Category Archives: Yorkshire and Surrounding Areas

The Nidd Valley Light Railway

The short paragraph immediately below appeared in the February 1952 edition of The Railway Magazine in reply to a question submitted by G. T. Kaye.

“The Nidd Valley branch of the former North Eastern Railway (which was closed to passengers on 31st March 1951) terminated at Pateley Bridge, 14 miles from Harrogate. In 1900, a Light Railway Order was obtained for a 2 ft. 6 in. gauge line from Pateley Bridge to Lofthouse-in-Nidderdale, six miles further up the valley, but the promoters had difficulty in finding the necessary capital. At that time, the Bradford Corporation was about to undertake the construction of reservoirs in the Nidd Valley, and a railway was required to carry materials to the sites. The Corporation took over the powers for the light railway, and extended it for a further 6 miles, from Lofthouse to Angram. The railway was laid to the standard-gauge, and was opened to passengers between Pateley Bridge and Lofthouse on 1st May 1907. The remainder of the line did not carry public traffic. The line was worked by two 4-4-0 tank engines and passenger coaches purchased from the Metropolitan Railway. The passenger services were withdrawn on 31st December 1929, and the line was closed completely some months later.” [1: p143]

It appeared close to the back of the magazine in the section called, “The Why and the Wherefore”. It seemed like a good idea to explore what further information there is available about the Nidd Valley Light Railway. …….

The Website ‘WalkingintheYorksireDales.co.uk’ has a page dedicated to the railway which can be found here. [2]

A number of images relating to the line can be found here. [13]

The Oakwood Press published a book by D. J. Croft about the line. [3: p3]

Croft wrote: “The valley of the River Nidd, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, is nearly 55 miles long, beginning at Great Whernside, and ending at Nun Monkton where the Nidd flows into the River Ouse. However, the area known as Nidderdale extends for only about a half of the length, and forms a compact geographical region of its own. Despite this length, and great scenic beauty, it remains to this day one of the forgotten valleys of the Yorkshire Dales.” [3: p3]

“The area of Nidderdale can be divided into roughly two equal sec tions, with the market town of Pateley Bridge between the two. The first substantial historical accounts of Nidderdale appeared in Domesday Book of 1086. However, some of the local lead mines were worked in the time of the Brigantes, whilst several surrounding localities suggest Roman occupation.” [3: p3]

“Nidderdale has several industries, notably quarrying and lead mining. and a small textile industry. There is also a small slate quarry, a marble quarry, and a long, thin ironstone vein stretching along the valley. Through-out the ages, however, Nidderdale has had prosperity alternating with decline. As the early mining industry began to decline, so textiles became important around the thirteenth century. This too tended to decline by the seventeenth century, and mining became important once more. Unfortunately, the prosperity of the lead mining era passed, and so too did the prosperity of Nidderdale.” [3: p3]

“This period of decline lasted until 1862, when the North Eastern Railway opened its line from Harrogate to Pateley Bridge, thus opening this remote valley to the outside world. Prior to this, the only roads out of the dale had been to Grassington, Riponand Kirkby Malzeard, and the only regular connection with the outside world had been the Nidderdale Omnibus, a double-deck horse bus, linking Pateley Bridge with trains of the Leeds & Thirsk Railway at Ripley. This operated from 1st August 1849, until the opening of the railway, and ran twice daily.” [3: p3]

The approach of the 20th century brought a new prosperity to the valley, which was to last for the next thirty years or perhaps a little longer. Thid was the period when the Nidd Valley Light Railway was active.

The story of the line is the story of the thirteen or so miles between Pateley Bridge and the head of the valley, for it was there “that the Nidd Valley Light Railway was conceived, constructed and closed. All this happened within a period of less than forty years.” [3: p3]

The Story of the Line

Wikipedia tells us that the origins of a railway in the upper Nidd Valley “can be traced back to 1887–88, when Bradford Corporation began to investigate the valley as a source for the public water supply. … Alexander Binnie, who was the Waterworks Engineer for Bradford at the time, and Professor Alexander Henry Green, a geologist from Oxford, visited the area, and Green advised Binnie that the valley was suitable for the construction of large dams. The Bradford Corporation Water Act 1890 was obtained on 14th August 1890, authorising the construction of four dams. … A second Act of Parliament was obtained on 27th June 1892, by which time the four reservoirs were Angram, Haden Carr, High Woodale and Gouthwaite. Gouthwaite Reservoir was designed as a compensation reservoir, to maintain flows in the Nidd further down the valley.” [4][5: p76-77]

The first reservoir, Haden Carr, was completed in 1899, together with a 32-mile (51 km) pipeline (the Nidd Aqueduct) to deliver water to Chellow Heights reservoir on the outskirts of Bradford. [4][5: p79] “Gouthwaite reservoir was built … between 1893 and 1901.” [5: p84-85] The activity in the valley attracted attention from outside the region and a company from London, Power & Traction Ltd applied for a Light Railway Order “to construct a line from the terminus of the Nidd Valley Railway at Pateley Bridge to Lofthouse. … Following a hearing at Harrogate on 9th October 1900, the Light Railway Commissioners awarded an order to Power & Traction for a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge railway.” [4] Negotiations with Bradford Corporation over a possible £2,000 investment in the scheme ultimately failed. [5: p86]

“In 1903, Bradford invited tenders for the construction of Angram Reservoir, and … reached provisional agreement with the Nidd Valley Light Railway Company to purchase the powers awarded to them to build the light railway. … Bradford wanted to ask the Light Railway Commissioners for permission to increase [the track gauge] to 3 ft (914 mm). … They also wanted to ensure that they bought enough land to allow a standard gauge railway to be constructed ‘at any future time’. The North Eastern Railway, owners of the Nidd Valley Railway, argued that it should be standard gauge from the outset, since they were running excursions to Pateley Bridge twice a week, and these could continue over the Nidd Valley Light Railway. It would also remove the necessity of transshipping goods.” [5: p86]

Then next three map extracts show the railway facilities in Pateley Bridge while the Nidd Valley Light Railway was active. …

The Nidd Valley Light Railway Pateley Bridge Carriage and Engine Shed which were to the North of the railway’s terminus. 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1907/08, published in 1908. [9]

The Nidd Valley Light Railway Pateley Bridge Terminus which was connected to the North Eastern Railway Station by a single line which joined the main line before it crossed the High Street on the level. 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1907/08, published in 1908. [9]

The North Easter Railway Station at Pateley Bridge. [9]

The red line approximates t the line of the railway which left Pateley Bridge Station (behind the camera) to cross High Street and run between Pateley Bridge Mills and Millfield Street to connect with The Nidd Valley Light Railway. [Google Streetview, May 2024]

0-6-0ST locomotive ‘Blythe’, with a passenger train at Pateley Bridge. Humphrey Household collection (1996-7886_529 DS160108), © National Science Museum and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence. [10]

A transfer order was eventually granted, “with powers to borrow up to £30,000 to fund the project. In May 1904, the Board of Trade agreed to a change to standard gauge, and borrowing powers were increased to £66,000 in 1908, because of the extra costs of building the wider formation. The document was signed by Winston Churchill, the President of the Board of Trade.” The contractor working on the Anagram reservoir, John Best, “was awarded a contract to build the light railway to Lofthouse for £23,000, and a tramway from Lofthouse to Angram for £5,385.” [5: p86-87]

Then the intrigue began! A contract had been awarded in April 1902 to Holme and King for the construction of a road from Lofthouse to Angram. Bradford Council “had purchased enough land to allow the light railway to be built beside the road, and although Best was awarded a contact for the railway in 1903, it appears that Holme and King built a 3 ft (914 mm) gauge contractor’s railway beside part or all of the road. They had two locomotives on site, both 0-4-0 saddle tanks, one bought second hand some years earlier and moved to the site in spring 1902, after working on several other projects, [5: p87] and the second bought new for delivery to Pateley Bridge. [5: p89] By mid-1904, there was a 6.5-mile (10.5 km) line from Angram, which crossed the River Nidd on a 20-foot (6.1 m) bridge just before it reached Lofthouse.” [4]

So, Best began extending the line towards Pateley Bridge from the River Nidd rather than starting the work again! Wikipedia tells us that “by 13th July 1904, it had reached a level crossing at Sykes Bank, 0.5 miles (0.8 km) below Lofthouse, and work had commenced at several other sites. On that date, a party of 150 members of Bradford City Council, with invited guests, arrived by train at Pateley Bridge, and were transported to Gouthwaite Dam in carriages. Here there was a ceremony in which the Lord Major cut the first sod for the Nidd Valley Light Railway.” [4] The party “proceeded to Sykes Bank, where a train was waiting, which consisted of 15 wagons fitted with makeshift seats, and two locomotives, one of which was Holme and King’s Xit and the other was Best’s Angram. It took about an hour to reach Angram, where there were presentations, and Alderman Holdsworth cut the first sod for the dam. Refreshments were then served and the party returned to Lofthouse by train and to Pateley Bridge by carriage.” [4][5: p90-91]

The narrow gauge had hardly reached Pateley Bridge and Angram begun its regular duties along the line when standard gauge rails began to be laid starting at Lofthouse and working both up and down the line from there. “When the first standard gauge locomotive arrived, it was towed along the road to Sykes Bank by a Foden steam lorry, its flanged wheels making a mess of the road surface. The main line and sidings became mixed gauge for a while, although the third rail was gradually removed from 1906.” [5: p91 & 93] There was a veritable network of rail lines at the Angram Dam site where, as well as a village built for the workers, “the railway terminated in several sidings, which included a locomotive shed. The sidings were at a similar level to the crest of the dam. A branch left the main line and descended to the valley floor, where there was a cement mixing plant and more sidings. This line included a winch-operated incline which descended on a gradient of 1 in 15 (6.7%). Another incline, of 3 ft (914 mm) gauge, ascended the far side of the valley, giving access to Nidd sluice and lodge. A third incline brought rock down to the main line from a quarry, some 2 miles (3.2 km) below the terminus.” [4][5: p93 & 97]

