Shildon

A short walk around Shildon. Starting and Finishing Point - Shildon Station

Shildon station on the Darlington to Bishop Auckland branch line was in 1825 the western terminus of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, though lines fanned out here to sources of freight in the surrounding area. Shildon was also home to the railway's locomotive superintendent Timothy Hackworth and as a result the line's key engineering facilities were here. The site continued to be an important railway engineering site in to the 1980s as one of British Rail's major wagon works.

Timothy Hackworth's house was turned in to a museum and just over 20 years ago a much more substantial museum was built on the former Shildon Sidings site by the Science Museum Group to act as an out station of the National Railway Museum at York, that museum is named Locomotion after the famous Stockton & Darlington loco. Some of the historic railway related buildings around the site were incorporated in to the museum. The historic buildings are no longer open to look around but have been added to a trail and can be seen from the outside. More information about the historic buildings around the Locomotion site can be found on this part of their website.

Rail Map Online

1897 Map (1) (2) 

Google Maps

Below - The Gaunless Bridge, originally situated on one of the branch lines to the west of Shildon it opened in 1823 and was the first iron truss railway bridge. For years it was displayed outside the National Railway Museum in York but was recently moved to Locomotion at Shildon where it is on display in its original bright colours next to the entrance to the New Hall extension to the Locomotion site. 

Below - The former signal box and a couple of line side buildings. The track in the foreground is a demonstration line for the Locomotion museum and the two fenced off tracks are the Darlington to Bishop Auckland line.

Below - The signal box and one of the lineside buildings.

Below - Former coal drops which were in use between 1847 and 1935. The area in which the S&DR operated was covered with coal mines and industries that used the coal so coal traffic was always a key part of the railways in the area.

Below - Information panel at the coal drops.

Below - The ramp up the coal drops.

Below - A couple more line side buildings, these are at the location where the Surtees Railway and Black Boy Branch diverged to serve collieries north of Shildon.

Below - Information board at the line side buildings.

Below - Kilburn's Warehouse, initially an iron merchant's warehouse from 1826 it was later leased by Hackworth, effectively becoming an extension of his Soho works until 1871 when loco building moved to Darlington. It went on to be used by the Shildon Railway Institute for leisure activities for railway workers including sports and band practice.

Below - Information board on Kilburn's Warehouse.

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Below - Timothy Hackworth's house. Before Locomotion opened the house was displayed as it had been in Hackworth's time. It was a bit controversial that as part of the bigger Locomotion complex much of that disappeared for family friendly displays. The house itself is currently fenced off as discussions are ongoing about how to manage the historic buildings. Behind the house stood the Soho Works, though nothing remains of it the land is used by railway sports clubs.

Below - Information board in front of the house. Note the old photo showing railway lines in front of the house, this was the Surtees Railway the map shows passing in front of the house.

Below - Smaller worker cottages adjoining the house.

Below - The 1888 built Sunday School building. When Locomotion first opened this served as a Welcome Building and on display inside was Hackworth's San Pareil locomotive built for the Rainhill Trials. San Pareil is now moved in to the main building.

Below - San Pareil on display inside back in 2010.

Below - The Goods Yard, looking much as it did on the old maps.

Below - The 1855 built Goods Shed. Previously train rides on the demonstration line started here.

Below - A couple more shots of the Goods Shed.

Below - The replica of San Pareil inside the goods shed shortly after Locomotion opened in 2004.

I did of course visit the Locomotion museum while I was here but as the museum just uses its modern buildings I've not included the pictures of the National Collection items on display in the museum here. The goods lines radiating out from Shildon form footpaths and there are a few surviving historic features, including many buildings from the wagon works to the west of the town. No doubt I will return to Shildon at some point.

Snibston Discovery Centre

A look back at the Snibston Discovery Centre shortly before it closed in 2015

Looking back through old photos (while the weather has not been good for getting out) I revisited a trip to Snibston Discovery Centre in Coalville 2015. Months later the museum closed due to council cutbacks and much of the site was demolished for redevelopment with many items from the collection moved elsewhere. Thankfully the Snibston No 2 Colliery buildings that formed part of the museum site were listed and have been retained and since reopened for tours. A heritage trail has been established around the colliery site. The site once had a stretch of railway running line towards the former connection to the freight only line through Coalville. This has been replaced with a cycle track and the rails just survive where they are set in to a couple of former level crossings. The sidings in and around the colliery buildings remain in place.

