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North Midland Railway Artwork …. plus … Shady Dealings Before the Formation of the Midland Railway

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The featured image for this article is a lithograph created by Samuel Russell of the North Midland Railway Station in Chesterfield. [1][17] For the short note about the shady dealings preceding the formation of the Midland Railway, please see the last paragraphs before the References at the bottom of this article.

The BBC reported on 11th October 2026 that lost artwork of former stations on the North Midland Railway had gone on display at the recently-restored Grade II* listed Wingfield Station.

The artwork was commissioned by Francis Thompson and graced the boardroom of North Midland Railway in Derby, the artworks were removed during a 19th Century refurbishment and stored for more than a century at Derby Loco Works.

When the loco works closed and were cleared in the early 2000s to become Derby College’s Roundhouse Campus, the artworks passed to the Midland Railway Society at the Silk Mill in Derby.

I guess that means that they were not actually lost!  Rather that they were not on public display.

The Midland Railway Society has now refurbished the lithographs and loaned the collection to Wingfield Railway Station. The original metal etchings from 1841 have now been placed on display at Wingfield, the sole survivor from the original 16 stations on the North Midland Railway.

The railway was engineered by George Stephenson and opened in 1840. It linked Derby to Leeds via a main line which followed river valleys. “Along its route, a series of ornate and unique station buildings were designed by architect Francis Thompson – from a palatial 1,000ft frontage with a piazza and fountains at Derby, to a miniature Italianate design at Belper, to Jacobite-style buildings at Ambergate and Chesterfield.” [1]

Thompson commissioned artist Samuel Russell to produce the lithographs. Volunteers who have restored Wingfield Railway Station were delighted that after their restoration they had been offered on loan to the station at Wingfield.

Derby

“One lithograph showcases Derby’s original station, which stood before the gothic building replaced in the 1980s by the current Derby Midland station.” [1]

Derby’s first railway station was said to be the biggest in the world when it opened! [1]

“When it opened in 1840, … Derby was the biggest station in the world. … It was quoted as being the grandest railway station in the world, … it was quite early on in the history of the railways, none of the big London stations had been built at that stage as we know them today.” [1]

Derby Railway Station and the Midland Hotel at the turn of the 20th century. This extract comes from the 25″. Ordnance Survey of 1899, published in 1900. [15]

Derby Railway Station in the 21st century. [Google Maps, October 2026]

When the original buildings on the North Midland Railway were built, railway stations were ‘statement’ buildings and were often the highest quality buildings that the new railway companies could afford. They were designed “to impress their passengers as well as their shareholders with the quality of their product.” [1]

They contrast with many of today’s railway stations which are utilitarian in nature, “in those days they were built as signatures and statements.” [1]

However, this practice was not universally well-received as this short paragraph from one critic suggests: “we cannot but deplore the growing evil of expending large sums of money on railway appendages. Instead of cottage buildings, which, for the traffic of most of the intermediate stopping places on this line, would have been amply sufficient, we find the railway literally ornamented with so many beautiful villas, any one of which would grace the sloping lawn of some domain by nature highly favoured.” [2][3]

Belper

Belper’s railway station echoed the design of the railway’s terminus in Derby. [28]

The first station at Belper is shown in the engraving above. It was built south of the Derby Road bridge. The local Strutt family (owners of the cotton mills) opposed routing it closer to the town centre out of fear it would disrupt water supplies and views. The result was an expensive deep cutting running North-South through the town.

In the 1870s, the Goods Station in Belper sat to the South of the town just beyond the Derby Road Bridge. This was the site of the 1840-built station shown in the lithograph above. [19]
The site of the first railway station in the 21st century. [Google Maps, October 2026]
Another Samuel Russell lithograph. This shows the cutting in Belper, © Public Domain and sourced from the National Trust, Ironbridge Gorge. [13]

The original station was moved to its current town-centre site off King Street because the old location was too inconvenient. As we have already seen, the original site became a goods-only station.

