The Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway was an independent railway company that built a line between Wakefield and a junction close to Leeds, in Yorkshire, England. It opened its main line in 1857, and was worked by the Great Northern Railway. The line shortened the GNR route to Leeds.
The Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway system in 1857
The BW&LR later built a branch line from near Wakefield to Batley, opening in stages to 1863. In that year it changed its name to the West Yorkshire Railway, and planned a branch line from Lofthouse to Methley, forming an eastwards link to other companies' lines. It agreed to make the line jointly with the North Eastern Railway and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, and the branch line became the Methley Joint Railway, opening in 1865. In that year the West Yorkshire Railway (former BW&LR) was absorbed by the Great Northern Railway.
The original main line is part of the present-day electrically operated Doncaster to Leeds main line.
Origins
At the conclusion of a Parliamentary struggle, the Great Northern Railway was authorised in 1846 to build a railway line from London to York. York was already reached from London by linked railways in the group controlled by George Hudson, the so-called Railway King. His business methods were tough and effective, but they were also underhand and dishonest, and eventually he was found out and disgraced.
The Great Northern Railway promoters had wanted branches to Sheffield and Leeds, but these were cut out of the authorisation in Parliament. Leeds was an important commercial centre, and the GNR had to take alternative steps to reach it. For a time the only possibility was over the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway from Askern Junction (north of Doncaster) to Knottingley and Methley, and from there over the Midland Railway to Gelderd Junction, immediately outside the Leeds Central station. GNR trains making that journey finally reached the station by reversing over a short length of the Leeds and Thirsk Railway. The first GNR trains reached Leeds by this route on 1 October 1849. The Midland Railway was firmly under the control of George Hudson and was therefore hostile to the GNR, but Hudson was at the final stage of his powers and his initial antagonism became ineffective.[1]
On 1 August 1854, the Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway opened its line between Leeds and Bowling, near Bradford. Great Northern Railway trains ran over it, reaching Halifax over the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. For the first time a direct communication from Halifax to London without break of journey was created. Although the LB&HJR was independent, the beginnings of a Great Northern Railway network in West Yorkshire were visible.[2]
Authorisation
Nevertheless, there were still some significant gaps in the railway system, and another independent company, the Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway secured its authorising Act on 10 July 1854. Authorised share capital was £180,000.[3][4]
It was to be built from the Wakefield station of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, via Ardsley, to Wortley Junction on the LB&HJR, near Leeds. Wortley Junction was to be formed as a triangular junction, enabling direct running from Wakefield towards Bradford and Halifax.[5]
The originating point was Ings Road Junction, immediately west of the Wakefield station of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, later Wakefield Kirkgate station. The line was double track and stations were at Wakefield (Westgate), Lofthouse, and Ardsley.[6]
Opening and train services
The new line was opened on 5 October 1857,[4] following a ceremonial opening on 3 October;[6] it was worked by the Great Northern Railway which already worked the majority of trains on the Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction line.[5]
GNR trains could already run from the south to Wakefield over the L&YR. The opening of the BW&LR gave the GNR direct access to Leeds without running over the rival Midland Railway, and without the necessity to reverse direction on the approach to Leeds itself. This was a very considerable advantage for the GNR, and from 12 November 1857 the company transferred most of its long-distance trains on to the route.[6]
Friction with the GNR; and possible amalgamation
From November 1857 the GNR complained about poor permanent way conditions between Wakefield and Leeds, and threatened to transfer its traffic back to the Methley route of the Midland Railway. In October the Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway gave notice that from 1 January 1858 it would appoint its own station staff. The GNR abruptly withdrew its engines and coal wagons, in effect ceasing to work the line. The BW&LR hurriedly had to acquire engines and wagons of its own. For a few months it hired wagons from the GNR.
In 1859 there was a proposal that the Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway and the BW&LR should amalgamate, but the idea came to nothing. In fact both lines were dependent on the Great Northern Railway for the majority of their income.
