Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Goole Railway

Last updated

Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Goole Railway
Overview
StatusOperational
Termini
Website Official website
Service
Type Passenger rail
System Standard-gauge railway
Services
  • Horbury (Wakefield) to Barnsley section
  • Barnsley to Sheffield
History
Opened1846
Closed1858
Technical
Line length26 miles (as 1846)
Track length26 miles (as 1846)

The Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Goole Railway was an early British railway company. The company obtained an act in 1846 for 26 miles of railway, with a main section from Wakefield to Doncaster via Barnsley.

Contents

The section south of Barnsley became the property of the South Yorkshire, Doncaster & Goole Railway Company c. 1851, and the northern section was amalgamated into the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway c. 1858, after which the original company was dissolved.

History

The Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield, and Goole Railway (SRBWH&GR) applied to Parliament in the 1845/6 session for a railway line. The main line was to begin from junctions with the Sheffield and Rotherham Railway near Brightside and Kimberworth roughly halfway between Sheffield and Rotherham, past Ecclesfield and Tankersley to Barnsley, then past Darton to a junction with the Manchester and Leeds Railway east of Horbury. There were also proposed several branches and deviations of the main line, with junctions to several already established railways, including the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway near Brightside; the Huddersfield and Sheffield Junction Railway near Penistone; two junctions to the North Midland Railway near Cudworth and Carlton; and the Wakefield, Pontefract and Goole Railway near Featherstone. [n 1] The purpose of the railway was to serve the populous regions of West Yorkshire, and to transport minerals (coal) extracted in the Barnsley, Silkstone, and Chapeltown regions. [1]

The Act was originally supported by the Manchester and Leeds Railway (M&LR), who were to provide half the capital for the line, as well as work the railway for 40% of net profit; during the passage of the Bill through Parliament agreement was reached that a rival company, the South Yorkshire Coal Railway and Canal Company would take control of the line south of Barnsley, and the LYR the portion north, with each company having running powers over the Silkstone and Dodworth branches. The split in capital apportioned to the construction of the line was £450,000 for the northern part and £350,000 for the southern part. The M&LR withdrew from the capital subscription arrangements, and instead agreed to take a lease on the line. [1]

The company obtained an Act on 7 August 1846, [n 2] allowing a share capital of £800,000 and permitting raising money by loans of up to £266,000, [2] with railway of 27 miles (43 km) authorised, [3] of lines of total length 50 miles (80 km) submitted. [1]

Horbury (Wakefield) to Barnsley section

On 9 September 1846 the M&LR company shareholders agreed to lease, and potentially purchase the line, as permitted in the 1846 Act. [4]

The M&LR (after 1847 the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, L&YR) obtained the line, north of Barnsley (see also Barnsley railway station) running to Horbury Junction southwest of Wakefield. [5] The line was leased at 5% on £260,000 plus receipt of half the calculated net profits. [6]

As built the line was single track, excluding at the junction at the Horbury end, and was 8 miles 62 chains (14.1 km) in length; the line was declared fit for use on 26 December 1849, [7] and was handed to the L&YR on 31 December 1849. [8] The line was doubled by 1855. [9]

The merger of the section of the line leased to the Manchester and Leeds into that company was permitted by the Lancashire & Yorkshire and East Lancashire Railways Act 1858 (21 & 22 Vict. c. 143), with the Barnsley company shares converted into £260,050 of L&YR 'Barnsley stock', after which the SRBWG&GR was dissolved. [10] [n 3]

As part of the L&YR (and under the LMS) the line was known as the 'Barnsley branch', with the junction to L&YR (Manchester & Normanton Line) known as Horbury Junction. Around 1900 a chord was constructed at the northern end ("Horbury and Crigglestone loop"), creating a large triangle junction. Railway works were established at the junction c. 1870 (see Charles Roberts and Co.). [11]

As of 2006 the line is still extant and in use. [12]

Barnsley to Sheffield section

At a meeting held on 5 October 1846, it was recited that it had now been agreed to lease one portion of the line to the Manchester & Leeds Company and another portion to the South Yorkshire, Doncaster & Goole Railway Company (SYD&GR). [13] [1]

