Manchester and Leeds Railway
The Manchester and Leeds Railway was a railway company which opened in 1839, connecting Manchester with Leeds via the North Midland Railway which it joined at Goose Hill Junction, Normanton.
Development
1825 January 5th. Meeting held at the Bridgewater Arms Inn, Manchester with Thomas Worthington in the Chair. 29 members (named) of the Committee. 'Proposed railway from Manchester to Leeds to communicate with Hull and the intermeriate places'. [1] [2]
1836 It was incorporated by Act of Parliament.
1839 A second Act authorised the extension from the original Manchester terminus at Lees Street to join the Liverpool and Manchester Railway when the latter was extended to Hunt's Bank (later called Manchester Victoria). The Act also authorised branches to Oldham and Halifax with a diversion at Kirkthorpe.
The railway approached the station by a viaduct, 730 yards long, of 72 arches. The Pennine Range was pierced by the Summit Tunnel, 2860 yards long. In its construction fifteen shafts were sunk, and the work cost £251,000, or £108,000 above the estimate. The contractor gave up to job and sacrificed his bond of £3000 rather than complete it. The well-known Charles-town Curve is situated east of Todmorden. A tunnel, 250 yards long, should have been provided at that point but owing to the treacherous nature of the soil, the line was run round it on curves of 12-chain radius.[3]
1839 The line was opened in three sections; the western end, from Manchester to Littleborough, on July 4th, 1839; the eastern portion, from Hebden Bridge to Normanton, on October 5th, 1840; the central portion from Littleborough to Hebden Bridge, including the Summit Tunnel on March 1st, 1841.[4]
Superintended by George Stephenson, its engineer was Thomas Longridge Gooch, a brother of Daniel Gooch of the GWR. The line climbed out of Manchester with an average gradient of 1 in 260 till it arrived at the summit and a 2,860 yard long tunnel at Littleborough. From there it descended towards Normanton.
In 1840 the line ran from Manchester to Littleborough with stations at Mills Hill, Blue Pits and Rochdale and single fares ranged from 4s to 1s 6d. there were ten trains in each direction except Sunday when four were run.
The four branches opened as follows:[5]
- From Blue Pits - Castleton - to Heywood, on April 1st, 1841 and extended to Bury on May 5th 1848.
- Mills Hill - Middleton Junction - to Oldham, Werneth, on March 21st, 1842.
- North Dean to Halifax on July 8th, 1844.
- Miles Platting to Ashton on April 15th, 1846.
The line was extended to Mumps Station, Oldham, on November 1st 1847.
c1845 They absorbed the Ashton, Stalybridge and Liverpool Junction Railway
1845 They absorbed the Huddersfield and Sheffield Junction Railway
1846 They absorbed the Liverpool and Bury Railway
1847 The line was the chief constituent of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway when it was formed.
1838 Newspaper Report [6]
‘THE MANCHESTER AND LEEDS RAILWAY.
Of the great and important lines of railway communication which a few short years will see radiating from this great metropolis of manufactures (Manchester), perhaps one of the most valuable and important will be that which connects the capital of the cotton with the capital of the woollen manufacture. As the progress of the works on this line — not merely the viaduct of the Manchester terminus, but, we believe, nearly all the heaviest work along the line, including the summit tunnel — is now in so satisfactory, and, indeed, astonishingly forward a state, we cannot, perhaps, select a fitter opportunity for laying before our readers a short sketch of the course and features of this great railway, which is to connect, not only the emporia of manufacture and the marts of trade, but also the two greatest -seaports of the north, Liverpool and Hull— bringing the North Sea and the Irish Sea, the east and west coasts of our island, within a few hour's distance.
‘The line, as may be known, runs in a direction about N.N.E. from Manchester to Hebden-bridge, whence its course is E.S.E. till within a few miles of Wakefield, at a point nearly due south of Leeds, and from which it makes a detour by Wakefield into the North Midland line, which carries it in a north-westerly direction to Leeds. This line, though somewhat tortuous, was preferred by the company to a more direct one surveyed by Mr. Walker, for the reasons that it avoided some unfavourable gradients, and a considerable length of tunnelling, which Mr. Walker's line would have required; that it passed in the neighbourhood of the most valuable mills and factories in the West Riding, and the eastern part of this county ; and that, passing through a densely populated district, it was clearly the most desirable course in a commercial point of view.
