The Manchester & Leeds Railway

[rogerfarnworth]

An article in the Railway Magazine in December 1905 prompted a look at the Manchester and Leeds Railway. For a number of years my parents lived in sheltered housing in Mirfield which is on the line. Looking at the line as it appeared in 1905 and again in the 21st century seemed a worthwhile exercise! Part 1 of this short series provides a short history of the line and takes us from Manchester to Sowerby Bridge.

The Manchester and Leeds Railway – The Railway Magazine, December 1905 – Part 1

An article in the Railway Magazine in December 1905 prompted a look at the Manchester and Leeds Railway. For a number of years my parents lived in sheltered housing in Mirfield which is on the line…

rogerfarnworth.com

 

[D6130]

An interesting article. I live close to the line when in the UK. I think George Stephenson would be spinning in his grave if he could see the state of degradation that his magnificent structures have been allowed to fall into by Railtrack and their successors. The mortar of a strong Gritstone viaduct makes a fine breeding ground for young birch trees....let alone Buddleia.

 

[Whisky Papa]

I moved to the Calder Valley in late 1984, and it is certainly a more challenging landscape to put a railway through than the flat SW quadrant of Manchester I grew up in. It's easy to take the landscape for granted, but I honestly think the line through the Upper Calder Valley, the extension up to Halifax and the Copy Pit line have a unique charm that is often overlooked.

Incidentally, in the 1905 OS map accompanying the pictures of Gauxholme viaduct, some readers may be puzzled by the term 'picker works' alongside the canal. Pickers are ancillary parts of a weaving loom; the shuttle crashes into them at each end of its run, so they require replacement periodically. I was once told that Todmorden was the largest producer of them in the UK at one time - one of the many local industries to gradually fade away.

However, the presence of the railway has made the area a realistic commute to Manchester, Leeds (and occasionally beyond) and it has adapted well to a post-industrial landscape rather than becoming a backwater.

 

[rogerfarnworth]

It is a delightful area of the world!

This second article in a short series looks at that eastern end of the line. ...

The Manchester and Leeds Railway – The Railway Magazine, December 1905 – Part 2

This is the second part of a short series about the Manchester and Leeds Railway. The first part can be found here. [66] We re-commence our journey at Sowerby Bridge Railway Station. …. Sower…

rogerfarnworth.com