The village of Lofthouse and its railway station as it appears on the 25″Ordnance Survey of 1907, published in 1909. [6]

0-6-0 side tank steam locomotive ‘Milner’ with a carriage and van at Lofthouse-in-Nidderdale station, ready to leave for Scar House. Humphrey Household collection (1996-7886_531 DS160110), © National Science Museum and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence. [10]

‘Milner’ crossing the bridge above Lofthouse-in-Nidderdale station and beginning the steep climb alongside the road on the private section to Scar House. It is likely that this was taken soon after the previous photograph. Humphrey Household collection (1996-7886_523 DS160104), © National Science Museum and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence. [10]

At the other end of the Light Railway, “at Pateley Bridge, the Nidd Valley Light Railway station was to the north west of the North Eastern Railway’s Pateley Bridge railway station, close to the River Nidd. The two were connected by a single track which crossed a level crossing. There were a series of sidings immediately after the level crossing, with the station and more sidings beyond that. A carriage shed and a locomotive shed were located a little further along the valley of the Nidd.” [4]

Ramsgill Village was served by a stationary Bouthwaite which sat on the opposite side of the River Nidd. This map extract comes from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1907, published in 1909. [7]

“Best built two-storey stone buildings for the stations at Pateley Bridge, Wath, Ramsgill and Lofthouse. He built a signal box at Pateley Bridge, with the other stations having ground frames and simple signalling. Operation of the line was controlled by the Tyer’s Electric Train Tablet system, and six machines were ordered at a cost of £360. [5: p101] Both intermediate stations had goods sidings on the eastern side of the main track, while Lofthouse had a passing loop and sidings to the west.” [4]

The Station at Wath sat between the village and the River Nidd. The 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1907/1908 and published in 1909. [8]

“Best had a number of locomotives, both 3 ft (914 mm) gauge and standard gauge, which operated over the entire line from Pateley Bridge to Angram during the construction phase. For the opening of the Nidd Valley Light Railway proper, the 6.5 miles (10.5 km) from Pateley Bridge to Lofthouse, Bradford Corporation ordered six open wagons and two brake vans from Hurst Nelson of Motherwell. Locomotives and carriages were obtained second-hand from the Metropolitan Railway in London. These consisted of ten 4-wheeled coaches and two 4-4-0 Beyer Peacock side tank locomotives. All had become surplus to requirements, as electrification of the line had been completed in 1905. The locomotives were fitted with condensing equipment, for working in the tunnels under London, but the price of £1,350 for the pair included removal of this, and the fitting of cabs. All twelve vehicles arrived at Pateley Bridge, with one engine in steam … The locomotives were named ‘Holdsworth’ and ‘Milner’ after two Aldermen who had served Bradford Waterworks since 1898.” [4][5: p101, 102]

“An official opening took place on 11th September 1907, when a train consisting of three carriages and the Corporation saloon were hauled by ‘Holdsworth’ from Pateley Bridge to Lofthouse, with stops at Wath and Gouthwaite reservoir. At Lofthouse the engine was replaced by one of Best’s engines, and continued to Angram where luncheon was served in the village reading room.” [4][5: p102, 105]

“The two locomotives were much too heavy to comply with the Light Railway Order, which specified a maximum axle loading of 6.5 tons. They weighed 46.6 tons in working order, with 36.7 tons carried by the two driving axles. The Corporation applied for an increase in the axle loading, specifying the weight as “over 42 tons”. Milner, the newest of the two locomotives, dating from 1879, [5: p102] did not perform well, and was replaced by a Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 side tank, also named Milner in May 1909. The original Milner was sold to the North Wales Granite Company at Conwy in 1914. [5: p102, 111] Following discussions with the Board of Trade in 1906, the Corporation and the North Eastern Railway had obtained permission for three passenger trains per week to pass over the goods yard and sidings at Pateley Bridge, so that excursions could continue up to Lofthouse between June and September only. Despite the agreement, when the first excursion was due to make the journey on 14th September 1907, the NER decided not to allow their stock to pass onto the Nidd Valley Light Railway, nor to allow the Corporation engine and carriages to come to their station, and so the passengers had to walk between the two stations. [5: p110] In order to avoid confusion for parcels traffic, Lofthouse station became Lofthouse-in-Nidderdale on 12th December 1907, and Wath became Wath-in-Nidderdale in February 1908 for similar reasons.” [4][5: p107-108]

Work on Angram reservoir was finally completed in 1916. “Bradford Corporation had already obtained an Act in 1913, allowing them to abandon their plans for a reservoir at High Woodale, and instead to build a much larger one at Scar House. It would submerge the site of Haden Carr reservoir, and the Act allowed them to start construction “when appropriate”. The cost of the new works was estimated at £2,161,500, and although three tenders were received, they decided on 14th May 1920 to build it themselves, using direct labour. Scar village was built between 1920 and 1921, consisting of ten hostels for a total of 640 men, a school, canteen, recreation room, concert hall, mission church and some bungalows.” [4][5: p115]

Scar Village © Nidderdale Museum, courtesy of the RealYorkshireBlog.com. [11]

Plans to electrify the railway using hydro-electric power, were considered in March 1920, but rejected as being too expensive. uneconomic. Holdsworth, was taken out of service in 1866 because it was too heavy for the line, but when no buyers could be found, it was used as a stationary steam supply for another 14 years. There were plans to overhaul Milner, to obtain another lighter engine, and to purchase two railmotor cars. Only one railmotor (‘Hill’) was eventually purchased in 1921. It can be seen in the two images immediately below.

Steam railmotor car ‘Hill’ approaching Wath station on the descent from Ramsgill. It worked the Pateley Bridge to Lofthouse public passenger service. Humphrey Household collection (1996-7886_522 DS160103), © National Science Museum and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence. [10]

Pateley Bridge locomotive shed and water tower, showing steam railmotor ‘Hill’ beside the shed and 0-6-0 steam locomotive ‘Blythe’ at the entrance. Humphrey Household collection (1996-7886_521 DS160102), © National Science Museum and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence. [10]

“From August 1920, work was carried out to improve the line between Lofthouse and Angram. This included easing the alignment on many of the curves, the addition of loops near Lofthouse and at Woodale, just below the Scar House site, and the construction of a 180-yard (160 m) tunnel near Goyden Pot, which was used by up trains only.” [4][5: p119-122]. “The line at Angram was extended to a small quarry in 1921, along the trackbed of Best’s 3 ft (914 mm) gauge line beyond the dam. Stone was extracted for remedial work, caused by wind and wave erosion of the southern bank of the reservoir near the dam.” [4][5: p123]

The entrance at the lower end of Goyden tunnel. The nature of the terrain was challenging, as is evident in this picture, and downhill trains used the original line, which can be seen alongside the road. Humphrey Household collection (1996-7886_527 DS160107)), © National Science Museum and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence. [10]

Close to the Scar House dam site, “a network of sidings were constructed, zig-zagging down to the Nidd, and back up the other side of the valley. A double track self-acting incline provided access to the Carle Fell Quarry, to the north of the reservoir, and as the quarry was worked, two further inclines were constructed. One was single track, with a winding engine at the top, and around 1930, an incline worked by locomotives was added. Above the later quarry face, a Simplex petrol locomotive worked on a 2 ft (610 mm) track, removing overburden.” [4][5: p118]

The Scar House dam construction site viewed across the valley from the south. The zigzag tracks linking the site with the quarries and stoneyard can be seen, with a locomotive in steam with three trucks in the centre of the picture. Beyond is the extensive stoneyard. In the foreground is a row of new large pipe sections manufactured by Glenfield & Kennedy Ltd of Kilmarnock, Scotland. Humphrey Household collection (1996-7886_537 DS160116)), © National Science Museum and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence. [10]

A general view of Carle Fell quarry above the Scar House dam construction site, showing several railway tracks with two steam cranes, a locomotive and a number of trucks. Humphrey Household collection (1996-7886_539 DS160119)), © National Science Museum and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence. [10]

Power for the works “was generated using water from Angram reservoir, which was discharged into Haden Carr reservoir. A 4,775-foot (1,455 m) pipeline supplied the turbines. This was later supplemented by a steam generating station. [5: p123-124] Two locomotive sheds were built, one near the village and another on the north side of the River Nidd, with a further two at Carle Fell Quarry. All had two tracks. Twelve four-wheeled carriages were bought from the Maryport and Carlisle Railway, to provide transport for the workers and their families from Scar House to Lofthouse, and a two-track carriage shed was built to the east of the main complex.” [4][5: p125]

Scar House dam under construction, showing the full length of the structure viewed from a distance down in the valley. Four steam cranes are seen on top of the dam, and another one below it alongside railway tracks, a truck, a water tank, and a stack of large stone blocks. Humphrey Household collection (1996-7886_535 DS160114)), © National Science Museum and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence. [10]

“Six locomotives worked in the quarry. Allenby, Beatty, Haig and Trotter were based at the shed at the top of the main self-acting incline, while Ian Hamilton and Stringer were based in a shed at a higher level. Three steam navvies were used to load stone into the railway wagons, and there were nineteen or twenty steam cranes, all of which were self-propelled and ran on the tracks either in the quarry or on top of the dam.” [4][5: p129]

The masons’ yard above the Scar House dam construction site, with 0-4-0 saddle tank steam locomotive ‘*Craven*’ and a steam crane lifting blocks of stone. Humphrey Household collection (1996-7886_540 DS160118). Craven does not appear in Bowtell’s list of locomotives above), © National Science Museum and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence. [10]

A wide view of the Scar House dam construction site across the valley from the quarries high up on the north side, showing the dam below and looking across to the buildings of Scar village, where the workers lived. The zigzag rail tracks linking the construction site with the quarries and stoneyard are clearly visible. Humphrey Household collection (1996-7886_538 DS160117)), © National Science Museum and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence. [10]

