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Queensbury to Halifax
1880 - 1955
Great Northern Railway
The Queensbury Lines:
Queensbury - Bradford Queensbury Station Queensbury - Keighley
Contributors:   © Reproduction prohibited / Matt C / Andrew Stopford  / Richard Barnes / Graeme Bickerdike / Brandon Hatzer
                           David Hey / Dave Heatley / Phill Davison / Andrew Booth / Lost Railways / Des Phillips / Lost Railways

Queensbury to Halifax:
The Route
From Queensbury to Halifax via Holmfield Ovenden & North Bridge.

Openings 
August 1874 Halifax to Holmfield
25th March 1880 North Bridge
14th October 1880 Holmfield to Queensbury.

Closures
23rd May 1955, North Bridge station closed, ending the passenger service from Halifax to Queensbury.  North Bridge was demolished in 1960.

The Halifax & Ovenden Junction Railway.
The Halifax & Ovenden Junction Railway was incorporated on 30th June 1864
to run 2 3/4 miles from just outside Halifax station to Holmfield.
The L&Y & the GNR each subscribed one third of the cost & would work the line jointly.
Preliminary work involved demolition of property to make way for the viaduct between Halifax station & North Bridge. The new higher road bridge built over the North Bridge site, to allow for adequate clearance, is still in use today.
The line between Halifax & North Bridge was opened to goods traffic on 17th August 1874 and to Holmfield on 1st September 1874.

The section of line between Holmfield & Queensbury involved some serious excavation work. Strines cutting & the Queensbury tunnel take up most of the 2 1/4 mile stretch. Water made the work difficult & to this day the southern end of Queensbury tunnel is completely flooded. Goods traffic began rolling on 14th October 1878. Queensbury station was opened on Easter Saturday 1879, North Bridge opened on 25th March 1880. After a bit of local pressure an additional station at Ovenden was opened in June 1881.
 
Queensbury tunnel
Queensbury tunnel exploration - You Tube Video.
By the Leeds Historical Expedition Society     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfzvrJf5eXc
Queensbury tunnel north portal 24-02-07 : Matt c
Worsening state of Queensbury tunnel including water feature. The tunnel is a straight 2501 yards.
Tunnel entrance is situated about 100 yards from Queensbury south junction. looks a bit Gothic arch.
see Queensbury station

Queensbury tunnel interior (03-04-07) : Graeme Bickerdike website -  http://www.forgottenrelics.co.uk/
I spent the afternoon getting damp in Queensbury tunnel. I only went quarter-of-a-mile in but far enough to see the debris which has fallen from the first shaft. A few pictures attached which might complement some of Des Phillips’.

Queensbury tunnel -1
The northern portal sits at the end of a short cutting which is very muddy near the tunnel mouth.
Some of the vegetation seems to have been cleared recently as part of the works for the Great Northern Trail.
Queensbury tunnel -2
The interior is wet for the first few yards and then drys out. The stonework here appears in fairly good order.
The indentations left by the sleepers on the Halifax-bound side are still evident.
Queensbury tunnel -3
Structural conditions are dramatically different approaching the first ventilation shaft.
Some of the brick lining has fallen away and there’s considerable damage from water penetration.
Queensbury tunnel -4
Despite the drainpipe, a torrent of water falls from the shaft which, like the others, is capped.
Queensbury tunnel -5
A rather feeble attempt has been made to fence off the debris. The standing water here is 6 inches deep.
Note the failing brickwork beyond the shaft entrance.
Queensbury tunnel -6
In this 30 second exposure, the vertical streaks and mist are actually falling water.
In the shadows top-left, the brick lining has succumbed to the effects of water.
Queensbury tunnel -7
Only after a quarter-mile walk do you discover the first refuge. Quite a hike to reach a position of safety! The refuges are more generous than you find in many other tunnels and would accommodate even the best upholstered lengthman. I assume that the two small holes in the wall which seals the portal - seen as dots above the square of daylight – were cut to allow access for bats.

