Railways in Leeds

[Phill_dvsn]

There was so many railway companies coming into Leeds, the amount of trackwork was epic. Especially when Central station was still open. No wonder there are so many disused lines on the approach to Leeds from the West end.It's an unbelievable contrast to the Leeds East end coming in from York. Just look at the difference!!Just one double track viaduct entering Leeds from the East herehttp://snipurl.com/ugcagThan in comparison the West end of Leeds station herehttp://snipurl.com/ugcbfThat view doesn't show the Holbeck shed jnct, Holbeck station area, or any of the Central station lines, or the vast goods yard at Wellington street either.            

[The Parksider]

tilly wrote: When i did the black dog walk last year we were told this was the site of the medieval path from Holbeck to Leeds could this be the reason for going to so much trouble with this right of way? Tilly you are a treasure, what a great idea!!!There's a picture of Leeds centre painted from Holbeck that I think is the cover of Beresfords book on housing.Anyway that has a road heading towards leeds that seems to run north east like the path does.Just an ancient and well known right of way then!! Thanks for that!

[Trojan]

Phill_dvsn wrote: There was so many railway companies coming into Leeds, the amount of trackwork was epic. Especially when Central station was still open. No wonder there are so many disused lines on the approach to Leeds from the West end.It's an unbelievable contrast to the Leeds East end coming in from York. Just look at the difference!!Just one double track viaduct entering Leeds from the East herehttp://snipurl.com/ugcagThan in comparison the West end of Leeds station herehttp://snipurl.com/ugcbfThat view doesn't show the Holbeck shed jnct, Holbeck station area, or any of the Central station lines, or the vast goods yard at Wellington street either.             Central was used by the GNR, and L&YR and presumably by the NER. I remember going to Knaresborough by train from Central - so that must have been over former NER lines. The four track line that parallels Armley Road, then the NER branches off over Kirkstall Road and then under the narrow bridge near Headingley across the ring road and through Bramhope tunnel and over the Arthington Viaduct to Harrogate. I think that the Queen of Scots Pulman took this route to Edinburgh via Ripon - reversing at Central.    

[Phill_dvsn]

The Parksider wrote: tilly wrote: When i did the black dog walk last year we were told this was the site of the medieval path from Holbeck to Leeds could this be the reason for going to so much trouble with this right of way? Tilly you are a treasure, what a great idea!!!There's a picture of Leeds centre painted from Holbeck that I think is the cover of Beresfords book on housing.Anyway that has a road heading towards leeds that seems to run north east like the path does.Just an ancient and well known right of way then!! Thanks for that! It would be great if that was the reason Parksider.But do you think there would still have been any trace of this old right of way in 1882 when the Viaduct was built?I always thought the Victorians were in the name of pogress, they didn't really have sentiments.They flattened what was in there way, nothing stopped the buggers lol     

[tilly]

The Parksider wrote: tilly wrote: When i did the black dog walk last year we were told this was the site of the medieval path from Holbeck to Leeds could this be the reason for going to so much trouble with this right of way? Tilly you are a treasure, what a great idea!!!There's a picture of Leeds centre painted from Holbeck that I think is the cover of Beresfords book on housing.Anyway that has a road heading towards leeds that seems to run north east like the path does.Just an ancient and well known right of way then!! Thanks for that! Hi The Parksider I would like to think this is true if you look at the workmanship that has gone into this right of way there must be a good reason.They could have just made a normal walk through but no they have put a twist in the brick work to maintain the angle of the path The brick work in the roof arch is a work of art and still in mint condition a credit to the men who built it.