In the parliamentary session of 1846/7 the company sought permission to deviate and abandon parts of the line permitted by the 1846 Act, as well as allowing the lease or sale of the line south of Barnsley to the South Yorkshire, Doncaster and Goole Railway Company. [n 4] At the same time the SYD&GR was seeking an act to allow its incorporation, acquire the SRBWH&GR, make new lines, and acquire the River Dun Navigation and Dearne and Dove Canal. [2] [n 5] The Act enabling the takeover or lease of the railway was passed as the "South Yorkshire, Doncaster and Goole Railway Act, 1847", creating the named company with capital of £750,000 and power to raise money through loans up to £250,000. [n 6] [14]

In 1850 the company applied to make a deviation of, and abandon part of the original main line of 1846 between Ecclesfield and Silkstone, [n 7] passed in 1851. [n 8]

Notes

  1. ↑ "Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Goole Railway.", London Gazette (20533): 4177–4179
  2. ↑ Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield, and Goole Railway Act 1846 (9 & 10 Vict. c. 354); An Act for making certain Lines of Railway in the West Riding of York, to be called "The Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield, and Goole Railway."
  3. ↑ "Lancashire, and Yorkshire, and East Lancashire Railway Companies. (Amalgamation; Amendment of Acts; Abandonment of East Lancashire Branch to the Burscough and Southport Railway; Arrangements with Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield, and Goole Railway Company.)", London Gazette (22065): 3954–3955, 20 November 1857
  4. ↑ "Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield, and Goole Railway. (Partial alteration of Levels, and Abandonment Extension Lines, and Leasing or Sale of Lines.)", London Gazette (20668): 4791–4793, 19 November 1846
  5. ↑ "South Yorkshire, Doncaster, and Goole Railway between Penistone, Barnsley, Elsecar, Rotherham, and Doncaster.—Purchase of Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield, and Goole Railway, and of Dun Navigation, and Dearne and Dove Canal.", London Gazette (20662): 4142–4144
  6. ↑ South Yorkshire, Doncaster and Goole Railway Act 1847 (10 & 11 Vict. c. 291); An Act for making several Lines of Railway between Penistone, Barnsley, Elsecar, and Doncaster, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to be called "The South Yorkshire, Doncaster, and Goole Railway;" and for authorizing the Purchase of Part of the Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield, and Goole Railway, and of the Dun Navigation and Dearne and Dove Canal.
  7. ↑ "Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Goole Railway. (Deviation between Sheffield and Barnsley, and Amendment of Act.)", London Gazette (21155): 3073
  8. ↑ Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Goole Railway Deviation and Amendment Act 1851 (14 & 15 Vict. c. 46); An Act to authorize Deviations of the Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield, and Goole Railway between Sheffield and Barnsley; and to amend the Acts relating to the said Railway.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation</span> System of navigable inland waterways in South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, England

The Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation (S&SY) is a system of navigable inland waterways in South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)</span> British railway company, 1846 to 1922

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway</span> Pre-1923 grouping British Railway company

The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways. It was the third-largest railway system based in northern England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway</span> Former British railway company

The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was formed in 1847 when the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway joined with authorised but unbuilt railway companies, forming a proposed network from Manchester to Grimsby. It pursued a policy of expanding its area of influence, especially in reaching west to Liverpool, which it ultimately did through the medium of the Cheshire Lines Committee network in joint partnership with the Great Northern Railway and the Midland Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hallam Line</span> Railway line in Yorkshire, England

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penistone Line</span> Railway line between Huddersfield and Sheffield

The Penistone Line is operated by Northern Trains in the West Yorkshire Metro and Travel South Yorkshire areas of northern England. It connects Huddersfield and Sheffield via Penistone and Barnsley, serving many rural communities. Metrocards can be used for travel between Huddersfield and Denby Dale and intermediate stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wakefield line</span> Railway from Leeds to Sheffield

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dearne Valley line</span> Railway line in Yorkshire, England

The Dearne Valley line is the name given to a railway line in the north of England running from York to Sheffield via Pontefract Baghill and Moorthorpe. The route was built over several years and consists of lines built by several railway companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pontefract line</span> Leeds-Goole railway

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.