Queensbury tunnel interior (11-04-07) : Graeme Bickerdike
 Well, I found another like-minded adventurer and spent yesterday afternoon exploring Queensbury’s gloom.
We were underground for almost five hours! Attached is a collection of pictures which take up the journey from the first ventilation shaft.
Queensbury tunnel -8
An assortment of signalling relics have survived fifty years of abandonment.
Might this have supported a telegraph wire once upon a time?
Queensbury tunnel -9
The home signal for Queensbury-bound trains was just beyond the northern portal.
The distant signal was therefore located in the tunnel and took the form of a gong attached to the wall.
The mounting brackets are still in place.
Queensbury tunnel -10
The central section of the tunnel is remarkably dry. A drain runs down the middle, beneath the trackbed, to take water away.
But there are areas where the lining has failed or is under chemical attack.
Queensbury tunnel -11
It appears that cables ran down both sides of the tunnel, neatly negotiating the refuges.
Queensbury tunnel -12
Probably the most remarkable relic is a lone track panel which is preserved under masonry from the second ventilation shaft.
Queensbury tunnel -13
The shaft was sunk almost 400 feet – one of the country’s deepest.
It’s ‘pepperpot’ made the journey down before a concrete cap was attached. It’s wet underfoot but there’s no deluge from above.
Queensbury tunnel -14
One mile in and the floodwater is with us. In the distance, a pile of debris blocks the ‘canal’ at the base of shaft three.
It’s another 800 yards to the southern portal. By that stage, thanks to the falling 1 in 100 gradient, the water has reached the roof.
Queensbury tunnel -15
The remarkable cutting at Strines has largely been consumed by infill. Only an 80-foot pool remains.
The portal is completely underwater – just the top stones are visible.

Queensbury tunnel interior (10-06) : Des Phillips
One afternoon in October 2006, I went on a little exploration of the Triangle and had a quick recce inside Queensbury Tunnel. I only went a few hundred yards in, not wanting to be brained by bricks from the 379ft airshaft! These photos give a reasonable impression of the interior & problems with the tunnel.

 Queensbury tunnel ventilation shaft (10-06) : Des Phillips
The base of the first ventilation shaft about 100 yards in from the North. Nice masonry to solve the geometrical puzzle of joining two brick cylinders together. Vertical waterfall from blocked gloom above!
Queensbury tunnel ventilation shaft (10-06) : Des Phillips
Pile of bricks at the bottom of the airshaft. These bricks have probably rotted out from the top of the shaft after sealing.
Evidence of why BRB, who own the tunnel, want to fill in the airshafts before the ground swallows up Queensbury town above
(as the H&S bureaucrats would have it).
Queensbury tunnel interior (10-06) : Des Phillips
Looking back to North Portal. The trackbed has sleeper impressions from the Halfax-bound side and scraper marks from ballast removal. It is surprisingly dry here because the drain in the "invert" seems to work and there is 1/100 gradient down to Strines, which was known to be flooded (but not completely filled) at this date.
Queensbury tunnel interior (10-06) : Des Phillips
Looking into the gloom. A grainy contrast-corrected photo with flash which gives the right atmosphere, but fails to catch the end at Strines, 2501 yards away, which is dimly visible in reality, through the misty murk.
Queensbury tunnel interior (10-06) : Des Phillips
A long exposure shot, handheld. I got multiple images of the Strines (South) end, and used a photo editor to catch one genuinely authentic "through-tunnel" shot before landfill is emptied down the shafts.
Strines Cutting (14-08-06) : Matt c
Strines Cutting and the Halifax side of Queensbury tunnel.
This area will soon be gone forever as the industrial estate is extending onto the cutting,
which means it will be filled in. (air shaft visible down on the left, see next photo)
Queensbury tunnel air shaft (14-08-06) : Matt c
 Close up of air shaft. The photos were take from a lane by some sheds on the left off Roper Lane, Queensbury. I could only take the photos of the cutting from above as there is now no access onto the land where the cutting is, as work has already begun.
Strines Cutting (c1963) : Richard Barnes © copyright on all Richard Barnes Photographs
Strines Cutting looking towards Holmfield from about halfway to the tunnel.
Photo's taken the week before the track was lifted.
Strines Cutting (c1963) : Richard Barnes ©
 Ditto, looking towards Queensbury.
Holdsworth Road (23-08-06) : Andrew Stopford
An old bridge a little further north of Holmfield Station.
Holmfield station Opened 15th December 1879, closed to passengers 23rd May 1955
Holmfield Station & junction (c1963) : Richard Barnes © copyright on all Richard Barnes Photographs
Approach to Holmfield Station facing towards Queensbury. Photo's taken the week before the track was lifted.
You can see the connection to the Pellon branch trailing in on the left, the track had been lifted the previous week.
Holmfield junction facing s west (19-02-06)
The site of Holmfield junction facing towards Ovenden. Bridge remnants crossing Shay lane visible to the left of that big building near centre of photo, part of the old Halifax high level railway from Holmfield to St Pauls.
Holmfield Goods Shed (c1963) : Richard Barnes ©
Holmfield general view looking NW (c1963) : Richard Barnes ©
Holmfield Signal Box lever frame (c1963) : Richard Barnes ©
Holmfield looking SE across goods yard (c1963) : Richard Barnes ©
Holmfield looking south from footbridge (c1963) : Richard Barnes ©
Holmfield Station (c1963) : Richard Barnes ©
Holmfield Station looking towards Halifax. Note the buffer stops dumped on the platform! It looks as if both tracks were being used from here, although other pictures I have seen would indicate that the left hand track was used to travel down to Halifax, indicating that trains crossed over at this point. Photo's taken the week before the track was lifted.
Holmfield Station (c1963) : Richard Barnes ©
Holmfield Station (c1963) : Richard Barnes ©
Dismantling vehicles parked in the sidings behind Holmfield Station.
 
