A BRIGG TRIP DOWN MEMORY LINE

More people in Brigg would use passenger trains if they ran with greater frequency.
That's the view of a Brigg man who, last Saturday, decided to sample the sparse service currently available.
Adrian Broome opted to use the Saturdays-only passenger train service which picks up in our town at the weekend - something he did during the steam age in the 1960s when trains still called at Brigg on other days of the week and before the original Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway was downgraded by British Rail and before all Brigg station's buildings were demolished.
Adrian travelled back from Sheffield on Saturday afternoon aboard a Northern train, having reached the steel city by way of the alternative TransPennine Express route from Barnetby (where he got on) through Scunthorpe and Doncaster to Sheffield.
Having sampled both, Adrian reckons the Brigg Line through Retford, Gainsborough and Kirton Lindsey offers a more attractive experience for passengers than the Sheffield-Doncaster alternative. There is not much difference in journey times between them.
Three Saturday trains are timetabled to call at Brigg station on their way from Sheffield to Cleethorpes, with three more heading in the other direction from the east coast terminus to the steel city via Barnety and Brigg.
If Adrian had boarded the first Sheffield-bound train in Brigg on Saturday, he'd have had little time in the city before having to catch the last service back to Brigg.

BY ADRIAN BROOME

I used to travel the Brigg Line in my teens - first with pals on our way to the Peak District for a day’s walking and later as a student over in Manchester.
Then it was steam (sometimes) or compartment coaches pulled by diesels, but diesel 'multis' came in before I finished university.
Since then I have travelled it eastwards to Grimsby or Cleethorpes but west only once, as far as Kirton Lindsey before walking back.
Last Saturday I went to walk the Five Weirs Way along the River Don into Sheffield. It provided an opportunity to use the Brigg Line for the return journey.
The walk (just in case you think anyone might be interested) is hardly scenic; rather it takes in the former industrial area east of Sheffield centre, passing through a lot of vacant and derelict landscapes; a blatant reminder of the area’s past engineering and steel-making supremacy.
After leaving Meadowhall there are some signs of regeneration but far more evidence of decline and change. But along much of its length the path itself has been created within a green corridor either side of the River and there is evidence of serious efforts to aid nature conservation as well as information boards at key locations.
In Sheffield itself it continues to Kelham Island and one of the highlights (!) is where the path runs along a suspended walkway directly above the river where it passes underneath the massive viaduct where Victoria Station used to be. That was the first distinct memory which was prompted, reminding me of the walk down the approach road and on to Midland to continue to Manchester.
Later, at the ticket office, the clerk agreed she hadn’t sold many ‘single to Brigg’ tickets before!
The Brigg train left only a few minutes later than the scheduled time, 15.38, but that was strange as those of us waiting could see it waiting at the other end of platform 1 long before! (PICTURES FROM ADRIAN, TAKEN AT SHEFFIELD STATION, SEEN ABOVE).
The train was very clean and comfortable.
Stops were frequent. Many of the stations at the Sheffield end still have most of not all of their buildings intact and in use. They certainly looked well maintained and evidence of the dirt from the days of steam has been removed long ago, as has the original fuel source. Most of these places in South Yorkshire and North Notts were pit villages. The evidence of this is long gone, though.
Instead, I saw where former coal mines have been cleared and greened over, and in some cases redeveloped with housing or business units.
The line is clearly functioning well here as a commuter route into Sheffield although other services run through the week so this is no great surprise.
I have not seen the M1 from this angle before, or the wind turbines which dot the landscape compared with the large arrays further north on the Trans-Pennines route.
The landscape between the villages and around Worksop and to a lesser extent Retford was more attractive than I recall. On entering the Trent valley, however, it is more reminiscent of the open agricultural views we have around here.
Before crossing the River Trent I was reminded of the merry-go-round trains which served the power stations at West Burton. The lines are still there. At the time, my schoolmaster taught us they were revolutionary in their design and layout. I don’t think it will be too long before the cooling towers there disappear as the station is due to close soon as coal is phased out.
Gainsborough Central is no longer the imposing structure it once was. In fact, apart from the platforms, it is no longer!
Kirton in Lindsey still has some of its character, though, as the buildings have been retained and are seemingly in good order.
I need say nothing about Brigg as it has all been said before!
The journey was a far more attractive experience than the alternative via Doncaster. Possibly because it was so long since I had made it. It took only a few minutes more than the time from Sheffield to Barnetby despite there being more stops - these were not lengthy but people got on or off at most of not all of them.
If you factor in the time and cost of getting to Barnetby, then this route compares very favourably. I was the only person to leave in Brigg but several passengers remained for the rest of the onward journey.
I can imagine if the service ran more frequently it would be more popular. But an earliest arrival in Sheffield after 1pm doesn’t permit me to do much hill walking when the train back home goes at half past three!

BRIGG BLOG ADDS...

More modern train units (example pictured at the top of this post) have now been introduced to replace the old 'bus on wheels' Pacers on the Sheffield-Cleethorpes Saturday service through Brigg, giving passengers a more comfortable ride, as Adrian indicates.
With the Government reviewing train services across the UK, two suggestions have been put forward, both aimed at getting more trains calling in Brigg on more days of the week.
They involve a Barton-Barnetby-Brigg-Gainsborough service or an alternative 'shuttle' between Worksop and Cleethorpes via Brigg and Barnetby.
The Government also plans to take overall control through a new public body to be known as Great British Railways "to integrate the railways and deliver passenger-focused travel with simpler, modern fares and reliable services."
Meanwhile, it's to be hoped that more Brigg people will choose to use the existing train service from our station.
The Independent Brigg Line Rail Group is promoting Brigg's "unique one-day-a-week, Saturday only train service."
It has produced a helpful leaflet setting out the essential details.
To Grimsby & Cleethorpes: Arriving at platform one, Brigg station, nearest to Station Road - 9.13am, 1.10pm, 4.56pm.
To Gainsborough, Retford & Sheffield: Departing from platform two (beyond the footbridge): 11.47am, 3.43pm, 7.48pm.
Find out more at www.nationalrail.co.uk or call 03457 484950.