The site of the later station, opened in 1878. This extract is taken from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1878, published in 1880. [18]
The same location in the 21st century. [Google Maps, October 2026]
View of New Street Bridge etc. in Belper, Looking South, another lithograph by Samuel Russell, 1840, © Public Domain and sourced from the National Trust, Ironbridge Gorge. [11]

In the 1960s, Belper Station was slated for closure but plans were halted because local MP and Deputy Prime Minister George Brown refused to close a station in his constituency. By 1973, however, the original King Street station buildings were removed, making way for commercial development (such as a supermarket). The old goods station finally closed down in 1979. [20] The station was refurbished in 2005 and adopted by local community groups in 2012. [21]

The site of Belper Railway Station as it appears on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1877/1878, published in 1890. [18]

Derwent Viaduct

On the approach to the next station – Ambergate – a viaduct carried the North Midland Railway over the River Derwent and the Matlock road.

This is Samuel Russell’s lithograph of the viaduct, seen from the North with the Matlock road on the left. [54]

The River Derwent Viaduct at Ambergate. This extract comes from the 1877/1878 25″ Ordnance Survey published in 1880. [25]
The same viaduct in the 21st century: the original viaduct is the most easterly of the two at this location. [Google Maps, October 2026]

Ambergate

Ambergate Railway Station Building which opened in 1840. This is another of Samuel Russell’s lithographs, © Public Domain. [22]

Ambergate Railway Station and associated line in 1878. This extract comes from the 1877/1878 25″ Ordnance Survey published in 1880. The original line is shown passing through a tunnel adjacent to a gravel pit. The original station was roughly at the location where the West to East curve joins the old railway line in the top-right of this map extract. [25]
The same area in the 21st century. [Google Maps, October 2026]

From Belper, the North Midland Railway ran along the Derwent Valley, along a stretch called Broadholme with four bridges across the river; it continued through Longlands Tunnel, across the River Derwent and Derby Road with a five-arch viaduct. It then entered Hag Wood Tunnel as it turned towards the Amber Valley. The station building was just north of this tunnel.

In 1849, the branch from Ambergate to Rowsley was built by the proposed Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway, with a west to north connection between the lines at the original Ambergate Junction. When a south to west connection was made, for trains from Derby to Rowsley, the station building was rebuilt in 1863 adjacent to the new Ambergate South junction. The original bridge was also widened at its northern end to accommodate the new junction. [24]

In 1867, the Rowsley line had reached New Mills, which meant that the Midland Railway could operate from London to Manchester and Liverpool.

In 1875, Ambergate to Pye Bridge Line was opened from Crich Junction, near Bullbridge, which ran through Butterley to Pye Bridge, near Ironville on the Erewash Valley Line. Much of its business was coal traffic from Nottinghamshire to Manchester and Liverpool, avoiding Derby. [24]

In 1876, a loop was built passing the west side of Hag Wood Tunnel, as a diversion from the original line to a third platform, which allowed for Derby to Sheffield stopping trains. The station was completely rebuilt, with the old building remaining in use as a plans store. This third and final station was a triangular one, making it one of the four triangular stations in the UK, (c) Chevin and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 3.0). [23][24]

The curved platform at Ambergate Railway Station in 2005, (c) R. Howarth and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 3.0). [24]

All that is left now is one platform on a single track to Matlock; the original main Derby to Sheffield line passes to the east through Hag Wood (Toadmoor) Tunnel and onwards to Clay Cross and Chesterfield. The original listing of Ambergate station for closure under the Beeching Axe led to its mention in the song “Slow Train” by Flanders and Swann. [24]

The Cromford Canal

A short distance from Ambergate, towards Chesterfield, the next difficulty for the North Midland Railway was the intersection with the Cromford Canal, where the line intersected with the Bullbridge Aqueduct, before it carried on through a station at Wingfield to Stretton.

The canal aqueduct carrying the Cromford Canal over the North Midland Railway, another lithograph by Samuel Russell, © Public Domain. [14]
The location of the Bullbridge Aqueduct on the Cromford Canal as shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey around the end of the 19th century. [26]
The same location in the 21st century. [Google Maps, October 2026]

The Aqueduct was approximately 150 feet long, 9 feet wide, and 6 feet deep in its iron trough section. The canal went out of use in the 20th century and the aqueduct was ultimately demolished in 1968 to accommodate road improvements. [27]

Wingfield

Wingfield’s railway station, wrongly attributed by the BBC article to Belper. [1]

Wingfield Station building was designed in the Grecian style by the architect Francis Edward Thompson and is a remarkable survivor from the very earliest days of the railways.

