Railway photo help please.

rikj · Post by **rikj** » Mon 06 Aug, 2007 11:37 pm

This pic is from leodis and the (erroneous I think) caption is "Wortley Beck Bridge". Anyhow, that's bye-the bye. What I can't get my head around is where this is taken from.The only description on the pic is:"21 May 1915 Railway Bridges across Gelderd Road, adajacent to Holbeck station"Is that sign by one of the Holbeck Station entrances, if so, what about the doorway on the other side of the road? I'm going mad trying to work this out, help please!

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Tue 07 Aug, 2007 12:06 am

Don't think it's Gelderd road at all. Leodis do have a few mistakes i've noticed. More like Whitehall road looking from town towards Readmans direction. The small pedestrian arch would have been knocked down in the 60's when the new longer bridge section was added. The writing is for the bricked up arch we have pictured For Holbeck low level station!

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Tue 07 Aug, 2007 12:07 am

Put yourself where the red car is & take the pic looking back this way!

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Tue 07 Aug, 2007 12:10 am

Same bridge with the arch demolished & longer girder overbridge section, View this pic full size & you can see the alterations in the brickwork, The Midland railway seemed to tile all under there bridges to make them lighter, more user friendly. It must have been after 1915 when they started doing this!

rikj · Post by **rikj** » Tue 07 Aug, 2007 1:36 pm

Well, I'm even more confused now that you've put that into my head. I was starting to settle on the idea that the photographer is standing roughly where the lights are on the Gyratory, looking back towards town. i.e. the Engine Shed (Car and Commercial) would be on the right the other side of the bridges.Of course, that doesn't explain where the pedestrian subway has gone. Presumably in some remodelling of the bridges since 1915.I'm not too sure that it could be Whitehall Road because of the buildings visible in the background. I'll try and put up a scan from the 1906 map later.

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Tue 07 Aug, 2007 1:55 pm

Yes exactly where i first thought. Don't forget if you look in the same place today you can see how big this whole bridge structure used to be. Don't forget if you were stood near the gyratory there would have been the other bridge where all the sidings for the gas works ran. Maybe 4 tracks wide! you know that big black abutment there!

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Tue 07 Aug, 2007 1:57 pm

These two bridges are pretty much in line different to the pic above!

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Tue 07 Aug, 2007 2:15 pm

I found this shot. Haven't got my scanner rigged up working yet so i took a pic macro mode! It's taken on the old Wellington road right where the gyratory is today. The bridge with Appleyard for morris advert is the gas works bridge thats now removed. The buildings in the background on your picture would have been blocking this view were it taken from this spot.. Thats my way of thinking anyhow..

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Tue 07 Aug, 2007 2:27 pm

To confuse matters even MORE that pedestrian arch looks pretty similar to the one on Copley hill. I wonder if that's what confused Simonm that time he thought the station was there?

rikj · Post by **rikj** » Tue 07 Aug, 2007 10:43 pm

Hopefully here's a map of the area as it was in 1908. I reckon the three possible locations for the photographer are:1) Red dot at top left, with his line of sight under the bridges. This is from Gelderd Road.2) Red dot on Whitehall Road, looking SW.3) The blue dot (top left) is from your gas works pic. Though probably should be further to the SW, i.e. out of townwards.The Midland Railway Holbeck Station entrance sign could be just as valid at any of those locations. I think a trip to town will be the only way to decide!At the moment I'm tending towards no. 1) because you can see where the buildings opposite the Engine Shed are, very close to the bridge. Whitehall Road is dead straight so there shouldn't be any buildings in shot there.