powered by FreeFind Exploring the routes & uncovering the history of the lost, abandoned, disused & dismantled railways of  West Yorkshire: Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Batley, Halifax, Wakefield, Queensbury & Shipley. Including the Aire, Calder & Spen Valley lines. Please contact us for any additional information you require, or photos & information you would like to share.   lost.railways@ntlworld.com    (Best viewed at 1024 x 768)     Woodhead tunnel is under threat of permanent closure by the National Grid : Click here to find out more
Newspaper Articles Freewheeling (04-09-08) Scarborough Flyer (09-08-08) Scarborough Flyer (01-08-08) Elland land slip (13-06-08) Meltham Branch Greenway (03-04-08) Penistone line Tram - Train Bradley & Cooper Bridge Sowerby Bridge Station Bar 19-03-08 Sowerby Bridge Station Bar Huddersfield Goods Warehouse 27-03-08 Huddersfield Goods Warehouse 15-03-08 Huddersfield Goods Warehouse 03-03-08   Huddersfield Goods Warehouse 20-02-08 See also Huddersfield warehouse Page Royal Scots Grey Huddersfield 10pm 24-02-08 See below Royal Scots Grey 17-01-08 See also Meltham Branch Gordon Suggitts latest book Brunswick Tunnel See also Leeds to Harrogate page Gas Board coal train See Newtown Goods
		Route Maps
		Start here for maps, routes & companies involved in the creation of West Yorkshires railway network. Covering the period from 1834 to its peak in 1910 through its demise to the present day. The remaining system is a shadow of its former self, with just a few overworked trunk routes remaining. Comparison of the 1910 & 2005 maps highlight the number of towns left without a railway.
		Latest Uploads
		A short mineral line ran from the Calder Valley Main line to Combe Colliery near Thornhill. Calder & midland Railway crossings in the Homeless section. . Photo's from Luke Senior
		A new page exploring the Lofthouse junction to Lofthouse & Outwood line. A 5 mile joint NER L&Y & GNR venture opened in 1865. Even more photo's from Andrew Stopford.
		Whitwood Junction on the Cutsyke - Methley line. Some choice Photo's taken back in 1985. Includes Whitwood Junction Signalbox & a shot of Glasshoughton colliery, now replaced by a shopping mall. Photo : Michael Kaye.
		A new page covering the L&Y Cutsyke - Methley section. More photo's from one of our top oilers, Andrew Stopford.
		Halifax Old Station on the Queensbury to Halifax line. Some early 1980s shots of the GN platform being demolished and track lifting. Also includes demolishing of the GN viaduct between North Bridge & Halifax Old station. Photo's from Dave Heatley.
		Morley Top Station back in 1974, on the Ardsley to Laisterdyke line. Typical GNR tiled walls & signs for trains to London. Choice photo's from Simon Edgerton.
		Nimby activity forces end to cycle path construction on the North Dean (Stainland Branch) Sadly funding is now withdrawn due to protests by local residents. Words & pictures from Andrew Stopford & John Lawrence.
		Flooded Trackbed on the Goose Hill to Oakenshaw line. See Homeless section We thought it was a river too. photo's from Andrew Stopford.
		Gildersome Station in the Ardsley Laisterdyke section. Includes aerial shot of the now unrecognisable crossroads at Gildersome. Latest road works requiring investigation of the the old GNR tunnel under the roundabout. Photo's from Nick Franks.
		Bailiff Bridge station on the Pickle Bridge line circa 1900. Photo taken from an old postcard around the turn of the century. Only a few bricks & the embankment remain. Photo : Steven Wild.
		Great Northern Railway (G.N.R) Lines
		Adwalton - Wakefield From Wrenthorpe south junction on the Doncaster to Leeds Line 3/4 of a mile north of Wakefield Westgate, to Adwalton Junction, on the GN Wakefield Bradford line, via Alverthorpe, Flushdyke, Osset, Chickenley Heath, Batley GN, Upper Batley & Howden Clough.  GNR 1864. Photo : Andrew Stopford.
		Ardsley to Laisterdyke From Laisterdyke, east of Bradford, to Ardsley via Dudley Hill, Birkenshaw & Tong, Drighlington & Adwalton, Adwalton junction, Gildersome, Morley Top & Tingley.  GNR 1857. Photo : c/o Andrew Wilson.
		Batley to Beeston From Batley west  junction to Tingley west junction via Woodkirk, & from Tingley east junction to Beeston junction. GNR 1890. Photo : Simon Edgerton.
		Beeston Junction - Hunslet Goods From Beeston Junction on the GNR main line into Leeds. The line turns east crosses the canal (on a swing bridge) & the River Aire & turns NW to terminate at Hunslet goods station a mile from the city centre. GNR 1899. Photo's & info from Railway Ramblers member Ralph Rawlinson.
