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Beeston Junction to Hunslet Goods
1899 - 1967
 Great Northern Railway
Contributors:  © Reproduction prohibited / Ralph Rawlinson / Nigel Callaghan / Phill Davison / Michael Kaye / Luke Bennett / David Webdale
The Route
From Beeston Junction on the GNR main line into Leeds, the line turned east passing over the Middleton Railway & the Midland main line. The line crosses the Aire & Calder Navigation canal & the river Aire.
The line then turned north west & terminated at Hunslet goods station.
A connection was also made to the NER goods branch from Neville Hill which opened the same year.
Between the Middleton Railway and the canal it followed the alignment of a 1755 tramway taking coal from Middleton New Pit to the River Aire.

Length
3 3/4 miles
Original Company
The Hunslet Railway company was incorporated in 1893.
They were  transferred to the GNR in 1894.

Opening
 2nd January 1899

Closures
 3rd July 1967 Beeston - Parkside Junction.
3rd January 1966 Parkside Junction - Hunslet
Hunslet Goods Railway
See Darren Hosker's Youtube feature https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BOT8UQ03nw
Railway Ramblers gazetteer
See also the Railway Ramblers gazetteer - Leeds : GNR Beeston Junction to Hunslet Goods
Crowther Os Map 1947 1-ins OS
1947 os 1 ins map showing the Hunslet area of Leeds.
Crowther Atlas
Extract from the West Yorkshire volume of the Crowther Atlas.
Buffer stops 02-12-07 : Phill Davison
buffer stops perched high above the river just before the swing bridge used to be..
You can see how precarious the line is there due to the fencing.
Tarmac company complex 02-12-07 : Phill Davison
Looking up the complex from the buffer stops. You can see the road stone facility in the distance. The line has been retained as a headshunt for the Tarmac company but nothing has ventured this far for many years. The bridge in the distance crossed the old Waterloo colliery line ran. The Waterloo colliery line then curved round & connected with some coal staithes opposite Hunslet mills. The staithes and embankement are still there but heavily overgrown.
Tarmac company complex 02-12-07 : Phill Davison
Looking down the complex towards the river. There are 3 tracks in situ but only one is still in use.
The old leeds oil refinery was to the right were it had rail sidings in the loading area. The road stone complex is on the left.
Knowsthorpe swing bridge : Nigel Callaghan
The Aire & Calder Navigation Company insisted on a swing bridge as they had aspirations of turning it into a ship canal.
Knowsthorpe swing bridge (20-07-08) : David Webdale
Similar view to the old photo above.
Knowsthorpe swing bridge (20-07-08) : David Webdale
Pan around to the left a bit, remaining structure on north side of the river, note buffer stops on top.
See Phill Davisons photo's above.
Knowsthorpe swing bridge (20-07-08) : David Webdale
Close up of the stone pier in the middle of the river.
Knowsthorpe swing bridge (20-07-08) : David Webdale
The remaining swivel part of the bridge on the other side of the canal. Walked around it, no access doors or hatches visible.
Knowsthorpe swing bridge : http://www.geograph.org.uk/
The bridge was demolished in 1977 only a stone pier remains.
Wakefield Road facing south (17-04-09) : David Webdale
Looking down Wakefield road towards the M621. Blue engineering brick remnant with stone bridge supports.
Midland line crossing facing west (17-04-09) : David Webdale
Taken from wakefield road bridge, the GN crossed over the existing Midland Woodlesford to Leeds line somewhere here.
The GN railway approach to the bridge followed the line of those trees behind that building on the right.
Couldn't see any bridge remnants. Pepper road crosses in the distance with the sidings & locosheds beyond.
Midland line crossing facing west (nd) : Michael Kaye
M621 Junction 7 Hunslet Carr : Richard Thomson
The first half a mile to Ring Road Beeston Park is a footpath but the next mile has been lost to redevelopment. At Hunslet Carr three quarters of a mile of the formation was built over by the M1 (Now M621). The section between the motorway and the canal has again been built over but from the north side of the canal the track is still in situ and operational with the sites of the former goods yards occupied by Tarmac stone terminals. This line joins the Leeds - York line at Neville Hill West Junction.
Fewston Avenue Bridge (20-07-08) : David Webdale
Photographed from Cross Green Lane facing towards Neville Hill.
Neville Hill, East Junction (08-07-08) : Michael Kaye
Taken at Neville Hill, and shows the East Junction where the railway goes down to Hunslet East Oil Terminal,
Originally went to Beeston Junction.

Neville Hill
 Neville Hill (c1980) : David Webdale
Taken around Neville Hill.
Neville Hill (11-01-10) : Luke Bennett
Here are a few pics I took over the weekend and thought even tho they are not of anything old it shows conditions on Neville Hill in winter and how a railway still operates even in tuff weather.

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