The station is important as it is: the last surviving North Midland Railway station building; the best surviving work of its architect; and it is the oldest surviving completely original railway station building in the World. The building is simple and symmetric but constructed to the highest quality from hand-carved local Ashover stone beneath pitched roofs made from Welsh slate. The building has large overhanging eaves and concealed, recessed guttering to maintain simplicity of form. [29]

“After opening in 1840, the station remained unaltered throughout its operational life and, after closure in 1967, was let as commercial premises by British Rail until being sold into private ownership in 1977. Over the next 5 decades, the station became neglected and derelict, but crucially was also never altered in any way, meaning all its original features survived. After local campaigning, the listing status of the station was upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 2 Star in 2015, and compulsory purchase legal action was completed in 2019 by Amber Valley Borough Council. The Council then transferred legal ownership to Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust, who undertook the restoration of the building and site, which was completed at the end of 2023. The station has been restored as close as possible to its original 1840 opening condition and appearance.” [29]

In September 2024, two local benefactors leased the whole station site and opened as a heritage centre, tearoom, local community amenity, event space and private hire venue. The operation is branded “Wingfield Station 1947” and a limited company Midland Heritage Partners has now been formed as the legal entity to operate the site as a not-for-profit community business. [29]

Chesterfield

Each station, like the Jacobite design at Chesterfield, was a unique design. Chesterfield’s first station building was swept away in works to construct a direct line to Sheffield, which was opened in 1870. Today’s main-line railway station stands roughly on the same site. [1][17]

Chesterfield Railway Station at the end of the 19th century – the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1897/1898 and published in 1898. The station building was built in 1870 to the North of the original station building. The 1840 station was built roughly 200 yards South of the modern Chesterfield Railway Station. Today’s station carpark and the isolated ‘North Midland House’ sit approximately where Thompson’s original station once stood. [16]

Chesterfield Railway Station in the 21st century. Today’s station carpark and the isolated ‘North Midland House’ (just off to the left of this satellite image) sit approximately where Thompson’s original station once stood. The railway was realigned to suit the needs of the 1870s. [Google Maps, October 2026][17]

The modern station approach at Chesterfield, seen from the Northwest. North Midland House is marked by the grey flag towards the right side of the image. The modern station buildings are beyond the tree and the brown sign to the left side of the photograph. The first station building was positioned close to the centre of this image beyond the red car. [Google Streetview, July 2026]

Eckington

Eckington Railway Station as built in 1840 – another lithograph attributed to Samuel Russell, (c) Public Domain. [30]

The original station of 1840, shown above, was reconstructed in 1874 and then renamed Eckington and Renishaw in 1886. It closed to passenger traffic on 1st October 1951.

The location of Eckington Railway Station is marked by the blue flag on the adjacent map extract. [35]

Ecklington Railway Station as it appears on the 25″ Ordnance Survey undertaken between 1874 and 1885, published in 1897. [36]

The location of Ecklington Railway Station in the 21st century. [Google Maps, October 2026]

Beighton

Beighton station existed on three sites at different times – the first station, built and opened with the line in 1840, was apparently little more than a halt and appears not to have been included in the series of lithographs produced by Samuel Russell.

The first station was located 1 1⁄4 miles (2.0 km) south of Woodhouse Mill, approximately halfway between what is, in the 21st century, Beighton Junction and the overbridge, which still carries passenger trains east–west between Sheffield and Worksop. The location proved to be too far from the village of Beighton, and the station/halt was closed in January 1843. [32]

The approximate location of the later two stations is shown on this CAD drawing. The original station sat on the purple line to the East of the location marked, (c) Chevin and licensed for reuse as ‘Public Domain’. [32]

The blue flag in this image shows the location of the later two stations, the black dot marks the location of the original station. [32]

The original location of Beighton Station/Halt as it appears on the earliest Ordnance Survey that we have access to – the 25″ survey of 1875-1890, published in 1892. [34]

The same location in the 21st century. [Google Maps, October 2026]

“In 1849, the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) completed its Sheffield to Worksop line, which included a branch from just east of Woodhouse to join the North Midland line at what became known as Beighton Junction. They built Beighton’s second station at a site on their line only, close to, but not on, the junction. … This second station closed temporarily from 1852 to 1854, then continued in use until 1892.” [32]

“In 1892, the MS&LR opened its “Derbyshire Lines” route near Beighton. This would eventually become part of the Great Central Main Line. On 1stNovember 1893, the MS&LR closed Beighton’s second station, and opened its third and final station at a site 132 yards (121 m) north west of the second site, immediately north of the Rotherham Road level crossing.” [32][33: p33]

Masborough

We have already noted that the route followed the river valleys from Derby to Leeds, with minimal gradients and large radii curves. It therefore bypassed Sheffield, but met the Sheffield and Rotherham Railway at Masbrough (Masborough).