The main engineering work at Scar House reservoir closed to completion in September 1931 but it was not until July 1935 that filling of the reservoir commenced. “The official opening was on 7th September 1936. Scar House, which gave its name to the reservoir, was demolished. A new Scar House was built, at the foot of the incline from Carle Fell Quarry, which provided a home for the reservoir keeper, and a boardroom for official visits. [5: p130-131] A project to re-route the waters from Armathwaite Gill and Howstean Beck through a tunnel and into the reservoir began in May 1929. A 2 ft (610 mm) gauge line was laid, on which two battery-electric locomotives and twelve wagons ran.” [4][5: p131]

Two 0-6-0ST locomotives ‘Gadie’ and ‘Illingworth’, head a goods train on the line. [12]

Decline

“The start of work on Scar House Reservoir led to an overhaul of existing stock. Seven of the original Metropolitan Railway coaches were upholstered and repainted, while the remaining five were used for the workmen. [The] steam railmotor [Hill] … obtained in 1921, … had previously been owned by the Great Western Railway. It … was fitted with electric lights in 1923. It worked on the public section of the railway, and never travelled beyond Lofthouse. Numerous new and secondhand locomotives were purchased, most for use on construction work, but two, Blythe and Gadie, were fitted with vacuum brakes, and so worked goods trains from Pateley Bridge to Scar House, as well as passenger trains between Scar House and Lofthouse and sometimes Pateley Bridge.” [4][5: p133]

“Passenger trains for the residents of Scar village ran on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, the mid-week ones connecting with ‘Hill’ at Lofthouse, and the Saturday ones running through to Pateley Bridge. The 1927 printed timetable showed five trains a day between Pateley Bridge and Lofthouse, but also showed the trains onwards to Scar Village, with a note that these were for exclusive use of residents. Saturday trains were hauled by Blythe or Gadie, but were banked at the rear by another engine above Lofthouse because of the steep gradients.” [4][5: p134]

The ‘Scar House special’, 0-6-0T locomotives ‘Milner’ and ‘Blythe’ with a goods train, banked in the rear by two other locomotives for the steep climb alongside the road towards Scar House. This was possibly a more substantial train than usual as it required 4 locomotives rather than the 3 mentioned above. Humphrey Household collection (1996-7886_526 DS160106), © National Science Museum and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence. [10]

“Traffic returns showed 106,216 journeys by workmen in 1921, and 41,051 by ordinary passengers. The figure for workmen was not declared after 1922, as the accommodation at Scar Village was available. The peak year for journeys was 1923, with 63,020, after which there was a gradual decline, with 24,906 journeys for the final nine months before closure. The line made a total operating loss of £36,435 between 1908 and 1924, and then made a modest profit until 1929. Fares were cut by one third in early 1929, in the face of competition from motor buses, and a decision was taken to close the line in April 1929.” [4][5: p

“An approach to the London and North Eastern Railway to take over the railway was unsuccessful, and on 31st December 1929, the railway closed to public passenger and goods services. The sections below and above Lofthouse continued to be run as a private railway. [5: p135] The Saturday train to Pateley Bridge for the residents of Scar Village continued until 1932.” [4][5: p133]

The line to Angram was severed by the works at Scar House in 1933. “By 1936, with construction completed, the railway was lifted, and a sale was held at Pateley Bridge on 1st March 1937, where everything was sold as a single lot. … At its peak, the Scar House reservoir project had employed about 780 men, and the population of Scar Village had been 1,135. By 1936, there were just eight houses occupied, and seven pupils at the school, which closed on 31st January 1938.” [4][5: p130 & 138]

A Journey along the Line

“The railway began in Pateley Bridge, close to the River Nidd, with the goods yard just to the north of the B6265 road. The passenger station was a little further north, and is now occupied by a road called ‘The Sidings’.” [4]

The Nidd Valley Light Railway Station, Transshipment Yard and Goods Yard at Pateley Bridge. 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1907/08, published in 1908. [9]

The Nidd Valley Light Railway Station Platform at Pateley Bridge in 1907. This image was shared on the Railways Around Harrogate & Yorkshire Facebook Group on 18th January 2024 by Ian McGregor, (c) Public Domain. [17]

The same area in the 21st century. ‘The Sidings’ is the cul-de-sac directly above the centre-bottom of the image. The new build further to the North is an extension to Millfield Street. [9]

The Sidings. [Google Street view, May 2024]

The extension to Millfield Street. [Google Streetview, May 2024]

The line’s Carriage Shed and Engine Shed sat to the North of the Station. 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1907/08, published in 1908. [9]

The same area in the 21st century. The area of the Carriage and Engine Sheds has now reverted to farmland. [9]

The line headed North “along the east bank of the river, and this section of it now forms part of the Nidderdale Way, a long-distance footpath. Wath station was just to the south of the minor road that crosses Wath Bridge, and had two sidings.” [4]

Wath Railway Station was on the South side of the road between the Corn Mill and Wath Bridge. 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1907/08, published in 1908. [14]

The same area in the 21st century. ESRI satellite imagery provided by the National Library of Scotland. [14]

Looking South from the minor road into the site of Wath Station. The station building is now a private home. [Google Streetview, May 2024]

The line North of the minor road was on a low embankment. [Google Streetview, May 2024]

“The footpath leaves the course of the railway before the station, and follows the bank of the river, crossing over the railway trackbed by Gouthwaite Dam.” [4]

The line passed close to the Northeast end of Gouthwaite Dam. 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1907/08, published in 1908. [15]

A very similar area in the 21st century. [Google Maps, October 2025]

Beyond the North end of Gouthwaite Reservoir, the route of the old railway can be seen from the minor road which links Coville House Farm to Bouthwaite. This view looks South from the road. The route of the old line is beyond the drystone wall in a shallow cutting. [Google Streetview, May 2024]

Turning through 90° to face West, the end of the cutting can be seen on the left of this image, the line ran on beyond the tree at the right side of the photograph. [Google Streetview, May 2024]

Further North along the same minor road, the old railway ran to the left of the drystone wall, between it and the electricity pole. [Google Streetview, May 2024]

“The trackbed was close to the shore of the reservoir, and the footpath rejoins it after a deviation to the north west. Ramsgill Station was at Bouthwaite, rather than Ramsgill, just to the south of Bouthwaite Bridge, where the Ramsgill to Bouthwaite road crosses Lul Beck.” [4]

Ramsgill Railway Station at Bouthwaite. 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1907/08, published in 1908. [16]

Approximately the same area as it appears on 21st century satellite imagery. The line can easily be picked out close to the bottom-right of this image, to the West of the minor road. The station area remains quite distinct! The route of the line continues Northwest on the North side of the minor road which enters centre-left. [Google Maps, October. 2025]

The Station Building at Ramsgill Railway Station in Bouthwaite, the main running line was to the right of the building and crossed the road to the right of the camera. [Google Streetview, May 2924]

Looking Northwest from approximately the same place these trees sit on the line of the old railway. Just North of the road, the line bridged the stream running through the village. [Google Streetview, May 2924]

“The footpath rejoins the trackbed briefly at Low Sikes, where there was a level crossing over the Ramsgill to Lofthouse road.” [4]

The level crossing adjacent to the River Nidd at Low Sikes. 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1907/08, published in 1908. [18]

The same location in the 21st century. Note the gap in the drystone wall bottom-right which sits on the line of the old railway. [18]

Looking Southeast along Nidderdale at Low Sikes. The redline approximates to the line of the old railway in the photograph. Foreshortening of the image significantly tightens the curve of the line. [Google Streetview, May 2024]

Looking Northwest alongside the River Nidd from Low Sikes. The line ran approximately straight ahead from the sign post in the foreground. [Google Streetview, May 2024]

The next significant location along the line was Lofthouse Station which sat on the South side of the village of Lofthouse, between the road and the river.

Lofthouse Railway Station sat on the Northeast bank of the River Nidd. The railway crossed the River Nidd on a bridge shared with the highway. [6]

Lofthouse Railway Station building in 21st century, seen from the Southeast. [Google Streetview, May 2024]

Lofthouse Railway Station building in 21st century, seen from the Northwest. The railway and platform were on the right of the building. [Google Streetview, May 2024]

This road bridge over the River Nidd was once shared with the light railway, the red line shows the route of the line. [Google Streetview, May 2024]

Once across the river the line turned sharply to the North to follow the road to Scar House. It followed the West shoulder of the road with the River Nidd off to the East of the road. [Google Streetview, May 2024]

The metalled road is owned by Yorkshire Water but open to the public. The line continued North remaining on the West shoulder of the road.

The same location in the 21st century. This bricked up tunnel was designed to avoid possible accidents. Northbound trains used the tunnel, Southbound trains used the original railway alignment which included a sharp bend just North of this location. [Google Streetview, May 2024]

“The bricked up tunnel can be seen about 2 miles (3.2 km) from Lofthouse, where the road and river turn sharply west. There is a picnic spot near the southern portal of the tunnel.” [4]

Beyond Goyden Tunnel the original line (still used by Southbound trains after the tunnel was built) bears sharply to the West. [Google Streetview, May 2024]

Before the tunnel was constructed a short passing loop was provided on the sharp bend. It was not long enough to allow any significant trains to pass but it mitigated the risk of collision! [19]

Images from two different OS sheets surveyed in the late 1920s show the tunnel noted above. [20]

The line from this point on travelled in a westerly direction. Originally the railway ran through the site of Scar House Reservoir as far as Angram Reservoir. Travellers on the railway would have been able to look down and see a small reservoir formed to secure the intake of the pipeline which served Bradford. Its Dam was called the Nidd Intake Dam.

