Lost Railways of South and West Yorkshire

Gordon Suggitt (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

160 Seiten

2007
Countryside Books (Verlag)
978-1-84674-043-5 (ISBN)

Artikel merken

This illustrated and meticulously researched book takes you back to the golden age of railways in Yorkshire. This was a time when gigantic viaducts were built to cross valleys and tunnels were cut through hills, as industry boomed and passengers flocked to the Yorkshire coastal resorts.

Using archive photography, maps and accounts from the time, the book brings to life the history of these railways, the reason for their construction and their closure.

Today's counties of South and West Yorkshire were among the first to witness the birth of the Railway Age. The need to link local mills, mines and quarries with their customers, both at home and overseas, soon led to a high density network.

The story began in 1755 when a Leeds estate owner, Charles Brandling, got permission to build a horse-drawn wooden wagon-way from the nearby coal mines at Middleton to the River Aire. In July 1840 the first steam rail route opened. This passed through Swinton, Cudworth and Normanton, the latter station later being dubbed 'The Crewe of the Coalfields'. Many more routes were to follow with the Dearne Valley Railway being the last to open to passengers in 1912.

But this golden age was not to last. Competition from electric trams, lorries, buses and cars, plus a duplication of lines, began to take its toll. Lines began to close to passengers as early as 1917 and the decline continued through later decades.

This fascinating book vividly recalls the story of the region's railways. Modern photographs accompany those from earlier times when the lines were open and busy. There are also details of what can be seen of these lines today.

CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction
1. In the Beginning
The Middleton Railway
2. North-Eastern Corner
Arthington-Otley-Burley/Cross Gates-Wetherby
The Ledston branch/The East & West Yorkshire Union Railway/The Methley Joint Railway
3. Rural Branch to Major Preserved Line
The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
4. Lost Empire – the Great Northern Railway
Direct line to Bradford/The GNR through Batley and Dewsbury/Pudsey/Laisterdyke-Shipley/
The Queensbury lines
5. An Odd Assortment - LNWR and LYR Through Lines
The Pickle Bridge branch/The LYR Spen Valley line
The Leeds New Line/The Askern branch
The Dearne Valley Railway
6. Branches Galore - More LNWR and LYR Lines
Rishworth/Stainland/Holmfirth/Meltham/Clayton West
Kirkburton/Dewsbury (Market Place)/Birstall
7. Pennines and Coalfield - the Great Central Railway
The Woodhead line/Penistone-Sheffield Victoria
Mexborough-Barnsley/Barnsley-Sheffield/The GCR
through Rotherham/Stairfoot-NostellsThe South Yorkshire Joint Railway
8. Hopes Unfulfilled – the Midland
The main line north to Normanton/Links and branches
9. The Last Contender - the Hull & Barnsley Railway
Kirk Smeaton-Cudworth/Branches to Denaby and Wath
Conclusion
Opening & Final Closure Dates
Bibliography
Index

Erscheint lt. Verlag	1.11.2007
Reihe/Serie	Lost Railways
Zusatzinfo	illustrations
Verlagsort	Berks
Sprache	englisch
Maße	150 x 210 mm
Themenwelt	Natur / Technik ► Fahrzeuge / Flugzeuge / Schiffe ► Schienenfahrzeuge
ISBN-10	1-84674-043-6 / 1846740436
ISBN-13	978-1-84674-043-5 / 9781846740435
Zustand	Neuware