Brian Slater Memorial Walk

RAILWAY & CANAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY

THURSDAY 9TH APRIL 2020

The Solar System Greenway, created by staff at York University in 1999, follows part of the former East Coast Main Line between Barlby and Chaloners Whin. The line was built by the North Eastern Railway in 1871 as part of the Doncaster (Joan Croft) to York improvement, more direct than the earlier circuitous route and itself replaced by the Selby Diversion (Temple Hirst to Colton) in 1983, to avoid potential subsidence caused by mining the Selby Coalfield. The three stations on this section were Riccall which closed in 1958, Escrick (site of Brian Slater’s memorial) and Naburn which both closed in 1953. T. E. Harrison was engineer for the line and for Naburn Swing Bridge, which crosses the River Ouse. At the time of its construction, the river was navigable for commercial shipping such as sailing barges, and the railway was required by law to allow such trade to continue. In the early days, the swing bridge would remain open for river traffic and only closed to allow a train to pass, with a manned control cabin on top of the bridge to operate it. In very hot weather the metal swing section could expand and jam the bridge shut; to prevent this, the operator in the control cabin would have to hose down the arch with river water to cool it.

In World War II preparations were made to destroy the bridge in the event of invasion, and we shall see evidence of the Home Guard’s presence there. The cast section between the two vertical bridge supports in the river shows traces of a repair to damage caused when a laden barge collided with the bridge in the 1950s, having broken loose from its tug in a flood. Boilers that powered the bridge were kept at full steam 24 hours a day until 1954, when it became clear that the bridge no longer needed to swing. Parliamentary authority was then obtained to close it and it was permanently fixed in 1967, with the control cabin on top of the bridge being removed. We will take a path down to river level to view the mechanism by which the bridge was swung.

Meet leader Jane Ellis (tel 07787-311913) at the entrance to York Station for a 09:50 prompt departure, to catch the no 415 Selby bus from stop TG on Clifford Street, at 10:10. 7 miles with pub lunch. Return to York Station by bus from Bishopthorpe, or if preferred you can take a bus back to York from the lunch pub. We will be phoning food orders to the pub at the start of the walk, so do choose your meal in advance from the menu:

https://blacksmithsarmsnaburn.com/menu