Masborough Station was the main railway station for Rotherham between 1840 and 1987! Another of Russell’s lithographs, © Public Domain and sourced from the National Trust, Ironbridge Gorge. [12]
Masborough Railway Station at the beginning of the 20th century. This extract is taken from the 1901/1902 25″ Ordnance Survey, published in 1905. [22]

The site of Masborough Railway Station in the 21st century. [Google Maps, October 2026]

Masborough Railway Station opened with the North Midland Railway in 1840, as Masbrough. It initially feature only two platforms. The Midland Railway enlarged and rebuilt the station late in the 19th century or early in the 20th century. The new station featured four platforms, a large sandstone building on Platform Four, iron and glass canopies, a fully enclosed footbridge, and wooden waiting rooms. Through the years it saw a number of name changes: Masbrough (1840); Masbrough & Rotherham (1896); Rotherham Masborough (1908); Rotherham (1969); Rotherham Masborough (in the period before closure).

Closure occurred (1987–1988) after the newly renovated Rotherham Central reopened in 1987. Most of the station buildings were demolished in the 1990s. The brick-built station building was converted into an Indian restaurant (historically known as The Orient Express), and while the platforms and through-lines remain active for freight and express trains, it is no longer a public stop.

The remaining station building at Masborough Station. This is nothing like the original 1940s structure. It was built when the Midland Railway considerably enlarged the station. [Google Streetview, August 2022]

Swinton (for Doncaster)

Old Town Station was Swinton’s first passenger station. It opened with the North Midland Railway in 1840 and stood on the same site as the 21st century Interchange. It was built in a classical style by the North Midland Railway. Goods facilities occupied what, in the 21st century, is the station car park.

Swinton, South Yorkshire’s Railway Station built in 1840. This is another lithograph made by Samuel Russell, (c) Public Domain. [37]

Swinton railway Station as it appears on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1890, published: 1892. [38]

Swinton Railway Station in the 21st century. [Google Maps, October 2026]

Swinton Railway Station in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, August 2024]

Darfield

The original Darfield Station at Cat Hill Tunnel, both of which were swept aside when the line was improved. The photograph comes from the Glynn Waite Collection, © Public Domain. [41]

Two extracts from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1890, published in 1892, show the original Darfield Station and, to the North, Cat Hill Tunnel which were constructed under George Stephenson’s supervision. Further North still was Millhouses Bridge. [42]

George Stephenson’s station and the nearby Cat Hill Tunnel were swept away in the improvements to the railway line at the turn of the 20th century. By 1901, a new station had been built closer to Mill Houses Bridge. As part of the works an additional bridge across Doncaster Road was built alongside the original. This meant that four lines ran North from the new Darfield Station.

A postcard view of Darfield Railway Station, © Public Domain. [40]

This next map extract comes from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1904, published in 1906. It shows the enlarged railway station sited closer to the bridge over Doncaster Road. The tunnel through Cat Hill has been replaced by a deep cutting. [43]

The station has significantly improved facilities, extended platforms and a goods yard.

As will be evident on the satellite image below, none of this infrastructure remains! The line closed permanently to passengers in June 1963, and completely in 1988, due to colliery closures and mining subsidence.

Wkipedia says that, “In 1901, … the new station had typical Midland Railway timber panelled buildings. The new goods lines passed to the east. These had access to three major collieries Grimethorpe, Dearne Valley and Houghton Main – and connected to the GCR and L&Y lines.” [44][45]

The location of the second Darfield Station as it appears on modern satellite imagery. [Google Maps, October 2026]

This photograph taken by Ben Brooksbank shows the North end of the station site close to Mill Houses Bridges in 1992, (c) Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [46]

Barnsley

Samuel Russell completed a lithograph of what was at the time Barnsley Railway Station. It sat close to Cudworth, 2.5 miles from Barnsley. As a result other railways found ways into Barnsley and took the majority of trade as a result. The station was renamed Barnsley for Cudworth in 1854, and later shortened simply to Cudworth in 1870. For decades, the station remained an important junction. It was extended in 1885 for the Hull and Barnsley Railway. In the 1860s/1870s, the Midland Railway built a branch line from Cudworth South Junction into Barnsley, opening Regent Street / Barnsley Court House railway station to give the town a direct Midland connection.