Much more about the colliery can be found on the Northern Mines Research Society website.

Google Maps

1929 Map

Below - A crawler excavator on display outside the main hall which was demolished in 2016.

Below - Andrew Barclay fireless loco 1815 of 1924 in the main hall.

Below - Brush 314 of 1906. This and a few other exhibits from Snibston were moved to Mountsorrel Heritage Centre

Below - Some of the other exhibits around the main hall.

 Below - The signal box and colliery buildings that thankfully have been kept.

Below - One of a few battery electric English Electric mines locos that were on the site.

Below Hudswell Clark DM1238 of 1960, this has recently moved to the Lancashire Mining Museum at Astley Green.

Below - Hunslet 8973 of 1979

Below - Inside the mine's engine shed Hunslet "Austerity" 3851 of 1962 Cadley Hill No 1.

Below - Hunslet 6289

Below - Ruston 393304, this engine can also be found at Mountsorrel Heritage Centre today.

Though the main hall of the museum has gone at least all was not lost and the historic buildings of the colliery survive as part of the Snibston Colliery Park. More details of what remains can be found on Leicestershire Country Parks website.

Transpennine Route Upgrade: Huddersfield to Leeds

 Journeys by train between Huddersfield and Leeds looking at the changes taking place to the route.

Rail Map Online

Up to the 1990s the rail route between Leeds and Huddersfield has seen rationalisation that has meant the loss of four track sections and the simplification of the flying junction at Heaton Lodge that had itself only been created following the closure of the duplicate Leeds New Line route in the 1960s. Since the 1990s the frequency of services on the route has increased creating what is now quite a bottleneck. Work is now underway to reinstate the four track sections between Huddersfield and Dewsbury, complete with flying junctions at Heaton Lodge and Thornhill that will allow fast trains to pass on the main Transpennine route without conflicting with stopping trains and freight trains on the diverging routes to Wakefield and to the Calder Valley. The work will also see the route electrified between York and Manchester. I have recently stopped off along the route photographing the changes taking place.

Huddersfield

1932 Map

Below - The grand station entrance to Huddersfield station.

Below - A scene dominated by Northern class 150s from the local stopping services. The unit stabled in the sidings on the right is something that will not be seen for long as extra platforms are built at the site of the sidings and new sidings are built to the east of Huddersfield to replace them. Note the large former goods shed and wagon hoist in the background.

Below - The former station buffet and waiting room has disappeared since I took these shots. Fortunately it should be reinstated in the expanded station after being restored off site.

Deighton

1933 Map

Deighton station was originally situated on the Kirkburton branch just east of Kirkburton Junction, the original station closed in 1930. A new Deighton station opened in 1982 on the main line at the site of the junction.

The current station at Deighton will be replaced with a completely new one on the two slow lines as the four track formation is reinstated. This is involving excavation to the north of the existing two tracks due to industrial units having been built on the south side of the track since the route previously had four tracks.

Mirfield

1933 Map

Below - Back in 2008 a steam special passing Mirfield crosses the River Calder. It can be seen how the bridge originally had two tracks but was was widened to four. The bridge nearest me only carries one track at present, the one through Platform 3 at Mirfield station. With the upgrade work it will carry the two fast tracks on the nearer bridge and the two slow tracks on the earlier bridge behind it.

The original station was an island platform with bays in between the through lines. When Heaton Lodge Junction between Deighton was simplified in the early 1990s the lines through Mirfield were reduced from four to three tracks and a third platform was added to the south of the original station so that expresses could only pass stoppers heading west (heading east the passing place was through Dewsbury station). The stoppers would stop at Platform 3 while very few services stopped at the westbound platform 2 on the original station.

After the upgrade all stopping services will revert to the original island platform and the fast tracks will pass to the south of the station. Platform 3 will be removed but a new footbridge with lifts will provide access to the car park at that side of the station.

Below - A stopper for Wigan (turning off the main line at Heaton Lodge and going via the Calder Valley line) at the current platform 3 while work to extend platforms 1 and 2 for longer trains can be seen on the right.

Below - Looking towards Leeds from Platform 3.

