Chronicles of the Berkshire Pig: Pole Position

F1 Racing v Sporting Knavesmire, York Minster Engineering League.

Using up lieu days that are owed, so a week of trains, crap football, and other delights.

No daytime games, instead an evening game in York. An early start enabled a circuitous amble to the game, and the chance to clear a new entry in the Baker Bible.

As I'm off Sowerby station all week, an opportunity for a daily update from the station information boards. Day 1, the railways come to Sowerby.

The 0748 off Sowerby is an additional service that was introduced as all the normal ones were so crowded. It starts from Hebden and because of its additional nature, is formed of any stock the depot happens to have lying around. This morning, one half was formed of a top of the range class 158 super sprinter.....

....with the back half a bottom of the range class 144 Pacer. Needless to say my chosen steed was the four wheel action at the back.

Into Leeds and my journey onwards was to Whitby. This meant the next leg was a TransPennine service on to Middlesbrough.

I was merrily listening to the Danny Baker podcast, when for once rugby union did me a favour. We were sat at York when Will Greenwood came on the show, instantly hitting the forward button, the brief lapse in play meant I heard that a set swap was taking place and that this train was forming a service to Liverpool, the Middlesbrough train starting from the adjacent platform. A manic rush found everyone in diseray, with an unusually high number of scousers departing for Teeside.

Off the East Coast main line at Northallerton and the weather across the Howardian Hills was much brighter than the weekend.

Yarm, with the shortest two post nameboards in the UK.

Into the outskirts of Middlesbrough and the remains of the once great Thornaby yard. Although his acts on the passenger network were considerably negative, Dr Beeching looked to revolutionalise the freight side. The two main elements were firstly, containerisation, and secondly, to replace thousands of smaller freight yards, with huge marshalling yards that would act as the hubs of the network. A handful of these massive 'hump' yards were built, so called because the front engine was removed, all wagons uncoupled, and then pushed up a hump and on the other side, gravity took them into the relevant siding to form a train to the onward destination. However, there construction coincided with the demise of individual wagon load freight, as the development of the road network made it a much more viable option. Thornaby however, continued on very strongly, as it was at the centre of the Teeside steel and chemical industries, which generated full trainloads of goods, or the weight or dangerous goods nature of the load, meant rail was still the best option for wagon load consignments. However, the near demise of the two industries has seen the yard decline and it is now little more than storage for equally redundant waggons.

Approaching Middlesbrouh itself is marked by the Newport vertical lift bridge. I've always got the impression that the town took the piss with its bridges, making them over complicated because it could, rather than any real need. This one has the whole of the deck lift up to allow ships to pass underneath.

Further down stream, the more famous transporter bridge built in 1911, carries the car deck across the river from an overhead span. One of only four in the country, only two still operate.

Finally into Middlesbrough.

The station was half destroyed in WW2 bombing, and BR finally got round to half rebuilding it. A pacer fest in the platforms as the ornate North Eastern Railway canopy blends seamlessly into the 1950s rebuild.

An original NER tiled network map also survives.

There were some exellent retro railway posters on display. These ones were acceptable...

....but this one.

Anyone who has ever been there (myself by the Tyne Tees Rambler Railtour in 2012) will know this is what Seal Sands actually looks like.

Anyway, shortly the Whitby train rolled in, formed by a class 156 as these are the only trains to have the GPS fitted that triggers the station information screens.

Grounds visible from trains; the BT Cellnet Stadium.

By now the sun was positively beating down on the Yorkshire Wolds.

The line to Whitby is known as the Esk Valley line. It wasn't the direct route from Middlesbrough to Whitby, this went via Saltburn and the coast. Instead, this line heads somewhat inland, with the lines converging at Barnetby.

Here the train has to reverse. Until fairly recently, the station still had its own signal box, a couple of platforms and a load of semaphore signals. It still has the water crane for topping up steam locos at the end of the platform.

The line was proposed for closure many times, but survived because the local roads regularly become blocked by snow in winter, so students can't get to school for long spells if it were to close. However, the line is now extremely busy with tourist traffic to Whitby and the Yorkshire Moors.

From here on, the line does follow the River Esk.

At Grosmont, the station is shared with the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, one of the big six of the preserved lines.

From Ruswarp (with love) onwards, the railway runs along the bank of the river, until Whitby is reached.

The North Yorks railway has recently gained access rights to run on from Grosmont into Whitby a few times a day. As we arrived into Whitby, a steam service was in the other platform.

The rest of Whitby station.

Whitby is famous for press ganging and Captain Cook. However, it is now the centre of the UK Goth scene, something to do with dracula or vampires. It also has four guide pubs. As I am succesfully on my fifth day of temperance, I had to forego these. I therefore decided that after some quick cheesy chips, I'd head off and return here in the new year when Whitby Town are playing and I can drink, preferably with Mad Dai as I am keen for his view on the Goth scene.

