Hexthorpe railway platform

The Hexthorpe rail accident occurred on 16 September 1887 at Hexthorpe railway platform some 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Doncaster on the South Yorkshire Railway line to Sheffield and Barnsley. The platform was situated within a block section between Hexthorpe Junction and Cherry Tree Lane and so had no signals of its own. The railway platform was a simple wooden structure on the Doncaster - bound line usually used for the collection of tickets from the many trains arriving in the town for the St. Leger race meeting. The usual method of working the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) section of line was to pass trains from Hexthorpe Junction under a 'permissive' block ruling, not usually used on passenger lines, with additional control by two flagmen spaced between the junction box and the ticket platform. On this day two trains were in the section, the first, a Midland Railway train, stood at the platform, the second, another Midland train waiting just to its rear. As the first train moved off the second moved onto the platform so that tickets could be checked. The third train was a Liverpool to Hull express worked by a MS&LR crew and probably the crew who should have understood the working of the line better than any other. This train came over Hexthorpe Junction with, first the 'distant' signal and then the 'home' signal at danger. With speed down to a crawl the 'home' signal was lowered, the driver assumed, wrongly, that with no other fixed signals to Cherry Tree Lane his route was clear and speed gradually rose. In the official report it was said that the first of the flagmen gave no indication and the second gave an ambiguous signal which was seen by the fireman but not properly understood. The express was reported travelling between 35 and 40 m.p.h. when they rounded the curve and saw the Midland train still in the platform. The driver applied the 'simple' vacuum brake and threw the locomotive into reverse but could not stop within the short distance of less than 250 yards. The trial of the driver and fireman at York, before the Lord Chief Justice was the first big legal case in which the newly formed trade union A.S.L.E.F. were part and for which they engaged eminent counsel to defend their members. The jury returned a verdict of 'not guilty' and the Lord Chief Justice said in his summing up that ".....he could not but think that the railway company was seriously to blame for having had in use a brake which not only was not the best in existence, but which was known to be insufficient and liable to break down". The management were "thick skinned" over all safety matters and in this case Sir Edward Watkin, the company chairman, said "....it was a misfortune that the Lord Chief Justice should have exonerated the driver and fireman". Regardless of Sir Edward's thinking the Hexthorpe accident, closely followed by the Armagh rail disaster in Northern Ireland sounded the death knell of the 'simple' vacuum brake.

Hexthorpe is a suburb of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the area's shape resembles a rhombus, with borders with Balby and Doncaster town centre, separated by railway lines and the river separating the area from the villages of Sprotbrough and Newton. The Hexthorpe House was a well known pub in the area. Following a fire, the pub remained derelict for a few months and the remains were demolished in 2009. The old pub sign was saved and has now been erected in Hexthorpe Flatts Park.

Hexthorpe & Balby North—consisting of Hexthorpe and the northern part of Balby—is one of 21 electoral wards in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Doncaster Central parliamentary constituency. It elects 2 councillors.

Balby is a suburb of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Balby is within the Doncaster Central constituency and contains the electoral wards Balby South and Hexthorpe and Balby North.Housing stock ranging from terraced housing nearer to Doncaster town centre and post-war suburbs to the south west. There are several new housing developments, including, Woodfield Plantation which is part of an attempt to regenerate the area following deindustrialisation. Economic activity is still centred on heavy industry, especially around the Carr Hill Industrial Estate, home to Bridon, a large rope manufacturer.

Doncaster (Cherry Tree Lane) railway station was situated in the Hexthorpe district of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England and was the original terminus of the South Yorkshire Railway. The station, later to be known simply as "Cherrytree", was used for the first time when a special train, for the inspection of the line to Swinton where it joined the Midland Railway, ran on 29 October 1849 and it was scheduled to open for public use on 3 November of the same year, however this was not to be as some work required to be completed. The actual public opening took place on 10 November. The station was closed when running powers were agreed between the South Yorkshire Railway and the Great Northern Railway which allowed the SYR to run their passenger trains into the GNR station. In order to accommodate excursion traffic an island platform station known as St. James' Bridge was built on a site between Cherrytree and the GNR station by the LNER.

Balby South—consisting of the southern part of the suburb of Balby—is one of 21 electoral wards in the Doncaster district, in the county of South Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Doncaster Central parliamentary constituency. It is represented by 2 councillors on Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council, both currently from the Labour Party. In 2011 it had a population of 10,011. The ward was formed in 2015.

The Doncaster rail crash was a railway accident that took place near to Doncaster, England. On 16 March 1951 the 10:04 Doncaster to London King's Cross consisting of 14 coaches (and a horse box at the rear) hauled by a LNER Thompson Class A2/2 No 60501 Cock o' the North locomotive left the station. Shortly afterwards the train was negotiating a tight crossover with a speed limit of 10 mph. The driver claimed he took the crossover at around 15 mph as he had done previously but the 3rd coach derailed. The leading end of the coach followed the front of the train and went to the right of a pier supporting Balby Bridge (which carries a road junction over the line), but the rear of the coach, propelled by the weight of the following train went to the left, wrapping the coach around the pier, killing 14 passengers and seriously injuring 12 others.

The 1947 Doncaster rail crash was a fatal rail incident that occurred just south of Doncaster station at Bridge Junction. A train was signalled onto an occupied line and the ensuing collision resulted in 18 deaths and 188 injuries. Both trains and signalling were operated by the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER).

The Tickhill Road Hospital is a small hospital at Tickhill Road in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. It is managed by the Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust.

Doncaster (St. James' Bridge) railway station was situated in the Hexthorpe area of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England and was accessed from St. James' Bridge, the main road link between Doncaster town centre and the railway community of Hexthorpe. The station was a little nearer Doncaster than the South Yorkshire Railway's Doncaster (Cherry Tree Lane) railway station being less than a mile south of the main station, adjacent to the Sheffield line. The station, which consisted of a single island platform, was built by the LNER to serve excursion traffic, principally that bringing visitors to the town in connection with the St. Leger horse racing festival held each September although it was also used for seaside excursions leaving (or passing through) the town heading for the east coast, principally to Cleethorpes. (Those not required to stop would usually be routed via the Doncaster Avoiding Line due to pressure of space). This station, adjacent to carriage sidings where incoming trains could be stored also relieved the pressure of platform space in the town's main station. Access was by a substantial wooden ramp, stepped on one side, plain slope for cyclists on the other, from St. James' Bridge, a favourite place for trainspotters with views over the East Coast Main Line and the Sheffield bound line. Platform facilities were minimal and consisted of a small office, used by the staff which came from the main station as needed. Because the station never had a regular timetabled service it did not appear in timetables, only in "Special Traffic Notices" when it was to be used. This also means that closure notices were not required when it was no longer needed by the demands of traffic and an official closure date not recorded. The station platforms were not removed on closure and were in situ until changes were made to the track layout in the area in the late 1990s.

Doncaster Power Station refers to two coal-fired electricity generating stations situated in the centre of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. Doncaster A provided electricity to the town from 1900 to 1958, and the B station from 1953 to 1983.

HM Prison Doncaster, is a Category B men's private prison, located in the Marshgate area of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. The prison is operated by Serco.