Below - The current step access to platforms 1 and 2 from the road beneath the station. A new larger entrance with lifts will be built on the other side of the road behind me here.

Below - A Grand Central service to London Kings Cross on Platform 1. That train will turn off the mainline at Thornhill LNWR Junction to head to Wakefield. At present trains in both directions on the busier Huddersfield route would have to stop while it crosses the junction but in future the fast lines will cross over the junction on a new flyover.

Below - A TPE service on Platform 3.

Ravensthorpe

1940 Map (left side of page)

This station is situated next to Thornhill LNWR Junction, the lines towards Wakefield pass to the south of the platforms. The station will be replaced with a new one to the west of the current site as a flyover will be constructed here taking the fast lines over the top of the junction. The new location of the station will allow trains heading in the Leeds and Wakefield directions to stop at Ravensthorpe.

Below - Looking from the footbridge at Ravensthorpe station towards Huddersfield, this is Thornhill LNWR Junction and just beyond the junction will be the site of the new station. Work can be seen going on at the site as a freight train from Drax power station to Liverpool passes. Again any trains on the main Leeds to Huddersfield route would have to stop for it to pass but in future they will pass be on the fast lines while it uses the separate slow lines.

Below - A TPE train heading west through Ravensthorpe.

Below - Closure notice for Ravensthorpe station on display at Leeds station.

Dewsbury

1942 Map

Below - The main entrance to Dewsbury station.

With the two major junctions past the line will revert to two tracks at Dewsbury before crossing a couple of viaducts before Batley followed by the Morley tunnel, features that would make widening impossible here. (though this was why the Victorian railway companies built the Leeds New Line route which was lost in the Beeching cuts)

Batley

1933 Map (bottom right of page)

Batley is an unstaffed station but still retains part of its station building at the entrance as it contains the access to the subway between platforms. Originally there were effectively two stations 

Morley

1933 Map (top right of page)

Morley has already had its station replaced with a new one to the east of the original station. This has allowed the footbridge to be replaced with one with lifts and extra height to allow room for the overhead wires. The alignment of the track has also been altered to increase the speed limit.

Below - Remains of the old station.

White Rose

A new station will replace Cottingley station situated 750m to the east as well as within walking distance of the White Rose shopping centre and office complex.

Below - The future White Rose station. Though mostly complete work has stalled on the station due to escalating costs (no doubt that will in itself escalate the costs considerably). Work was supposed to restart around the time of my visit. Note the masts for the overhead wires having been installed.

Cottingley

Cottingley station opened in 1988 to serve the Cottingley and Churwell areas, it should close when the White Rose station opens.

Below - With half the Leeds to Huddersfield stopping services now back under Northern Rail operation a 3 car 150 stops at Cottingley.

Below - A pair of TPE Class 185 units passing Cottingley, note the masts for the electrification.

Below - The station entrance at Cottingley. Being a modern station it has never had station buildings, just a footbridge and waiting shelters on the wooden platforms.

Below - Looking towards Huddersfield from Cottingley, the new masts can be seen.

Below - Transpennine Express still run half the stopping services, including this one to Leeds.

Farnley and Wortley

1934 Map (bottom left corner of map)

Not a part of the Transpennine route upgrade plans as this station closed in 1952. I thought I'd mention it as trains still pass the site, and it is within walking distance from where I live. Originally the platforms where on what is now the main line in to Leeds, though when the route in to Leeds via the Holbeck viaduct was opened in 1882 new platforms were built on that route and a footbridge built over the original station site to access the new one. The Holbeck viaduct line was later cut back to connect instead with the Doncaster line (a big planning mistake as had the Holbeck viaduct line continued to serve the Huddersfield line it would mean trains using the platforms now numbered 15 to 17 wouldn't have to cross other traffic through the station approach. With traffic to and from the Doncaster direction using what are now platforms 6 to 11 it's hard to see why this change was made).

Below - Station building from the original Farnley and Wortley station. The footbridge to the later station was at the far end, though a later extension to the building has been added there.

Below - A remarkable survivor is the station's original wooden goods shed.

Below - The station site seen from Dragon Bridge. The later station site and line to Leeds via the Holbeck Viaduct was on the left, an industrial building now occupying the site. A small piece of the original platform can be seen next to the station building. Also note on the left one of the new electrification masts.