Branch line to Ossett, and Batley
The BW&LR obtained an Act on 23 July 1860[4][7] for a branch to Ossett. It was single line, and left the main line at Wrenthorpe [south] junction, just north of Wakefield. It ran as far as Roundwood colliery, carrying mineral traffic from 6 January 1862. Soon after it was extended to a station named "Ossett", in fact at Flushdyke, opening on 7 April 1862, but minerals had been carried between Roundwood Colliery sidings and Wrenthorpe since 6 January.[7][8]
Captain Rich of the Board of Trade inspected the new line on 12 March 1864 and found it satisfactory, and the remainder of the line to Ossett was opened for traffic on 2 April 1864. It was a single line, 65 chains long, and there was a viaduct with three brick arches of 30 feet span. A new platform at a higher level was provided at Flushdyke, although to reach it passengers had to cross the rails of the earlier line.[7][8]
The BW&LR had obtained an Act on 17 May 1861 to further extend the line to Batley, a distance of 3 miles 55 chains. The new line was to make a junction with the LB&HJR line at Batley.[note 1] The works were considerable, including two tunnels: Chickenley Heath (47 yd) and Shaw Cross (209 yd). The single line route opened on 15 December 1864. The combined branches formed a third route between Wakefield and Bradford.[8][9][4]
Change of name
In the 1863 session of Parliament the BW&LR sought powers to change its name to the West Yorkshire Railway, and this was sanctioned by an Act of 21 July 1863.[9][4]
Also in the 1863 session of Parliament the BW&LR sought powers for a branch to Methley, and this too was sanctioned by the Act of 21 July 1863, giving running powers over the North Eastern Railway from Methley to Castleford.[9][4] The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and the North Eastern Railway had opposed this line, but they had acquiesced on the promise of its being made joint with them. This was ratified by an Act of 23 June 1864, and the line became known as the Methley joint line, or the Methley Joint Railway.[4][9]
The railway diverged from the West Yorkshire Railway at Lofthouse North junction, and joined the North Eastern Railway at Methley Joint Line junction; there was a spur at Methley connecting to the L&YR. The line opened in August 1865 for goods traffic, but passenger working was delayed until 1 June 1869.[10][11] The south curve at Lofthouse was brought into use on 1 May 1876.[12]
Amalgamation with the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway lines in West Yorkshire in 1921
The West Yorkshire Railway, together with the Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway, had become dominated by the Great Northern Railway, which operated their trains, and the occasional talk of absorption by the GNR became serious. In the face of strenuous L&YR opposition, the West Yorkshire Railway (former BW&LR) as well as the LB&HJR passed into GNR possession. The GNR took over working of the WYR on 1 January 1865, ratified by an Act of 5 July; the one third share of the Methley Joint line became GNR property from 5 September. The WYR shareholders were guaranteed a minimum dividend of 6%.[13][4]
On 1 February 1866 the West Riding and Grimsby Railway was opened, jointly owned by the Great Northern Railway and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. Part of the line formed a direct link between Doncaster and Wakefield, leading on to the former BW&LR line. At last the GNR had a direct route under its own control from Doncaster to Leeds.[14][15]
Ossett to Batley via Dewsbury
The West Yorkshire Railway network had become an integral part of the Great Northern Railway system in the area.
Batley LNWR and GN station; the GNR trains used the right-hand island platform.
The Ossett and Batley line passed Dewsbury by, and the GNR decided to make a new line connecting Dewsbury into the system. An Act of 24 July 1871 authorised this. Work started on 9 April 1872; the project included doubling the line from Wrenthorpe junction to Ossett; this was completed to Runtlings Lane junction by August 1873. A new north curve was made at Wrenthorpe, opened to goods trains from March 1875 and passenger trains from 1 May 1876. The new line was 2miles 1chain (2.01miles, 3.24km) in length to a temporary Dewsbury terminus station. Goods traffic to Dewsbury began on 1 May 1874 and passenger trains on 9 September, when a service of 14 trains each way on weekdays and five each way on Sundays was put on between Wakefield and Dewsbury. On 1 May 1876 six trains each way on weekdays and three on Sundays began between Leeds and Dewsbury via the new Wrenthorpe curve, increased to eight each way on weekdays in June.[16]
A collapse in the financial markets caused the GNR to defer proceeding to Batley, and the parliamentary powers to do so lapsed; they were authorised once again by an Act of 12 July 1877.[17] An agreement was made with the London and North Western Railway to rebuild Batley station: the new station had two island platforms, the GNR using the two faces on the east side. A permanent station with an island platform was provided at Dewsbury. The new double-track line was 1mile 74chains (1.93miles, 3.10km) in length, from a new Dewsbury junction on the Ossett-Dewsbury line, leaving the temporary Dewsbury terminus station at the end of a 31 chains (620m) branch, thereafter used only for goods and minerals. General traffic began on the new line on 12 April 1880; most of the trains which had used the old West Yorkshire single line between Ossett and Batley were diverted via Dewsbury. The old line was now referred to as the Chickenley Heath branch.[18]
A railmotor operated a shuttle service between Ossett and Chickenley Heath, but a parallel tram service killed that off: it closed on 1 July 1909.[19][20]
Headfield spur
A connecting line was built at Dewsbury from Dewsbury Goods junction (formerly Dewsbury junction) to Headfield junction on the L&YR. There was a fourteen span viaduct in its 49 chain length. Goods traffic began in 1887; the curve was sanctioned by the Board of Trade for passenger operation in October 1887, but no regular service was run until 1893, when a joint GNR/L&YR Leeds-Pudsey-Cleckheaton-Batley-Leeds circular service was introduced.[21][17]
Post-nationalisation closures
The passenger service from Wakefield to Dewsbury (and on to Drighlington) closed from 8 September 1964. The entire line from Adwalton through Batley to Wrenthorpe Junctions, near Wakefield, closed on 15 February 1965, except for the section from Roundwood Colliery (near Flushdyke) to Wrenthorpe North Junction, which closed on 31 October 1965.[20]
Electrification
In the 1980s a major project of electrification was implemented on the East Coast Main Line and associated routes. The Doncaster to Leeds line was included, and the first electric train ran from Doncaster to Leeds in August 1988.[22]
Present day
The original main line of the BW&LR continues in use as part of the trunk electrified Doncaster to Leeds line. The short section between Wakefield Kirkgate and Wakefield Westgate has not been electrified, but carries an approximately hourly passenger service between Knottingley and Leeds. The Ossett and Batley line, and the Methley joint line, are closed.
