THE ‘Selby Diversion’ was pioneering. Delivered on budget and slightly ahead of schedule, it was an engineering triumph for British Rail at a critical time for realising the potential of the new High Speed Train fleet.
Forty years on, those who were involved in its creation remain just as proud as they were on October 3, 1983 when it officially opened throughout. It was the longest section of new railway to be specifically designed for 125mph running. Even by today’s generally-accepted definitions, it could be argued that it still qualifies as a ‘high speed’ railway as, although it would require additional superelevation on the curves, the alignment was configured to support speeds of 155mph.
“Sixty million pounds – that’s what it cost,” says Frank Paterson, general manager of the Eastern Region of British Rail at the time. Allowing for inflation, that figure today equates to around £200 million. “You look at that compared to HS2 and what they’re talking about now, yet these blokes did it.”
Many staff from BR and contractors were involved, but ‘these blokes’ are sitting around the same table as Frank and I. Hugh Fenwick, resident engineer for the project in the BR civil engineer’s department at York, and lead bridge engineer Roger Bastin.
It is not just the price that belies what a feat of engineering it is. At full speed, trains cover the 14 miles of ‘new’ railway in around seven minutes, insufficient time to pay much attention to the 35 structures they will pass over, or under.
There are 15 overbridges (including the A63 and A19); one intersection bridge; viaducts over the River Wharfe at Ryther, north of Hambleton at Selby Dam, and over the Selby Canal; three underbridges (including the structure over the River Aire at Temple Hirst); five footbridges; one subway; and eight
