General   (General discussion, talk about anything.)

Ena

I meant Sheffield

I know that when the Woodhead Line was closed in 1981, the coal traffic which was basically the only thing which that line was used for, the coal traffic, was then hauled along the Hope Valley Line, but reopening the Woodhead Route would relieve demand and increase capacity on both of those other two lines, and because it is only the 13 miles to Pennistone, the line to Hadfield, is electrified to 25kv the problem back in the cash strapped 1970s and early 80s, was that those Class 76 1500dc electric locos on the Woodhead Route were knackered and needed replacing, along with converting the OHLE to 25kv and there was just not the money available back then, but now the 1954 Woodhead Tunnel is fully serviceable, having been tarted up by National Grid when they put the electric cables through it, so they could put the railway back through it, and they could cut a new smaller bore tunnel through to take the electric cables, or bore out and fix one of the old Woodhead Tunnels, which they said were too dangerous to carry on taking the cables through to Dunford Bridge