Leeds Central Station.

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Sat 30 Jul, 2011 9:02 pm

There is a report on page 14 of today's YEP (in the 'Times Past' section) about Leeds Central Station that may be of interest. It closed on May 1st 1967, though I would have guessed it was longer than that.

liits · Post by **liits** » Sat 30 Jul, 2011 9:14 pm

It's not in the online version. Well, it may be but the website, like the paper itself, is such a joke that if it is there, it's impossible to find!If somebody does find it online, could they post the link, please?

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Sat 30 Jul, 2011 9:40 pm

liits wrote: It's not in the online version. Well, it may be but the website, like the paper itself, is such a joke that if it is there, it's impossible to find!If somebody does find it online, could they post the link, please? Sorry liits, I should have added that I tried to find an online version (if there is one) but I could not find it.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Sat 30 Jul, 2011 10:53 pm

liits wrote: It's not in the online version. Well, it may be but the website, like the paper itself, is such a joke that if it is there, it's impossible to find!If somebody does find it online, could they post the link, please? Just read it in the paper - quite interesting, but littered with the usual YEP mistakes.For example, "The station finally closed in 1967" followed by "The station closed over 50 years ago" ???If it's any help, articles sometimes appear on the YEP website a day or two after publication.

majorhoundii · Post by **majorhoundii** » Sun 31 Jul, 2011 1:07 pm

I travelled from Leeds Central a few times. The trains to Knaresborough and Harrgate went from Leeds Central, I believe it was the terminus for the L & Y route to Manchester via Bradford. We went to Butlins Skegness twice from Leeds Central. The East Coast London trains left from here. They were usually about 7 coaches, the balance - the Bradford section- probably 2/3 coaches was put on at Wakefield Westgate. And presumably vice versa. I can remember the Bradford sections of the West Riding Limited and the White Rose coming through Morley top, pulled usually by a B1 or a LMS tank engine.The shed for Leeds Central was Copley Hill - where the industrial estate is now. What puzzles me is was there any way for trains, or locos to get from Central to City without a circuitous detour?

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Sun 31 Jul, 2011 1:46 pm

majorhoundii wrote: I travelled from Leeds Central a few times. The trains to Knaresborough and Harrgate went from Leeds Central, I believe it was the terminus for the L & Y route to Manchester via Bradford. We went to Butlins Skegness twice from Leeds Central. The East Coast London trains left from here. They were usually about 7 coaches, the balance - the Bradford section- probably 2/3 coaches was put on at Wakefield Westgate. And presumably vice versa. I can remember the Bradford sections of the West Riding Limited and the White Rose coming through Morley top, pulled usually by a B1 or a LMS tank engine.The shed for Leeds Central was Copley Hill - where the industrial estate is now. What puzzles me is was there any way for trains, or locos to get from Central to City without a circuitous detour? There would be no way to travel between Central and City without an engine run round. It couldn't travel in one continuous run without stopping, or run in the same direction (unless it was a DMU and it would still have to reverse direction of travel)When the stations were built, there was really no need for trains to call at both stations, They were different railway companies competing for trade e.t.c.

majorhoundii · Post by **majorhoundii** » Sun 31 Jul, 2011 5:13 pm

Phill_dvsn wrote: There would be no way to travel between Central and City without an engine run round. It couldn't travel in one continuous run without stopping, or run in the same direction (unless it was a DMU and it would still have to reverse direction of travel)When the stations were built, there was really no need for trains to call at both stations, They were different railway companies competing for trade e.t.c. But after the grouping of 1922, the North Eastern (which used Leeds City) and the Great Northern were part of the LNER and the L&Y became first part of the LNWR and then LMS (which also used Leeds City.) Both the LMS and LNER used both Leeds stations. In particular the part of Leeds City formerly know as Leeds New. You'd have thought that there'd be some way for locos at least to travel from one to the other.

jim · Post by **jim** » Sun 31 Jul, 2011 6:23 pm

Locomotives could travel from City to Central majorhoundii. As Phill rightly points out, they couldn't do so without stopping and reversing.To take one regular example, the Queen of Scots Pullman travelling north would pull into Central Station from London, and travel out again by taking the curve from Three Signal Bridge Junction to Gelderd Junction on its way to Harrogate and the north. The locomotive would be an A3 pacific from Neville Hill, which would have come from the shed by travelling through Leeds City and Holbeck Low Level to the junction, where it would reverse up the curve to back onto the Pullman before departing for Newcastle and points beyond. The trackbed of the curve can still be seen behind the Wellington Road roundhouse.

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Sun 31 Jul, 2011 9:24 pm

Here's a good idea of the track layout where trains into Central, and City diverged. The DMU is running into Central along the curve Jim mentions, It is quite a steep climb as well. As Jim rightly states that part of the viaduct still survives today. The tracks to the left of the DMU run into the low level goods area at the back of the roundhouse, and around the Wellington Road area. Tracks into City station are nearest the cameraman. Jim will be able to fill in the details better here, but no doubt this is where trains would switch from the Central lines on the right, to the City station bound lines directly below the photographer. This shot is Wortley Jnct and the area today has changed beyond recognition. Aerial image puts the whole layout into better perspective.

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Sun 31 Jul, 2011 10:01 pm

Fascinating photos Phill. It sure looks to be a steep slope in the top image! I'm curious as to how you get photos to display directly without having to click on a red cross or do other things?As a kid in the late 1940s to early 1950s I used to sometimes play (with others) in the Neville Hill train sheds and sidings (the workers weren't normally bothered as long as we caused no problems). I wish I had a camera then as the trains we used to play on and around will now mostly be long gone. Nostalgia moment now over!