|
Contributors:
Alan S Bagot / K Evans / Greame Walton / David Taylor |
The Route
From Thornhill junction on the L & Y Calder
valley line,
to Heckmondwike Central on the L & Y Mirfield to Low Moor line.
Length 2 miles 331yds
Opening 1st June 1869
Closures Thornhill station closed 1962
Heckmondwike Central station closed 14 th June 1965
Line
Complete closure 1986
Charrington Hargreaves Oil Terminal
In 1966 in order to supply the Charrington Hargreaves oil terminal
at the former Liversedge Spen Goods Yard, a new connection was made at Heckmondwike Spen Goods yard,
see Leeds New Line page 3
between the L & Y Ravensthorpe branch & The Leeds New Line to Liversedge
Spen. Thus keeping the Thornhill - Heckmondwike section of line open
until the terminal was finally closed in 1986.
Spen Valley Greenway
This section of line forms part of the Spen Valley Greenway cycle
path.
It joins up with the old L & Y Mirfield to Low moor line at Heckmondwike
Central.
From here the path follows the old L & Y route through Liversedge &
Cleckheaton Central stations to Low Moor. |
Thornhill Junction 1985 Single track
Thornhill to Liversedge (oil terminal) section still in use.
|
 Thornhill
Junction facing East.
(31-05-04)
The start of the line at Thornhill junction.
Station road crosses in background. |
 Thornhill
Junction facing East
(31-05-04)
Same place, different angle.
I think this photo says it all. |
 Footpath
access facing north
(31-05-04)
A couple of hundred yards towards Ravensthorpe,
an old reinforced bridge
over this footpath through an embankment.
|
 L.N.W.R
Crossing (c1980)
Taken from a moving Huddersfield to Leeds train.
Oil tankers on their way to Charrington Hargreaves
terminal at Liversedge
(See Leeds New Line)
Canal loading dock visible on right. |
 Same view today
(31-05-04)
View from under the bridge, track, loading dock, atmosphere, all gone.
|
 L.N.W.R
Crossing Facing south
(31-05-04)
The L.N.W.R Huddersfield - Leeds line crosses in front.
Signal still remains, visible on left. |
 L.N.W.R
Crossing Facing East
(31-05-04)
Close up of signals. Still looks as if they might work.
|
 Ravensthorpe
viaduct facing west (02-07-06)
Section of viaduct over the River Calder
|
 Ravensthorpe
viaduct facing north (14-07-06)
View from on top facing towards Ravensthorpe
station. L.N.W.R crossing behind camera.
The iron deck bridge in front crosses Huddersfield road.
The site of Ravensthorpe station just the other side of the bridge. |
 Ravensthorpe
viaduct Huddersfield
road
facing north
(31-05-04)
Taken from Huddersfield road facing towards Ravensthorpe town.
The Spen Valley Greenway sign
just visible on the bridge. |
 Ravensthorpe
viaduct(01/2005) : David
Taylor
Ravensthorpe Viaduct across Huddersfield Road and the River Calder from
another angle. |
 Ravensthorpe
station entrance facing north (14-07-06)
Entrance from Huddersfield road. |
 Ravensthorpe
station entrance facing south (02-07-06)
Looking back the other way from up on top. |
 Signal
box (14-07-06)
Couple of hundred yards further north, just
beyond the site of Ravensthorpe station,
there was a signal box around here somewhere, this might be the remains,
not sure,
remnants of a concrete slab & brick debris. |
 Joseph
Cliffe bridge facing south (02-07-06)
Filled in bridge, manufacturers name just visible.
The bridge carries a footpath leading from the end of Pilgrim avenue. |
 Joseph
Cliffe bridge facing south (02-07-06)
Same bridge, further back along trackbed. |
 Signal
facing north (02-07-06)
Rusty north facing light signals on the right,
amongst the foliage.
Footpath leading from Lowfield road crosses the Greenway just in front
of the signal.
|
 Signal
number (02-07-06)
View of the number round the other side. |
 Bridge
facing north (c1980) : Greame Walton
Taken on what is now the Spen Valley Greenway.
The signal in the photo is just before where the line branched off
to Charrington Hargreaves.
The bridge in the distance gone, only remnants remain (see bridge
remnant photo 02-07-06) |
 Bridge
facing north (02-07-06)
Same view 20 odd years later, the walling along
the top has been removed.
