50 years ago today Pudsey Greenside and Pudsey Lowtown stations officially closed to passengers. I remember well the North Eastern Region orange enamel signs which were fixed to the doors advising passengers to use Stanningley station.
In fact, the last train had left Pudsey Greenside station on Saturday as the 7.20pm diesel multiple unit from Leeds Central went on its journey to Bradford Exchange. The moment was captured by a photographer from the Pudsey News and duly appeared in the issue for Thursday June 18th 1964. However, despite its headline which I have used for this blog posting title, it was hardly front page material for the News : being used with a simple caption on p4's Newsman's Diary.
Over the past year, I have gathered an interesting selection of source material on the line and its closure from archives, libraries, and through contact with the Pudsey Civic Society All being well this summer, I will draw it all together and write it up. Watch this space!
Monday 16 June 2014
Saturday 22 February 2014
Records held by the National Archives in Kew
So far I have accessed the following records held by The National Archives in Kew:
Ministry of Transport and successors, Railway Divisions: Correspondence and Papers. Great Northern Railway: Pudsey Railway. - MT 6/214/4
Great Northern Railway Company: Records. PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS. For improved railway communication between Pudsey and other manufacturing towns in Yorkshire.- RAIL 236/721/12
Great Northern Railway Company: Working Plans and Sections. PLANS. Pudsey Extension Railway:Pudsey Greenside - Dudley Hill (Cutlers and Broad Lane Junction) - RAIL 796/90
Ministry of Transport and successors, Railway Divisions: Correspondence and Papers. Great Northern Railway: Pudsey Extension. - MT 6/658/2
Ministry of Transport and successors, Railway Divisions: Correspondence and Papers. Great Northern Railway: Pudsey Low Town Station; signalling. - MT 6/658/1
Ministry of Transport and successors, Railway Divisions: Correspondence and Papers. Great Northern Railway: Pudsey Branch - MT 6/654/8
Transport Ministries: Railways and Inland Waterways (RA, RB, RC, RYC and RFR Series) Files. WITHDRAWAL OF UNREMUNERATIVE SERVICES. North Eastern Region. Leeds Central-Pudsey-Bradford Exchange line: with report. - MT 124/782
British Transport Commission and British Railways Board: Divisional Manager, Leeds, North Eastern Region and successors: Line Closure Files. Pudsey passenger services. - AN 168/15
British Transport Commission and British Railways Board: Divisional Manager, Leeds, North Eastern Region and successors: Line Closure Files. Pudsey freight services. with plans. - AN 168/16
Still to check:
London and North Western Railway Company: Records. PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS TO THE DIRECTORS. From landowners, merchants, manufacturers, tradesmen, and other inhabitants of townships of Pudsey, Farnsley, Fulneck, and Thornbury, complaining of inadequate accommodation. Praying for extension of Farnley branch. - RAIL 410/1511
Ministry of Transport and successors, Railway Divisions: Correspondence and Papers. Great Northern Railway: Pudsey Branch. - MT 6/657/18
Ministry of Transport and successors, Railway Divisions: Correspondence and Papers. Great Northern Railway: Pudsey Railway. - MT 6/214/4
Great Northern Railway Company: Records. PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS. For improved railway communication between Pudsey and other manufacturing towns in Yorkshire.- RAIL 236/721/12
Great Northern Railway Company: Working Plans and Sections. PLANS. Pudsey Extension Railway:Pudsey Greenside - Dudley Hill (Cutlers and Broad Lane Junction) - RAIL 796/90
Ministry of Transport and successors, Railway Divisions: Correspondence and Papers. Great Northern Railway: Pudsey Extension. - MT 6/658/2
Ministry of Transport and successors, Railway Divisions: Correspondence and Papers. Great Northern Railway: Pudsey Low Town Station; signalling. - MT 6/658/1
Ministry of Transport and successors, Railway Divisions: Correspondence and Papers. Great Northern Railway: Pudsey Branch - MT 6/654/8
Transport Ministries: Railways and Inland Waterways (RA, RB, RC, RYC and RFR Series) Files. WITHDRAWAL OF UNREMUNERATIVE SERVICES. North Eastern Region. Leeds Central-Pudsey-Bradford Exchange line: with report. - MT 124/782
British Transport Commission and British Railways Board: Divisional Manager, Leeds, North Eastern Region and successors: Line Closure Files. Pudsey passenger services. - AN 168/15
British Transport Commission and British Railways Board: Divisional Manager, Leeds, North Eastern Region and successors: Line Closure Files. Pudsey freight services. with plans. - AN 168/16
Still to check:
London and North Western Railway Company: Records. PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS TO THE DIRECTORS. From landowners, merchants, manufacturers, tradesmen, and other inhabitants of townships of Pudsey, Farnsley, Fulneck, and Thornbury, complaining of inadequate accommodation. Praying for extension of Farnley branch. - RAIL 410/1511
Ministry of Transport and successors, Railway Divisions: Correspondence and Papers. Great Northern Railway: Pudsey Branch. - MT 6/657/18
Undertaking the research ready for the 50th anniversary of closure
2014 has dawned and so the countdown to marking the 50th anniversary of the closure of the Loop has to begin in earnest... So far my research has taken me to:
Pudsey Library - http://www.leeds.gov.uk/leisure/Pages/Pudsey-library.aspx
Leeds Central Library Local and Family History Services - http://www.leeds.gov.uk/leisure/Pages/Local-and-family-history-service.aspx
The Search Engine of the National Railway Museum in York - http://www.nrm.org.uk/ResearchAndArchive/about.aspx
The National Archives in Kew - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
Each library and archive has produced material and the staff have been uniformly helpful and friendly.