Holmfield Station cattle dock (c1963) : Richard Barnes ©
Dismantling vehicles at Holmfield, parked in the cattle dock area.
Holmfield Holdsworth Road facing north (c1963) : Richard Barnes ©
Facing north from the bridge next to Holmfield Station, (Holdsworth Road).
The bridge in the distance is where the same road crosses the railway again. One of the north Halifax schools visible on the left.
Holmfield Station (23-08-06) : Andrew Stopford
The old access to Holmfield Station (note the similarity to the access to Lightcliffe Station.
(I guess the iron hoop held a lamp)
Holmfield Station  (23-08-06) : Andrew Stopford
A shot of the old bridge at the station site.
 
Moorside cutting (04-06) Matt C
Leading from Holmfield station.
Churn Milk Lane (23-08-06) : Andrew Stopford
An old bridge over the Halifax-Queensbury line just south of Holmfield Station.
 
Royd Lane (23-08-06) : Andrew Stopford
A bridge over the same line to a private road called Royd Lane,
just a few yards further south of Churn Milk Lane.
Ovenden station Opened 2nd June1881 closed to passengers 23rd May 1955
Ovenden Station building (28-07-06) : Andrew Stopford
Ovenden Station on the Halifax-Queensbury line. It's remarkably intact! (28th July 06). I guess the stone building is the Station Master's house and the wooden building would be the platform waiting room/booking office etc.
Ovenden Station looking towards Halifax (c1962) : Richard Barnes © copyright on all Richard Barnes Photographs.

Lee Bank Tunnel To Halifax Old Station Section
                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                            Hybrid Map - Roads 2010 Rails 1910
Lee Bank Tunnel
Lee Bank Tunnel north portal April 06 : Matt C
North portal of the 267 yards Lee Bank tunnel
Lee Bank Tunnel north portal (21/04/07) : Andrew Booth
It appears some work has been carried out recently and the portal doors have been bricked up there are also remnants of a old ground frame hut or platelayers hut although the photos I took (Mobile phone) lack detail.
Lee Bank Tunnel south portal April 06 : Matt C
The portal was in- filled when the A629 Ovenden road was widened into a dual carriageway.
Woodside Viaduct Dean Clough
Woodside Viaduct (17-01-10) : Lost Railways
Remnant of the south end of the six arch viaduct at Dean Clough originally Crossley's Mill.
Just beyond is the north portal of Old Lane tunnel, to the left of the chimney, see next photo.
The viaduct was demolished when the A629 Ovenden road was widened into a dual carriageway.
Old Lane Tunnel
Old Lane tunnel north portal 18-04-06 : Matt C
North portal of the 403 yards Old Lane tunnel.
Old Lane tunnel south portal 18-04-06 : Matt C
 Old lane tunnel is located near to the old North Bridge Station and at the southern portal, there has been some recent work carried out inside the tunnel, maybe structural defects, but this has not affected the northern portal which is still intact.
Old Lane tunnel south portal (12-10-09) : Brandon Hatzer
Of course something you will recognise, I just thought I'd get a recent picture of it with it all overgrown,
which made it too difficult to walk on from the North Bridge car park which I originally planned to do a few weeks ago.
North Bridge Opened 25th March 1880 closed to passengers 23rd April 1955 & goods in 1974
 North Bridge station facing east 30-04-06
Taken from the cast iron footbridge, view of station site & the north bridge
North Bridge station facing west 30-04-06
Facing back towards the footbridge I was standing on in the previous photo.
This little cast iron bridge is the only survivor of the whole station.
Old lane tunnel visible in the background.
North Bridge station facing west 30-04-06
Wider view lets us see the steep stone cobbled snicket on the left, leading up to the footbridge.
North Bridge station stone cobbled snicket : Phill Davison
 An interesting story to go with this cobbled slope leading to the footbridge -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/3030249249/in/photostream/
North Bridge station entrance 30-04-06
The tasty North bridge itself.
Bricked up station entrance was just to the left of those fancy towers at the north end of the bridge.
North Bridge (12-10-09) : Brandon Hatzer
Near the old Halifax North Bridge Station the old hand rails are still there! Which I thought was quote astounding.
North Bridge (12-10-09) : Brandon Hatzer
This is the bottom of the hand rail and I may be wrong,
but I'm presuming the path started there going towards the old area of the station.
North Bridge (12-10-09) : Brandon Hatzer
Helping my point that I believe it's a path to the old station,
you can see the cobbled path which is popular in Halifax and is overgrown but not removed.
North Bridge (12-10-09) : Brandon Hatzer
Another picture of the pathway and the 'North Bridge Car Park' sign in the background for effect!
Along with the parking meter, you didn't get meters like that to park the train.
 