[Phill_dvsn]

This less glamouress rail bridge over the footpath was built 36 years before the Holbeck grand archway was constructed.http://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn ... 12847/That was built in 1846 when the Midland extended there line into Leeds. The Holbeck viaduct was one of the last lines into Leeds in 1882.You can see how they both fit in from this shot taken from on top of the viaduct herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/318404 ... /l/Another shot showing the rather sad and lonely ginnel herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/291689 ... 73584/Very intricate brickwork how they fitted it all in here.http://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/289636144/            

[The Parksider]

Phill_dvsn wrote: But do you think there would still have been any trace of this old right of way in 1882 when the Viaduct was built?I always thought the Victorians were in the name of pogress, they didn't really have sentiments.They flattened what was in there way, nothing stopped the buggers lol      I think that the right of way has existed for hundreds of years, but can't find much historical info on it.As per the Middleton Railway in the 1750's you needed an act of parliament to get a new right of way.The "moors" of Hunslet and Holbeck are about public rights too.If the path from Holbeck to Leeds was a right of way in 1882 I believe it was seen as important. I would guess it was heavily used. No cars then and no spare brass for tram fares.That the victorians could not close it meant that nothing stopped the burgers indeed, but rather than flatten it they laboriously and magnificently built over it.All the evidence points to that path being a right of way and it sits there today, probably much less used!!

[The Parksider]

tilly wrote: They could have just made a normal walk through but no they have put a twist in the brick work to maintain the angle of the path If they had no right to build on the right of way (but could go over it) then legally they could not have made a normal walk through.They could have risked having to take the whole thing down, had they done so.Maybe in the application for their own "right of way" the conditions were they left other rights of way "unaffected". Seems logical and reasonable. With their arches they could leapfrog anything.Land ownership was power then and still is now, so I suspect the rich and powerful were quite exacting about this sort of thing and supported such stringent laws as regards right of way.Not because they gave a stuff about the path from Holbeck to Leeds, but because the same laws that protected that path protected them.

[The Parksider]

Nice walk today. Park in Domestic Street walk to Sutton Street and under the old subway under the LNWR whitehall branch.Appear in the triangle of embankments and mounds you see as you enter the gyratory from Wellington Road. Try to get a sense of being on the site of Holbeck station - no chance! How was this built - on embankments, stonework or both??So under the bridges over wellington road firstly past abuttments for a third bridge - why was this removed- anyone have reference to the past thread on this??Then round the back of LC commercials in the restored round engine shed. Try to picture dozens of lines coming into this engine works, which has the second half round shed and turning shop also superbly cleaned up and rennovated.Small stone retaining wall to an elevation by the old Midland line marks the smaller Holbeck station.What trace of the big one?? Only the line out to it from central station on it's grand stone arches now coming to a halt at the embankment it once (did it??) strode over and into Holbeck Station proper. A big station so close to the Central Station - well I suppose it served thousands of people in Holbeck, Wortley and Armley - anyone got reference to the old thread on this???On to the canal now to find the old bridge abuttments carrying the lines to the engine works. Found it nicely.Then along the canal to where the old GNR arches carried the line from central station - grand bridges viewed close up from a lovely little park. Was that a framework for signals still in place on the line at one point??Under the monk bridge and down the canal to turn into water lane by the wonderful canal offices. Even older monuments to british transport here.Looking now for the ancient pathway from Leeds to Holbeck. No sign at David Street, easily picked up between Temple Works and Marshall Mill and off we go in a straight line through the ginnels and viaduct tunnels Phil pictured until out at Bridge road. Sneak across Czar Street and via the old graveyard (The Druids lodge is getting knocked down) into domestic street for a wonderful round trip walk. AH forgot. One last sight to see but can do it by car driving back to the gyratory and under two bridges only where once nearly a dozen lines crossed gelderd road on I dunno how many bridges??If anyone else does please explain?? This bit may (or may not) have taken some altering. It carried the GNR south west out of Holbeck station - was this on embankments or more stone arches and bridges???

[Trojan]

Phill_dvsn wrote: Hi Parksider, yes you just can't go for a stroll along there really, the viaduct does have 'defences' that need to be conquered lol We did a very 'tongue in cheek' video from up there.It can be seen herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb-GjRZ6AN0I also have a set of pics up there herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/sets/7 ... 84/detail/ I was looking at a picture this evening (painting) of Holbeck Locoshed in 1958. In the background was the viaduct with a train going across it. The picture is in the bar of the Head of Steam next to Huddersfield station. Quite a good place for railway memorabilia.