The Nidd Intake Dam and Reservoir. 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1907/08, published in 1908. This reservoir was swamped by the later Scar House Reservoir. [22]

This map extract comes from the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1907 which was published in 1910. The Light Railway has been built but there is no sign of construction work on the Angram Reservoir. [23]

A much later OS Map (1956) showing Angram Reservoir with the route of the old railway marked by red dashes. Note that Scar House Reservoir intrudes at the top-right of this map extract. [24]

At Scar Village there is another picnic spot and a car park. The railway followed the most northerly of the two tracks at this point.

A relatively low grade image showing the area close to Scar House Reservoir on which Scar Village was built. The original line of the railway in the track on the northside of the site of the village. The village historical survey report from which this image has been taken provides details (In some depth) of the site of the village and can be found here. [25]

“At Scar Village there is [a] picnic spot and a car park. The railway followed the most northerly of the two tracks at this point. Another track down to the weirs follows the course of one of the zig-zag tracks across the valley. A footpath crosses the dam to the north side of the lake, where the incline to the quarry is still clearly visible. Another road, open to the public on foot, follows the trackbed along the southern edge of Scar House Reservoir, to reach Angram dam. The course of the railway is clearly visible on the modern 1:25,000 Ordnance Survey map for almost the entire length of the railway.”[4]

A short video about Scar Village and the work on Scar House Dam. [21]

References

The Why and the Wherefore; in The Railway Magazine, February 1952; Tothill Press, Westminster, London, p142-144.
https://www.walkingintheyorkshiredales.co.uk/Nidd%20Valley%20Light%20Railway.htm, accessed on 8th October 2025.
D. J. Croft; The Nidd Valley Railway, Locomotion Papers No. 55 (Revised); Oakwood Press, 1987.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nidd_Valley_Light_Railway, accessed on 8th October 2025.
Harold Bowtell; Lesser Railways of the Yorkshire Dales; Plateway Press, Gainsborough, 1991.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=54.15660&lon=-1.84733&layers=168&b=ESRIWorld&o=100, accessed on 9th October 2025.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/125631997, accessed on 10th October 2025.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/125632021, accessed on 10th October 2025.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=54.09027&lon=-1.76397&layers=168&b=ESRIWorld&o=100, accessed on 10th October 2025.
https://blog.railwaymuseum.org.uk/in-pictures-constructing-the-scar-house-dam, accessed on 11th October 2025.
https://www.realyorkshireblog.com/post/the-story-of-scar-house-reservoir-the-pop-up-village-of-scar-and-the-lost-village-of-lodge, accessed on 11th October 2025.
https://chasewaterstuff.wordpress.com/tag/pateley-bridge, accessed on 11th October 2025.
https://transportsofdelight.smugmug.com/RAILWAYS/RALWAYS-EXCLUDED-FROM-THE-1923-GROUPING/NIDD-VALLEY-RAILWAY, accessed on 11th October 2025.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.8&lat=54.10586&lon=-1.77865&layers=168&b=ESRIWorld&o=0, accessed on 12th October 2025.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.5&lat=54.11162&lon=-1.78536&layers=168&b=ESRIWorld&o=92, accessed on 12th October 2025.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.1&lat=54.13617&lon=-1.81524&layers=168&b=ESRIWorld&o=100, accessed on 12th October 2025.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=7478382078862607&set=gm.1030871587986998&idorvanity=371639250576905, accessed on 13th October 2025.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=54.14957&lon=-1.83232&layers=168&b=ESRIWorld&o=100, accessed on 13th October 2025.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=54.18475&lon=-1.85057&layers=168&b=ESRIWorld&o=100, accessed on 13th October 2025.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/125630530 & https://maps.nls.uk/view/125630539, accessed on 13th October 2025.
https://youtu.be/8K0yOBaESSo, accessed on 13th October 2025.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=54.18780&lon=-1.90902&layers=168&b=ESRIWorld&o=100, accessed on 13th October 2025.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.2&lat=54.18299&lon=-1.93299&layers=6&b=ESRIWorld&o=100, accessed on 13th October 2025.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/189181725, accessed on 13th October 2025.
http://uppernidderdale.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Scar-Village-Historic-Environment-Survey-Report.pdf, accessed on 13th October 2025.

Rt. Revd. Eric Treacy MBE LLD

References

Eric Treacy: The Classic Years; in The Railway Magazine (supplement), December 1990.
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Railway_Treacy_Plaque_Appleby_14.06.12R_edited-2.jpg, accessed on 22nd March 2025.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Treacy, accessed on 22nd March 2025.
Crockford’s clerical directory; Church House, London, 1976.
No. 34809; The London Gazette (Supplement). 8th March 1940, p1462.
No. 37072; The London Gazette (Supplement). 8th May 1945, p2456–2464.
No. 37442; The London Gazette (Supplement). 22nd January 1946, p615–625.
https://blog.railwaymuseum.org.uk/eric-treacy-the-right-reverend-railway-photographer, accessed on 22nd March 2025.
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/90746857, accessed on 22nd March 2025.
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/90748392, accessed on 22nd March 2025.
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/90746931, accessed on 22nd March 2025.

The Manchester and Leeds Railway – The Railway Magazine, December 1905 – Part 2

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This is the second part of a short series about the Manchester and Leeds Railway. The first part can be found here. [66]

We re-commence our journey at Sowerby Bridge Railway Station. ….

Sowerby Bridge Railway Station – note the Ripponden Branch emerging from a tunnel and joining the Manchester and Leeds Railway at the East end of the Station. [15]

An early postcard image of Sowerby Bridge with the railway station in the foreground, © Public Domain. [23]

A colourised postcard view of the Station Forecourt at Sowerby Bridge around the turn of the 20th century. [60]

The main station building in Sowerby Bridge was demolished but the single storey building to the left of the postcard image above survives as can be seen in this image from 2016. [Google Streetview, 2016]

Sowerby Bridge Railway Station in 2006, (c) Ian Kirk and authorised for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY 2.5). [24]

The area shown on this extract from Google Maps satellite imagery is a slightly enlarged area compared to the OS map extract above. It shows the area immediately around the railway station. [Google Maps, October 2024]

More images of Sowerby Bridge Railway Station can be found here [67] and here. [68]

Just beyond the eastern station limits Fall Lane bridges the line – two views from the bridge follow.

To the East of Sowerby Bridge the line crosses the River Calder again.

Another extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1905, published in 1907 shows Calder Dale Grease Works, Copley Bridge and Copley Viaduct. The Sowerby Bridge, Halifax and Bradford line leaves the main line at this point. [25]

The bridge and Viaduct as they appear on Google Maps satellite imagery in 2024. [Google Maps, October 2024]

An image of Copley Viaduct can be seen here. Just beneath the viaduct, at the left of the linked photograph, a train is crossing Copley Bridge on the line we are following. [61]

The Manchester and Leeds Railway then crosses the Calder once again and enters Greetland Station. The second arm of the Sowerby Bridge, Halifax and Bradford line joins the mainline just before (to the Northwest of) Greetland Station.

Greetland Station shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1905. Top-left the second arm of the triangular junction with the Sowerby Bridge, Halifax and Bradford line can be seen joining the Manchester and Leeds Railway. Bottom-right, the Stainland Branch leaves the main line just before the main line bridges the River Calder once again. [26]

The same location in the 21st century. Greetland Station is long gone and the branch South (the Stainland Branch has also been lifted. [Google Maps, October 2024]

Greetland Railway Station in 1962, just before closure. The camera is positioned at the Northwest end of the station. [28]

Greetland Railway Station “was originally opened as North Dean in July 1844. It was subsequently changed to North Dean and Greetland and then to Greetland in 1897. Situated near the junction of the main Calder Valley line and the steeply-graded branch towards Halifax (which opened at the same time as the station), it also served as the junction station for the Stainland Branch from its opening in 1875 until 1929. It was closed to passenger traffic on 8th September 1962.” [27]

Looking West from the A629, Halifax Road which sits over the line adjacent to the West Portal of Elland Tunnel. [Google Streetview, July 2024]

Rake says that the line then approaches “Elland Tunnel, 424 yards, in length, and, after leaving Elland Station, pass[es] through a deep cutting, from which a large quantity of stone for the building of the bridges was obtained.” [1: p471]

Rake says that this is the Eastern Portal of Elland Tunnel. Looking at the 25″ OS mapping it appears to be the Western Portal as Elland Station sits immediately to the East of the Eastern Portal. [1: p471]

Elland Tunnel and Elland Railway Station as they appear on the 1905 25″ Ordnance Survey. The Calder & Hebble Navigation and the River Calder also feature on the map extract. [29]

Elland Railway Station in 1964, seen from above the East Portal of Elland Tunnel, © Glock Wild & S. Chapman Collection. [30]

To the East of Elland Railway Station the railway is carried above the River Calder, passing Calder Fire Clay Works. Further East again, “the railway is carried across a steep and rugged acclivity, rising almost perpendicularly from the river. … The viaduct consists of six arches of 45ft span each, and leads directly to Brighouse, originally the nearest station to Bradford.” [1: 472]

The view from the South of the bridge which carries the railway over Park Road (A6025), Elland. Elland Station stood above this location and to the left. [Google Streetview, July 2024]

From Elland, the line runs on through Brighouse

Brighouse Station and Goods Yard as shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1905. [31]

The view West from Gooder Lane Bridge towards Cliff Road Bridge Elland. [Google Streetview, May 2023]

The view East across Brighouse Railway Station from Gooder Lane. [Google Streetview, May 2023]

Brighouse Railway Station (originally called ‘Brighouse for Bradford’). [1: p472]

B1 61034 Chiru at Brighouse — Embedded link to Flickr. The image shows B1 No. 61034 *Chiru* at Brighouse Station on 2nd April 1964.
The locomotive is arriving at the station from the East with a local passenger train. The locomotive had only recently been transferred to Wakefield from Ardseley. It was withdrawn at the end of 1964. The photograph looks Southeast through the station. [32]

A much later photograph of Brighouse Railway Station (2006) which looks Northwest through the station from platform 1, (c) Ian Kirk and authorised for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY 2.5). [33]

To the East of the passenger facilities at Brighouse there were a significant array of sidings. The first length of these can be seen on the OS Map above. Around 75% of the way along these sidings Woodhouse Bridge spanned the lines. Much of the area has been redeveloped by modern industry. The next four images relate to that bridge.

