Assembling track at Chalk Lane Sidings, Hull

This is a fascinating, and somewhat puzzling, film of railway workers assembling a large section of crossover track, apparently not in situ.

Before Beeching drastically reduced the railway system, these railway workers, presumably with the Permanent Way, are working outdoors and minus any kind of safety wear, putting together a section of track. The crossover track is also known as a ‘turnout’, which joins two parallel tracks. The film shows the work of construction, at Chalk Lane Sidings in Hull in 1957, from start to finish – filmed in real time at ½ second intervals.

It isn’t known who took this short film of men assembling a cross section of track at Chalk Lane sidings. The sidings were originally part of the Newington, or Cottingham, branch of the Selby to Bridlington line, by-passing Hull. Chalk Lane sidings, located between Hessle road and Cottingham South junctions, was expanded around 1900, but the branch was closed in 1965. In the late 1800s Chalk Lane had its name changed to Hawthorn Avenue.