Derwent Valley Light Railway
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The Derwent Valley Light Railway (DVLR) (also known as The Blackberry Line) was a privately owned
standard-gauge railway A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...
in
North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...
, England, and was unusual in that it was never
nationalised Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization contrasts with ...
, remaining as a private operation all its life. It ran between
Layerthorpe Layerthorpe is a part of the city of York in, North Yorkshire, England. It is outside York city walls, the city walls of York. The road through Layerthorpe from the bridge over the River Foss to Heworth is also shares the same name. Origin of ...
on the outskirts of
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
to Cliffe Common near
Selby Selby is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse. At the 2021 Census, it had a population of 17,193. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire; from 1974 until 2023, ...
. It opened in two stages, in 1912 and 1913, and closed in sections between 1965 and 1981. Between 1977 and 1979, passenger steam trains operated between Layerthorpe and
Dunnington Dunnington is a village and civil parish in the City of York and ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The population of the civil parish was 3,230 at the 2011 census. The village is approximately east from York city centre. The par ...
– the entire length of track at that time. In 1993 a small section was re-opened as part of the
Yorkshire Museum of Farming The Yorkshire Museum of Farming is located in Murton, York, Murton Park near York in England. It is housed on a grass field site of approximately , and is the only museum in the district specifically dedicated to the subject of farming. In the a ...
at Murton. The line gained its nickname of ''The Blackberry Line'' in the days when it used to transport
blackberries BlackBerry is a discontinued brand of handheld devices and related mobile services, originally developed and maintained by the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM, later known as BlackBerry Limited) until 2016. The first BlackBerry device ...
to markets in Yorkshire and London.


History

The south end of the railway, from
Wheldrake Wheldrake is a village and civil parish located south-east of York in the unitary authority of the City of York, which is in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,909, i ...
to Cliffe Common, was opened on 29 October 1912, with the remainder of the line opening on 19 July 1913. Although it was constructed primarily as a freight line, passenger trains were introduced from 1913, and during the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
it was used as a diversionary route by the North Eastern Railway between York and Selby. Passenger services ended in 1926, though freight traffic prospered through the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. In 1923, most British railway companies were grouped into four large companies, with the nearby North Eastern Railway becoming part of the
London and North Eastern Railway The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after London, Midland and Scottish Railway, LMS) of the "Big Four (British railway companies), Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It ope ...
. However, the DVLR remained independent, and continued to do so even after
nationalisation Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization contrasts with priv ...
in 1948. By 1961 normal traffic consisted of one return journey per day. A sympathetic group of guests described the line as "a cross between Emmett and The Titfield Thunderbolt". Their photographs and text portrayed a museum piece operating in harmony with staff, timeless practice and local wildlife. In 1964,
British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...
ways closed the
Selby to Driffield Line Selby is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse. At the 2021 Census, it had a population of 17,193. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire; from 1974 until 2023, ...
, meaning that the junction at Cliffe Common became redundant. With the connection to Selby now gone, the DVLR was left isolated at its southern end. The line was subsequently run from the Layerthorpe end, but traffic generated by the southern section of the track was light, so the line was closed between Wheldrake and Cliffe Common in 1965. The section between Wheldrake and Elvington followed in 1968. Elvington was closed in 1973, leaving only about of track between Layerthorpe and
Dunnington Dunnington is a village and civil parish in the City of York and ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The population of the civil parish was 3,230 at the 2011 census. The village is approximately east from York city centre. The par ...
on the outskirts of York. Two special trains were run along the whole length of the line in January 1965, being the last passenger trains to do so.


Final years

In 1976, the owners of the railway decided to operate steam trains between Layerthorpe and Dunnington, which was the entire length of the line at that time. A regular summer service started in 1977, with J72 locomotive number 69023 ''Joem'' (now preserved at the
North Yorkshire Moors Railway The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England, that runs through the North York Moors National Park. First opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway, the railway was planned in 1831 by Ge ...
) operating the services. But by 1979, there were not enough passengers to justify continuing, and the service ceased. The railway continued to carry occasional freight trains to Dunnington until 1981, when the grain driers at Dunnington closed and the last major source of freight for the line was gone. On top of that the railway was in desperate need of a major overhaul: the majority of the rails and buildings were still the 1913 originals. However, the owners decided that the lack of demand for freight failed to justify any plan of action other than to close the line down. The last train ran on 27 September 1981. In 1984 the holding company, ''Derwent Valley Holdings'', became
Derwent London Derwent London plc is a British-based property investment and development company. It is headquartered in London and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History The business was originally established as the operator of the Derwent Valley ...
, now a multimillion-pound property investment and development company. The Foss Islands Branch Line, to which the Derwent Valley Light Railway connected at Layerthorpe, was subsequently closed in 1989, and lifted in 1992.


Preservation

Until 1990, a small preservation group, the
Great Yorkshire Railway Preservation Society The Great Yorkshire Railway Preservation Society was a short-lived preservation scheme, based in Starbeck, North Yorkshire in England. It was formed in 1980 with the aim of restoring part of the Leeds-Northallerton Railway and based at the for ...
, was originally based at
Starbeck Starbeck is a village and suburb of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. The population of Starbeck Ward taken at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census was 6,226. It has many facilities, including Starbeck railway station, which serves ...
near
Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and civil parish in the North Yorkshire District, district and North Yorkshire, county of North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist de ...
. When this closed, the society members relocated to the Yorkshire Museum of Farming, and started to rebuild approximately of track towards York, including the section under the York by-pass. A new station was constructed using the original station buildings from Wheldrake, and the railway re-opened in 1993. The line now runs a mixture of nine
diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...
locomotives on Sundays and bank holidays. The track-bed from Layerthorpe to Osbaldwick, along with part of the former Foss Islands Branch Line in York, has been converted to a foot and cycle path, part of
Sustrans Sustrans ( ) is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network. Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network, which has created of signed cycle routes throughout the United ...
route 66. Whilst future extension of the line towards Osbaldwick may be possible, as of 2018 there are currently still no formal plans for this.


