbury in Berkshire. David Canning, former signalman at Colthrop box,
sent me this 1960s photo of Churchill on a shunt which involved crossing
the main line.
July 1976: DVLR No 1 (D2298) is trundling very slowly
along the branch near Dunnington village (Dunnington station, and the
grain drier, was nearly ūm further on, where
the line once crossed the Hull road). The gentleman on the brake van
appears to be conducting some sort of inspection of the line - perhaps in
preparation for the following year's events...
Summer 1977 - Steam! The DVLR ran a series of steam-hauled
trips from Layerthorpe to Dunnington, using NER-designed ex-BR J72 69023 "Joem".
The train is seen on three occasions during that summer, firstly in June;
A tremendous thunderstorm had left hailstones in snow-like
drifts in Dunnington village; the dark clouds and some puddles are seen
below
Another trip in July '77 - the coaches now all bear an
attractive livery reminiscent of the old East Yorkshire Motor Services
livery, which was then recently defunct.
26 March 1978 (the weekend of the first S&C steam
specials) and a last glimpse of a DVLR steam train as it passes under the
bridge in Dunnington village
The contract to supply / deliver
grain from Dunnington was all that really kept the line afloat, and when
that contract was lost, complete closure followed soon after. My next
encounter with the line would be several years later - to have a look at
the short stretch of line that was retained as part of the development of
the Yorkshire Museum of Farming at Murton Park. A family visit revealed my
old friend Churchill, sitting forlornly on a length of track. (to be
continued...)
Close this window |