Still to visit...
The National Union of Railwaymen archive at the University of Warwick - http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/explorefurther/images/nur/
and contact with...
the Archives of Network Rail - http://www.networkrail.co.uk/virtualarchive/
and the records of BRB (Residuary) Ltd held by the Highways Agency Historical Railways Estate - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/brb-residuary-ltd-has-been-abolished
I am also trying to make contact with the Pudsey Civic Society - http://www.pcs-online.org.uk/
Further avenues for research gratefully received... In the meantime, I will start to write up what I have found!
Pudsey Library - http://www.leeds.gov.uk/leisure/Pages/Pudsey-library.aspx
Leeds Central Library Local and Family History Services - http://www.leeds.gov.uk/leisure/Pages/Local-and-family-history-service.aspx
The Search Engine of the National Railway Museum in York - http://www.nrm.org.uk/ResearchAndArchive/about.aspx
The National Archives in Kew - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
Each library and archive has produced material and the staff have been uniformly helpful and friendly.
Still to visit...
The National Union of Railwaymen archive at the University of Warwick - http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/explorefurther/images/nur/
and contact with...
the Archives of Network Rail - http://www.networkrail.co.uk/virtualarchive/
and the records of BRB (Residuary) Ltd held by the Highways Agency Historical Railways Estate - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/brb-residuary-ltd-has-been-abolished
I am also trying to make contact with the Pudsey Civic Society - http://www.pcs-online.org.uk/
Further avenues for research gratefully received... In the meantime, I will start to write up what I have found!
Thursday 13 June 2013
Opening post - 49 years ago today!
49 years ago today, the last passenger trains ran over the Pudsey Loop - a suburban railway line connecting the town of Pudsey with the cities of Leeds and Bradford in West Yorkshire. The official closure date under the Beeching Report proposal was Monday 15th June 1964 but no trains ran on Sundays so Saturday 13th June saw the doors close for the final time.
I spent my early years in Pudsey before my father's work took the family to Oldham. My mother's parents stayed on in Pudsey so frequent trips were made over the Pennines to see them. My maternal grandfather retired in 1962 from Towler Bros of Farsley so had time in my school holidays to encourage my interest in railways.
An abiding memory is being taken by my grandfather on a ride from Pudsey Greenside to Bradford Exchange shortly before closure. As he booked the tickets, my grandfather remarked how sorry he was to see the railway go. The booking clerk replied that he must be one of the few seeing how little the line was used...
The Pudsey Loop was in the North Eastern Region of British Railways so after closure orange enamel signs were attached to the doors of Greenside and Lowtown stations advising passengers and those with parcels to go to Stanningley. Funnily enough, the orange enamel station sign pointing to Pudsey Greenside remained in position pointing down Carlisle Road from Chapeltown for many months afterwards.
Freight hung on until 6th July 1964 and then a period of dereliction set in before the track was removed and the buildings demolished. Now of course the route of the Loop is barely distinguishable on the ground in Pudsey.
Over the next year, I am hoping to research the Loop and highlight key events in readiness for the 50th anniversary of its closure. Do join me!
I spent my early years in Pudsey before my father's work took the family to Oldham. My mother's parents stayed on in Pudsey so frequent trips were made over the Pennines to see them. My maternal grandfather retired in 1962 from Towler Bros of Farsley so had time in my school holidays to encourage my interest in railways.
An abiding memory is being taken by my grandfather on a ride from Pudsey Greenside to Bradford Exchange shortly before closure. As he booked the tickets, my grandfather remarked how sorry he was to see the railway go. The booking clerk replied that he must be one of the few seeing how little the line was used...
The Pudsey Loop was in the North Eastern Region of British Railways so after closure orange enamel signs were attached to the doors of Greenside and Lowtown stations advising passengers and those with parcels to go to Stanningley. Funnily enough, the orange enamel station sign pointing to Pudsey Greenside remained in position pointing down Carlisle Road from Chapeltown for many months afterwards.
Freight hung on until 6th July 1964 and then a period of dereliction set in before the track was removed and the buildings demolished. Now of course the route of the Loop is barely distinguishable on the ground in Pudsey.
Over the next year, I am hoping to research the Loop and highlight key events in readiness for the 50th anniversary of its closure. Do join me!
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