The old stone viaduct

munki · Post by **munki** » Sun 17 May, 2009 1:12 pm

PhilD - "After all it brought the first railway in to Leeds in 1844 and helped shape the city we know today..."I am on a quick hunt for some facts about the disused viaduct... Was it really the first line into Leeds?Does anyone know when it stopped being used, when trains stopped running along it?

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sun 17 May, 2009 2:34 pm

The first line into Leeds was the Midland from Normanton wasn't it, which runs under Meadow Lane. The Manchester and Leeds (later L&Y) also gaine access by running down the Calder valley to Normanton and into Leeds via the Midland.

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Sun 17 May, 2009 2:48 pm

I think it was the first line into the city centre proper wasn't it?

munki · Post by **munki** » Sun 17 May, 2009 3:09 pm

Sounds like it was the first one that went into Wellington Street. I'm more interested in when it was taken out of action. Nothing in web-world seems to mention that.

Post by **chameleon** » Sun 17 May, 2009 3:59 pm

If that was the line from Kings Cross in 1964, it was in use then! Not much help wasit? I did find a reference to Central Station closing in 1967 but it was a dead link, does that suggest sometime between 64 -67.(Strange how often the same guy's pictures come up so often on the sites from these searches.... )

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Sun 17 May, 2009 6:58 pm

It was 1967All that info is on my piccies. http://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn ... 234265061/

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sun 17 May, 2009 10:49 pm

Phill_dvsn wrote: It was 1967All that info is on my piccies. http://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn ... 234265061/ I recall seeing a Gresley A3 poised on one of the bridges over the river about to leave with one of the crack London expresses - Yorkshire Pulman, West Riding Limited or White Rose. I'd be about 13/14 and I still have the image in my mind of how graceful it looked on the bridge.

blackprince · Post by **blackprince** » Mon 18 May, 2009 8:00 pm

Phill_d wrote: It would be nice if they had a little imagination here I think Simon. There is a real old wooden semaphore signal still up there, The platform end of Holbeck high level station still exists. Pound to a penny they smash it all to bits. Can't they restore them as Leeds heritage and put some signs up with the history of the stations & viaduct? After all it brought the first railway in to Leeds in 1844 and helped shape the city we know today. Can they not keep the railway theme and use railway sleepers for flower beds. Build the path ways into old rail lines & add some retro signs of Leeds Central, Holbeck e.t.c. I bet they won't think of any of that lol. City planners if you reading please take note Was Holbeck High level station a commuter station. I remember seeing it not long after it closed but never saw it in service. I remember the woodwork was painted predominantly cream. London trains often used to crawl very slowly through it and often stop there for an infuriatingly long period, before entering Central. Being stuck in an "express" train at a deserted station where every pane of glass was broken was a great first impression of Leeds.

rangieowner · Post by **rangieowner** » Wed 20 May, 2009 1:16 pm

munki wrote: PhilD - "After all it brought the first railway in to Leeds in 1844 and helped shape the city we know today..."I am on a quick hunt for some facts about the disused viaduct... Was it really the first line into Leeds?Does anyone know when it stopped being used, when trains stopped running along it? It has long been established the first railway line into Leeds was the Selby line to Marsh Lane Station, but i have little knowledge of the lines that ran to Central or Welli street!

blackprince · Post by **blackprince** » Wed 20 May, 2009 7:35 pm

rangieowner wrote: munki wrote: PhilD - "After all it brought the first railway in to Leeds in 1844 and helped shape the city we know today..."I am on a quick hunt for some facts about the disused viaduct... Was it really the first line into Leeds?Does anyone know when it stopped being used, when trains stopped running along it? It has long been established the first railway line into Leeds was the Selby line to Marsh Lane Station, but i have little knowledge of the lines that ran to Central or Welli street! The history of Leeds railways in a nutshell is given on Wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeds_railway_station.First line in 1834 was Leeds Selby with a terminus at Marsh lane as you correctly say.Second Line in 1840 was N Midland from Derby, terminating at Hunslet; later extended to Wellington Street in 1846.THe viaduct in question presumably became redundant in 1967 with the closure of Central station. Holbeck High level station was GNR and the line from there to Central stn is shown as the joint responsibility of Great Northern and Lancs and Yorks railway companies on the pre nationalisation railway junction diagram ( dated 1913).http://web.ukonline.co.uk/cj.tolley/rjd/rjd-040.htm