Samuel Russell’s lithograph of Barnsley Station. [47]

Cudworth Railway Station – the original Barnsley Railway Station – as it appears on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1890, printed in 1893. [48]

The station site in the 21st century. Little of substance remains – a brick building which is shown below. [Google Maps, October 2026]

The remaining brick structure at Cudworth Railway Station in October 2022, (c) Jim Lucas. [Google Maps, October 2026]

Oakenshaw

There was a station between Barnsley and Oakenshaw – Royston and Notton – but this did not open with the line in 1840 and so was not included in the lithographs produced by Samuel Russell. Oakenshaw did feature and its lithograph appears below.

Oakenshaw (for Wakefield) Railway Station which opened with the North Midland Railway in 1840 and closed in 1861. [39]

Oakenshaw Railway Station was located about two miles south-east of Wakefield. Originally built to serve Wakefield by omnibus, it had suitably ornate buildings, but was closed by the Midland Railway in 1870 when the station at Sandal and Walton was opened instead. [49]

The remains of the old Oakenshaw Railway Station as shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1890, published in 1893. [50]
The same location in the 21st century. [Google Maps, October 2026]

Kirkthorpe Junction

Samuel Russell created a lithograph showing a train on the North Midland Railway at this location. I have not been able to locate a copy of the lithograph online. The lithograph should be included in those on display at Wingfield Railway Station.. [55]

Normanton

I have not been able to locate a lithograph by Samuel Russell of Normanton Railway Station. So here is the next best thing! … Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait created a lithograph in 1845, just five years after the Station opened.

This is the lithograph. It is hand-coloured, printed by Day & Son and is 260 x 355 mm. (10 1/4 x 14 in) in size. It is from ‘Views on the Manchester and Leeds Railway, Drawn from Nature and on Stone by A.F. Tait’. Tait emigrated to America, in 1850, where he became well-known as a wildlife painter, was widely published by Currier & Ives, and was elected a member of the National Academy of Design in New York. [51]

The station was built by George Stephenson as a junction between the Manchester and Leeds, the North Midland, and the York and North Midland railways, making it at one time the most important station in the North of England, such was its role in the transport network serving regional industries. 

Normanton Railway Station in 1890, 50 years after it first opened in 1840. [52]

The original station was opened by the North Midland Railway (NMR) on 30th June 1840 (this was one day before nearby Castleford Railway Station which opened on 1st July 1840) on their main line towards Leeds, creating an interchange station between the North Midland Railway (NMR), the York and North Midland Railway (Y&NMR) and the Manchester and Leeds Railway (M&LR) – establishing the three company junction that is noted above. [53]

Wikipedia goes on to say that “The station lost many of its services in the aftermath of the Beeching Report, with both express and local trains on the NMR main line ceasing to call in 1968 and trains to York ending in 1970, leaving only Hallam Line trains to serve the station. The NMR was closed completely in 1988 south of the former Goose Hill Junction (where it diverged from the M&L line to Wakefield) although part of the route further south remains open to serve a glassworks at Monk Bretton, near Barnsley. This has led to much of the railway infrastructure becoming redundant and being removed – the main buildings have been demolished, the sidings and goods lines lifted, the bay platforms filled in and the main island shortened considerably. The old Station Hotel still stands, but it has been converted into residential apartments.” [53]

Woodlesford

Although Woodlesford Railway Station was one of the original stations on the North Midland Railway, there is no record of Samuel Russell creating a lithograph of the station. Woodlesford appears not to be included in his surviving collection.

