Polite notice: all text and photographs copyrighted. Reproduction prohibited


THE AIRE VALLEY LINE FROM LEEDS TO BRADFORD  

 PART 2 - KIRKSTALL TO NEWLAY & HORSFORTH

Please note...some photos have been re-sized to fit the page. If the text is illegible - simply click on photo (as you would a thumbnail) to see the correct formatted (readable) size.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 
The railway between Leeds and Bradford was opened by the Leeds & Bradford Railway Company on 30th June 1846 - and, like the canal builders before it, the civil engineers used the natural contours of the Aire Valley between Leeds and Shipley. Following reduction of the route to two lines, the abandoned trackbed is still conspicuous today, particularly on bridges where the line crosses the River Aire and Leeds & Liverpool Canal. Construction of the canal involved more than ninety locks for the climb to 500ft above sea level just beyond Gargrave, and this included the Forge Locks at Kirkstall, which, in steam days, was a favourite location for railway photography. (Below) 'Jubilee' class No 45562 Alberta heads the northbound 'Waverley' express.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

The canal not only provided a vital transport link for the woollen mills in the Aire valley, it was a popular venue for fishermen too. In fact, fishing was the biggest outdoor pursuit for boys during the

 
Sixties - and still is, come to that. Well, not wishing to incur the wrath of anglers, I can't see the point in sitting on river banks for umpteen hours on end. It's hardly what I'd call 'firing on all cylinders'. Whatever incentive drove my angling-mad schoolmates to fish their local stretch of Leeds-Liverpool canal between Kirkstall and Rodley remains a mystery.   On the other hand, my mates thought my compulsion for bagging 'cops' in a red, underlined exercise book was even dafter, which somehow evened the score! 

(Right) In case you're wondering,  it doesn't matter what anyone thinks because b

 
oth groups have a lot in common. We are both driven by the same Zion-style love of the great outdoors and being close to nature, we enjoy the same level of high-octane excitement and long periods of suspenseful waiting - or uninterrupted 'reflection time', as I've heard it called - and, after a long day's fishing or train spotting, we look like something the cat's dragged in!  The only difference between us, if I have to find one, is that by the very nature of the sport, anglers tend to be loners, and if they're fishing in a competition it's not enough that they succeed; others must fail. Train spotting was much more exciting in my view. The biggest thrill of all was hearing the tell-tale rustle of signal wires which never failed to stimulate a sense of expectancy at what we might ‘cop’ next. However, if anyone had told me that one day I'd get the chance to photograph a 'Duchess' on the 'Caledonian' express, albeit in its preserved form some twenty-odd years later, I'd never have believed it!. The bottom photograph shows the same scene in 2005. The track has been slewed to raise the speed limit and the Aire Valley route is now updated with multiple aspect signalling and 25KV overhead line equipment - not surprisingly, local anglers are warned not to fish nearby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


(Below) Fast-forward a couple of years and the motive power has radically changed - and so too has the camera equipment...an Agafa Sillette 35mm. Here, Class A3 No 60092 Fairway heads the 'up' 'Thames-Clyde Express' past Kirkstall Forge during a torrential downpour on 27th October 1960. Just visible in the background is Kirkstall Forge station, which closed in 1905 when the line between Leeds and Shipley was increased to four tracks. More locomotive variety below...also, at a future date, I'll update this page with photos of the private rail system that operated on the Forge Works premises. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




The retaining wall in Newlay Cutting provided a perfect grandstand view of train in both directions and I spent many happy hours there with a camera. In these shots below, a 'peg' on the 'up' slow line signalled the surprise appearance of Liverpool Bank Hall's 'Patriot' class No 45517 on the up 'Waverley' express (usually a 'Jubilee' turn) in April 1960, which was a rare 'cop' in my book.  However, in that same year the writing was clearly on the wall for steam. Prior to the introduction of 'Peak' class Type 4 diesels on the Anglo-Scottish expresses north of Leeds, BR introduced an intensive crew training programme between Leeds and Appleby, involving train crewmen at Leeds Holbeck. Before diesel facilities were made available at Holbeck, a pair of BR Sulzer Type 4s Nos D11 and D14 were allocated temporarily to Leeds Neville Hill for the purpose. On occasions, however, an EE Co Type 4 power was borrowed for crew-training north of Leeds, such as York shed's No D252 seen here sporting a stencilled train reporting number N580 on its nose as it heads the return working to Leeds in October 1960. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Top Left: The Anglo-Scottish ‘Waverley’ and ‘Thames-Clyde’ expresses became diesel-hauled throughout from the start of the 1961 summer timetable. Here, a 'Peak' class heads the southbound 'Thames-Clyde Express' on 22 July 1961. Bottom Left: Due to the hasty abandonment of the pilot scheme orders and subsequent quantity production of diesels, construction of the BR/Sulzer Type 2 produced many changes before a satisfactory design was finally evolved. The clutter of engine room ventilation louvres on the early Type 2s was a poor design feature as they allowed dirt to enter the engine room. Hidden under the grime of No D5224 (heading a Morecambe-Leeds train) is a two-tone green livery.

(Right) As steam eked out its final days in a poor state of disrepair, it became increasingly difficult for the operating department to find a suitable steam locomotive with a power classification

 
relative to its train formation; either being too heavy or too light for the purpose. The introduction of diesel multiple units (dmus) offered a practical solution to this problem as the engines of several railcars could be coupled together to meet varying traffic needs, therefore the power available became proportional to the length of the train. In this view, a Black 5 heads a lightweight Carlisle-Leeds train alongside an 8-car BRCW (Class 104) on a SO Bradford Forster Square-Scarborough service out of the cutting near Newlay & Horsforth in June 1962.

(Below) Now I'm getting older; engaged in an endless battle with middle-age spread - it's as if every wrinkle and every creaking joint is an offence against nature, rather than nature taking its course. Most men adopt an uncomplaining acceptance of growing old - yet some men stubbornly refuse to give way to old age. Perhaps we haven’t shaken off the rebellious

 
streak we picked up during the 1960s? Whatever the reason, I can devise no rational explanation for clambering down steep railway embankments in search of places I visited as a teenager. After all, I was then in my prime - a cocky, self-assured reprobate who wasn't afraid to push the boundaries to see how far I could go. Nowadays it's carpet slippers by the fireside watching repeats of 'Dad's Army'. Still I did get the pictures I wanted, but I won't be going down there again in a hurry; the embankment is overgrown with trees and bushes, and the aging process catches up with everyone in the end! My back is still complaining from updating my collection with 'now and then' pictures. But then, in an odd sort of way it was interesting to watch the steady procession of  Class 66's pounding the track which is indicative of the resurgence in rail transport today.   As for updating the rest of my collection?  I’ll take a deep breath and blow the dust of old steam train negatives, including this selection  in the gallery below..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 






 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                       Polite reminder: all text and photographs copyrighted. Reproduction prohibited

                                      CLICK HERE FOR AIRE VALLEY LINE PART 3