Ardsley railway station
Encyclopedia
Ardsley railway station was situated on the Great Northern Railway
between Tingley and Lofthouse and Outwood
on the main line and west of Stanley on the LNER & LMS Methley Joint Railway. It was built to served the village of East Ardsley
near Wakefield
in the English
county of West Yorkshire
.
to Leeds main line. Five days later, it became a junction with the completion of a branch line to Bradford
via Morley
by the Leeds, Bradford & Halifax Junction Railway. Both lines soon became part of the rapidly expanding Great Northern Railway
network in the area and by 1866 the opening of the jointly-owned West Riding and Grimsby Railway
from Wakefield to Doncaster
put the station on the main line between Leeds and London Kings Cross. The GNR subsequently became part of the London and North Eastern Railway
during the Grouping
of 1923. The line then passed on to the Eastern Region of British Railways
on nationalisation in 1948. The station was eventually closed by the British Railways Board
on 2 November 1964 as part of the Beeching
cutbacks, with the line to Bradford following suit on 4 July 1966.
To the south of the station, to the east of the main line was situated the engine shed which provided the passenger locomotives for the Wakefield services and freight locomotives for the colliery traffic generated in the area.
, although little remains of the actual station.
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
between Tingley and Lofthouse and Outwood
Lofthouse and Outwood railway station
Lofthouse and Outwood railway station served the Outwood area of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It was opened by the Methley Joint Railway in 1858 and closed on 13 June 1960. The station was situated between Stanley on the MJR, Ardsley to the north on the main line towards Leeds and ...
on the main line and west of Stanley on the LNER & LMS Methley Joint Railway. It was built to served the village of East Ardsley
East Ardsley
East Ardsley is a village within the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated south of Leeds city centre...
near Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
.
History
The station was opened by the Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway on 5 October 1857 as part of their WakefieldWakefield Westgate railway station
Wakefield Westgate railway station is the mainline railway station for the city of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on the western edge of the main city centre, on the opposite side from Wakefield's other station, Kirkgate.-Services:...
to Leeds main line. Five days later, it became a junction with the completion of a branch line to Bradford
Bradford Interchange railway station
Bradford Interchange is a combined railway, coach and bus station in Bradford, England. Designed in 1962 and hailed as a showpiece of European design, the building was opened in 1971.-Bus station:...
via Morley
Morley, West Yorkshire
Morley is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies approximately south-west of Leeds city centre. Together with Drighlington, Gildersome, Churwell, Tingley and East/West Ardsley, the town had a population of 47,579 in...
by the Leeds, Bradford & Halifax Junction Railway. Both lines soon became part of the rapidly expanding Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
network in the area and by 1866 the opening of the jointly-owned West Riding and Grimsby Railway
West Riding and Grimsby Railway
The West Riding and Grimsby Railway was a joint railway whose main line linked Wakefield with Doncaster, whilst a branch line ran between Adwick and Stainforth...
from Wakefield to Doncaster
Doncaster railway station
Doncaster railway station serves the town of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the East Coast Main Line north of London Kings Cross, and is about five minutes walk from Doncaster town centre. The station is managed by East Coast...
put the station on the main line between Leeds and London Kings Cross. The GNR subsequently became part of the London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
during the Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
of 1923. The line then passed on to the Eastern Region of British Railways
Eastern Region of British Railways
The Eastern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
on nationalisation in 1948. The station was eventually closed by the British Railways Board
British Railways Board
The British Railways Board was a nationalised industry in the United Kingdom that existed from 1962 to 2001. From its foundation until 1997, it was responsible for most railway services in Great Britain, trading under the brand names British Railways and, from 1965, British Rail...
on 2 November 1964 as part of the Beeching
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
cutbacks, with the line to Bradford following suit on 4 July 1966.
To the south of the station, to the east of the main line was situated the engine shed which provided the passenger locomotives for the Wakefield services and freight locomotives for the colliery traffic generated in the area.
The site today
Trains still pass the site between Outwood and Wakefield Westgate stations on the Wakefield LineWakefield Line
The Wakefield line is the name given to one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro/South Yorkshire P.T.E. area of northern England. The service connects Leeds and Wakefield with Sheffield and Doncaster. The section of the line between Leeds and Doncaster forms part of the East Coast Main...
, although little remains of the actual station.