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Kirkburton  Branch
1867 - 1930
London & North Western Railway
Contributors:  © Reproduction prohibited / Andrew Stopford / Roger Lynch / Malcolm Mallison / David Major / David Webdale
The Route
From Kirkburton junction 2 miles east of Huddersfield station on the L.N.W.R
Huddersfield to Heaton Lodge line, to Kirkburton station (terminated)
via Fenay Bridge & Lepton & Kirkheaton.

Length
4  1/2 miles.
Original Company
Opened by the London & North Western Railway.

Opening
 7th October 1867.

Closures
Passengers -  26th July 1930.
Freight - 5th  April 1965 (track lifted 1966).

I.C.I Chemical works
A 1 mile section between Kirkburton junction via the old  Deighton station & Whitacre Mill viaduct, was kept
open to provide a rail connection to the I.C.I Chemical works. This section was closed in February 1971.

 

Kirkburton Branch
The line was originally intended to be a through route to Barnsley & the coal fields, Kirkburton was as far as it went.
Enough land was taken to allow for two tracks, but only one was laid.
Construction started at Deighton on 10th March 1865, with the laying of contractors sidings.
Eckersley & Bayliss were the main contactor & the subcontractors were Sigley, Miles & Haynes for the viaducts & Fawcett & son for the buildings.
Construction was heavy going & included two deep cuttings at Fennay bridge station, about half a million cubic yards of earth were shifted from here.
Most of this was used to construct the embankments for other parts of the line.
A big area of land was taken between Kirkheaton station & the bridge over Wakefield road, for the construction of a goods yard, had the line been extended.
 

Kirkburton Junction to Wakefield road section
 

You are here : Map 1                         
Kirkburton Junction to Wakefield road

 

 

 

 

 

 





 

 

  

Hybrid map (roads 2005 rails1930)
Kirkburton Junction to Wakefield road section

Railway Ramblers gazetteer
See also the Railway Ramblers gazetteer -  Kirklees - LNWR Deighton (Kirkburton junction) - Kirkburton

Kirkburton junction
Kirkburton junction & Deighton station map (1890) : Malcolm Mallison
 6 inch maps from the 1890 survey.
Kirkburton Junction (17-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
A62 bridge abutment (17-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
Leeds road between old Deighton station site & Whitacre Mill Viaduct.
Whitacre mill viaduct facing East (22-02-04) : David Webdale
Whitacre mill viaduct taken from  Ashgrove road.
Whitacre mill viaduct facing East (22-02-04) : David Webdale
Taken from Huddersfield Broad Canal towpath.
At 2 am on the 15th Feb 1866, whilst the viaduct was still under construction, the two arches shown here collapsed.
Whitacre mill viaduct facing South (22-02-04) : David Webdale
From Huddersfield Broad Canal towpath. The viaduct was built on a curve with a radius of 22 chains to the mile & consists of seven arches, each with a 94 ft span & a rise of 21 feet 4 inches.
Whitacre Mill Viaduct BRB identifier (17-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
Dalton Bank Rd (17-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
Looking towards Deighton.
Dalton Bank Rd (17-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
Looking towards Kirkburton
Jagger Lane (17-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
Nettleton Terrace (17-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
Sutton Drive (17-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
School Lane (17-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
Bridge (12-04-08) : Andrew Stopford
Just south of School Lane and just north of the Tandem business park that's built over the trackbed.

Kirkheaton Station
 Opened 07-10-1867. Closed 28-07-1930.
 Kirkheaton station map (1890) : Malcolm Mallison
Kirkheaton (13-01-07) : Andrew Stopford
Just past Kirkheaton Station site (Kirkburton side) - building over trackbed (low embankment visible behind wooden shed at centre of shot)
Wakefield road (03-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
Abutement, Wakefield Rd, Waterloo (near Lascelles Hall Rd)


Wakefield road To Rowley Viaduct section

 







You are here : Map 2                   
Wakefield road to Rowley viaduct  



















 

   
  Hybrid map (roads 2005 rails1930)
  Wakefield road To Rowley section
Waterloo bridge (28-04-07) : Andrew Stopford
Found another small bridge on the Kirkburton branch - just behind Morrison's at Waterloo, junction of Sheffield & Wakefield Rd
(near the Yorkshire Traction garage). This photo from the Morrison's side of the bridge.
Waterloo bridge (28-04-07) : Andrew Stopford
And the other side.
Waterloo bridge (28-04-07) : Andrew Stopford
Parapet from the trackbed looking towards Kirkburton.
Spa Terrace (23-12-14) : David Major
Fence behind Spa Terrace just off Spa Bottom, Fenay Bridge.
It appears to be made from the old railway sleepers from the line which ran along the top of the banking, directly behind the row of terrace housing. (Bank now completely overgrown, as this photo shows.)
Bridge (03-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
Substantial relic north of Fenay Bridge between Fenay Bridge Rd & Penistone Rd (and you can see the rain falling!)
Footbridge (03-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
Footbridge north of Fenay Bridge.
Footbridge (03-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
View of trackbed from footbridge looking north.