Looking West from Woodhouse Bridge in 2023. [Google Streetview, August 2023]

Leaving Brighouse Station, the railway is joined, from the North, by the Bailiff Bridge Branch (long gone in the 21st century).

Immediately to the East of Brighouse Station Goods Yards, the Bailiff Bridge Branch joined the Manchester and Leeds Railway. [62]

Approximately the same area in the 21st century as shown on the OS map extract above. The line of the old Bailiff Bridge Branch is superimposed on the satellite image. [Google Maps, October 2024]

A little further to the East, in the 21st century, the line passes under the M62 and enters a deep cutting before, at Bradley Wood Junction, the Bradley Wood Branch leaves the line to the South (still present in the 21st century).

Bradley Wood Junction as shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1905. [70]

Much the same area in the 21st century. [70]

“Beyond [Bradley Wood Junction] the Calder is crossed by a viaduct of two arches of 76 ft. span each. this is succeeded by an embankment, along which the line continues down the valley. [It] again cross[es] the Calder by a viaduct similar to that just referred to.” [1: p472] The line was widened to the South side to create a four-track main line and single span girder bridges were positioned alongside the original structures.

At the first crossing of the River Calder mentioned immediately above, the original two arches of the stone viaduct can be seen beyond the more modern girder bridge in this photograph, (c) Uy Hoang. [Google Streetview, September 2022]

The same bridges as they appear on Google Maps satellite imagery in 2024. [Google Maps, October 2024]

In between the two bridges across the River Calder, was Cooper Bridge Station.

Cooper Bridge Station as it appears on the 1905 25″ Ordnance Survey. [34]

The Station at Cooper Bridge is long gone in the 2st century, but the bridges remain. The station sat over the road at this location with platform buildings between the rails of the left edge of this image. This photograph is taken from the North on Cooper Bridge Road. [Google Streetview, July 2024]

The second of the two crossings of the River Calder mentioned above. This photograph, taken from the Southwest, shows the girder bridge with the stone-arched 2-span bridge beyond, (c) Uy Hoang. [Google Streetview, September 2022]

This view from the North East and from under an adjacent footbridge shows the stone-arched 2-span structure, (c) Uy Hoang. [Google Streetview, September 2022]

Rake’s journey along the line seems not to focus so closely on the remaining length of the line. Various features and a number of stations seem to have been missed (particularly Cooper Bridge, Mirfield, Ravensthorpe, Thornhill, Horbury & Ossett). It also seems to suggest that the line goes through Dewsbury Station. Rather than rely on Rake’s commentary about the line, from this point on we will provide our own notes on the route.

At Heaton Lodge Junction, the LNWR Huddersfield & Manchester line joined the Manchester & Leeds line with the LNWR Heaton & Wortley line passing beneath. The Manchester & Leeds line ran on towards Mirfield Station passing the large engine shed before entering the station over a long viaduct which once again crossed the River Calder.

Heaton Lodge Junction as it appeared in 1905 on the 25″ Ordnance Survey. [71]

The same junction as it appears on the ESRI satellite imagery which is provided by the National Library of Scotland (NLS). [71]

The bridge carrying the Manchester and Leeds Railway over Wood Lane which can be made out to the right of the map extract and satellite images above. [Google Streetview, May 2023]

The view from the North of the viaduct carrying the line over the River Calder to the West of Mirfield Station. [Google Streetview, March 2021]

The same viaduct viewed from the Southwest. The original stone-arched viaduct was widened by metal spans on brick abutments and piers. [Google Streetview, March 2021]

Eastbound empties passing Mirfield Station behind BR 8F 2-8-0 Locomotive No. 48146. The photograph looks West from the central island platform and shows some of the Speed Signals – unusual in Britain – installed in 1932 on the exceptionally busy section of this dual trunk route between Heaton Lodge Junction and Thornhill Junction, which remained until 1969-70, (c) Ben Brooksbank and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [35]

Mirfield Railway Station in 2010 taken looking West from Platform three which was a later addition to the station and sits alongside what was the up slow line. The original island platform can be see to the right of this image, © Alexandra Lanes, Public Domain. [36]

Just to the East of Mirfield Station was Cleckheaton Junction and then Wheatley’s Bridge over the River Calder. A bridge then carries Sand Lane over the railway.

Looking West from Sands Lane Bridge back towards Mirfield. [Google Streetview, May 2023]

Looking East from Sands Lane Bridge. [Google Streetview, May 2023]

Soon after this the line encountered Dewsbury Junction which hosted Ravensthorpe (Ravensthorpe and Thornhill) Station.

Dewsbury Junction and Ravensthorpe Station. [39]

Looking West from Calder Road towards Mirfield. [Google Streetview, May 2023]

The view East from Calder Road showing Ravensthorpe Station with the Manchester & Leeds line heading away to the right of the picture. [Google Streetview, May 2023]

Thornhill Railway Station was a short distance further East just beyond the junction where the Ravensthorpe Branch met the main line at Thornfield Junction.

Thornfield Junction, Goods Yard and Station as shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1905. [40]

Thornhill Station opened with the Manchester & Leeds Railway and only closed on the last day of 1961, a short time before Beeching’s closure of of Dewsbury Central. [37]

The same station looking East towards Wakefield, Normanton etc. In the background is the bridge of the ex-Midland branch from Royston to Dewsbury (Savile Town), closed 18/12/50, (c) Ben Brooksbank and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [38]

The view West from Station Road in the 21st century, through what was Thornhill Railway Station. {Google Streetview, March 2023]

The view East from Station Road in the 21st century. The bridge ahead carries Headfield Road over the railway. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

The view West from Headfield Road Bridge towards the site of the erstwhile Thornhill Railway Station and Station Road. [Google Streetview, October 2022]

The view East from Headfield Road Bridge. [Google Streetview, October 2022]

East of Thornhill Station were Dewsbury West and Dewsbury East junctions which together with Headfield Junction formed a triangular access to Didsbury Market Place Station. This was a busy location which sat close to Dewsbury Gas Works, Thornhill Carriage and Wagon Works and Thornhill Lees Canal Locks and a canal branch. Just off the North of the map extract below was a further junction giving access to the GNR’s Headfield Junction Branch, before the line crossed the River Calder and entered Dewsbury Market Place Station and Yard and terminated there.

This extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1905 shows the triangular junction which provided access to Dewsbury Market Place Station and a series of Goods Yards and Sheds. Headfield Road is on the left side of this image. [41]

A similar area in the 2st century as it appears on Google Maps satellite imagery. [Google Maps, October 2024]

Dewsbury was very well provided for by both passenger and freight facilities. In its railway heyday the Midland Railway, the London & North Western Railway, the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway and the Great Northern Railway all had access to the town. A computer drawn map showing the different lines can be found here. [42]

Continuing along the line towards Wakefield and Normanton, the next feature of note is the junction for Combs Colliery’s Mineral Railway at Ingham’s Sidings. Nothing remains of this short branch line.

Ingham’s Siding ran South, crossing the Calder & Hebble Navigation to reach Comb’s Colliery. [43]

Further East the line continues in a straight line East-southeast to cross the River Calder once again. It then passes the Calder Vale and Healey Low Mills at Healey and runs Southeast to Horbury and Ossett Station.

The bridge over the River Calder adjacent to Calder Vale and Healey Low Mills. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The bridge over the River Calder at Calder Vale and Healey Low Mills is in the top-left of this map extract from the 1905 25″ Ordnance Survey. This area was chosen by British Rail in the 1960s for a large marshalling yard. [46]

British Railways developed a large marshalling yard in the 1960s at Healey Mills. The yard was opened in 1963 and replaced several smaller yards in the area. It was part of the British Transport Commission’s Modernisation plan, and so was equipped with a hump to enable the efficient shunting and re-ordering of goods wagons. The yard lost its main reason for existence through the 1970s and 1980s when more trains on the British Rail system became block trains where their wagons required less, or more commonly, no shunting. Facilities at the site were progressively run down until it closed completely in 2012. [46][47]

Healey Mills Marshalling Yard in April 1982, (c) Martin Addison and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [48]

Looking Northwest from Storrs Hill Road Bridge in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

Looking Southeast from Storrs Hill Road Bridge in the 21st century through the throat of the old marshalling yard. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

The site of Horbury & Ossett Railway Station in the 21st century. [Google Maps, October 2024]

Looking Northwest from Bridge Road, A642 towards Storrs Road Bridge. Horbury and Ossett Railway Station goods facilities were on the left. [Google Streetview, July 2024]

looking Southeast from Bridge Road. the passenger facilities were on the Southeast side of Bridge Road with the platform sat between the running lines. [Google Streetview, July 2024]

“Horbury and Ossett railway station formerly served the town of Horbury. … The station was opened with the inauguration of the line in 1840, on the west of the Horbury Bridge Road, to the south-west of the town. Later a new, more substantial structure was built just to the east. … British Railways developed a large marshalling yard in the 1960s at Healey Mills immediately to the west of the original station. … [The station] closed in 1970. Almost all that remains is the old subway which ran under the tracks. Ossett is now the largest town in Yorkshire without a railway station. Proposals to open a new one are periodically canvassed, perhaps on part of the Healey Mills site.” [45]

A little further East is Horbury Fork Line Junction where a mineral railway runs South to Harley Bank Colliery and the Horbury & Crigglestone Loop leaves the Manchester to Leeds line.

