West Riding train services in 1964 - a map

[marsker]

In the final few years of the line being open there were Newcastle to Liverpool services running via Northallerton-Ripon-Harrogate-Wetherby-Cross Gates. There are plenty of pictures of them around - hauled by Class 40s when they went to diesel, switching to Peaks (46s, I think) right near the end.

The route via Wetherby (both to Church Fenton and to Crass Gates closed at the beginning of January 1964. After that the through Newcastle - Liverpool trains ran via Arthington and reversed at Leeds. It was later that "Peaks" took over this service, in 1964 they were still worked by EE Type 4s. I travelled to Leeds on the Friday of the last week of the service and it was an EE Type 4 that day, although Peaks were also used by then.

As late as 1967 I was on one of the few trains that used the Penistone - Barnsley link, it was a summer Saturday Halifax to Bournemouth (I think) service hauled by a Peak. The previous night, I travelled the other way having connected at Penistone out of a Sheffield Victoria - Manchester service into a DMU at Penistone.

 

[YorksLad12]

Lovely job. I would suggest that the onward destination of Scarborough be attached to the right hand "fork" from York alongside Hull etc.

Ta - yes, I thought that as well after saving this version.

 

[30907]

Rotherham (and Sheff-Leeds-Moorthorpe): good questions. They definitely ran via Masboro in 1958; and Leeds, Rotherham C to Victoria.

Wakefield-Bradford: could have sworn those stations closed before 1964; Wikipedia agrees with me (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeds,_Bradford_and_Halifax_Junction_Railway).

Penistone-Barnsley: sounds as if the route south to Sheffield Midland didn't exist or wasn't used then.

I can find Vic-Rotherham C-York in 1964 (which you could add) but not -Leeds.

Wikipedia is referring to the Morley Top route, and says via Batley closed in Sept 64.

Penistone-Barnsley-Sheffield Midland is a 70s invention, replacing Penistone-(Victoria)-Nunnery-Midland; Barnsley-Sheffield Vic had closed.

Someone mentioned the London-Huddersfield service: the down train ran via Hare Park-Kirkgate (in 1964 detaching there, later at Doncaster), but the up train went Kirkgate-Westgate to attach to the Leeds portion.

 

[YorksLad12]

I can find Vic-Rotherham C-York in 1964 (which you could add) but not -Leeds.

Wikipedia is referring to the Morley Top route, and says via Batley closed in Sept 64.

Penistone-Barnsley-Sheffield Midland is a 70s invention, replacing Penistone-(Victoria)-Nunnery-Midland; Barnsley-Sheffield Vic had closed.

Someone mentioned the London-Huddersfield service: the down train ran via Hare Park-Kirkgate (in 1964 detaching there, later at Doncaster), but the up train went Kirkgate-Westgate to attach to the Leeds portion.

Yep. Am annoyed with myself for not double-checking but have now added Bradford-Batley-Westgate as an extension of the Wakefield Line. In olden times that route was called the Three Rivers Line; it certainly meanders across the page now...

Had a look on Timetable World, and it doesn't have anything from Penistone to Midland via Barnsley, so that section will go next revision. I think it was actually a mid-1980s invention; after Victoria closed trains had to reverse to reach Midland, so running via Barnsley (and doubling the service) was the price SYPTE had to pay to keep the service running.

Okay: version 0.9 attached. Am now going to rest my eyes for a few days before composing a write-up to go alongside it.

I re-added the Leeds-Bradford Line; then removed it again. The route from Exchange to Westgate via Batley is now in there. I think we agreed that there were no Penistone-Barnsley-Midland or Midland-Moorthorpe-Leeds services so those sections have gone. Lines around Skipton have been altered a bit. Harrogate-Wetherby is now a shuttle, as that's what it was in 1958. I've also gone through changing as many station names I could find to their 1964 versions, which is why it's looking a bit squished around Ferrybridge for Knottingley and Knottingley for Ferrybridge...

Once again, many thanks for your comments, contributions and corrections.

 

[Revaulx]

Services from Sheffield Victoria to Rotherham Central would surely have run via Woodburn Junction, and would have not gone anywhere near Attercliffe Road and Brightside?

 

[eastwestdivide]

Services from Sheffield Victoria to Rotherham Central would surely have run via Woodburn Junction, and would have not gone anywhere near Attercliffe Road and Brightside?

