Middleton Railway

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Mon 16 Apr, 2012 9:45 am

Chiron wrote: In the 60s we lived in a house just off Town Street in Middleton. I believe that the slope at the bottom of our garden, which in those days was a footpath, was originally part of the Middleton Railway. Is it referred to in earlier posts? I believe our house might have been the pit managers house. Only the other day I was looking for traces of the old incline, but most is gone. The steps that descend through the 1970's estate just above the site of the colliery are on the line of the incline and the old houses on/just off town street would have housed many a collier.Leodis has a couple of great shots of the rope worked incline one looking down the hill another looking up at the winding drum. I thought part of the wall still survived but could not find that. It's probably "staithe gardens" now!The miggy railway today is a short relatively late stretch, comprising of a fraction of the railway as once was running from the south end of Miggy all the way into Leeds, with all soerts of branches from the waggonway days to times in memory.

Chiron · Post by **Chiron** » Mon 16 Apr, 2012 10:11 am

The Parksider wrote: Chiron wrote: In the 60s we lived in a house just off Town Street in Middleton. I believe that the slope at the bottom of our garden, which in those days was a footpath, was originally part of the Middleton Railway. Is it referred to in earlier posts? I believe our house might have been the pit managers house. Only the other day I was looking for traces of the old incline, but most is gone. The steps that descend through the 1970's estate just above the site of the colliery are on the line of the incline and the old houses on/just off town street would have housed many a collier.Leodis has a couple of great shots of the rope worked incline one looking down the hill another looking up at the winding drum. I thought part of the wall still survived but could not find that. It's probably "staithe gardens" now!The miggy railway today is a short relatively late stretch, comprising of a fraction of the railway as once was running from the south end of Miggy all the way into Leeds, with all soerts of branches from the waggonway days to times in memory. Thanks Parksider. We moved from Middleton just after work on the estate began. I will look on Leodis for the pictures of the incline.

Chiron · Post by **Chiron** » Mon 16 Apr, 2012 6:52 pm

[quotenick="Chiron"] The Parksider wrote: Chiron wrote: In the 60s we lived in a house just off Town Street in Middleton. I believe that the slope at the bottom of our garden, which in those days was a footpath, was originally part of the Middleton Railway. Is it referred to in earlier posts? I believe our house might have been the pit managers house. Only the other day I was looking for traces of the old incline, but most is gone. The steps that descend through the 1970's estate just above the site of the colliery are on the line of the incline and the old houses on/just off town street would have housed many a collier.Leodis has a couple of great shots of the rope worked incline one looking down the hill another looking up at the winding drum. I thought part of the wall still survived but could not find that. It's probably "staithe gardens" now!The miggy railway today is a short relatively late stretch, comprising of a fraction of the railway as once was running from the south end of Miggy all the way into Leeds, with all soerts of branches from the waggonway days to times in memory. Thanks Parksider. I found the pictures on Leodis. The tracks had been removed when we lived in Middleton but I recognise the slope. Very steep when it passed the bottom of our garden.

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Tue 17 Apr, 2012 11:04 pm

Chiron wrote: Thanks Parksider. I found the pictures on Leodis. The tracks had been removed when we lived in Middleton but I recognise the slope. Very steep when it passed the bottom of our garden. The incline took coal up to a staithe in later years, but in mid victorian times the line ran across Middleton linking to venture pit, charles pit, henrietta pit and west pit with a southern branch to glasshouse and bleachground pits.Other pits in this heavily mined area included acre pit and pocket pit which had no rail links.Virtually nothing remains, but when the Miggy estate was built they could not build on the acre pit and shaft so they designed the streets to centre on a roundabout - Acre Circus - and that is still there today. That mound (neat and tidy mown grass) is the remains of Acre coal mine.....

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Tue 17 Apr, 2012 11:05 pm

Chiron wrote: Thanks Parksider. I found the pictures And I found your book on wartime rugby today.Get round there quick - I got the last copy...........

Chiron · Post by **Chiron** » Tue 17 Apr, 2012 11:16 pm

The Parksider wrote: Chiron wrote: Thanks Parksider. I found the pictures And I found your book on wartime rugby today.Get round there quick - I got the last copy........... I hope that you enjoy it. I will have to get some more copies to Phil asap.

Chiron · Post by **Chiron** » Wed 18 Apr, 2012 7:58 pm

Chiron wrote: The Parksider wrote: Chiron wrote: Thanks Parksider. I found the pictures And I found your book on wartime rugby today.Get round there quick - I got the last copy........... I hope that you enjoy it. I will have to get some more copies to Phil asap. Thanks for the tip Parksider. On Friday I will be delivering more copies of 'Let Them Play By All Means' to Philip Howard Books on Street Lane

somme1916 · Post by **somme1916** » Wed 18 Apr, 2012 8:12 pm

The Parksider wrote: Chiron wrote: Thanks Parksider. I found the pictures on Leodis. The tracks had been removed when we lived in Middleton but I recognise the slope. Very steep when it passed the bottom of our garden. The incline took coal up to a staithe in later years, but in mid victorian times the line ran across Middleton linking to venture pit, charles pit, henrietta pit and west pit with a southern branch to glasshouse and bleachground pits.Other pits in this heavily mined area included acre pit and pocket pit which had no rail links.Virtually nothing remains, but when the Miggy estate was built they could not build on the acre pit and shaft so they designed the streets to centre on a roundabout - Acre Circus - and that is still there today. That mound (neat and tidy mown grass) is the remains of Acre coal mine..... I am fascinated by your comment parksider-very illuminating.Would be very keen to know where more knowledge,facts etc about the other pits may be acquired ??????

leedslad_ · Post by **leedslad_** » Fri 08 Jun, 2012 12:25 am

I had a couple of questions about the railway, thought someone on here would know the answer:I noticed on TV a "Middleton Colliery" coal wagon at the York Rail Fest. Presumably this has come from the Middleton Railway. I wondered if this would have got to the railway museum by accessing the main line via the Balm Road branch?Is is still possible to travel from the mainline on to the Middleton railway via the Balm road branch, or is this now defunct? If so when was it last in use?On this subject, I wondered also if once there would have been a branch headed north to the main line, sort of connecting the current line at Moor Road with the mainline at Hillidge Road, following the line of the Motorway (M621)?

jim · Post by **jim** » Sat 09 Jun, 2012 8:00 pm

Leedslad,I don't think that the modern railway would accept a single goods wagon of the vintage of the "Middleton Colliery" example for forwarding, especially one not fitted with modern air brake systems. I would assume it travelled on the back of a low-loader road vehicle.The Balm Road branch is still connected and serviceable to the best of my knowledge, but I think that to transfer a vehicle would require much negotiation and resolving of red tape.The original line did indeed continue north of Moor Road, but crossed over the mainline by an overbridge, continuing running parallel to Kidacre Street to its west and ended at Great Wilson Street on overhead staiths. Before around 1812 it continued even further north to roughly where the old Salem Church building now stands.