page_title: Manchester–Sheffield–Wath electric railway
section_title: Benefits and characteristics
hierarchical_section_title: Manchester–Sheffield–Wath electric railway / Electrification / Benefits and characteristics
caption_attribution_description: English: Two 2-8-0s banking a westbound freight up Worsborugh Bank towards West Silkstone Junction. View eastward, towards Wombwell Main Junction and Wath Yard: ex-GC Barnsley avoiding-line. Gresley O2/3 2-8-0 No. 63975 (built 11/42 as 3845, withdrawn 11/63) has the assistance of ex-WD 2-8-0 No. 90709 banking the freight headed by an O4 (shown in SE3004&#160;: Two 2-8-0s banking a westbound freight up Worsborough Bank towards West Silkstone Junction). (See SE3004&#160;: Westbound coal train on Worsborough Branch for further details).
context_page_description: The Manchester–Sheffield–Wath electric railway was an electrification scheme on British railways. The route featured long ascents on both sides of the Pennines with the long Woodhead Tunnel at its central summit close to the Woodhead pass. This led to the route being called the Woodhead Line.
context_section_description: The benefits of electrification were immediately apparent:  Sheffield to Manchester expresses now completed the journey in 56 minutes as opposed to 65 minutes with steam traction; an 850-ton coal train took a mere 66 minutes between Wath and Dunford Bridge as opposed to nearly two and a half hours powered by steam.
  The Worsborough (or Wentworth) incline, also known as Worsborough Bank was a formidable feature on the Wath to Penistone section. This line was opened east of Silkstone in 1880 to alleviate congestion at Barnsley. Although nominally 1 in 40, colliery subsidence had made sections of the bank much steeper.  The difficulty in operating this steeply-graded section (which included the two Silkstone tunnels) with steam traction was a key reason for electrification. Before electrification a unique powerful Garratt locomotive was built to act as a banker for this section of line, otherwise the normal mode of operation was for two or sometimes even three bankers for the Worsborough incline plus a pilot locomotive to assist from Wath to Dunford Bridge. Even with five locomotives, heavy trains had slowed to a walking pace by Silkstone.  After electrification, much heavier coal trains could be handled up the bank; however problems with unfitted trains running away on the downgrades west of the Pennines restricted weights on such trains.
  In later years MGR (Merry-Go-Round) coal trains, running direct from pit to power station became the main traffic with the coal carried in block trains of 30, 32-tonne capacity air-braked wagons. These were normally double-headed by two Class 76 locomotives to their destination with two additional Class 76s banking at the rear from Wombwell to Silkstone.  This was the only section of railway in the UK to be regularly operated by four locomotives per train.  A "Clearcall" intercom system (via the overhead electric wires) was developed to allow the crews of the front and rear locomotives to communicate, replacing earlier air-horn codes.
  The purpose-built power control centre for the line was adjacent to Penistone station. The building still stands, but has been adapted for alternative commercial use.
  As much of the line was prone to colliery subsidence, many of the portal structures which supported the overhead wires contained crossbeams which were designed to be easily adjustable upwards or downwards, using permanent way cranes; the ground-level trackside power feed, communications and signalling cables were similarly adjustable.
  Some limitations of the Woodhead electrification became apparent, especially with the advent of the double-headed, double-banked merry-go-round unit trains previously mentioned. Whilst such a train was climbing Worsborough Incline, all other electric trains were prohibited from entering or moving within the power section between Strafford Crossing and Aldam Junction, lest the substations at these two locations tripped out from the high current draw. Heavy current loads also caused flashovers in the oil-impregnated paper-insulated lead-covered 33 kV ground-level feeder cable at locations where cable segments were joined together in sealed boxes; such loads were not present in the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway and Great Eastern 1.5 kV DC schemes, both of which served only electric multiple units, not locomotive-hauled trains.
caption: Two 2-8-0s banking a westbound freight up Worsborough Bank towards West Silkstone Junction in August 1950
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