North Bridge (12-10-09) : Brandon Hatzer
I then started to walk off the bottom of Boothtown Road (I probably got the road name wrong) to wards the Iron Bridge
above North Bridge Station showing the same type of hand rail that was shown earlier closer to the bridge.
North Bridge (12-10-09) : Brandon Hatzer
The same steps looking up. At the very top you turn right to the road that goes towards Boothtown.
You can just see at the top KFC and then further up is LIDL *sigh*
North Bridge (12-10-09) : Brandon Hatzer
The bottom of the steps I came down looking straight at the iron bridge with Dean Clough in the background.
At least this would have looked not too far off this back when active, though it's less smog now and more masses of graffito.
 
North Bridge (12-10-09) : Brandon Hatzer
I daren't go on here, mainly didn't want to get my work smarts dirty! But it's obviously a badly built wall to stop people walking on the side where the path from earlier leads to. I'm not sure how it went down to the station but of course whatever was there to get you to the station has been long removed. The iron bridge starts directly to the right.
North Bridge (12-10-09) : Brandon Hatzer
Many pictures when looking on Flikr and other places of this slope looking up but I thought I'd do one looking down. Was a benefit walking down here, made me realise I need new shoes as my grips on my work shoes nearly had me head over heels, not much looking after here so can be slippy especially on the sections without a hand rail. Don't know how people used this in the winters of old
North Bridge (12-10-09) : Brandon Hatzer
The bottle there kind of spoils it, but I've seen many of the slope, but no pictures of the steps. Old school steps, steeper than any health and safety officer would allow them now. Not nice after dark walking up these!
North Bridge (12-10-09) : Brandon Hatzer
This is the wall next to where the North Bridge Station would be. Noticed not too long ago the two 'hooks' on the wall,
I have no idea what they would be for, wondering if you could enlighten me?
North Bridge (12-10-09) : Brandon Hatzer
The same picture as above just from a different angle.
Halifax Viaduct
 Halifax Viaduct (12-10-09) : Brandon Hatzer
The car park gate is nice and poignant I guess. Sainsbury's petrol station visible in background.
Halifax Viaduct (12-10-09) : Brandon Hatzer
 Behind the gates is the Mulcture House Council building & car park. Wade Street sign visible on the right.
Halifax Viaduct 1980s : Dave Heatley
Demolition of the viaduct linking Halifax Railway station with the GN North Bridge site. Photo taken around the mid 80’s
What a great opportunity lost to link the two areas now!
Coal drops facing south 30-04-06
Next to the existing Halifax Old station these massive coal drops. The stub of the viaduct to North bridge to the left of coal drops.
The still in use viaduct leading off to Beacon Hill on the far left.
Note : Brandon Hatzer
The coal drops in Halifax are listed Grade II  http://www.calderdale.gov.uk/environment/conservation/listedbuildings/

The description reads - Coal drops. 1874. Built for the Ovenden and Halifax Junction Railway Co. Rock-faced ashlar with wooden bunkers. 15 wooden bunkers each supported between stone piers and to the north an open shed, with beyond a battered wall topped with a parapet. These coal drops are built into the slopping hillside. Each wooden bunker has 2 metal doors which were raised on an iron ratchet geared pulley system. This is a rare and large scale example of railway coaldrops.

I understand if you've already seen this or already know this but hearing it from my Council pretty much asserts they are listed, and so they should be! Better than being knocked down or being converted into flats like every other memory!
Coal drops building facing west 22-04-06
Little building survives in the corner of the car park above the coal drops.
 
Viaduct facing west 30-04-06
The remnants of the viaduct leading to North bridge, demolished in the 70s I think.
The viaduct leading off into Beacon Hill tunnel along the left here.
Halifax Station (11-81, 08-82) : Dave Heatley
B&W photo taken in Nov ’81 – GN platform being demolished and track recently lifted into freight sidings.
Second photo taken in Aug 1982 showing the bus museum parked out in the open before moving to Low Moor.
Halifax Station (1981) : Dave Heatley
Class25 25125 dragging a failed DMU to Bradford – Hammond St Depot perhaps.
Halifax Station (16-12-07) : Andrew Stopford
Shot of Halifax Station & disused platforms.
 

Queensbury station     Queensbury - Bradford     Queensbury - Keighley