Peter Mollan posts a series of Walks around York
I did this walk a few weeks ago with my grandson and his girlfriend, but I was so pleased that I would be walking with a great old friend Howard Baker that I have not seen for nearly 50 years.
We set off at 10 am in beautiful cloudless skies and sunshine from York College and walked down Sim Balk Lane to the undercarriage of the A64 and the start.
I know that this was also the route of the Solar System Greenway, but more importantly it was once the busy East Coast Main Line from London to Scotland and passed from York to Selby and was opened in 1871.
So now if you were travelling from York to London, this first 20 miles takes a different route to the one used 40 years ago. This section was closed in 1983 as under the line were millions of tons of coal which needed to be mined. So it was cheaper to re-route the line.
But the most enjoyable part of this railway line walk, being that Howard had worked on this line in the Signalling Dept of British Rail, and was stationed at Chaloners Whin. He recalled once when he had to attend some problems on the Naburn Swing Bridge, when he had to get up to the Signal Box where the current ” Fisher of Dreams ” sits , and while working up there, that when a fast train was passing below the sound was incredible and shook him to the core. To get to these jobs he would have to use his cycle, as did many railway workers to get to the job. They would use a pathway running alongside the line.
Editor Note: Below are the gun placements built into the concrete walls in case Hitlers army tried a river based attack on York forgetting that in 1066 the Viking Fleet only got as far as Riccall
But what was good was that he was able to explain all the railway items that Sustrans was able to use “trough ins” made of concrete and laid alongside the track, which carried the cabling system for the signalling.
(Editors note – detailed drawings of these troughs can be found at the National Railway Museum)
He also explained what the “Platelayer Cabins ” were, the base of which we saw alongside lines that were used for storing tools and for heating tea or coffee.
Also I didn’t realise that the wooden railway sleepers that carry the line are normally laid across under the line, but on the Naburn Swing Bridge they were laid in a straight line, and it also carried ” railway chairs ” to support the track on wooden sleepers. They were fixed with screws and locked with a steel key.
Railtrack is also referred to as ” P Way” or “Permanent Way “. So I learnt so much about the railways and signalling that I didn’t know before.
After a very enjoyable 8.25 miles (13.33km) in 3 hours 39 minutes we stopped for pot of tea etc at the Olive Branch in Riccall
If you want to know more search for pages on Naburn Bridge and Challoners Whin