• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Middlestown station

Status
Not open for further replies.
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Senex

Established Member
Joined
1 Apr 2014
Messages
2,752
Location
York
Does anyone have any information on this station that was situated between Huddersfield and Wakefield. and what services, passengers and goods, may have used it ?
Middlestown for Horbury and Crigglestone (East) stations were built for all traffic as part of the Bradford Through Lines project (which never got beyond Thornhill Junction / Dewsbury Savile Town). Both were opened for goods traffic along with Dewsbury ST on 1 March 1906. Neither was ever opened for passenger traffic. Middlestown was closed for goods traffic (i.e. closed completely) on 29 March 1937.
 

55z

Member
Joined
21 Nov 2014
Messages
183
The Royston Jn to Dewsbury Saville Town and Thornhill Midland Jn (for Huddersfield) opened Royston Jn to Criggleston for goods 3rd July 1905 and through to Saville Town 1st March 1906, The section from Middlestown Jn to Midland Jn opened 10 November 1905. Middlestown Jn to Saville Town closed all traffic 18th Decmber 1950. There was a passenger service not sure what at various times. but the whole lot was closed 4th May 1968. Latterly there was the Bradford/Halifax/Huddersfield to London service although I think this finished before 1968.
 

61653 HTAFC

Veteran Member
Joined
18 Dec 2012
Messages
17,624
Location
Another planet...
Was this on the current line via Healey Mills, or the high level White Elephant line which ran on the high, red brick viaducts over Horbury Bridge and Calder Grove?
 

Senex

Established Member
Joined
1 Apr 2014
Messages
2,752
Location
York
Was this on the current line via Healey Mills, or the high level White Elephant line which ran on the high, red brick viaducts over Horbury Bridge and Calder Grove?
I referred earlier to the Bradford Through Lines project, perhaps better known as the Midland Railway's West Riding Lines scheme. This was a plan of the latter part of the 1890s to built a new line from Royston Jn on the company's North Midland line through Dewsbury and through Bradford to provide an 11-mile shorter route from the south to Bradford and a 5-mile shorter route to Scotland. For various reasons this scheme was never carried out in full, but the part that was done according to the original plans was the section of line from Royston Jn north-westwards through Crigglestone (later East) and Middlestown to the point of crossing above the L&Y main line just by the L&Y's west junction for Dewsbury. From this point the line should have gone on, but a change of plans meant that it dropped sharply down to Dewsbury Savile Town goods station. A connection was built at Thornhill from a burrowing junction on the new Midland line to the L&Y main line, and this later allowed the through trains to Bradford to be run over the L&Y lines. So a white elephant? In economic terms almost certainly. But if it had been finished promptly when first planned, maybe not -- and Bradford would have had its north/south link.
 

61653 HTAFC

Veteran Member
Joined
18 Dec 2012
Messages
17,624
Location
Another planet...
I referred earlier to the Bradford Through Lines project, perhaps better known as the Midland Railway's West Riding Lines scheme. This was a plan of the latter part of the 1890s to built a new line from Royston Jn on the company's North Midland line through Dewsbury and through Bradford to provide an 11-mile shorter route from the south to Bradford and a 5-mile shorter route to Scotland. For various reasons this scheme was never carried out in full, but the part that was done according to the original plans was the section of line from Royston Jn north-westwards through Crigglestone (later East) and Middlestown to the point of crossing above the L&Y main line just by the L&Y's west junction for Dewsbury. From this point the line should have gone on, but a change of plans meant that it dropped sharply down to Dewsbury Savile Town goods station. A connection was built at Thornhill from a burrowing junction on the new Midland line to the L&Y main line, and this later allowed the through trains to Bradford to be run over the L&Y lines. So a white elephant? In economic terms almost certainly. But if it had been finished promptly when first planned, maybe not -- and Bradford would have had its north/south link.

Thanks for the detailed answer (and thanks to Paul for notifying me of said answer).

My use of the term "white elephant" was admittedly facetious, but I was referring to both the relatively short time the route was in use, and the resulting under-use of the line due to the original plans being curtailed. Those red brick viaducts are quite substantial and have stood the test of time, sadly they've not been used by trains for a long time, not least because they ended up linking nowhere to nowhere!
 

plarailfan

Member
Joined
6 Feb 2013
Messages
172
Location
56D
Middlestown station never had regular, scheduled services, although it was apparently used by a few excursion trains.
I'm pretty sure there that I saw an internet photo (which I can't locate at the mo) depicting two platforms and no buildings.
 

bramling

Veteran Member
Joined
5 Mar 2012
Messages
17,685
Location
Hertfordshire / Teesdale
Middlestown station never had regular, scheduled services, although it was apparently used by a few excursion trains.
I'm pretty sure there that I saw an internet photo (which I can't locate at the mo) depicting two platforms and no buildings.

old-maps.co.uk does appear to show platforms at both locations, although not marked as such, which is what we'd expect to see with the stations not having opened as such.

There appear to be a couple of documents at the Public Record Office in Kew referring to both locations, although I suspect this will refer more towards the goods usage.

Thanks to Paul for starting this rather interesting thread. I had completely missed the existence of these two stations, despite having visited and photographed the two viaducts and tunnel. Two more places to visit some time!
 
Last edited:

mailbyrail

Member
Joined
23 Dec 2010
Messages
356
The NLS 25inch maps for 1919 and 1933 show the earthworks for the platforms and approach paths to the east of Netherton Lane crossing the road bridge close to Middlestown Goods station, exactly as seen on the aerial photos. Apart from the marking 'SP' to indicate Signal Post, there is no indication that the earthworks were used in any way. The goods station is entirely to the west of the road bridge. The 1907 map simply shows the area as Railway under construction although the slopes down from the road to the site of the railway are marked.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top