Pudsey Loop

Last updated May 03, 2019

The Pudsey Loop was a railway line in the former West Riding of Yorkshire, England, which served the town of Pudsey and offered a second connection between Bramley and Stanningley in the east and Laisterdyke and Dudley Hill in the west, in addition to the existing line between Leeds and Bradford.

The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding, was based closely on the historic boundaries. The lieutenancy at that time included the City of York and as such was named West Riding of the County of York and the County of the City of York.

Pudsey is a market town in West Yorkshire, England. Once independent, it was incorporated into the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in 1974. It is located midway between Bradford city centre and Leeds city centre. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it has a population of 22,408. It also lends its name and sits in the local Leeds City Council ward of Pudsey and Pudsey parliamentary constituency.

Bramley is a district in west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is part of the City of Leeds Ward of Bramley and Stanningley with a population of 21,334 at the 2011 Census. The area is an old industrial area with much 19th century architecture and 20th century council housing in the east and private suburban housing in the west.

Route

The line branched off the Leeds–Bradford Exchange line west of Bramley. Shortly after, a track from Stanningley joined the line in a trailing junction, effectively forming a triangular junction. Just after passing under Lowtown street, the first intermediate station in Pudsey Lowtown was reached. Crossing under Robin Lane, Radcliffe Lane, South Parade, and New Street, the line reached second intermediate station and former terminus Pudsey Greenside. The two stations were located at either end of Pudsey town.

Stanningley railway station, also called Stanningley for Farsley, is a closed railway station in Stanningley, Pudsey, West Yorkshire, England, located about 5 mi (8.0 km) west of Leeds station. It also served Farsley and Pudsey, the latter namely until the Pudsey Loop was built.

In railroad structures, and rail terminology, a wye or triangular junction is a triangular joining arrangement of three rail lines with a railroad switch at each corner connecting to each incoming line. A turning wye is a specific case.

Pudsey Lowtown railway station is a closed railway station in Pudsey, in the former West Riding of Yorkshire, located about 5 mi (8 km) west of Leeds station. It served the eastern parts of the town of Pudsey.

West of Pudsey Greenside station the line passed under Carlisle Road and through Greenside Tunnel, continued through a short cutting, passed under Smalewell Quarry track, then over Tyersal Beck on an almost straight embankment which was reported to be the largest of its kind in Europe,^[1] over Tyersal Lane, and under a farm track near Tyersal House. It joined the line from Ardswell and Gildersome to Laisterdyke at Cutlers Junction under the bridge of Arkwright Street, from where the tracks continued west to Laisterdyke on the Leeds–Bradford Exchange line and east to Shipley and Windhill on the Shipley and Windhill Line. Furthermore, a track connection existed south of Cutlers Junction between Tyersal Junction and Broad Lane Junction, forming another triangular junction.^[2]

Greenside Tunnel is a former railway tunnel in Pudsey, West Yorkshire, England.

Tyersal Beck is a watercourse in West Yorkshire, England, named after the village of Tyersal in whose vicinity it runs.

Laisterdyke railway station is a closed station in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.

History

The line was built by the Great Northern Railway. A single-track branch line between Stanningley and Pudsey Greenside opened to passengers on 1 April 1878.^[3] Freight traffic had already started in 1877.^[4] The remainder of the line from Pudsey Greenside through the 618 yd (565 m) long Greenside Tunnel^[4] to Cutlers Junction on the Ardsley to Laisterdyke line followed in 1893. At the same time an east-to-south curve near Bramley station was opened, thus completing the loop, which became a double-track through route. Upon the reorganisation of the British railways in 1921, it became part of the London and North Eastern Railway, and in 1949 part of the Eastern Region of British Railways.

The Great Northern Railway (GNR) was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity, as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway.

The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an Act of Parliament enacted by the British government and intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition and retain some of the benefits which the country had derived from a government-controlled railway during and after the Great War of 1914–1918. The provisions of the Act took effect from the start of 1923.

