Was going from  Sheffield to Leeds on the 16.21 (Bournemouth - Glasgow)
voyager, scheduled to arrive in Leeds at 17.01.

Train stopped at Moorthorpe for about 10 minutes.  Train Manager came on
to say that there was a points failure ahead and so the train wouldn't
be able to call at Wakefield Westgate or Leeds.  Instead the train went
straight to York.

Going from Moorthorpe we went past a big power station (Ferrybridge?),
through Church Fenton then into York.  Was this a freight line that
doesn't usually  take normal passenger traffic?  Anyone got a map of the
area?

Anyone know how many other services were affected?  Will people be
entitled to any compensation from Virgin seeing as this added 1h30m
(minimum!) to lots of people's journeys?

What's the deal with other train companies accepting tickets for
diverted passengers?  I actually got home via the Harrogate Line, is
this a valid route back to Leeds in situations like this?

Cheers
Brian

"Brian Harper"  wrote in message 
news:42E3F1DA.64DE08AE@ntlworld.com...

> Was going from  Sheffield to Leeds on the 16.21 (Bournemouth - Glasgow)
> voyager, scheduled to arrive in Leeds at 17.01.
>
> Train stopped at Moorthorpe for about 10 minutes.  Train Manager came on
> to say that there was a points failure ahead and so the train wouldn't
> be able to call at Wakefield Westgate or Leeds.  Instead the train went
> straight to York.
>
> Going from Moorthorpe we went past a big power station (Ferrybridge?),
> through Church Fenton then into York.  Was this a freight line that
> doesn't usually  take normal passenger traffic?  Anyone got a map of the
> area?


Yes, what you saw was Ferrybridge Power Station.
The Line you travelled along is a limited service line called the Dearne 
Valley Line (named by WYMetro).
The very few services that use this line are Northern services that start at 
Sheffield and call at Meadowhall, Rotherham Central, Swinton (S Yorks), then 
fast to Moorthorpe, Pontefract Baghill, Sherburn in Elmet, Church Fenton 
(where the line meets the tracks from Leeds), Ulleskelf and York.
A WYMetro map of the line can be found a 
http://www.wymetro.com/NR/rdonlyres/6C36F2BD-0290-45A3-B281-B05D91BB4BE3/0/MetroTrain2005.jpg .

Brian Harper wrote:


> Going from Moorthorpe we went past a big power station (Ferrybridge?),
> through Church Fenton then into York.  Was this a freight line that
> doesn't usually  take normal passenger traffic?  Anyone got a map of the
> area?


The route from Moorthorpe to Church Fenton is used by two Northern
Rail services daily (running from York to Sheffield). These are the
only trains that call at Pontefract Baghill. The line is also used
more significantly for freight.
 

> What's the deal with other train companies accepting tickets for
> diverted passengers?  I actually got home via the Harrogate Line, is
> this a valid route back to Leeds in situations like this?


When services are in disarray - severe delays, line closures,
diversions, cancellations, that kind of thing - you are allowed to
travel by any reasonable route given the situation ... this means that
you can travel on routes that would not normally be permitted.

I don't know how formalised this arrangement is, and I don't know
whether TOCs get any compensation, or if it is assumed that what goes
around comes around, and the TOC that helps out for free today will be
the one that needs help next week.

-- 
                          Stevie D
    \\\\\       /////     Bringing dating agencies to the
   \\\\\\\__X__///////    common hedgehog since 2001 - "HedgeHugs"
___\\\\\\\'/ \'///////_____________________________________________

"Brian Harper"  wrote

>
> Train stopped at Moorthorpe for about 10 minutes.  Train Manager came on
> to say that there was a points failure ahead and so the train wouldn't
> be able to call at Wakefield Westgate or Leeds.  Instead the train went
> straight to York.
>
> Going from Moorthorpe we went past a big power station (Ferrybridge?),
> through Church Fenton then into York.  Was this a freight line that
> doesn't usually  take normal passenger traffic?  Anyone got a map of the
> area?
>

This used to be a main line (SW-NE trains that didn't call at Leeds used to
go this way instead of Doncaster). Now the only regular passenger service is
2 local trains each   way per day, table 33 in the NR timetable - these are
the only trains which call at Pontefract Baghill.

Peter

Dont unusual diversions like the one mentioned here cause problems
regarding the route knowledge that drivers and gaurds have??

"Jimboe89"  wrote in message 
news:1122240676.256864.186270@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...

> Dont unusual diversions like the one mentioned here cause problems
> regarding the route knowledge that drivers and gaurds have??
>


The line is correcly called the Swinton & Knottingley Joint (S&K) and is the 
main line from Sheffield to York. It was a joint line between the Midland 
and North Eastern. It is used by one or two VXC trains per day which do not 
call at Doncaster or Leeds (You will have to look in the timetable to find 
these).

In the past all trains went this way but now the expresses generally run via 
Doncaster or via Leeds. It is the quickest route normally, although there 
are some TSRs which slow trains down at the moment, particularly on the up 
line.

It is not a "freight line". although most trains on it are freights.

IMHO every other XC train should be diverted away from Doncaster and call at 
Pontefract Baghill instead which would become a Parkway station for the 
area. At present there are 5 tph between Sheffield and Donny, 3 of which are 
fast.

Peter Fox