The Ashton, Stalybridge and Liverpool Junction Railway was opened in 1846 to connect the industrial town of Ashton-under-Lyne to the developing railway network, and in particular to the port of Liverpool. It was a short line, joining the Manchester and Leeds Railway at Miles Platting and the connection to Liverpool was over that line and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester and Leeds Railway</span> Former British railway company

The Manchester and Leeds Railway was a British railway company that built a line from Manchester to Normanton where it made a junction with the North Midland Railway, over which it relied on running powers to access Leeds. The line followed the valley of the River Calder for much of the way, making for easier gradients but by-passing many important manufacturing towns. Crossing the watershed between Lancashire and Yorkshire required a long tunnel. The line opened throughout in 1841.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnsley Interchange</span> Railway station in South Yorkshire, England

Barnsley Interchange is a combined rail and bus station in the centre of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. It was first opened in 1850 as Barnsley Exchange railway station and is 16 miles (26 km) north of Sheffield. It is on the Hallam and Penistone Lines, both operated by Northern Trains. On 20 May 2007, the new bus station and refurbished railway station were officially opened by Travel South Yorkshire, with the combined facility renamed to Barnsley Interchange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goole railway station</span> Railway station in East riding of Yorkshire, England

Goole railway station is a railway station in the port town of Goole on the Hull and Doncaster Branch in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.

The South Yorkshire Railway was a railway company with lines in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Riding and Grimsby Railway</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnsley Coal Railway</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Barnsley Coal Railway was a short railway which, when fully opened, ran between Stairfoot Junction, on the Mexborough to Barnsley line of the South Yorkshire Railway (SYR) and a triangular junction at Nostell on the line of the West Riding and Grimsby Railway (WR&GR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hull and Selby Railway</span> Railway line between Kingston upon Hull and Selby, England

The Hull and Selby Railway is a railway line between Kingston upon Hull and Selby in the United Kingdom which was authorised by an act of 1836 and opened in 1840. As built the line connected with the Leeds and Selby Railway at Selby, with a Hull terminus adjacent to the Humber Dock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horbury railway works</span> Former railway wagon works in West Yorkshire, England

Horbury, near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England was the site of two wagon works constructed during the Victorian period of industrialisation.

The Hull and Doncaster Branch is a secondary main railway line in England, connecting Kingston upon Hull to South Yorkshire and beyond via a branch from the Selby Line near Gilberdyke to a connection to the Doncaster–Barnetby line at a junction near Thorne 8 miles north-east of Doncaster.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Herapath 1846, pp. 1286–1287, No.383, 10 Oct 1846, Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Goole Railway
  2. 1 2 "REPORT of the Commissioners of Railways on certain Railway Bills comprised in Groups Nos. 31 and 32", House of Commons Papers, vol. 31, pp. 1–2, 31 May 1847
  3. ↑ Scrivenor 1849, pp. 531–532.
  4. ↑ Herapath 1846, p. 1182, No.379, 12 September 1846, Manchester and Leeds Railway.
  5. ↑ Broadbridge 2006, pp. 28–29.
  6. ↑ Scrivenor 1849, p. 351.
  7. ↑ Report of the Commissioners of railways, 1849, Appendix No. 48, p.78
  8. ↑ "Sheffield, Rotherham, and Goole", Railway Intelligence (2): 28, March 1850
  9. ↑ Broadbridge 2006, p. 34.
  10. ↑ "Lancashire and Yorkshire", Railway Intelligence, 10: 83, January 1859
  11. ↑ Ordnance Survey. Sheets 248SW, 262NW, 262SW, 274NW, 274NE
  12. ↑ Ordnance Survey 1:25000 2006
  13. ↑ RAIL 612.
  14. ↑ Scrivenor 1849, pp. 528–529.

Sources

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.