Yes, agreed. Likewise there was no loop going north off the Midland between Brightside and Rotherham Central - the Holmes Chord was built much later than that.
So the green line from Sheffield Victoria would need to turn north slightly further east, detaching it from Attercliffe/Brightside, and you'd need to lose the Midland loop through Rotherham Central and just keep Masborough.
Were there any services that crossed over at Aldwarke back then, either from GC to Mid or from Mid to GC?

Also in the south, the GC running south towards Nottingham and Sheffield was only closed in 1966. Worth an onwards white arrow turning south after Woodhouse?

 

[Ploughman]

Where is the Queensbury triangle?

 

[JRT]

Where is the Queensbury triangle?

The Queensbury lines closed to passengers in 1955.

 

[unslet]

Sorry to be pedantic. Middlesbrough is spelled incorrectly.

 

[YorksLad12]

Services from Sheffield Victoria to Rotherham Central would surely have run via Woodburn Junction, and would have not gone anywhere near Attercliffe Road and Brightside?

Yes, agreed. Likewise there was no loop going north off the Midland between Brightside and Rotherham Central - the Holmes Chord was built much later than that.
So the green line from Sheffield Victoria would need to turn north slightly further east, detaching it from Attercliffe/Brightside, and you'd need to lose the Midland loop through Rotherham Central and just keep Masborough.
Were there any services that crossed over at Aldwarke back then, either from GC to Mid or from Mid to GC?

Also in the south, the GC running south towards Nottingham and Sheffield was only closed in 1966. Worth an onwards white arrow turning south after Woodhouse?

Ach. Of course they did, it's basically the present Supertram route isn't it? The Rotherham thing is because I'm an idiot, and didn't remove the Masboro' Loop when I pulled out the Wakefield Line via Moorthorpe. I need to delete that and put Masboro' and Parkgate stations on the straight line.

Sorry to be pedantic. Middlesbrough is spelled incorrectly.

It's not pedantic when I'm clearly wrong

 

[yorkie]

Excellent looking map.

Very good. Wasn't there still an occasional Kings X - Huddersfield via Westgate express still floating around in 1964? Or as an 'intercity' is it assumed out of scope?

The current WY Metro maps don't show the service patterns of longer distance services as separate lines, so I'd argue it wouldn't be consistent to include any such services, which would just clutter the map, in my opinion. I think they are best omitted.

(just alerting @yorksrob to this thread !)

 

[YorksLad12]

So the green line from Sheffield Victoria would need to turn north slightly further east, detaching it from Attercliffe/Brightside, and you'd need to lose the Midland loop through Rotherham Central and just keep Masborough.
Were there any services that crossed over at Aldwarke back then, either from GC to Mid or from Mid to GC?

Having writ what I wrote earlier: on the Timetable World site, the 1964 North Eastern Region timetable has a Newcastle-Bournmouth service which comes down from York via Baghill and Moorthorpe, then across to Rotherham Central to Sheffield Victoria. Just the one regular service that I've spotted (so far).

 

[Bevan Price]

Yes, agreed. Likewise there was no loop going north off the Midland between Brightside and Rotherham Central - the Holmes Chord was built much later than that.
So the green line from Sheffield Victoria would need to turn north slightly further east, detaching it from Attercliffe/Brightside, and you'd need to lose the Midland loop through Rotherham Central and just keep Masborough.
Were there any services that crossed over at Aldwarke back then, either from GC to Mid or from Mid to GC?

Also in the south, the GC running south towards Nottingham and Sheffield was only closed in 1966. Worth an onwards white arrow turning south after Woodhouse?

The Aldwarke connections were built in 1965. Prior to that, trains from Sheffield Victoria to York ran via Swinton Central and the curves to Dearne Jn (near Bolton On Dearne). Also, it was only from / after 1965 that there were booked services from Sheffield Midland to Doncaster.

 

[JRT]

As late as 1967 I was on one of the few trains that used the Penistone - Barnsley link, it was a summer Saturday Halifax to Bournemouth (I think) service hauled by a Peak. The previous night, I travelled the other way having connected at Penistone out of a Sheffield Victoria - Manchester service into a DMU at Penistone.

According to the 1964 timetable (link elsewhere on this thread), the summer Saturday Bradford Exchange to Bournemouth train ran via Halifax, Huddersfield, Penistone (direct) Sheffield Victoria and the Great Central route via Nottingham Victoria and Rugby.
The Great Central route was being wound down for closure around 1967, so I’m assuming the route had changed by 1967 to run via Sheffield Midland, hence the diversion via Barnsley.
The train was still running in the 1980s, the only regular passenger train at the time to run on the Halifax–Huddersfield and Penistone–Barnsley lines.