		Dewsbury Loop (Osset to Batley) From Runtlings Lane Junction Osset, to Batley west junction & GNR station. Via Earlseaton, Dewsbury Central & Batley Carr. G.N.R 1880. Photo : Ralph Rawlinson.
		Pudsey Loop Branch Lines from both Stanningley & Bramley to Pudsey Greenside via Pudsey Lowtown. Later extended to Cutlers junction to join the Ardsley Laisterdyke line. Pudsey Greenside Tunnel & cutting soon to be backfilled. GNR 1839. Photo : Rikj.
		The Queensbury Lines Four pages of the GNR lines Between Queensbury, Halifax, Bradford & Keighley. Queensbury Station     Queensbury - Bradford     Queensbury - Halifax     Queensbury - Keighley Make sure to check out Richard Barnes superb Holmfield photo's on the Queensbury - Halifax page.
		London & North Western Railway (L & N.W.R) Lines
		Batley to Birstall Lower (goods) From Batley (Birstall Junction) to Birstall Lower, 2 miles (single track) Opening Batley to Birstall Lower, 30th September 1852. Intermediate station at Carlinghow opened 1st April 1872. Photo : Allan Shaw.
		Kirkburton Branch From Kirkburton junction 2 miles east of Huddersfield station, on the L.N.W.R Huddersfield to Heaton Lodge line, to Kirkburton station (terminated) via Kirkheaton . Length  4 1/2 miles, opened 7th October 1867.
		Leeds New Line Between Heaton Lodge junction Huddersfield & Farnley junction Leeds. L.N.W.R  1900. Six pages & loads of maps. An in depth study of one of the regions youngest lines. See the Gildersome tunnel exploration on page six. Photo: Phill Davison.
		Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (L & Y.R) Lines
		Calder Valley Main Line From Manchester to Normanton. To keep the line flat & straight it managed to avoid some big towns like Halifax & Huddersfield. Built by the L&Y in 1840. Line still open but many stations lost. Photo : David Hey's collection.
		Cutsyke - Methley From Methley Junction on the Midland Leeds to Normanton line, via Lofthouse Junction, over the NER line to Church Fenton, & joined the NER line from Castleford at Cutsyke Junction. L&Y 1849. Photo's Andrew Stopford.
		Holmfirth Branch From junction on the Huddersfield - Penistone line near Brockholes, to Holmfirth terminus, via Thongsbridge. Built by the L&Y, opened in 1850. Contains some choice shots of Holmfirth station in the 1980s from Tony Button.
		Horbury West Curve At a little under 1¾ miles in length, Horbury West Curve (known locally as the Crigglestone Curve) provided a connection between the Lancashire & Yorkshire’s main Todmorden-Wakefield line and its branch to Barnsley. Opened by the L&Y 1902, disconnected in 1991. Photo's : Graeme Bickerdike.
		Meltham Branch From junction at Lockwood on the Penistone to Huddersfield line, via Netherton, Healey House, terminating at Meltham. Opened by the L&Y in 1869, was closed to passengers in May 1949 but remained open for David Brown tractor freight up until April 1965. Photo's from Andrew Stopford.
		Mirfield - Low Moor (Cleckheaton branch) From Mirfield via Northorpe, Liversedge, Heckmondwike & Cleckheaton Central. Over 150 photo's of this stretch of line, including Mirfield sheds, still plenty of left to see. Forms part of the Spen Valley Greenway, so most of it easy walking. Photo : Mark Anthony Astley collection.
		North Dean (Stainland) branch North Dean Branch from Greetland  junction to Stainland. Photo Matt c. Work in progress by Sustrans to make West Vale Viaduct  into a footpath.
		Pickle Bridge Line Between Anchor Pit Junction near Brighouse & Wyke. Opened by the L&Y in 1881. Some decent relics still left on this 3 ¾ mile line. Also includes the blowing up of Wyke viaduct. Photo's by Matt_uk.
		Ravensthorpe Branch Thornhill to Heckmondwike. Short but interesting section of line with most bridges still intact. Connected to the Leeds New Line at Heckmondwike in 1966 to supply the Charrington Hargreaves oil terminal, now forms part of the Spen Valley Greenway. Photo : Greame Walton.
		Sowerby Bridge - Rishworth An extension of the Sowerby Bridge to Ripponden branch. L&Y 1881. Photo's : Richard Barnes.
		Midland Railway (M. R) Lines
		Hunslet Midland goods The former Midland Goods station is now the Crown Point Retail Park Leeds. The cutting was recently sold at auction by Pugh & Company on behalf of BRB (Residuary) Ltd. Guide price £83,000, went for £138,000. It was sold as being suitable for landfill. Photo : Rikj.
		Newtown Goods Between Newtown  Huddersfield & Mirfield Jct. Midland 1910. In depth study with two pages & maps. Photo Simon Green.
		Royston - Dewsbury Savile town Royston to Dewsbury Savile Town. Midland Railway 1906. The Midland planned to build its own mainline between Sheffield & Bradford to avoid the congested areas around Leeds. The L&Y later gave the Midland running powers on its lines so the scheme was never completed.