Woodlesford Railway Station on the North Midland Railway. [56]
Woodlesford Railway Station as shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1891, published in 1893. [57]
Woodlesford Railway Station in the 21st century. [Google Maps, October 2026]

Leeds

The northern terminus of the North Midland Railway was in Leeds. Situated at Hunslet Lane in Leeds (now the site of Crown Point Retail Park, which opened in 1989). It was designed by Francis Thompson, featuring an iron four-span roof, five track lines, and 300-yard-long platforms. [58]

Three of the lines were used for stabling carriages not in use under the central span, and each outer span had one line with a platform. Turntables were provided at each end and the offices on the western side were fronted by an arcade with an arch surmounted with the arms of Leeds, Sheffield and Derby. It was shared by the Manchester and Leeds Railway, which ran on the NMR tracks from just north of Normanton since Parliament had refused to sanction two lines running side by side. [58]

The station was replaced by the Midland Railway in 1846 by Leeds Wellington railway station[3] and became a goods depot which closed in 1972. [58]

The 1840-built North Midland Railway Station in Leeds which was closed by 1846 becoming the Hunslett Goods Yard – few records seem to have survived. [31]

It is possible that Samuel Russell created a lithograph of the original Leeds Railway Station. I have not been able to locate a copy of the lithograph online. If it exists, the lithograph should be included in those on display at Wingfield Railway Station.. [55]

The same station in use as Hunslet Lane Goods Station under Midland Railway control. [59]

Wikipedia provides this map of the North Midland Railway’s line, © Public Domain. [2]

Not all of the stations shown on the route map were opened with the line. The original intermediate stations were Belper, Amber Gate, Wingfield, Chesterfield, Eckington, Beighton, Masbrough, Swinton, Darfield, Barnsley, Oakenshaw, Normanton and Woodlesford. All were designed by Francis Thompson. [2]

Stephenson’s practice when building the line had the advantage that industrial customers would in most cases, “be transporting their goods downhill from the mines and quarries to the railhead. It should be said, however, that the North Midland was among the first of the new breed of railway conceived as a means of improved passenger travel between the great cities, particularly London, rather than, like the Midland Counties and earlier lines, an adjunct to coal mines and quarries. Indeed, the rise in the coal trade, which was to become so important to the railways, had barely begun and, even a few years later, directors of the Midland Railway were questioning whether the revenue made it a worthwhile market to pursue.” [2]

Stephenson followed his usual practice of following river valleys as far as possible. The people of Sheffield engaged Joseph Locke to argue for them (his belief was that lines should pass through towns, proceeding along hills, if necessary, with bridges, embankments and cuttings. Stephenson and Locke “represented two opposing schools of thought at the time and, in this case, Stephenson had his way.” [2]

By 1870, economics were different, what was once very costly in terms both of construction and operation had become economically feasible. The Midland Railway opened a diversion through Dronfield and Sheffield, which became known to railwaymen as the “New Road”, as opposed to the “Old Road”. [2]

But, the terrain traversed by the old road was more difficult than for the other two railways which served Derby, “requiring 200 bridges and seven tunnels, and an aqueduct for the railway to pass underneath the Cromford Canal. By that time, Stephenson, who was wishing to concentrate in exploiting the coal around Ashby-de-la-Zouch, delegated the responsibility for almost the entire work of its design and construction to his engineer Frederick Swanwick.” [2]

Wikipedia tells us that, “The major bridges were at Oakenshaw, over the Barnsley Canal, and the Calder and Chevet Viaducts. In addition there were massive stone retaining walls for the cutting through Belper and the embankment north of Ambergate. Although the general radius of curves was one mile (1.6 km), gradients were as steep as 1 in 264 and practically the whole length was embanked or in cuttings, when not proceeding through a tunnel. The number of men employed [on the construction] was 8,600, with eighteen pumping engines providing drainage. It was tough work and a number of people died, particularly in the boring of the Clay Cross Tunnel.” [2]

The line was completed to Masbrough on 11th May 1840, [5] and to Leeds on 1st July 1840. [6]

There is a shady story to tell about the life of the North Midland Railway and the behaviour of shareholders, including, principally George Hudson in the years before the Midland Railway was formed by the amalgamation of other companies.