London and North Eastern Railway British “Big 4” railway company, active 1923–1947

The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At that time, it was divided into the new British Railways' Eastern Region, North Eastern Region, and partially the Scottish Region.

Both intermediate stations and the line in its entirety closed on 15 June 1964. Bramley, Stanningley and Laisterdyke stations closed in 1967, although Bramley was reopened in 1983.^[3]

Pudsey is now served by the station New Pudsey on the Calder Valley Line, opened on 6 March 1967 and located about 1 mi (1.6 km) from the town centre in Farsley.

New Pudsey railway station is in Farsley, West Yorkshire, England, on the Calder Valley line from Leeds to Bradford Interchange, Halifax, Huddersfield, Manchester Victoria, and Blackpool North. Lying 5.75 miles (9.25 km) west of Leeds, it serves as a commuter station for the western edge of the Leeds conurbation.

Farsley is a town in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England 6 miles (9 km) to the west of Leeds city centre, and 4 miles (6 km) east of Bradford. Farsley could be considered a commuter town as it is situated between the two cities. It was formerly in the municipal borough of nearby Pudsey and is part of the City of Leeds ward of Calverley and Farsley which also includes the estate of Swinnow and some northern parts of Pudsey.

Current situation

Any traces of the line between Bramley station and Mount Pleasant Road have been lost due to the construction of an industrial estate and of Stanningley Bypass. Sections of trackbed are preserved and can be walked between Mount Pleasant Road and Pudsey Lowtown and between the locations of the two Pudsey stations. The site of Pudsey Greenside station is occupied by warehouses.^[3]

Planning permission had been granted to fill in Greenside Tunnel and the neighbouring cutting, however, work has not been started yet.^[4] Tracks and ballast have been removed in the tunnel and along the whole line. Some bridges in the course of the embankment between Pudsey and Cutlers Junction have been removed, and the cutting below Arkwright Lane has been filled in.^[3]

Related Research Articles

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Shipley and Windhill railway station was a railway station in Shipley, West Yorkshire, England between 1875 and 1931.

Pudsey Beck is a watercourse in West Yorkshire, England which borders Fulneck (Leeds) and Tong Village (Bradford). It forms the southern and eastern boundary of the area of Pudsey town, after which it is named, and continues as Farnley Beck along the northern edge of Farnley.

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Pudsey Greenside railway station is a closed railway station in Pudsey in the former West Riding of Yorkshire England, located about 6 mi (10 km) west of Leeds station. It served the central part and western parts of Pudsey.

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References

↑ "7. The Greenside tunnel". West Leeds Country Park and green Gateways leaflet Phase 4. Woodhall Lake to Cockersdale (PDF). 13 January 2017.
↑ Sheet 96 - Leeds & Bradford. One-inch England and Wales, New Popular Edition. Ordnance Survey. 1945–1947.
1 2 3 4 "Pudsey Loop. 1893 - 1964. Great Northern Railway". Lost Railways West Yorkshire. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
1 2 3 "Greenside Tunnel". Four by Three. 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.

External links

Phill Davison. "Pudsey Greenside". Flickr.com. Retrieved 28 September 2016. - Photos of Greenside Tunnel and its surroundings

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[WestLeedsPhase4-1] "7. The Greenside tunnel". West Leeds Country Park and green Gateways leaflet Phase 4. Woodhall Lake to Cockersdale (PDF). 13 January 2017.

[OSmap96-2] Sheet 96 - Leeds & Bradford. One-inch England and Wales, New Popular Edition. Ordnance Survey. 1945–1947.

[lostrailwayspudsey-3] 1 2 3 4 "Pudsey Loop. 1893 - 1964. Great Northern Railway". Lost Railways West Yorkshire. Retrieved 27 September 2016.

[forgottenrelicspudsey-4] 1 2 3 "Greenside Tunnel". Four by Three. 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.