19:
169:
Methley was the third in this locality, its nearest namesake being
Methley Junction on the L&YR Pontefract line. At its eastern end the MJR crossed the floodplain of the River Calder, and inundation of the tracks was a perpetual hazard; in 1892 it was recommended that the line be lifted by as much as four feet for a length of 500 yards.
181:
The signalling was altered for interlocking in preparation for installation of the block system, ready for two new services beginning on 1 May 1876. A south curve at
Lofthouse, making a triangular junction there, and a new joint station were brought into use on 1 May 1876. Lofthouse Joint station was
168:
commenced a Leeds-Castleford service on 1 August, but despite the more direct route it was soon taken off. An even shorter-lived experiment was a through GNR service from
Bradford to York via the Methley Joint Line, which was operated only in the summers of 1876 and 1877. The Methley Joint station at
211:
The western end of the line from
Lofthouse junctions to Newmarket (Silkstone) Colliery was closed completely from 5 April 1965; the colliery traffic was accessible to and from the Methley end only; the connection at Methley to the L&YR was closed from 27 March 1967, leaving only the route to the
188:
After the withdrawal of the North
Eastern Railway York to Leeds service via Methley, the portion of the Methley branch between Methley Joint Junction and Methley Junction fell into disuse for passenger services, but the track was not removed until 1943. On 4 October of that year the Methley Junction
117:
and
Methley, also at Lofthouse, (at the junction with the main line). In addition, sidings were provided at Lofthouse Alum Works, and at several collieries; the line was double track. A fixed toll on all traffic would be paid into a joint fund. Up to 18 March 1867 each company had subscribed £34,500
112:
By an Act of 23 June 1864, the
Methley Railway (as the branch had now been named) transferred to the joint ownership of the West Yorkshire Railway (former BW&LR), L&YR, and NER. The L&YR and the NER subscribed £25,000 of capital each, so that the Joint Line capital of £75,000 was equally
139:
inspections before it was approved, in 1865. On 19 September it was passed for passenger traffic. Goods traffic was begun in June or August 1865. The GNR's account for working the line for the first half of 1867 was £510. The NER stated that the charges were 20% too high, to which the GNR retorted
38:
company, connecting its Leeds direction line with other companies' eastward routes to York, the north-east, and Goole. The line connected collieries along its route. The BW&LR changed its name to the West
Yorkshire Railway at the same time. The line was double track, just over five miles in
126:
line (now North
Eastern Railway) at Methley Joint Line junction. At Methley High Level junction, close to the eastern extremity of the line, it bifurcated, platforms being provided on both forks at Methley station, and a 30 chain spur connected with the L&YR at a junction at Methley named
140:
that if the NER desired to work the line for 20% less it was welcome to do so. Passenger operation was delayed despite agitation from the local population: it was not until 1 June 1869 that a passenger service was run. Lofthouse South fork was not in regular passenger use in its early years.
172:
By an agreement of 20 October 1870, the GNR was allowed 33% of gross receipts for working the
Methley Joint passenger service, altered on 1 January 1885 to 1s per mile for "all trains necessary to the branch". Several new collieries were opened along it and suitable sidings put in.
207:
trains began working from Leeds Central over the Methley Joint Line into Castleford Central (as the NER station had been renamed), and then continued to Pontefract. This service was discontinued from 2 November 1964, when the Methley Joint Line was closed to all passenger traffic.
151:
The West Yorkshire Railway (formerly Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway) was absorbed by the Great Northern Railway, effective from 1 January 1865. This was confirmed by an Act of 5 July, and the one third share of the Methley Joint line passed to the GNR from 5 September 1865.
85:, and to change its name to the West Yorkshire Railway. The Lofthouse to Methley branch and change of title were sanctioned by an Act of 21 July 1863, but the Low Moor branch was rejected. The Act also authorised running powers over the North Eastern Railway from Methley to
104:
The L&YR and the North Eastern Railway had strongly resisted the authorisation of the line, but an agreement was made with those companies to admit them to joint ownership of the line, in return for their not opposing the absorption of the
182:
built on the curve, and was located on a 1 in 90 gradient. The station and curve carried a service of six trains each way on weekdays and two on Sundays between Wakefield (Kirkgate) and Milford Junction via Methley.
42:
The connected Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and the North Eastern Railway were brought in to joint ownership of the line in 1864, and the line opened in 1865; passenger traffic was delayed, starting in 1869.
163:
The GNR began running a passenger service over the Joint Line from 1 May 1869, and from 13 May GNR trains started to work through to the NER station at Castleford from both Wakefield and Leeds. In reply the
121:
The railway diverged from the West Yorkshire Railway at Lofthouse junction; at first the access was from the north alone. The line was 5 miles 3 chains (8.1 km) long, and joined the former
73:
Although worked by the GNR, the company took the initiative in seeking extensions to its network, and in the 1863 session of Parliament the BW&LR sought powers for a branch from
638:
106:
155:
The GNR soon obtaining running powers over the NER as far as Milford junction, and started a goods service to that point from Bradford on 8 June 1866.
643:
633:
113:
shared. A Methley Joint Committee was set up, each company appointing two directors: the first meeting was on 8 August 1864. Stations were to be at
67:
406:
143:
Platforms were provided at Methley on the fork to Lofthouse Junction (L&YR), but no regular passenger service appears to have used them.