Horbury Fork Line Junction on the 1905 25″ordnance Survey. The junction sat just to the West of Horbury Tunnel. That tunnel has since been removed. [49]

The same location in the 21st century. The tunnel sat to on the East side of the present footbridge which is just to the left of the centre of this image. This image is an extract from the NLS’ ESRI satellite imagery. [49]

These next few photographs show views of the line from a series of three overbridges to the East of Horbury Fork Line Junction.

The view West from Southfield Lane Bridge. [Google Streetview, October 2022]

The view East from Southfield Lane Bridge. [Google Streetview, October 2022]

The view West from Dudfleet Lane Bridge towards Southfield Lane Bridge. [Google Streetview, October 2022]

The view East from Dudfleet Lane Bridge towards Millfield Road Bridge. [Google Streetview, October 2022]

The view West from Millfield Road Bridge towards Dudfleet Lane Bridge. [Google Streetview, October 2022]

The view East from Millfield Road Bridge. [Google Streetview, October 2022]

The next significant location on the line is Horbury Junction.

Horbury Junction on the 1905 25″ordnance Survey. Horbury Junction Ironworks sat in-between the Manchester and Leeds Railway and the. There was a Wagon Works just off the South edge of this image. The line heading South from Horbury Junction was the L&YR line to Flockton Junction and beyond. [50]

The same location in the 21st century as shown on the ESRI satellite imagery provided by the NLS.. [50]

Industrialisation in the immediate area of Horbury Junction began “in the early 1870s with the construction of Millfield Mill, followed by the Horbury Ironworks Co. In 1873, Charles Roberts bought a site for a new factory at Horbury Junction and moved his wagon building business from Ings Road, Wakefield to Horbury Junction. Before that, the area of Horbury Junction was a quiet backwater with a corn mill and a ford across the Calder for farm traffic.” In reality, a beautiful pastoral area of countryside was changed forever with the coming of the Railway, Millfield Mill, the Wagon Works and the Ironworks.” [51]

In the 21st century, just beyond Horbury Junction, the line is crossed by the M1.

In the 21st century, just beyond Horbury Junction (on the left of this extract from Google Maps), the line is crossed by the M1. [Google Maps, October 2024.

Horbury Junction seen, looking Southwest from the M1. [Google Streetview, July 2024]

Looking Northeast from the M1. [Google Streetview, August 2024]

Green Lane Underpass seen from the North. This underpass sits just to the East of the modern M1. [Google Streetview, October 2008]

Following the line on to the Northeast, it next passes through Thornes.

The railway bridge at the centre of Thornes in 1905. [52]

The same location in the 21st century. The now quadruple line is carried by two separate bridges. [52]

Thorne Bridge seen from the South in June 2024. [Google Streetview, June 2024]

Northeast of Thornes, the Manchester and Leeds Railway ran at high level into Kirkgate Joint Station in Wakefield.

The bridge carrying the line over Kirkgate. [All three images from Google Streetview April 2023]

The Manchester and Leeds Railway enters this extract from the 1905 25″ Ordnance Survey bottom-left, To the North of it id the GNR Ings Road Branch. To the South of it is a Goods Yard with access to Wakefield’s Malthouses and Mark Lane Corn Mill. [53]

The same area in the 21st century. The rail lines remain approximately as on the map extract above. Wakefield Kirkgate Station (top-right) is somewhat reduced in size. Much of the built environment is different to that shown on the map above. This image is another extract from the ESRI satellite imagery. [53]

Wikipedia tells us that once it was opened by the Manchester and Leeds Railway in 1840, Kirkgate station was “the only station in Wakefield until Westgate was opened in 1867. The railway station building dates from 1854. … Some demolition work took place in 1972, removing buildings on the island platform and the roof with its original ironwork canopy which covered the whole station. A wall remains as evidence of these buildings. After this, Kirkgate was listed in 1979.” [72]

Kirkgate Station was refurbished in two phases between 2013 and 2015. [72]

The view westward on 29th July 1966, through Kirkgate Station towards Mirfield, The locomotive is LMS Fairburn class 4MT 2-6-4T No. 42196 (built 3/48, withdrawn 5/67), © Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [74]

A series of modern images of Kirkgate Station are shared below

The images of Kirkgate Station above are:

The support wall to the overall roof which was retained in the 1972 reordering and which has been refurbished in the 21st century, © Rept0n1x and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 3.0). [72]
The modern road approach to the station buildings, © Alan Murray-Rust and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [72]
A Pacer DMU at Wakefield Kirkgate platform one in May 2006, (c) Ian Kirk and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence, (CC-By 2.5). [72]
The recently refurbished front façade of Kirkgate Railway Station, © Groundwork Landscape Architects. [73]

East of Kirkgate Joint Station in 1905. The landscape in Primrose Hill is dominated by the railway. The line exiting to the South of this extract is the L&YR Oakenshaw Branch which crosses the River Calder and runs past the station’s Engine Sheds. [54]

the same area in the 21st century, much of the railway infrastructure has disappeared and is beginning to be taken over by nature. [54]

Just to the East of Wakefield Kirkgate Station were Park Hill Colliery Sidings.

Much the same area in the 21st century. The Midland’s lines South of Goosehill have gone, the footbridge remains but the large area of sidings to the Northeast of the Junction have also gone. [56]

Park Hill Colliery Sidings and the River Calder in 1913. [55]

The same location in the 21st century. [55]

And beyond those sidings a further crossing of the River Calder.

The three arched stone viaduct across the River Calder. This photograph is taken from Neil Fox Way and looks Southeast towards the bridge. [Google Streetview, June 2024]

Just a short distance further along the line, at Goosehill, the Manchester and Leeds Railway (by 1905, The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway) joined the North Midland Railway (by 1905, The Midland Railway)

Goosehill Bridge and Junction witht he Midland Railway entering from the bottom of the extract and the Manchester 7 Leeds entering from the bottom-left. [56]

Immediately to the Northeast of the last extract from the 1905 25″ Ordnance Survey, the Midland’s lines can be seen heading Northeast with branches off to the North and West. The branch heading away to the West is the St. John’s Colliery line running to wharves at Stanley Ferry. That to the North runs through the screens and serves St. John’s Colliery itself. [57]

The same area in the 21st century. The roadway crossing the railway and heading off the satellite image to the West runs to a large opencast site. [57]

Looking Southwest from the bridge carrying the access road to the opencast site. [Google Streetview, May 2023]

Looking Northeast from the bridge carrying the access road to the opencast site. [Google Streetview, May 2023]

Looking Southwest from the Newlands Lane Bridge. [Google Streetview, May 2023]

Looking Northeast from Newlands Lane Bridge. [Google Streetview, May 2023]

From this point on the traffic from the Manchester and Leeds Railway ran on North Midland (later Midland) Railway metals, via Normanton Railway Station and then passing Silkstone and West Riding Collieries, and on towards Leeds, approaching Leeds from the Southeast. Normanton Station appears on the map extract below.

An smaller scale extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1905 which shows Normanton and its railway station. St. John’s Colliery and Gooshill Junction are just of the extract on the bottom left. [58]

Looking Southwest from Altofts Road Bridge through the site of Normanton Railway Station. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Rake’s last words on a journey along the railway are these: “Just previous to reaching Wakefield, the railway is carried over a viaduct of 16 arches, and, quitting that station it enters a deep cutting, and crosses the Vale of Calder for the last time, a little to the east of Kirkthorpe. Here was the most important diversion of the Calder, by which the cost of building two bridges was saved. … The line terminated by a junction with the North Midland Railway, a mile to the north of which point was situated the Normanton Station, where the York and North Midland, and by its means, the Leeds and Selby and Hull and Selby Railways united with the former lines. The remainder of the journey to Leeds, 9 miles, was traversed on the North Midland Railway.” [1: p472]

Rake goes on to talk about the gradients of the railway which “were considered somewhat severe. Starting from Manchester, the line ascends to Rochdale, 10 miles, over a series of inclinations averaging about 1 in 155; from Rochdale to the summit level, 6½ miles, the ascent is 1 in 300; the total rise from Manchester being 351 ft. From the summit level plane, which extends for 1 mile 55 chains, to Wakefield, a distance of 30 miles, the line descends for the first six miles on a gradient of 1 in 182, after which it is continued by easy grades of an average inclination of 1 in 350. Below Wakefield a comparatively level course is maintained to the junction with the North Midland Railway, the total fall from the summit being 440 ft. The curves were laid out so as not to be of a less radius than 60 chains. The gauge adopted on the Manchester and Leeds Railway was 4 ft. 9 in., to allow a in. play on each side for the wheels. … The rails were of the single parallel form, in 15 ft. lengths, with 3 ft. bearings, and were set in chairs, to which they were secured by a ball and key, as on the North Midland Railway. The balls, (3/4 in. diameter), were of cast iron, and fitted into a socket formed in one side of the stem of the rail; the key, which was of wrought iron, was 8 in. long (and 5/8 in. wide at one end, from which it tapered to 3/8 in. at the other end). … Stone blocks were used where they could be obtained from the cuttings, and were placed diagonally, but sleepers of kyanised larch were used on the embankments, the ballasting being of burnt and broken stone.” [1: p472-473]

It is interesting to note that the tramway/tramroad practice of using stone blocks as sleepers was in use when this railway was first built!

