Royds Lane / Dunlop and Ranken / Farnley Fireclay Railway

[Leodian]

Lots of interesting photos there Steevo.I see that Bess takes you for the walks. I've long suspected that dog owners think they are taking their dog but I think it is really the other way round!

[Steevo]

Added this to summarise my findings. The railway branched off from the farnley line near the sheds and carried on the curve round what is now the kirkdales - the curve of the estate dictated by railways direction. It then ran through a field which later on its left hand side was Dunlop and Ranken Steel works - there was also a brickworks / quarry here. It ran via a bridge over Whitehall Road to Farnley Iron Company / Farnley Fireclay works - a huge complex on Whitehall Road between Wortley and Coach Road in New Farnley - where the Lettershop Group and Whitehall industrial estate now sits. This whole area was the Fireclay works. From the Fireclay works it ran adjacent to the allotments (still there today) opposite the Cobdens. The railway cutting gradually descends into the fireclay from here - you can actually walk from royds lane through the old Subway that Phil D has photographed, over the disused railway bridge (the route of the old line is clearly visible from here) bearing right - through a field and join the line as it runs to Dunlop and Ranken now the site of the Forge Housing estate. Shots on Leodis show the Kirkdales with some garages in gardens - you can easily do a then and now shot from here. You come out where the bridge would have gone over Whitehall road. From here take the footpath up the steps behind the billboard and trace the old railway track along this path as it descends past the allotment (bearing left) and you can actually follow the route into the Fireclay as there is acces - you can just about trace the route in. You wander up Billey Lane and you can trace the old route of the line round the perimiter of the fireclay works - just on the top of the hill on your left is an old retaining wall of Fireclay building. There are many bricks here with the markings - Farnley Iron Co. If these are a forerunner to the Fireclay works then the bricks could be 130+ years old - correct me if i'm wrong. This is where a bit of adventure had to come into play. Before you go through the "little wood" you can turn left here and this goes down through the woods and you can trace some of the railway from here with a bit of detective work - the best way however is to walk up whitehall road turn right into a cutting just after Geldards Coaches and youll have the old Fireclay reservoir on your left. Follow this path up and you can link up with the path of the old railway near the perimiter of the Fireclay works -it went straight up towards barkers well farm still there today. (Theres a huge marquee here and a big wall which is near where the railway travelled.) and wander back through the wood rising to the path that leads up to Farnley park.However if you take the path from geldards coaches and bear left you can come to and old Fireclay entrance iron gate - stil intact today - this can be reached via this route or by walking down coach road and turning right and following the path right to the end. If you walk from here and bear left - you can actually trace the line of the railway proper as the new housing estate uses the curve of the line - There is the road of the housing estate and a wall but inbetween this (you can look on google earth and clearly see the path inbetween the wall and the house borders - is the path of the railway that curves North West. You can reach this from Lodge Hill Walk - turn right onto Stephenson Drive - Left onto Barkers well then right and at the end of this short path - not sure about access levels - to your left is the curve round of the old railway - clearly seen on google maps. This runs all the way round (dont know if you can get through the woods) just to the south of Barkers Well farm and comes out exactly where the railway crossed Lawns lane. You can follow it either way - It branched off north to an end in the field - you can follow it a short way. Or you can wander just passed birchfield on your left and take a dirt track that links back up to birchfield - this is actually where the railway ran. The curve of the street here is dicated by where the railway curved . . It ran over what is now lawns green - on a route towards what is now lawns close. It comes out of the esate here and this is the marking that chris W refers to in his original post. I found it fascinating to trace this route. It then runs round to a farm near Low Moorside lane and amazingly a path on this farm takes the exact line of the mineral railway (off limits to the public but clearly visible) over low moorside lane through a field to the side of the old Jewish cemetery where the path can still be traced down into the field where it carried on to a mine I beleive. I think its amazing so much of this exists - Ive put (or tried to put a paint map on to show it) Im happy to wander round one quiet afternoon if anyone is slightly interested in any of this.