 

[30907]

According to the 1964 timetable (link elsewhere on this thread), the summer Saturday Bradford Exchange to Bournemouth train
...
The train was still running in the 1980s, the only regular passenger train at the time to run on the Halifax–Huddersfield and Penistone–Barnsley lines.

PSUL for 1980-81 confirms my memory that the train had been altered to reverse at Huddersfield and run via Horbury-Crigglestone (not sure what year this happened).

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Laisterdyke to Ardsley via Morley Top was officially closed to passengers from 5th July 1966 according to various sources, even though the local service ended in 1961. I think the Bradford portions of King's Cross expresses ( attached / detached to the Leeds portion at Wakefield Westgate) continued on this route for a while, but I thought by 1966 they had been diverted via the Wortley Curve? Perhaps there was a 'parliamentary' until the closure procedures could be enacted? At the very end of steam-haulage in 1967 the Bradford portions were attached / detached in Leeds (Central first and then City). Interestingly in 1964 one of the Bradford portions ran via the Dewsbury Loop giving Batley, Dewsbury Central and Ossett a direct service to London!

 

[Sprinter107]

Absolutely brilliant. Really interesting. Be good to see other areas given the same treatment. I shall refer to your map when reading books or historical articles about railways in West Yorkshire.

 

[YorksLad12]

The Aldwarke connections were built in 1965. Prior to that, trains from Sheffield Victoria to York ran via Swinton Central and the curves to Dearne Jn (near Bolton On Dearne). Also, it was only from / after 1965 that there were booked services from Sheffield Midland to Doncaster.

Okay, now I'm confused. I thought we had services running:

• Victoria - Rotherham Central - Kilnhurst Central - Mexborough - Conisborough - Doncaster
• Midland - Rotherham Masborough - Kilnhurst West - Swinton Town and on to Leeds via Normanton
• (Bournmouth-Oxford-)Victoria - Rotherham Central - Bolton-on-Dearne - Moorthorpe and on to York

Swinton Central is/was between Kilnhurst Central and Mexborough (and closed in 1958). Is there a disused curve I can't see on Google or did they reverse at Mexborough to head up to Bolton-on-Dearne?

 

[Western Sunset]

I know you've explained your reasoning, but I'd still prefer to see Leeds Central and City as distinct stations. Maybe straighten the Wakefield Westgate to Donny line too.

 

[YorksLad12]

Absolutely brilliant. Really interesting. Be good to see other areas given the same treatment. I shall refer to your map when reading books or historical articles about railways in West Yorkshire.

I'd wait until version 1 - probably once we get the Rotherham question sorted.

I know you've explained your reasoning, but I'd still prefer to see Leeds Central and City as distinct stations. Maybe straighten the Wakefield Westgate to Donny line too.

So would I. I drew them out on paper, but I've adapted the MetroTrain diagram which has the lines in the order in which they leave Leeds, apart from the Woodlesford routes. If you correctly put Leeds Central slightly north-west of Leeds City you'd have the routes from Bradford Exchange and Wakefield Westgate swinging up across the Skipton and Huddersfield routes. And Harrogate services running to both.

That said: it' good practice should I ever get around to doing the map of all stations (opened and closed) in Yorkshire. That will be a single line colour and much thinner, so more space to play with.

The Westgate Wiggle has now gone but the other kinks in the Wakefield Line have to stay as I had to move Doncaster further north to fit in the stations that don't appear on Metro's (West Yorkshire locals) diagram. And there's not enough room to clearly have the route through Batley a horizontal line, especially once you give Dewsbury its old name back...

 

[Revaulx]

Leeds Central was by all accounts a dump and an operational nightmare. Had Beeching not happened and funds been available for railway investment in the 60s (or indeed earlier), it would have made sense to close it regardless and send its services into an expanded City (North); ideally on a new flyover across the Shipley line to avoid conflicts.