Fenay Bridge & Lepton
Opened 07-10-1867. Closed 28-07-1930.
 Bridge (03-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
Abutement at Fenay Bridge.
Jumble wood (03-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
Jumble Wood.
Bridge (03-09-06) : Andrew Stopford 
There was a bridge here - abutements gone but you can see where it was - by the lamppost on the right and the red Nissan on the left
Bridge (03-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
Looking the other way - you can see remains by the bus stop, and underneath the 'for sale' sign.
Bridge (18-11-07) : Andrew Stopford
Occupation bridge, just after Fenay Bridge going towards Kirkburton.
Bridge (17-03-08) : Andrew Stopford
I saw a shot on flickr of a bridge on the Kirkburton Branch that I hadn't seen.
Found it today just north of Rowley Viaduct - it was obviously pedestrian access only!


Rowley viaduct to Kirkburton station section

 











You are here : Map 3                       
Rowley viaduct to Kirkburton station  


 








 
Hybrid map (roads 2005 rails1930)
Rowley viaduct to Kirkburton station section
Rowley Viaduct (13-01-07) : Andrew Stopford
Rowley Viaduct - accessed by a footpath from housing estate off Rowley Lane.
I tried to get on the viaduct but the trackebed is an impenetrable mass of gorse & brambles.
It's difficult to get a 'bigger' shot because you can't see the viaduct till you get to it.
Rowley Viaduct (13-01-07) : Andrew Stopford
Inside of arch giving some idea of size
Rowley Viaduct (13-01-07) : Andrew Stopford
Detail of brickwork - typical LNWR style blue engineering brick showing water damage due to lost drainpipe
Rowley Viaduct (13-01-07) : Andrew Stopford
Rowley Viaduct & LNWR marker post (13-01-07) : Andrew Stopford
Clearer shot of LNWR marker stone. You can just about make out 'LNWR' on it.
Rowley Viaduct (13-01-07) : Andrew Stopford
Looking onto deck towards Huddersfield - significant tree growth all the way across!
Rowley Viaduct (13-01-07) : Andrew Stopford
Looking towards Kirkburton
Crossing (17-03-08) : Andrew Stopford
Occuption crossing just south of Rowley Viaduct.
Trackbed (17-03-08) : Andrew Stopford
Trackbed between Rowley Viaduct and Kirkburton.
The Foxglove pub (24-04-08) : David Webdale
Situated near to the site of Kirkburton station, on the opposite side of Penistone road.
Originally called the Railway Junction Inn, named in anticipation of a proposal in 1864 by the Midland railway to construct an extension from Barnsley to a junction with the L.N.W.R at Kirkburton.

Kirkburton Station
 Opened 07-10-1867. Closed 26-07-1930. Freight 05-05-1965.
 Kirkburton Station (03-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
Looking up at an obvious railway built retaining wall at Kirkburton Station site.
Kirkburton Station (11-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
Kirkburton station site, now a housing estate. I'm looking towards the buffer stops. Hard to tell apart from the wall on the left!
Kirkburton Station footbridge (17-09-06) : Andrew Stopford
Not too easy to tell but it's the remains of the steps down to the footbridge that crossed over Kirkburton Station throat. The bridge has gone but the steps have been continued down to trackbed level so the path is still open. You can see the brick work on the descending flight of steps.
Kirkburton Station (24-04-08) : David Webdale
 Brick arch shaped arrangement situated at the end of the station goods yard area on North Road.
Don't know what its for, heard a rumour that there was a tunnel leading to a pit around here somewhere, not seen it on any maps.
Note : Roger Lynch
You talk about the mines round the station. Not sure about the brick arch under Slant Gate but on the Geology map it is near an outcrop of coal.
There is an adit just before you get into the Station. As you approach the station there was a footbridge over the lines.
This leads to some steps up to Slant Gate. Part way up the steps on the right there is a flat area and not far on this is the adit to a coal mine.
There were numerous mine entrances round the other side of Penistone Road from the Station.

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