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 and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
in
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
, 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 usually refers to pri ...
, remaining as a private operation all its life. It ran between
Layerthorpe
Layerthorpe is a village in the unitary authority area of the City of York, North Yorkshire, England. It is outside the city walls of York.
The road through Layerthorpe from the bridge over the River Foss to Heworth is also shares the same na ...
on the outskirts of
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
to
Cliffe Common near
Selby
Selby is a market town and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse, with a population at the 2011 census of 14,731.
The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until ...
. 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 vi ...
— 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 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 autumn of 2010 ...
at
Murton.
The line gained its nickname of ''The Blackberry Line'' in the days when it used to transport
blackberries
The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy of ...
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. Administratively it is in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,909, increasing t ...
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 (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
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, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
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 LMS) of the " Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At th ...
. 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 usually refers to pri ...
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 of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
ways closed the
Selby to Driffield Line
Selby is a market town and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse, with a population at the 2011 census of 14,731.
The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until ...
, 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 decision was taken to close the line between Wheldrake and Cliffe Common in 1965. The section between Wheldrake and Elvington followed in 1968. Elvington was closed in 1973, leaving only approximately 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 vi ...
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 Georg ...
) operating the services. 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 with the majority of the rails and buildings still being 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 is a British-based property investment and development business. 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 Lig ...
, 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
![York Layerthorpe 9 77](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/York_Layerthorpe_9_77.jpg)
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 near
Harrogate
Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...
. 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 engin ...
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 Kin ...
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
![Cliffe Common former station geograph-3150075-by-Ben-Brooksbank](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Cliffe_Common_former_station_geograph-3150075-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg)
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 Census 2011 was 2,902. It has been in existence since at least the 11th centur ...
* 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 the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England. Until the 1974 local government reorganisation Skipwith was part of the East Riding of Yorkshire.
Ma ...
* Cliffe Common, which connected with the
Selby to Driffield Line
Selby is a market town and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse, with a population at the 2011 census of 14,731.
The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until ...
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 shunting locomotive class, built between 1952 and 1962 and was the basis for the later Class 03 built in the British Railways workshops.
History
The prototype locomotive was built in ...
shunters to operate services rather than hiring in
British Rail Class 03
The British Rail Class 03 locomotive was, together with the similar Class 04, one of British Railways' most successful 0-6-0 diesel-mechanical shunters. 230 were built at Doncaster and Swindon works between 1957 and 1962, and were numbered ...
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)
*
British Railways
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
Mk1 TSO No. E4990. (Under overhaul, on loan from NYMR)
;Wagons
*
British Railways
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
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. Purchased ...
ZFV Dogfish Ballast Wagon No. DB993312 built in 1957. (Operational)
*
British Railways
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
12 ton Box Van No. 775810 built in 1957. (Operational)
*
British Railways
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
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 British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
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 LMS) of the " Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At th ...
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, Lancashire (where he lived and worked for more than 40 years) as well as Salford and its vicinity ...
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
The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Archbis ...
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)'' 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