‘The Manchester terminus of the line is to be in Lees- street, St. Georges-road, near its junction with Oldham-road; whence the line proceeds in a direction nearly N.E. on a viaduct of 58 arches, and about half a mile in length, at a height varying from 16 to 28 feet — the arches being from 30 to 40 feet span. St. George’s-street, (leading from Oldham-road to St. George's Church), Livesey-street (running from St. Georges-road to Oldham-road), in front of St. Patrick's (catholic) chapel, and the conventual seminary, and Cropper-street (Oldham-road), are respectively crossed by substantial bridges, faced with stone, the arches 42 feet span. This viaduct is succeeded at its terminus in Junction-street, Miles Platting, by an embankment of about 15 feet in height, which extends past Colleyhurst, and nearly to Moston — a distance of about two miles — and there it is suddenly increased to a height of about 50 feet, crossing Moston Brook ; it subsequently falls into an exceedingly heavy cutting, called the Moston cutting, which is precisely similar, in the character of materials and the quantity of excavation, to the Kenyon cutting, on the Liverpool and Manchester line. This cutting extends to a length about two miles, and may be said to be the heaviest work between Manchester and Rochdale. From its further extremity to the summit of the line, near Littleborough, the amount of embankment will far exceed that of excavation, and the additional material required will be obtained by what is termed side-cutting from the adjacent fields. The heaviest embankment will occur in crossing the river Irk, near a place called Mills-hill, and about three quarters of a mile east of Middleton. Here a long double culvert is carried over the Irk, at a height (the rails above the surface of the water) of 65 feet. The embankment does not extend much further. The Rochdale canal is next crossed, for the first time, about a quarter of a mile further, by a cast-iron trussed-beam bridge, with an arch of 75 feet span; the rails being about 20 feet above the surface of the water. Near Slattocks, the canal is crossed a second time by a substantial skew bridge, of brick, with stone facing ; the angle of askew being 30 degrees and the span 40 feet on the square. At Slattocks the railway is to pass under the Rochdale turnpike road, which will be raised about 24 feet, and carried over the railway by a solid bridge of three arches of 30 feet span ; the bridge will be of brick, with stone facing. Thence the railway continues to the Heywood branch canal, which, at that point, is at present carried along on an embankment: the railway will cross it by a cast-iron trussed-beam bridge. Thence the work on the line are of an easy character to the distance of three miles beyond Rochdale. The railway passes over Oldham-road, Rochdale, near the Rochdale Canal Company's station, on a viaduct of 16 arches, at a height of about 15 or 16 feet. Passing thence to the neighbourhood of Littleborough without any particular feature, till it approaches that place, the railway then proceeds thither on an embankment, varying from 25 to 30 feet in height, and passes through Littleborough on a viaduct of six arches. A little distance beyond Littleborough, the line, on its approach to the summit tunnel, is carried along by a cutting of nearly 100 feet at its greatest depth ; the material from which will be used in forming the embankment near Littleborough.
‘The summit tunnel, will, of course, be the heaviest piece of work on the whole line. This tunnel will be about a mile and a half in length, passing completely through the hill at the foot of Blackstone Edge, into the valley of Todmorden. This it does at a singularly low level, being only about 545 feet above the level of the sea, and, consequently, much lower than the level of any of the canals passing through this ridge. To construct this tunnel, eleven shafts are to be sunk at different distances, of about 10 feet diameter, and the longest of them about 100 yards in depth. It should be observed here, however, that the operations of draining, &c, will be very much facilitated by the sloping nature of the ground, which will enable the workmen to avail themselves of side-drifts, by which from 100 to 150 feet in elevation, in raising water, &c., are saved. At one point the tunnel passes under what may be called the peak of a hill, at a depth of about 380 feet ; but, of course, no shaft will be requisite at this point ; the tunnel passing under it owing to its being carried through in a straight line, instead of following the windings of the valley. Indeed the tunnel is not more than 80 feet below the general level of the valley.
‘After leaving the summit tunnel, the line winds along the course of the valley of Todmorden. The work will be very heavy for the first five miles; including two small tunnels, and some heavy embankments and cuttings. In this way the line is carried through Todmorden to Hebden Bridge. The valley, which, during the five miles referred to, is exceedingly narrow and confined (notwithstanding which, however, none of the curves exceed three quarters of a mile in radius) begins to open out near Hebden Bridge, and the works thence to Sowerby Bridge assume a much lighter character. Sowerby Bridge is near Halifax, and probably about thirty miles from Manchester. Near this place there is another tunnel of about five hundred yards in length. Thence the line continues, with an equal proportion of embankment and cutting, for a distance of several miles ; the principal feature in the works below Sowerby Bridge being the crossing of the river Calder by a handsome stone bridge. The remainder of the earth work will be very light. Here we may remark that the stone for the bridge just named, as well as for all the works in the Todmorden valley (in which the masonry is to a greater extent more than the earth-work), will be obtained there, where it can be got in vast abundance, and of the best quality. Indeed, the great plenty of good stone is a very favourable circumstance for the line, both as regards the ballast required for the road on which to bed the blocks, and also the stone blocks for the rails, and the various bridges and other works along the railway. The line pursues its way till, about two miles east of Wakefield, it enters the North Midland line, at a distance of fifty miles from Manchester: there the line proper may be said to terminate— the North Midland proceeding thence to Leeds, a distance of about ten miles further. The arrangement entered into with the North Midland Railway Company, for this purpose, is stated to be a very favourable one ; and we believe the latter are in active operation in forming that portion of their line. From Hebden Bridge the line passes through the following towns and places :— Mytholmroyd, Sowerby Bridge within little more than a mile of Halifax, within three miles of Huddersfield, through Elland, Brighouse, Cooper Bridge, within half a mile of Dewsbury, and through Wakefield, over part of which town it passes on a viaduct of about 20 arches. The North Midland line, quitting the valley of the Calder, runs through part of that of the Aire, to Leeds, where the eastern terminus, so far as the present line is concerned, will probably be somewhere in or near the Wellington-road. From Manchester to the east end of the summit tunnel the planes of the railway, with the exception of a few miles of level, are altogether ascending; from that point towards Leeds, there are descending planes till near the junction with the North Midland Railway, and thence alternately descending and ascending till its terminus at Leeds. The total distance from the Manchester to the Leeds terminus is sixty miles fifty chains, the length in a right line being about thirty-five miles. The nature of the country, and the necessity of passing what has been called England's vertebral chain, have caused this circuitous route to be necessary.