George Hudson and ‘Shady’ Manoeuvring at Board Level

From their inception, there was intense competition between the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway and the Midland Counties Railway for traffic into London. … Though this did not directly affect the North Midland, it had financial problems of its own. With so many earthworks it had been extremely expensive to build, and its station and other buildings were arguably extravagant. Moreover, by the time it opened, the country had entered an economic depression. In the first two years, dividends were as low as 3.5%, compared with 10% for the London and Birmingham Railway. Economies were put in place but in 1842 the dividend was a mere 1% and shareholders of the North Midland Railway called for a Committee of Enquiry. [2][4]

George Hudson was one of these shareholders, and after a tour of the complete network, he insisted on drastic measures. Against the wishes of the Derby directors, Hudson and others from Lancashire & Yorkshire insisted on halving expenditure. At a meeting on 16th November 1842 in Leeds, Hudson’s group had their way. “On 30th November 1842 at a meeting in Derby, John Walbanke Childers MP, Mr. Pickersgill, Hatton Stansfield, T. B. Pease, F. Carbutt, and Mr. Hall retired from their positions as directors, and W. L. Newton (chairman), A. Titley (deputy-chairman), Mr. Laycock, Mr. Lee, Mr Cox and J. Holdsworth remained. Six of the Committee of Inquiry, P. W. Brancker, J. T. Alston, George Hudson, George Wilson, John Waddingham and William Murgatroyd, forced their way onto the board.” [2][7]

The new directors forced through a number of measures: the closure of Beighton, Killamarsh and Kilnhurst stations from 1st January 1843; boys, instead of men, would work points at junctions; services were reduced, fares raised and a number of carriages were sold. [2]

But things got considerably worse: a quarter of the footplate staff were sacked. The remainder (43 enginemen, stokers and turners) protested over the lower wages, and were sacked as well, on Christmas Eve 1842, without pay in lieu of notice. Hudson “employed in their place, enginemen he described as ‘skilled replacements’ who included in their number a platelayer, a fireman, a stonemason, two had been sacked for drunkenness and one who had been sacked for overturning a train of wagons. [2]

Unsurprisingly, “the result was chaos, with trains running late or erratically, and the remainder of the workforce demoralised. Finally a luggage train, with an elderly driver of only three weeks experience, collided with the rear of a stationary train at Cudworth in fog on 12th January 1843. [8] The inquest sent the … driver, Edward Jenkins, to the York Assizes for trial and criticised the cutbacks. … There was wide publicity about the trial of the driver for manslaughter. The jury at the York Assizes acquitted Jenkins and censured the directors. Meanwhile, the Board of Trade was also extremely critical and the directors made somewhat grudging improvements to working practices.” [2]

“Meanwhile, the situation between the Birmingham & Derby and the Midland Counties was becoming steadily worse. Hudson’s first approach was to the Midland Counties in 1843. He then negotiated a secret amalgamation with the Birmingham and Derby which would remove all the Midland Counties’ trade and, in August, returned to the latter with an ultimatum. Finally, on 22nd September 1843, at a meeting in Derby [a] triple merger was agreed.” [9]

The Midland Railway Consolidation Bill was placed before Parliament, and was passed as the Midland Railway Consolidation Act 1844 (7 & 8 Vict. c. xviii), and from May of that year the Midland Railway came into being. [2][10: p308]

References

  1. Isaac Ashe; Long-lost artworks of former stations go on display; BBC local News, Derbyshire, 11th October 2926; via https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6y93q5gp000o?app-referrer=deep-link, accessed on 12th October 2026.
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Midland_Railway, accessed on 12th October 2026.
  3. Francis Whishaw; The Railways of Great Britain and Ireland practically described and illustrated (2nd ed.); John Wesley, London, 1842; (1840 1st ed., Simpkin, Marshall & Co.); via . http://archive.org/stream/railwaysgreatbr00whisgoog#page/n0/mode/1up (requires login details to access).
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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.

The view East from Fall Lane
The view West from Fall Lane

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.

Woodhouse Bridge in 1905. [69]
Woodhouse Bridge in 2024. [69]
Looking West from Woodhouse Bridge in 2023. [Google Streetview, August 2023]
Looking East 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).

Looking West from the M62 in July 2024
Looking East from the M62 in July 2024
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]
Mirfield Station and Engine Shed.
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]
Horbury & Ossett Railway Station. [44]
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.

Thornes Lane Bridge
A638, Ings Road Bridge
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

1
2
3
4

The images of Kirkgate Station above are:

  1. 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]
  2. 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]
  3. 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]
  4. 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]

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