SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I noticed travelling to foster square today an old track bed from Leeds that seemed to carry on until Shipley. Does Phil d or anyone know what this was? It seems to carry on after Shipley to through what is now frizinghall station car park ? Anyone know about this old line ? It seems to carry on after frizinghall right up yo foster squareHope your all well CheersSteevo

I think that it's not a railway line you have seen, but the course of the Bradford Canal.http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/bradford/index.htm

I'm not sure where the line would have gone but I do recall Forster Square having more platforms, possibly four more, which were removed twenty some years ago.I wish I had some photo's of the old Forster square station when it was sitting disused.

By his description, it's not the old Forster Square station, which occupied a much larger site. The trackwork pretty much occupied the width of the valley, and a good number of tracks up towards the former Manningham Shed, but reduced further north.I would suggest is that he's seen the line of bridges parallel to the rail line to the east, which were from the old canal, and could easily be confused.There never was a second rail line down the valley. The canal last saw traffic in the 1920's and has largely vanished form the landscape, there were plans to bring it back, but I'd suggest these have now been dropped. The poor water supply made it stinking ditch!

Have a look at Bradford stations on herehttp://www.disused-stations.org.uk/sites.shtmland also this site might helphttp://www.lostrailwayswestyorkshire.co.uk/index.htmFollow them also on google maps on satellite, quite easy to see old tracks because they are usually a line of trees

The railway from Leeds to Shipley was duplicated in the early 1900s to increase capacity. The since removed pair of rails were the "slow" lines, mainly used by stopping passenger trains when there were six local stations now all closed. From Leeds City to where the railway crosses the River Aire just past the site of Armley Canal Road the slow lines were on the north. There was a flyover more or less opposite the site of Kirkstall Power Station which transferred them to the south side.The extra pair of tracks from Shipley Station to Bradford were goods only - they did not have passenger platform faces, and ended up at the goods yards and warehouses at Bradford Valley Road. They also served the goods facilities at Frizinghall and the engine shed, sidings, and Road Motor Depot at Manningham.The route of the Bradford Canal was some distance from the railway, averaging 250m east. Last time I looked (a fair number of years ago, some things may have altered) there were the remains of an overbridge to be seen some distance up Gaisby Lane, and the route could be detected at the rear of Midland Terrace, leading to an arch under Queens Road. Most further traces vanished when the major roadworks for the Inner Relief Road took place, including the lock chamber and gates below Bolton Road.    

BarFly wrote: I'm not sure where the line would have gone but I do recall Forster Square having more platforms, possibly four more, which were removed twenty some years ago.I wish I had some photo's of the old Forster square station when it was sitting disused. There are a few here: http://www.lostrailwayswestyorkshire.co ... m#Bradford Forster Square Station

I think it's more than likely to be the old 4 track layout Jim mentions above, if so I have some photos of the disused Thackley tunnel those tracks used to take herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/sets/7 ... tail/There is also an archive photo of how the four tracks looked in days gone by.    

simong wrote: There are a few here: http://www.lostrailwayswestyorkshire.co ... m#Bradford Forster Square Station Thanks Simon, interesting site.Phil's pictures of the disused tunnel are definitely worth a look too. He certainly gets around in some strange places.

I wonder why Bradford never had a through line. Both stations are "dead ends"You'd have thought it would have paid the Great Northern and Midland to build a link to give access from the south to the Aire Valley and beyond and for the Midland to produce a Leeds avoiding line.