‘We should not do justice to this great undertaking, if we omitted to notice what has been done, mid is now doing, in reference to the proposed branch to Oldham. For this very important branch, the plans have been lodged with the clerks of the peace, and application is to be made to parliament in the next session fur the requisite powers to form that additional line, which, by a comparatively small amount of labour and length of railway, will form the best and most rapid line of communication between Manchester and Oldham, as well as connecting the latter with some of the important towns in the West Riding of Yorkshire. This branch will diverge from the main line at a distance of four miles fifty-two chains, or nearly four and three quarter miles, from Manchester, in the neighbourhood of Birchen Bower, whence it will proceed in nearly a direct line to Oldham ; its length being not quite two miles and a half. From the station in Lees-street Manchester, to the intended station in Ashton-road, Oldham, the distance will be seven miles eight chains; and from Manchester to Mumps, where the branch terminates, it will be seven miles sixty-one chains ; a distance nearly corresponding with that by the present coach road.
‘As to the present state of the works on the line, it is unnecessary for us now to enter into much detail, as the engineer's report, which would be laid before the half-yearly meeting of subscribers on Monday last, will doubtless comprehend all the information that may be sought on this subject. We may, however, state generally, that not only have the contracts been let for all the heavy works on the line, but in most of them very considerable progress has been made. During the last six months, more earth-work has been done than was ever before accomplished on any similar undertaking in the same distance and time ; and the activity with which the company's operations are conducted may be conjectured from the fact, that from Manchester to the summit tunnel, beyond Littleborough, between three and four thousand men are at this moment at work. Indeed , on that portion of the line between Manchester and Littleborough, which, we believe, is intended to be opened next spring, more than two-thirds of the whole amount of work required is already done. We believe it is intended to have the whole line completed "in all 1840."
‘We cannot conclude this hasty notice of the line, without taking a glance at it as forming one grand connecting link in the great chain of railway communication which is rapidly bringing Manchester into closer communication — we might almost say contact — with hitherto distant places. Not only does it connect the eastern and western shores of our inland at the two great out-ports of Liverpool and Hull ; but it forms a junction with the great eastern line of railway from London northward to Scotland, and by its points of contact with the North Midland, with its extension southward towards Birmingham, Derby, and the midland counties; and northward by the York and North Midland line, to York, Newcastle, and Edinburgh ; with the Leeds and Selby line, and its extension to Hull, — it leaves unreached scarcely any important district of the island, hitherto inaccessible by steam-locomotive travelling. When the lines to Leeds, to Birmingham, and the north- western line by Preston and Lancaster to Carlisle, &c., shall be completed, Manchester will then become the great centre of railway communication to all parts of Great Britain.’
The Manchester Terminus
The original terminus for passenger and goods traffic was in Ancoats, bounded by Oldham Road, Lees Street, St. George's Street and Church Street. There was a covered goods depot and an extensive network of sidings. There were few points, marshalling being done by means of numerous small turntables. This facility became Oldham Road goods depot after the passenger terminus moved to Victoria. The complex was upgraded to suit heavier trains, but some of the original buildings survived. The depot remained in use into the 1960s, but everything was subsequently cleared away, except for part of the boundary wall and a length of the approach viaduct (which originally had 58 arches). The area is now occupied by a characterless mix of housing estates, car parks, and warehousing (including a large postal sorting office).
An excellent illustrated history of the site is available online here [7]
Fortunately Manchester City Council have made pre-demolition photographs available online. This 1966 photo shows one of the buildings, still retaining the sign 'Manchester and LeedsRailway Office. Other 1966 photos, for example here, here, here and here, show the internal structure and layout of the railway buildings. More photos here. Search page here.
The passenger terminus was relocated to be closer to the city centre. Reference to Bancks's 1831 map shows that the original location was influenced by the relatively clear access. Extensive property demolition would have been required to move further to the south west. Further to the north east there were just a few houses, and Collyhurst Hall and its gardens.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [2] Wikipedia