To the right a path leads up past the chemical works & onto Heckmondwike
road.
May have originally had something to do with Dewsbury Moor house, I
don't know. |
 Bridge
facing south (02-07-06)
View from on top of the bridge, facing back
towards Ravensthorpe.
Carr lane crosses in the distance. |
 Bridge
remnant (02-07-06)
100 yards further north a surviving bridge remnant
on the left hand side.
(see Greame Waltons 1980s photo)
Incorporated a pipe just visible at the far end.
The bridge originally carried a footpath down to the sewage works. |
 Heckmondwike Central station & B.R Charrington Hargreaves oil
terminal spur (o.s 1985)
see Mirfield
- Low Moor
Renamed Heckmondwike Central from 1924 to 1961.
Opening
1848, Rebuilt 1889.
Closures
Passengers - 14th June 1965.
Freight - May 1969.
|
 Heckmondwike Central
1966 B.R spur Facing back towards Ravensthorpe
1987 (K Evans)
(Liversedge Charrington Hargreaves Oil Terminal)
In 1966 a new connection was made at Heckmondwike Spen Goods yard,
see Leeds New Line page 3
between the L & Y Ravensthorpe branch & The Leeds New Line to Liversedge
Spen.
This was to supply the Charrington Hargreaves oil terminal at the former
Liversedge Spen Goods Yard.
This enabled the closure of the Heaton Lodge
to Liversedge Spen Goods section of the Leeds New Line.
The yard was sold to Charrington Hargreaves in 1967. The terminal was mothballed in 1986. |
 Charrington
Hargreaves junction 1966 B.R spur (c1980) : Greame Walton
Tracks being re-laid on the Charrington Hargreaves junction.
Just behind you can see what remained of the old Heckmondwike Spen goods
yard
(now James Wilbys Builders Merchants). |
 Heckmondwike
Central junction 3rd August 1983 : Alan S Bagot
see Mirfield
- Low Moor
Heckmondwike L & Y junction & footbridge.
Railway pub just visible in the distance beneath the footbridge |
 Heckmondwike
Central footbridge 1986 : K Evans |
 Heckmondwike
Central goods 3rd August 1983 : Alan S Bagot
Heckmondwike L & Y goods depot.
Tacky new houses now built on the whole of this area. |
 Heckmondwike
Central station facing east (c1960) : Mark Anthony Astley collection
website -
www.ingrowrailwaycentre.co.uk
Heckmondwike Central in the early 1960s,
with a Metropolitan- Cammell diesel multiple unit operating a local
service along the Spen Valley |
 Heckmondwike
Central station facing east (c1960) : Mark Anthony Astley collection
Heckmondwike Central in the 1960s |
Heckmondwike
Central station facing east (c1980) : Greame Walton
 Taken on the Spen Valley greenway just after the
old platform of the old station in Station Lane.
The photos are from the early eighties, when freight trains used to use
the lines. I remember the old Charrington Hargreaves line quite well.
Full tankers would come along early in the morning and in the evening
they would come to take them away when they were empty. |
 Heckmondwike
Central station facing east (02-07-06)
Facing back towards Railway street, platform
remnants.
Tacky new housing, built on the site of the goods yard, visible in the
distance. |
 Railway
street bridge facing west (02-07-06)
see Mirfield
- Low Moor
Stood on the site of the goods yard, just beyond
Heckmondwike junction.
The double bridge crossing Railway street.
Heckmondwike central platform was just at the other side of the bridge.
The platform over grown with trees now. The Railway pub is just to the
right. |
 Railway
street bridge (28-07-06) :
Paul
email - booie@ntlworld.com
The view from street level facing towards Heckmondwike
town centre. |
 Heckmondwike
Central entrance facing west (02-07-06)
The view from under the bridge. Passenger access
to the island platform was via a covered stairway leading down to street
level, I assume through this strange bricked up doorway.
The steps on the right lead to a cobbled yard. See next photo. |
 Heckmondwike
Central 3rd August 1983 / Feb 1984: Alan S Bagot
The right hand photo shows the view from the cobbled yard back in 1984.
Railway street is down on the left. Some sort of building stood here,
maybe a ticket office.
Seems to be an entrance of some sort on the left of the building. |
