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Skelton Jn, York 1979

Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 12:17 am
by D5177_55A
Could anyone tell me if there was a turntable at Skelton Junction, York in the V of the ECML and the Harrogate line. I have a vague recollection that, as a 12 year old hanging out of the carriage window on a Harrogate circular hauled by SNG during the summer holidays of 1979, we came off the Harrogate line and there was a turntable or maybe just the pit, and an old clerestory carriage on the left hand side. There was evidence of recently lifted track, still not colonised by Rosebay Willowherb, in the ash ballast. The carriage was an old staff coach painted in that typical black paint that seemed to be similar to faded tar/pitch and had one of those condemed cicles with an x in the centre. I’m pretty sure that it existed by can’t seem to find anything in reference books about York railways.

Any answers are gratefully received.

Stephen Holloway

Re: Skelton Jn, York 1979

Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:13 pm
by D5176_55A

Re: Skelton Jn, York 1979

Posted: Wed Dec 11, 2019 10:39 pm
by JASd17
I cannot find anything that looks like a turntable on the maps I have seen. Would it be a logical location for what is an expensive item in any case?

Some York concrete edging arranged in a circle perhaps?

The carriage in the photo is an ex-North Eastern clerestory.

John

Re: Skelton Jn, York 1979

Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2019 2:44 pm
by thesignalman
Yes, there was definitely a turntable - it is shown on a large-scale map which hopefully this link takes you to:
https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/457647 ... /12/100954 . If you find the screen tells you to subscribe to see it, just zoom out until you reach a level at which you can see the map. It isn't present on a 1938 map at the same site, before the yard was greatly expanded.

John

Re: Skelton Jn, York 1979

Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2019 6:48 pm
by JASd17
I stand corrected. The turntable is in Ben Brooksbank's books on the ECML.

He states the expanded Yard was constructed late in 1942 and included a 70ft turntable. This was to avoid light engine movements to York North shed.

John

Re: Skelton Jn, York 1979

Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2019 5:26 pm
by STAFFORDA4
Yes there was a turntable as you’ve discovered in the yard, but I think it would have gone by 1979.
However the pieces of the ex Gateshead turntable were left on view for a while around that time, near the junction, en route to reconstruction at Scarborough.
Hope this helps