Location list
First main line
Wakefield Kirkgate; opened 5 October 1840; still open;
Ings Road Junction;
Wakefield South Junction;
Wakefield Westgate; opened 5 October 1857; relocated north 1 May 1867; still open;
Osset Branch Junction or Wrenthorpe South Junction;
Wrenthorpe North Junction;
Lofthouse South Junction;
Lofthouse; opened October 1858; renamed Lofthouse & Outwood 1865; closed 13 June 1960;
Outwood; opened 12 July 1988; still open;
Lofthouse North Junction;
Ardsley; opened 5 October 1857; closed 2 November 1964.
Ardsley Junction;
Beeston South Junction;
Beeston; opened February 1860; closed 2 March 1953;
↑ Wrottesley says that the line had its own station at Batley, just south of the junction with the LB&HJR. In fact the Ossett line had its own platforms, forming an extension to the existing station.
Related Research Articles
The Great Northern Railway (GNR) was a British railway company incorporated in 1846 with the object of building a line from London to York. It quickly saw that seizing control of territory was key to development, and it acquired, or took leases of, many local railways, whether actually built or not. In so doing, it overextended itself financially.
Tingley is a suburban village in the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, Northern England, forming part of the parish of West Ardsley. Tingley forms part of the Heavy Woollen District. It is situated between the cities of Leeds and Wakefield.
The Hallam Line is a railway connecting Leeds and Sheffield via Castleford in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. It is a slower route from Leeds to Sheffield than the Wakefield line. Services on this line are operated by Northern Trains. Services from Leeds to Nottingham also use the line.
The Wakefield line is a railway line and service in the West Yorkshire Metro and South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive areas of northern England. The Wakefield line is coloured yellow on maps and publications by West Yorkshire Metro. The line was electrified in 1989, between Leeds & Wakefield Westgate, as part of the programme to electrify the East Coast Main Line.
The Pontefract line is one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. The service is operated by Northern, and links Wakefield and Leeds with Goole via Pontefract. The Metro timetable for the line also includes services operated as the Dearne Valley line between York and Sheffield via Pontefract.
Knottingley railway station serves the town of Knottingley in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the Pontefract Line, operated by Northern, and is 16 miles (26 km) south east of Leeds railway station.
Batley railway station serves the market town of Batley in West Yorkshire, England. Situated 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Leeds on the main line to Huddersfield and Manchester, the station was opened by the London and North Western Railway in 1848.
The West Riding and Grimsby Railway was a railway company that promoted a line between Wakefield and Doncaster, in Yorkshire, England. There was also a branch line connection from Adwick le Street to Stainforth, which gave access towards Grimsby. The company was promoted independently, but it was sponsored by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway and the Great Northern Railway, and became jointly owned by them.
Ardsley railway station was situated on the Great Northern Railway between Tingley and Lofthouse and Outwood on the main line and west of Stanley on the LNER & LMS Methley Joint Railway. It was built to serve the village of East Ardsley near Wakefield in the English county of West Yorkshire.
Lofthouse and Outwood railway station served the Outwood area of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It was opened by the Methley Joint Railway in 1869, 1876 and closed in 1957. Here the line from Lofthouse Junction on the line between Cutsyke and Methley of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway joined the GNR line between Leeds and Wakefield in a triangular junction, of which the station formed the southern corner. It was situated south of Outwood railway station which was opened in 1988 and south of the bridge of Lingwell Gate Lane.