55:
35:
568:
547:
517:
496:
362:
333:
46:
A variety of passenger train services operated over the route, but the line closed to passenger trains in 1964, and completely in 1981.
185:
Lofthouse Joint station was renamed Lofthouse in the February 1881 timetable, and again renamed Lofthouse & Outwood in July 1888.
434:
94:
123:
235:
Lofthouse Joint station; opened 1 June 1869; renamed Lofthouse 1881; renamed Lofthouse and Outwood 1888; closed 1957;
74:
114:
204:
82:
564:
543:
513:
492:
430:
402:
358:
329:
200:
The passenger service using the Lofthouse south curve was discontinued from 17 June 1957.
165:
427:
Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: volume VIII: South and West Yorkshire
197:
At the grouping of 1923 the line passed to the joint ownership of the LMS and the LNER.
136:
627:
328:
The Great Northern Railway in West Yorkshire, Wyvern Publications, Skipton, 1982,
98:
86:
303:
Methley; opened 1 May 1869; renamed Methley South 1951; closed 7 March 1960;
59:
18:
78:
540:
The Great Northern Railway: volume III: Twentieth Century to Grouping
63:
17:
561:
The Great Northern Railway: volume II: Expansion and Competition
90:
355:
The Great Northern Railway: volume I: Origins and Development
381:
An Historical Geography of the Railways of the British Isles
109:
and the Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway by the GNR.
70:, and gave that company a much improved access to Leeds.
34:) was a short English railway line constructed by the
39:
length, between junctions at Lofthouse and Methley.
399:
Directory of the Railway Companies of Great Britain
244:
Stanley; opened 1 May 1869; closed 2 November 1964;
401:, Matador Publishers, Kibworth Beauchamp, 2017,
215:The line closed completely on 23 February 1981.
8:
595:
593:
474:
472:
349:
347:
345:
343:
107:Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway
375:
373:
371:
58:had opened in 1857, forming a link between
393:
391:
389:
147:WYR absorbed by the Great Northern Railway
583:
581:
579:
577:
510:Railways in West Yorkshire: A New Edition
421:
419:
417:
415:
449:
447:
445:
443:
319:
639:Pre-grouping British railway companies
563:, B T Batsford Limited, London, 1979,
542:, B T Batsford Limited, London, 1981,
357:, B T Batsford Limited, London, 1979,
457:, in the Railway Magazine, April 1957
56:Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway
36:Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway
7:
135:The double track line needed three
14:
512:, Dalesman Books, Clapham, 1978,
383:, Cassell, London, 1959, page 257
292:Connection to L&YR at Methley
644:Rail transport in West Yorkshire
254:Newmarket Colliery East Junction
248:Newmarket Colliery West Junction
95:Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
634:Closed railway lines in England
491:, Ian Allan, Shepperton, 1968,
429:, David St John Thomas, 1984,
124:York and North Midland Railway
1:
599:Wrottesley, volume 2, page 21
189:L&YR station was closed.
660:
309:(at Methley) on L&YR.
455:The Junctions at Methley
453:K Field and J P Wilson,
279:Lofthouse North Junction
273:North curve at Lofthouse
230:Lofthouse South Junction
285:Lofthouse East Junction
239:Lofthouse East Junction
66:. It was worked by the
608:Joy, pages 166 and 256
587:Joy, pages 256 and 257
298:Methley South Junction
260:Methley South Junction
177:Infrastructure changes
68:Great Northern Railway
23:
22:The Methley joint line
489:Britain's Joint Lines
131:Opening and operation
28:Methley Joint Railway
21:
529:Wrottesley, page 103
478:Wrottesley, page 102
205:diesel multiple unit
127:Lofthouse junction.
118:for the joint line.
437:, pages 114 and 115
266:Methley NE Junction
307:Lofthouse Junction
32:Methley joint line
24:
617:Bairstow, page 64
559:John Wrottesley,
538:John Wrottesley,
379:Ernest F Carter,
353:John Wrottesley,
326:Martin Bairstow,
212:former NER line.
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487:H C Casserley,
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407:978 1785893 537
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275:
232:; on BW&LR;
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166:Midland Railway
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93:) and over the
81:and another to
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203:On 5 May 1958
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159:Train services
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137:Board of Trade
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518:0 85206 459 4
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497:0 7110 0024 7
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435:0-946537-11-9
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89:(and towards
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466:Joy, page 85
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425:David Joy,
628:Categories
499:, page 156
409:, page 369
365:, page 101
314:References
193:After 1923
101:to Leeds.
99:Pontefract
87:Castleford
571:, page 22
550:, page 64
520:, page 11
508:A Haigh,
224:Main line
219:Locations
75:Lofthouse
60:Wakefield
83:Low Moor
115:Stanley
79:Methley
567:
546:
516:
495:
433:
405:
361:
332:
50:Origin
97:from
64:Leeds
565:ISBN
544:ISBN
514:ISBN
493:ISBN
431:ISBN
403:ISBN
359:ISBN
330:ISBN
91:York
62:and
54:The
30:(or
26:The
77:to
630::
592:^
576:^
471:^
442:^
414:^
388:^
370:^
342:^
300:;
287:.
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268:.
262:;
256:;
250:;
241:;
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
