Altofts railway station

Altofts railway station served the village of Altofts near Normanton in the English county of West Yorkshire. It was opened in 1870 as Altofts and Whitwood by the Midland Railway on its line from Derby to Leeds Wellington Station.[2] Much of the village of Altofts is in fact closer to Normanton station.

Altofts
Location of the former station (1995)
General information
LocationAltofts, City of Wakefield
England
Coordinates53.71599°N 1.40890°W / 53.71599; -1.40890
Grid referenceSE391245
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyMidland Railway
Pre-groupingMidland Railway
Post-groupingLondon Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 September 1870Opened as Altofts and Whitwood
4 May 1970Renamed Altofts
14 May 1990Closed [1]
A Railway Clearing House diagram including Altofts in 1912

It was built on an embankment using spoil from the cutting south of Normanton. The area was in any case, prone to subsidence, resulting in speed restrictions and the need to shore up the platforms. North of the station the line crosses the Aire and Calder Navigation and the River Calder by means of a viaduct of five sixty foot arches.[3]

History

Opened by the Midland Railway on 1 September 1870, and originally named Altofts and Whitwood,[4] it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923. The line then passed on to the Eastern Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948.

When Sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Regional Railways under arrangements with the WYPTE METRO.

The name was simplified to Altofts on 4 May 1970 and the station closed on 14 May 1990,[4] the last day of service being 12 May 1990.[5]

Post closure

Faster services on the Hallam line currently run past the former station on their way from Normanton to Woodlesford. These have operated since 2006, with alternate trains running through to Nottingham since December 2008. Slower trains since 1988 instead follow an alternative route along the former North Eastern Railway lines from Normanton to Castleford, where they have to reverse direction, rather than the direct line through Altofts.

The industrial estates associated with Wakefield Europort now surround the unredeveloped station site.

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Normanton   Midland Railway
(North Midland main line)		   Methley
Normanton   Regional Railways / WYPTE METRO
Hallam Line
(Line open; station closed)		   Woodlesford

References
  1. Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
  2. Pixton, B., (2000) North Midland: Portrait of a Famous Route, Runpast Publishing
  3. Pixton, B., (2000) North Midland: Portrait of a Famous Route, Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing
  4. Butt 1995, p. 16
  5. "List of dates from 1 January 1985 to 20 January 2006 of last passenger trains at closed BR (or Network Rail stations since privatisation)" (PDF). Department for Transport Website: Freedom of Information Act responses, February 2006. Department for Transport. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  • Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.
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