O'ER TOP O' BARNSLEY

Back on the Woodhead line (now gone), we're about to enter Thurgoland Tunnel.

 On the nearby Barnsley to Penistone line, the newly singled Oxspring Tunnel.

Oxspring Viaduct, on the same line (Dave Bevis - Creative Commons License).

Time for a quick pint in the Waggon & Horses at Oxspring.

If you're a bit lost, the route can be followed here. Silkstone station, GCR, actually in the village of Silkstone Common.

The station is still open and now renamed to reflect its actual location.

Penistone Road, passing the station.

Close to the station was the Silkstone Lodge, now closed.

In Silkstone itself, some relics of a long lost waggonway.

The Ring O' Bells in Silkstone is still open, but is more of an eatery these days.

Next stop is Dodworth. Here's the High Street.

Dodworth Colliery suffered a big fire in 1907.

Dodworth station in GCR times.

Here's the original signal box at Dodworth.

The later one, seen from a passing DMU in1983.

A single platform station has been built to serve Dodworth, photographed in 2007.

The Millers Inn at Low Barugh is a nice pub, but no real ale these days.

Plenty of cask beer in the Cherry Tree at High Hoyland.

Just over the border in West Yorkshire, Haigh station, on the L&YR Barnsley to Wakefield route.

On the same line, but back in South Yorkshire, Darton station.

A fine ex L&YR signal box was here until the 1980s.

Adjacent to Darton station was Woolley Colliery.

Staincross & Mapplewell station was on the ex GCR Barnsley Coal Railway.

North Gawber Colliery was nearby. NCB steam survived here into the 1970s.

Back on the Barnsley Coal Railway, Notton & Royston station.

Into Royston itself. The Cross Inn. Summer Lane Royston. The pub survives, but no real ale.

The Barnsley Canal ran through Royston. It may return one day?

Royston Colliery.

The Chemical Works.

Station Road, Royston.

Royston & Notton station was on the Midland Railway's main line.

The LMS built a loco shed at Royston. 0-6-0 loco no. 3789 takes a rest there.

Modern, for the time, coaling facilties were built.

A general view of the shed in the 1960s.

A variety of locos to be found there in BR days.

A class 37 (EE type 3), no D6949 seen at Royston shed in 1969, soon after steam had gone. The shed closed soon after (Alan Walker).

Mr Sykes, a bus dealer, had a yard in Royston, where vehicles awaited a possible future.

A lot, however, were consigned to the nearby scrapyards.

Right, that's it for now. Next time, we'll head east.