		North Eastern Railway (N.E.R) Lines
		Castleford - Garforth Via Ledston, Bowers Halt & Kippax & Allerton Bywater. NER 1878. The massive span of the cast iron bridge is in a terrible condition. Huge girders have split in half & the decking is paper thin. I find it amazing that fully laden coal trains were using this bridge as little as 14yr's ago. Photo's : Phill Davison
		Church Fenton - Harrogate The first railway to be closed by Dr Beeching in 1964. N.E.R 1848. Includes some choice interior shots of prospect tunnel. Photo's : Phill Davison
		Leeds to Harrogate Headingley, Horsforth, Arthington & Bramhope tunnel. N.E.R 1849. Photo : David Hey's collection See also the Brunswick Tunnel & Air Raid Shelter exploration, the latest scoop for the Leeds Historical Expedition Society -  Make sure to see Phills blog - links within.
		Leeds to Wetherby From junction on Leeds Selby at Cross Gates to Wetherby, via Penda’s Way, Scholes, Thorner, Bardsey, & Collingham Bridge. N.E.R 1876. Photo's : Phill Davison.
		Towns & Joint Lines
		Bradford Exchange, Adolphus Street, Forster Square & the Bowling junction to Laisterdyke avoiding line. One of Bradford's best known landmarks, the Exchange station, with its two arched roofs just before demolition began in 1976 & the new Interchange terminal replacement. Photo's : Andrew Wilson.
		Dewsbury Five stations & four companies, plenty going on here. Photo : Graeme Bickerdike
		Holmfield to St Pauls (Halifax) Built originally by the Halifax High Level Railway company 1890. Photo : Richard Barnes
		Leeds A wander round Leeds, including Farnley viaduct, Holbeck Depot, Holbeck high & low level stations, Leeds City, Central & Wellington stations,  Holbeck junction, Wortley west curve & Whitehall junction. More than 80 photo's old & new in this section. Photo from David Hey's collection.
		Lofthouse junction to Lofthouse & Outwood A five mile joint NER L&Y & GNR venture opened in to freight in 1865 & passengers in 1869. Closed to passengers in 1957, but kept open for freight up until 1981.
		Otley to Ilkley Joint North Eastern & Midland Railway, opened in 1865. The two companies combined to construct & manage a joint line between Otley & Ilkley.
		Books
		Lost Railways of south & west Yorkshire Latest book from Gordon Suggitt. Starts off in the early days of the important & often neglected Leeds Middleton railway. All the old favourites & loads of extra stuff I didn't know about. Find out more - http://www.countrysidebooks.co.uk/book-catalogue-book-details.php?book=1046
		Keighley Bus Museum & its forerunners. £12.95 A4 format paperback 118 pages. In stock at Reid's Bookshop, Cavendish Street, Keighley
		Other Stuff
		Save The Woodhead Tunnel The Woodhead Tunnel, vital for a re-opened freight service or new passenger services on the rail line between Sheffield and Manchester, faces permanent closure to trains due to an impending decision by the National Grid to use the tunnel for cabling.
		Keighley & Worth Valley Railway British Railways closed the Keighley - Oxenhope (Worth Valley) branch to passengers on Saturday 30th December 1961. On Saturday 29th June 1968 the line was re-opened by the volunteers of the Keighley & Worth valley Railway Preservation Society.  Words & pictures from Paul Holroyd of the V.C.T
		Homeless Bits & bats of stuff I cant think of anywhere to put. Photo: Gareth Beaumont
		David Hey's Collection Seven pages of top photo's from the David Hey Collection. Look & learn.
		British Rail 1980s photo gallery No exact dates for most of these, been lying around in a box for years, thought I might as well include them on the site. Their all around 1980-81.
		Multiple Units Many a branch line kept open by these little fellas, a  page dedicated to multiple units, by Paul Holroyd of the VCT.
		Railway Ramblers About the organisation & a five page gazetteer detailing the routes & relics along closed lines in West Yorkshire. Your  information is required on important bridges & viaducts. Click here to find out more.
Station Closures Depressing list of all west Yorkshires lost passenger stations.
Horses Mouth Your E-mails & photos in this section. Photo David Walbank.
Vintage Carriages Trust The trust owns and operates the Museum of Rail Travel at Ingrow near Keighley. You still here?
Transperience The ill-fated Transperience venture opened at Low Moor on 1st  July 1995. Photo's by Paul Holroyd of the VCT.
Entrances Doorways leading nowhere & some nice bricking up jobs.
Hatchet Man A brief history of the man & the reshaping of British railways.
Shipley & Saltaire Mark Neale's atmospheric Shipley & Saltaire page.
Huddersfield Goods Warehouse In 1885 the biggest warehouse in the country. Joint  L.N.W.R  L & Y. Click here for latest news article on the redevelopment plan.
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