Rake continues: “The Manchester terminal station was located between Lees Street and St. George’s Road, and was entirely elevated on arches. The passenger shed was covered with a wooden roof, in two spans, and the whole length of the station was 528 ft. The passenger platform was approached by a flight of 45 steps from the booking-office on the ground floor. [1: p473]

Early signals on the Manchester and Leeds.Railway which became part of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway network. [64]

“The signals were of the horizontal double disc or spectacle form which, when revolved to the extent of a half circle, caused both discs to be invisible to the driver and indicated all right, the lamp above showing, when illuminated, green; the colour shown by the lamp when both discs were crosswise to the line being red.” [1: p473]

Rolling Stock

“The carriages consisted of three classes, The first class, in three compartments, upholstered, and fitted with sash windows painted blue; second-class, in three compartments, but open at the sides and furnished with wooden sliding shutters painted yellow; and carriages termed ‘mixed’, in which the middle compartment was for first-class, and each of the ends was for second-class passengers. There was also a carriage of novel construction, built according to the plan of the chairman of the company and used at the opening of the line. The under-framing was of the usual construction, but the body was unique. The floor was considerably wider than ordinary, and the sides curved outwards until they joined a semicircular roof, the greater part of which was fitted with wire gauze to give air, but capable of being instantaneously covered with waterproof material, by the action of an inside handle, so that sun and rain could be shaded out at pleasure. The sides were fitted throughout with plate glass, and ranges of seats occupied the floor, having passages on either side. Tents were also contrived in the sides which closed at will by spring action. The effect of the interior was said to resemble the interior of a conservatory! These carriages were in each case mounted on four wheels, with a perforated footboard of iron running the whole length of the body, in substitution for the lower tier of steps in use on other railways at the time.” [1: p473-474]

I have produced Rake’s description of this ‘unusual carriage’ as I have found it impossible to imagine what it looked like from Rake’s word-picture.

At the end of 1840, “an improved form of third-class carriage was constructed, in which each wheel was braked; the brake levers were attached to the axle-boxes and, consequently, when applied by the guard. who sat on the roof, did not bring the body of the carriage down on to the springs, The buffing springs were placed in front of the headstocks, and a flat iron bar attached to the buffer worked in brackets on the sole bar. The doors were fitted with latches on the outside, which were fastened by the guard when the passengers were inside.” [1: p474]

An improved third class carriage. Looking back from a 21st century perspective, these carriages seem to be not much better than the wagons used to carry livestock. This is borne out by Rake’s notes below. It was, however, a significant improvement on the open wagons, having a roof, glass windows and brakes. Contrary to what Rake appears to say below, Wells suggests that these covered third class wagons did have seating. [1: p474][75: p85]

“The windows and the doors being fixed, no passenger could open the door until the guard had released the catch. Roof lamps were not provided in these coaches, which were painted green. … The third-class carriages. or rather, wagons, were provided with four entrances, to correspond with the “pens” into which they were sub-divided by means of a wooden bar down the centre, crossed by another bar intersecting the former at right angles in the middle of its length. There were no seats, and the number of passengers for which standing room could be found was limited solely to the to the bulk Stanhope or ‘Stan’ups’, as they were derisively termed. The contrivance of pens was said to be due to a determination to prevent respectably dressed individuals from availing themselves of the cheaper mode of conveyance, in which there was little to distinguish them, it was complained, ‘from the arrangements for the conveyance of brute beasts which perish’. The company’s servants were strictly enjoined “not to porter for wagon passengers‘!” [1: p474]

Rake’s illustration of an early Manchester and Leeds Railway first class coach. [1: p474]

Further details of Rolling Stock on the Railway can be found in Jeffrey Wells book about the line. [75: p81-85]

Locomotives

Rake tells us that the locomotives were all mounted on 6 wheels and purchased from Sharp, Roberts & Co., Robert Stephenson & Co., and Taylor & Co. They all had 14 in. diameter, 18 in. stroke cylinders and 5 ft. 6 in. diameter driving wheels. Jeffrey Wells provides a more comprehensive, tabulated, list of those early locomotives. [75: p79-80]

A typical 0-4-2 Locomotive of 1839/1840. [76]

An early (1834) R. Stephenson & Co. 0-4-2 locomotive of very similar design to those supplied to the Manchester and Leeds Railway 9c0 Public Domain. [77]

The first three 0-4-2s were made by Robert Stephenson & Co., and that company supplied plans and specifications for its locomotives which meant that The Manchester and Leeds Railway could have the same design manufactured by other firms of the Company’s choice. The first 12 locomotives built for the Manchester and Leeds in 1839 were all to Stephenson’s 0-4-2 design. Wells tells us that of these locomotives, the first three (Nos. 1 -3) were called Stanley, Kenyon and Stephenson and were built by R. Stephenson & Co. They were supplied to the Railway in April and May 1839. [75: p79]

The next three locomotives (Nos. 4-6) were supplied by Sharp Bros., Manchester. Lancashire and Junction were supplied in May 1839 and York in July 1839. Nos. 7, 9 and 10, named respectively, Rochdale (16th July), Bradford (6th September) and Hull (7th September)came from Naysmith & Co., Patricroft. Nos. 8, 11, 12 (Leeds, Scarborough and Harrogate) were supplied by Shepherd & Todd by September 1839. [75: p79]

Wells comments that No. 1, ‘Stanley’ “was named after Lord Stanley, Chairman of the House of Commons Committee who supported the Manchester and Leeds Railway Bill in 1836. … Other Stephenson designs followed: 19 engines, numbered 15 to 40, of the 2-2-2 wheel arrangement were delivered between October 1840 and April 1842. These were recommended by Stephenson to work the eastern section of the line, between Sowerby Bridge and Wakefield, thus gradually removing the [Manchester and Leeds Railway’s] reliance on North Midland Railway motive power which had at first prevailed from late in 1840.” [75: p80]

R. Stephenson patented 2-2-2 locomotive No. 123 ‘Harvey Combe’ built 1835, from Simm’s ‘Public Works of Great Britain’, 1838. This locomotive is of a very similar design to those supplied by various manufacturers to the Manchester and Leeds Railway in 1840-1842. These were given the Nos. 15-40 and were supplied by Charles Tayleur & Co., Rothwell & Co., Laird Kitson & Co., Sharp Bros., Naysmith & Co., and W. Fairburn & Co., (c) C. F. Cheffins, Public Domain. [78]

He continues: “Once again several manufacturers were involved in the supply of these locomotives. Goods engines were represented by a further batch of 0-4-2s; 13 were delivered (Nos 33 to 46) between April 1841 and June 1843, the three manufacturers involved being R. Stephenson & Co., Haigh Foundry, Wigan, and William Fairbairn & Co. of Manchester. … Three standard Bury-type 0-4-0s were the last engines to be delivered (Nos 47 to 49) the first two bearing the names West Riding Union and Cleckheaton respectively. All three were completed between November 1845 and January 1846 by the firm of Edward Bury of Liverpool.”

And finally. …

Rake concludes his article, the first to two about the line in The Railway Magazine (I currently only have access to this first article) with two short paragraphs. The first reflects on policing: “There were no police on the railway, the whole of the platelayers being constituted as constables on the completion of the first section of the line; and, we are afterwards told, that ‘the vigilance resulting from the pride these men take, in being thus placed in authority, had been found to supersede the necessity of any more expensive system of surveillance.'” [1: p474]

The second notes that: “The directors [were] very anxious to complete the railway as far as Rochdale, at the earliest possible time, and on the 4th July, 1839, it was opened through that town to Littleborough, a distance of about 14 miles, the event ‘exciting a most extraordinary degree of local interest and wonder’ we are told.” [1: p474]

References

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The Manchester and Leeds Railway – The Railway Magazine, December 1905 – Part 1

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An article in the Railway Magazine in December 1905 prompted a look at the Manchester and Leeds Railway. For a number of years my parents lived in sheltered housing in Mirfield which is on the line. Looking at the line as it appeared in 1905 and again in the 21st century seemed a worthwhile exercise! Part 1 of this short series provides a short history of the line and takes us from Manchester to Sowerby Bridge.

The featured image at the head of this article shows the Manchester & Leeds Railway locomotive ‘Victoria’, in about 1878-80. This locomotive was designed by Edward Bury and built at his works in Liverpool. It was one of a batch of 0-4-0 engines ordered in 1845, and later converted to an 0-4-2 wheel arrangement (c) Public Domain. [65]

In his first article in 1905, about the Manchester and Leeds Railway which was accompanied by a series of engravings included here, Herbert Rake wrote that on 11th September 1830 a committee tasked with improving communications between Leeds and Manchester, emboldened by the success of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, decided to hold a meeting to form a new railway company.

On 18th October 1930, the decision was taken. A board of directors was appointed, a survey was authorised and work was undertaken to prepare for an application to Parliament. It was based on a junction with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway at Oldfield Lane, Salford and at St. George’s Road, Manchester.

The route from Manchester to Sowerby Bridge was easily agreed, that from Sowerby Bridge to Leeds was more difficult to agree. The Bill prepared for Parliament focused on the Manchester to Sowerby Bridge length of the planned line and was presented on 10th March 1831. Opposition from the Rochdale Canal Company and others and then the dissolution of Parliament halted the progress of the Bill.

Resubmission was agreed on 8th June 1830 but once again failed in its progress through Parliament. In the end, the project was revised, the company was reorganised, and the capital fixed at £800,000 in £100 shares in a meeting in October 1935.

Rake tells us that this “new project abandoned the Salford junction line, but embraced a deviated extension beyond Sowerby Bridge, along the lower portion of the Vale of Calder, past Dewsbury and Wakefield, to Normanton, thence to Leeds, in conjunction with the North Midland Railway. … [The line was] intended to form a central portion of a great main line running east and west between Liverpool and Hull.” [1: p469-470]

The prospectus noted a few important facts, particularly:

The population density with three miles either side of the proposed line was 1,847 persons per square mile. The average for England was 260 persons per square mile.
Within 10 miles of the line there were 29 market towns, twelve with a population greater than 20,000.
Within 20 miles of the line there were 48 market towns with more than 10,000 inhabitants.

Rake tells us that “The Act of Incorporation received the Royal Assent on the 4th July 1836, and authorised a joint stock capital to be raised of £1,000,000, with an additional amount by loan of £433,000.” [1: p470]

Construction commenced on 18th August 1837. On 14th February 1838 it was decided to apply to Parliament for an Act authorising branch lines to Oldham and Halifax.