My onward move was the X9 bus heading for Scarborough.

It firstly loops back out of the town, then crosses the viaduct scene from the railway, with the harbour and the town spreading out below.

Heading south from Whitby, along the cliff top, with the North Sea as the backdrop.

The bus then heads off the main road and drops down into Robin Hoods Bay, so called due to a local legend that he stopped French pirates from looting fishing boats.

After a painfully slow climb back up to the main road…..

….the route is now very much across the North Yorkshire Moors. I desperately trying not to say 'Heartbeat Country'.

Even more painfully, as we joined the main road, after 35 minutes on the bus, Whitby was clearly visible, three miles away. Thank goodness this is the express bus.

It then heads into forest land, ideal for fracking.

Eventually we landed in Scarborough.

A swift change onto the reassuringly traditionally named East Yorkshire Traction took me up to Peasholm Park.

This is the start of the North Bay Railway, a miniature railway that has recently appeared in the Baker Atlas, and was required. At some point I'll put some words together about the aims of competitive trainspotting.

The line starts at a 1950s pleasure gardens. Surprisingly, the rides are still from the 1950s. This primitive log flume goes down a ramp into the lake, and then is hauled back up by a rope.

The railway leaves the pleasure gardens and heads along the coastline....

....passing an abandoned chair lift.....

....and the home of the Yorkshire Open leg of the UK Crazy Golf championship.

The railway appears to be quite a serious operation, with lots of railway structures in miniature.

At the far end, the loco is turned using a turntable.

Much as Scarborough Sea World was tempting, instead I headed straight back. Next move was an open top bus back into town.

The bus heads around North Bay....

.....and then onto the main strip.

I alighted here.

Foregoing the opportunity for porpoise spotting or a pirate boat trip.

Or the Heartbeat/Dr Who crossover.

Instead it was off to the cliff railway, back up to the main town.

My new controlled drinking resisted the temptation of the town's six guide pubs, and instead it was back to the station.

Waiting in the station was the TransPennine service to Liverpool via York.

Staying off the ale also suppresses the desire for cheese and other such luxuries, so this was the token effort of rations for the onward journey.

Approaching York, the railway passes the venue for this evenings game.

Into York...

....and straight onto the bus outside the station.

This took me to Earswick Folk Hall, which google maps tells me is home to York Garrison Wargames Society, situated rather patriotically on White Rose Grove, just off White Grove Avenue.

F1 Racing 1 v Sporting Knavesmire 2, York Minster Engineering League, Premier Division.

The York league is very established, dating back to 1897. Its origins were as a local church league, but in the last century it was dominated by railway teams or Rowntrees, who were the major employees in the City. Over time, it has been supoerceded by the Yorkshire and North West Counties leagues, and currently sits at step 11. However, its main virtue is the name of its current leading teams. I give you Church Fenton White Horse, F1 Racing, Sporting Knavesmire, Tadcaster Magnets and Wiggington Grasshopers. London North Eastern Railways Coachbuilders were recently relegated, though York Railwaymans Institute are still up there.

F1 Racing are actually of railway heritage, being formed in 1992 under the not so evocative name of Regional Railways North Eastern. A forgotten victim of privatisation, they then became Northern Spirit, Railtrack and then the mysterious F1 Racing, which has never been explained. Originally a Sunday league team for railwaymen, by 2009 they had moved to the York League, rising up to the premier dividion where they are today.

Sporting Knavesmire have only been around since 2009. They were formed from one of the Hamilton Panthers (another great name) youth teams. Knavesmire refers to the pub where strangely, the youth team were based. Since joining the York League, they have shot up the four divisions into the premier.

The ground is New Earswick Sports association, found out the back of a very plush council estate.

It is a rugby/cricket/football complex based around a large cricket pavillion.

The outside seating betrays the providence of the sports club. Somewhere a railway station is missing a couple of benches.

Rugby appears to be the prime sport in the complex, being the only railed off pitch, but the only side listed playing here was this outfit, with a very strange sponsor.

The football pitch was a roped off affair at the far end of the complex.

Even at step 11, the teams are forced to go through this hand shaking crap.

F1 were playing in in all blue, whilst Knavesmire were playing in all purple. Me being colour blind, added to the strong sun, meant it was impossible to tell the teams apart.

I moved behind the goal where it was slightly better. @keepers_towels followers will already be aware of the game.

To add to the twitter delight, some passing @nonleague_train heading for Scarborough.

Knavesmire had a free kick hit the top of the bar.

F1 had a goal disallowed for offside.

Then F1 hit the bar with a penalty.

I hung around for a bit of the second half but by now the light meant I had no hope of telling he teams apart so I headed off, with a couple of hot air balloons drifting by. The game finished 1-2 to the away side.