The Woodhead Line - Electric Pioneer

Reprinted due to popular demand. The Woodhead Line went from being the poster child of British Railways with its pioneering electrification scheme to closure in just under thirty years. What went wrong? Forty years after the closure of the Manchester, Sheffield & Wath lines, this is a long and dispassionate look at the whole electrification project. What led to the Woodhead Line, and the associated route to Wath Concentration Yard, being chosen for electrification? How was the design of the locomotives arrived at? How well did the system work? And, finally, why was it run down and closed so soon after the huge investment that turned into Britain’s first all electric main line? This account brings together the hard facts and the memories and experiences of those who operated the MSW system, to shed new light on an iconic part of the national railway network which still generates heated debate.