So not showing it separately can be seen as a representation of an ideal future

 

[Bevan Price]

Okay, now I'm confused. I thought we had services running:

• Victoria - Rotherham Central - Kilnhurst Central - Mexborough - Conisborough - Doncaster
• Midland - Rotherham Masborough - Kilnhurst West - Swinton Town and on to Leeds via Normanton
• (Bournmouth-Oxford-)Victoria - Rotherham Central - Bolton-on-Dearne - Moorthorpe and on to York

Swinton Central is/was between Kilnhurst Central and Mexborough (and closed in 1958). Is there a disused curve I can't see on Google or did they reverse at Mexborough to head up to Bolton-on-Dearne?

Just north of Swinton Central, there was a short (roughly south to west) curve onto the line from Mexborough towards Wath & Barnsley. After a short distance, there was a connection from Mexborough West Jn (nearly a mile long) heading roughly north to join the line from Rotherham Masborough to Pontefract & York, at Dearne Jn (just before Bolton On Dearne station.

See this map, using zoom controls if necessary:

Georeferenced Maps - Map images - National Library of Scotland

 

[Ken H]

You have missed Nidd Bridge and Turnham Green between Starbeck and Ripon.

Look in Timetable world for the 1961 Bradshaw. I find it easier than BR timetables. here's the link - https://timetableworld.com/ttw-viewer?token=dd061084-f40a-424e-99c5-e8b0d711ba93

 

[YorksLad12]

Just north of Swinton Central, there was a short (roughly south to west) curve onto the line from Mexborough towards Wath & Barnsley. After a short distance, there was a connection from Mexborough West Jn (nearly a mile long) heading roughly north to join the line from Rotherham Masborough to Pontefract & York, at Dearne Jn (just before Bolton On Dearne station.

See this map, using zoom controls if necessary:

Georeferenced Maps - Map images - National Library of Scotland

Ah! You can barely see the remains of that curve on Google - though it was the location of Mexborough Junction... I "just" need to curve an additional line in north of Swinton Town towards Rotherham Central then.

You have missed Nidd Bridge and Turnham Green between Starbeck and Ripon.

Look in Timetable world for the 1961 Bradshaw. I find it easier than BR timetables. here's the link - https://timetableworld.com/ttw-viewer?token=dd061084-f40a-424e-99c5-e8b0d711ba93

Nidd Bridge closed to passengers in 1962, as did Wormald Green.

 

[Ken H]

Ah! You can barely see the remains of that curve on Google - though it was the location of Mexborough Junction... I "just" need to curve an additional line in north of Swinton Town towards Rotherham Central then.


Nidd Bridge closed to passengers in 1962, as did Wormald Green.

Ah, thanks (Re nidd bridge)

 

[mailbyrail]

Congratulations on building the map. Trying to workout complex services which cross through different timetables has always fascinated me.

One shown on your map that I don't understand though is the line from Knottingley to Goole which you extend to Selby and then on to Hull.
I always understood the service from Knottingley terminated at Goole. The self contained service from Goole to Selby left Goole in the Knottingley direction and did not continue towards Hull- it closed 15 June 1964.

 

[YorksLad12]

Congratulations on building the map. Trying to workout complex services which cross through different timetables has always fascinated me.

One shown on your map that I don't understand though is the line from Knottingley to Goole which you extend to Selby and then on to Hull.
I always understood the service from Knottingley terminated at Goole. The self contained service from Goole to Selby left Goole in the Knottingley direction and did not continue towards Hull- it closed 15 June 1964.

Looking at the 1961 Bradshaw on Timetable World, I fear you are correct. There will now follow a philosophical discussion in my mind But I think it's reasonable to delete the Pontefract Line section between Selby and Hull (on the basis of it not being a through route); and, perhaps, showing Goole-Selby as a branch for the same reason. The Clayton West branch on the Penistone Line ran through services, but I don't think services from Bradford Exchange ran through to Doncaster via Wakefield so that would need altering as well. Same with the Harrogate-Wetherby shuttle. Version 0.14 to follow.

 

[Grumpy]

At that time some of the Leeds-Doncaster stoppers ran via Kirkgate

 

[YorksLad12]

At that time some of the Leeds-Doncaster stoppers ran via Kirkgate

Hm. Shush. Oh... alright, I'll look at that

Just to irritate me, the 1961 Bradshaw and 1964 NE Region timetables show trains running between Pontefract Monkhill and Pontefract Baghill. They both also show trains from Woodlesford to Cutsyke, and Stanley to Central - the wrong way around for me! Aargh!

 

[eastwestdivide]

Keep up the good work!
It would be interesting, but perhaps not essential, to use dashed (or hollow) lines for those segments where the service wasn't very frequent, even by the standards of the day...