The Pudsey loop was a railway line in the former West Riding of Yorkshire, England, which served the town of Pudsey and later offered a second connection between Bramley in the east and Laisterdyke and Dudley Hill in the west, in addition to the existing line between Leeds and Bradford Exchange station.
The Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway (LB&HJR) was an English railway company. It built a line between Bradford and Leeds, and had running powers over the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway to Halifax. It opened its main line in 1854 and later built a number of branch lines.
Beeston railway station (West Yorkshire) was a railway station situated on the Great Northern Railway on the southern outskirts of Leeds, England.
The Methley Joint Railway was a short English railway line constructed by the Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway company, connecting its Leeds direction line with other companies' eastward routes to York, the north-east, and Goole. The line connected collieries along its route. The BW&LR changed its name to the West Yorkshire Railway at the same time. The line was double track, just over five miles in length, between junctions at Lofthouse and Methley.
Earlsheaton was a railway station serving Earlsheaton in West Yorkshire. The station was on the Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway. The station was opened in 1875 on the Great Northern's–– Dewsbury Loop. The line was extended to Batley by 1880.
The Lincolnshire lines of the Great Northern Railway are the railways, past and present, in the English county built or operated by the Great Northern Railway.
The East and West Yorkshire Union Railway was promoted in 1883 to connect the Hull and Barnsley Railway at Drax with Leeds. The company was unable to raise the money it needed to build the line, and it substantially reduced its scope to connecting collieries around Rothwell with the existing main line network nearby. This was successful, with trains running from 1890, but the company decided it would find a way to connect to Leeds and operate a much truncated passenger service, from Rothwell. It sponsored the South Leeds Junction Railway to make a connection from Rothwell to the Midland Railway at Stourton; the SLJR was soon re-absorbed by the E&WYUR. The passenger service started on 4 January 1904 but it was a disastrous failure, and it was soon withdrawn from 1 October 1904.
The Great Northern Railway developed an extensive network over time, having started in 1846 with the intention of connecting London and York, as well as other major Yorkshire towns. The Great Northern Railway in Yorkshire was a major part of that, although the GNR did not succeed in reaching York as it originally intended. By acquiring running powers it reached Leeds, Bradford and Halifax over other companies' lines, as well as Barnsley Sheffield and Grimsby, and then York too. After acquiring local companies it developed a network, chiefly in West Yorkshire. Later it built lines north and west of Bradford into hilly terrain, and these were very expensive to build, and never repaid the initial cost.
Woodkirk railway station was a Great Northern Railway (GNR) station on the Batley to Beeston line, which connected Batley to Leeds Central, in West Yorkshire, England. The station opened in July 1890 and was closed in September 1939 to passengers, but the line stayed open until 1964. The station was 1.75 miles (2.82 km) north of Batley railway station, and 6.75 miles (10.86 km) south of Leeds Central railway station.
References
↑ Martin Bairstow, The Great Northern Railway in West Yorkshire, Wyvern Publications, Skipton,1982, ISBN0 907941 03 6, page 4
↑ Charles H Grinling, History of the Great Northern Railway, 1845 – 1895, Methuen and Co, London, 1898, page 140
↑ John Wrottesley, The Great Northern Railway: volume I: Origins and Development, B T Batsford Limited, London, 1979, ISBN0 7134 1590 8, page 97
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ernest F Carter, An Historical Geography of the Railways of the British Isles, Cassell, London, 1959, page 257
1 2 Donald J Grant, Directory of the Railway Companies of Great Britain, Matador Publishers, Kibworth Beauchamp, 2017, ISBN978 1785893 537, pages 63 and 64
↑ H C Casserley, Britain's Joint Lines, Ian Allan, Shepperton, 1968, ISBN0 7110 0024 7, page 156
↑ John Wrottesley, The Great Northern Railway: volume II: Expansion and Competition, B T Batsford Limited, London, 1979, ISBN0 7134 1592 4, pages 21 and 22
↑ Don Heath, contribution to ECML: Electrification as it used to be, Rail Engineer (periodical), 27 November 2017
1 2 3 Col M H Cobb, The Railways of Great Britain: A Historical Atlas, Ian Allan Limited, Shepperton, 2002
1 2 3 Michael Quick, Railway Passenger Stations in England, Scotland and Wales: A Chronology, the Railway and Canal Historical Society, Richmond, Surrey, 2002
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