Route

The original railway was long, and served the following places: * Layerthorpe *
Osbaldwick Osbaldwick ( ) is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. The population of the civil parish as taken at the 2011 census was 2,902. It has been in existence since at least the 11th cen ...
* Murton Lane * Dunnington Halt * Dunnington (for Kexby) * Elvington * Wheldrake * Cottingwith * Thorganby *
Skipwith Skipwith is a village and civil parish about north-east of Selby and south-east of York in North Yorkshire, England. It was historically in the East Riding of Yorkshire. After the 1974 local government reorganisation Skipwith was in the Se ...
* Cliffe Common, which connected with the
Selby to Driffield Line Selby is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse. At the 2021 Census, it had a population of 17,193. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire; from 1974 until 2023, ...


Rolling stock 1913–1981

Initially trains were worked by locomotives owned by the North Eastern Railway (from 1923 LNER and from 1948 British Railways). The railway purchased two railcars in the 1920s to operate a passenger service and the table below lists the stock owned by the company in the 1920s Between 1929 and 1969 the line was again worked by main line locomotives. In 1969 the DVLR decided to buy two ex-
British Rail Class 04 The British Rail Class 04 is a 0-6-0 diesel-mechanical shunter, shunting locomotive class, built between 1952 and 1962 and was the basis for the later British Rail Class 03, Class 03 built in the British Railways workshops. History The prototy ...
shunters to operate services rather than hiring in
British Rail Class 03 The British Rail Class 03 locomotive was, together with the similar , one of British Railways' most successful 0-6-0 diesel-mechanical shunters. 230 were built at Doncaster Works, Doncaster and Swindon Works, Swindon works between 1957 and 1962, ...
locomotives. The table below lists the locomotives owned by the DVLR Joem was purchased to run the short lived steam train passenger operation.


Rolling stock 1993–present

The following rolling stock is owned by the preservation group as of January 2021: ;Diesel Locomotives ;Carriages * North Eastern Railway 4-wheel coach No. 1214/2462 built in 1890. (Under repair) * B&W Engineering 4-wheel observation coach No. BW1000 "Sylvia" built in 2003. (Operational) * Southern Railway 4-wheel PMV Luggage Van No. S1367S built in 1939. (under restoration) ;Wagons *
British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...
ways Standard 20-ton Brake Van No. B951144 built in 1951. (Operational) *
Metro-Cammell Metro-Cammell, formally the Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company (MCCW), was an English manufacturer of railway carriages, locomotives and railway wagons, based in Saltley, and subsequently Washwood Heath, in Birmingham. The co ...
ZFV Dogfish Ballast Wagon No. DB993312 built in 1957. (Operational) *
British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...
ways 12 ton Box Van No. 775810 built in 1957. (Operational) *
British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...
ways 12 ton Box Van No. 762112 built in 1954. (Operational) * Chas Roberts Shell Mex and BP Tank Wagon No. 5081 built in 1938. (Operational) * NCB Coal Wagon K264. No. B291264. (Operational) *
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...
Box Van No. W95166 built in 1915. (Operational) *
London and North Eastern Railway The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after London, Midland and Scottish Railway, LMS) of the "Big Four (British railway companies), Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It ope ...
20 ton Plate Wagon No. 239666 built in 1940. (Operational) * LMS hopper wagon chassis. Date and number unknown (Operational)


In art and culture

In 1952, the artist
L. S. Lowry Laurence Stephen Lowry ( ; 1 November 1887 – 23 February 1976) was an English artist. His drawings and paintings mainly depict Pendlebury, Greater Manchester (where he lived and worked for more than 40 years) as well as Salford and its ...
painted three scenes of York as a commission from
York Art Gallery York Art Gallery is a public art gallery in York, England, with a collection of paintings from 14th-century to contemporary, prints, watercolours, drawings, and ceramics. It closed for major redevelopment in 2013, reopening in summer of 2015. T ...
. One of the pictures, entitled ''A View of York (from Tang Hall Bridge)'' depicts playing fields next to the railway, with a cooling tower (since demolished) and
York Minster York Minster, formally the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The minster is the seat of the archbishop of York, the second-highest of ...
in the background. The painting was sold to a private collector, but was loaned to the art gallery in 2015 for temporary display. In 2013, York soprano Rebecca Newman, with the enthusiastic participation of DVLR staff and a cast of children and adults from the theatre company We Are Theatre, with the fixed equipment and rolling stock of the railway, and Maggi the puppy, created her version of the song ''
Wonderful Dream (Holidays are Coming) "Wonderful Dream (Holidays Are Coming)" is a song by American-German recording artist Melanie Thornton. It was written by Thornton, Mitchell Lennox, Julien Nairolf, Ben Naftali, Terry Coffey, Jon Nettlesbey, Rich Airis, and Scott Temper and prod ...
'' as a charity Christmas video, on YouTube.The video on YouTube
/ref> It was very well reviewed
/ref> and by November 2015 received over 200,000 views on YouTube.


References

* *


External links


DVLR website
{{Heritage railways in England Heritage railways in Yorkshire Minor British railway companies Light railways Tourist attractions in North Yorkshire