Victoria Station, Manchester, was first known as Hunt’s Bank Station. [1: p468]

Part of the original station at Manchester Victoria, as it appeared in 1989. In around 1860, the single storey station building was extended by the addition of a second floor. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway sensitively incorporated the original building into the new 1904 facade of Victoria station, © Whatlep and authorised for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [2]

Late in 1838, “a modification of the original plan for effecting a junction of the Manchester and Leeds Railway with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was proposed, by an extension of both to a joint terminus within 500 yards of the Manchester Exchange. … The Act of Parliament for this and other purposes received the Royal Assent on the 31st July 1839, authorising the sum of £866,000 to be raised for the purpose of constructing the Oldham and Halifax branches, for making a diversion in the railway at Kirkthorpe, for enlarging the station in Lees Street, and for constructing the line to join the Liverpool and Manchester extension.” [1: p470]

Rochdale railway Station as shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey 0f 1908, published in 1910. [21]

View NE from south end of Rochdale Station. On the left, Hughes/Fowler 5P 4F 2-6-0 No. 42724 on the 11.58am Wakefield to Manchester; on the right, Stanier 4MT 2-6-4T No. 42653 on a local to Bolton, © Ben Brooksbank and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [22]

Rake explains that the railway ran through Miles Platting where the Ashton and Stalybridge branch diverges. At Middleton the Oldham branch connected to the main line. Mill Hills embankment (maximum height 75 feet) carries the line towards Blue Pits Station where the Heywood line joins the main line. The line runs on through Rochdale, Littleborough and Todmorden Vale before running in cutting (maximum depth 100 feet) to Summit Tunnel.

During construction, “Six contracts were awarded between the Manchester terminus and the Summit Tunnel and were progressing satisfactorily by August 1838.” [6]

The West Portal of Summit Tunnel is approached from Manchester through a deep cutting. [1: p469]

The same portal of Summit Tunnel in 20th century steam days. [3]

When built, Summit Tunnel was the longest in the world. It opened on 1st March 1841 by Sir John F. Sigismund-Smith.

“The tunnel is just over 1.6 miles (2.6 km) long and carries two standard-gauge tracks in a single horseshoe-shaped tube, approximately 24 feet (7.2 m) wide and 22 feet (6.6 m) high. Summit Tunnel was designed by Thomas Longridge Gooch, assisted by Barnard Dickinson. Progress on its construction was slower than anticipated, largely because excavation was more difficult than anticipated. … It … cost £251,000 and 41 workers had died.” [4]

Rake noted that the tunnel is “14 shafts were necessary, and the strata of rock shale and clay was of so treacherous a character that the brick lining of the roof, which is semi circular, consists in places of no less than 10 concentric rings.” [1: p471] He also comments that: the tunnel entrance is if an imposing Moorish design; 1,000 men were employed with work continuing day and night.

Beyond the tunnel, the railway “entered a cutting in silt, which required piling to secure a foundation. Continuing onwards, we pass through the Winterbut Lee Tunnel, 420 yds. in length, and across a viaduct of 18 arches, one of which is of 60 ft. span we then proceed over the Rochdale Canal, on a cast iron skew bridge 102 ft. in span, at a height of 40 ft. above the surface of the water.” [1: p471]

A colourised engraving of the bridge over the Rochdale Canal by A.F. Tait. [6]

The Manchester and Leeds Railway’s castellated bridge over the Rochdale Canal to the South of Todmorden on 16th September 2007, © Tim Green and authorised for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY 2.0 Generic). [5]

The railway bridge illustrated above as it appears on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1905, published in 1907. [9]

“Tenders for work on the eastern section were advertised in 1838. … Contractors then worked fastidiously under the threat of heavy penalties should they over-run the set time limits. They were also forbidden to work on Sundays.” [6]

At Todmorden, “the railway is carried over almost the entire breadth of the valley by a noble viaduct of nine arches, seven of which are each of 60 ft. span, and two of 30 ft., at a height of 54 ft. above the level of the turnpike road.” [1: p471]

Todmorden Railway Station on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1905, published in 1907. The viaduct which spans Burnley Road to the East of the Railway Station appears top left on this map extract and below on a more modern photograph. [8]

Todmorden Railway Station, seen from Platform 2, in the 21st century, © Ian Kirk and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC-BY 2.5). [20]

Todmorden – Railway Viaduct over Burnley Road: The railway viaduct reaching the station is a prominent feature and is here seen crossing Burnley Road with the bus station on one side of it and the local market on the other, © David Ward and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [7]

The junction with the Burnley Branch on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1905, published in 1907. [10]

Looking West from Hallroyd Road Bridge in 2023. Hallroyd Road Bridge overlooks Hall Road Junction close to the right side of the map extract above. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Looking East from Hallroyd Road Bridge. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Quitting Todmorden, where the Burnley branch diverges, the line enters Yorkshire, passes through Millwood Tunnel (225 yards), Castle Hill Tunnel (193 yards), and Horsefall Tunnel (424 yards) and then arrives at Eastwood Station. Some distance further on is Charlestown. Afterwards the railway “crosses river, road, and canal, by a skew bridge of three arches, the canal being separately spanned by an iron bridge.” [1: p471]

Looking back West from Cross Stone Road across the western portal of Millwood Tunnel. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Looking East from the corner of Phoenix Street and Broadstone Street, above the eastern portal of Millwood Tunnel. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

These next few images give a flavour of the line as it travels towards Hebden Bridge.

Lobb Mill Viaduct sits alongside the A646, Halifax Road between Castle Hill Tunnel and Horsefall Tunnel. [Google Streetview, June 2023]

Looking Southwest along the line towards Todmorden from E. Lee Lane. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

A little to the Northeast, Duke Street passes under the railway. This view looks West from Halifax Road [Google Streetview, June 2023]

Eastwood Railway Station as it appears on the 1905 25″ Ordnance Survey. [63]

Thye approximate location of Eastwood Station as it appears on Google Maps satellite imagery in 2024. [Google Maps, October 2024]

A little further Northeast, this is the view Northwest along Jumble Hole Road under the railway. [Google Streetview, June 2011]

The view Northwest from he A646, Halifax Road along the Pennine Way Footpath which passes under the railway at this location. [Google Streetview, June 2023]

Again, looking Northwest from Halifax Road along Stony Lane which runs under the railway. [Google Streetview, June 2023]

The view Southwest along Oakville Road which runs next to the railway. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The view Northeast from the same location on Oakville Road. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

A short distance Northeast, the railway “crosses river, road, and canal, by a skew bridge of three arches, the canal being separately spanned by an iron bridge.” [1: p471] The location is shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1905 below.

The bridge mentioned above, as it appears on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1905. [11]

The same location shown on Google Maps satellite imagery in 2024. [Google Maps, October 2024]

Looking Northeast along Halifax Road, the three arches of the viaduct are easily visible. Beyond it there is a girder bridge which Rake does not mention. [Google Streetview, June 2023]

A little further East Stubbing Brink crosses the railway.

Looking West along the railway from Stubbing Brink Bridge. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The view East along the line from Stubbing Brink. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The line next passes through a short short tunnel (Weasel Hall Tunnel (124 yards)) and arrives at Hebden Bridge Station.

Looking West-northwest from Shelf Road Bridge, it is just possible to make out the mouth of Weasel Hall Tunnel. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The view East-southeast from Shelf Road Bridge towards Hebden Bridge Railway Station. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

This next extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey shows Hebden Bridge Station. [12]

Platelayers at work at Hebden Bridge Station in 1840. [1: p470]

Hebden Bridge Railway Station (Platform 2) in the 21st century, © El Pollock and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [18]

After Hebden Bridge Station, the line proceeds along the South bank of the River Calder, through two small stations (Mytholmroyd and Luddenden Foot) and by a number of riverside mills.

Mytholmroyd Railway Station as it appeared on the 1905 25″ Ordnance Survey. The Station is still open in the 21st century. [13]

The original station building at Mytholmroyd, seen from the North in 2006, with the line crossing New Road at high level, © Ian Kirk and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC By 2.5) . The building has since been renovated. [16]

Mytholmroyd Railway Station in the 21st century, © Rcsprinter123 and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY 3.0,). [19]

East along the line towards Luddendenfoot, Brearley Lane bridges the line.

Looking West from Brearley Lane Bridge towards Mytholmroyd Station. [Google Streetview, July 2009]

Ahead to the East, the line curves round towards the location of Luddendenfoot Railway Station. [Google Streetview, July 2009]

Luddenden Foot Railway Station. The station closed on 10th September 1962. The site has been developed since 2007 and the northern half is now occupied by the Station Industrial Park, which is accessible via Old Station Road. Two gate pillars from the original station flank the entrance to the road. [14][17]

The location of the erstwhile Luddendenfoot Railway Station as seen from Willow Bank, (c) Matt Thornton. [Google Streetview, February 2021]

Looking Southeast from Willow Bank. The arch bridge visible ahead carries Jerry Fields Road over the line, (c) Matt Thornton. [Google Streetview, February 2021]

To the Southeast, Ellen Holme Road passes under the line.

Ellen Holme Road passess under the railway to the Southeast of the old Luddendenfoot Railway Station. [Google Streetview, June 2023]

Passing other mills and traversing a deep cutting the line enters Sowerby Tunnel, (645 yards) and reaches Sowerby Bridge Station.

Class 101 At Sowerby Bridge Tunnel. — This image is embedded her from Flickr. It shows a Class 101 DMU entering Sowerby Bridge Tunnel from the East while working 2M14 10:31hrs York to Southport service on 8th May 1987, (c) Neil Harvey 156. [59]

Sowerby Bridge Railway Station in 2006, (c) Ian Kirk and authorised for reuse under a Creative Commons icence (CC BY 2.5). [24]

We complete this first part of the journey along the Manchester and Leeds Railway here at Sowerby Bridge Railway Station.

References

NB: These references relate to all the articles about the Manchester and Leeds Railway.

Herbert Rake; The Manchester and Leeds Railway: The Origin of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway; in The Railway Magazine, London, December 1905, p468-474
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