Thongs Bridge railway station

Thongs Bridge railway station was the only intermediate stop on the railway line between Brockholes and Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England. Opened in July 1850, the station was temporarily closed in 1865 due to the collapse of Mytholmbridge Viaduct. The station closed to passengers permanently in 1959, closing completely in 1965.

Thongs Bridge railway station
Heavy rail
A large stone bridge in a deep cutting that has been walled up in the portal
Walled-up railway bridge, Thongsbridge
General information
LocationThongsbridge, West Yorkshire
England
Coordinates53.5842°N 1.7728°W / 53.5842; -1.7728
Grid referenceSE151097
Line(s)Holmfirth branch line
Platforms2
Tracks2
Other information
StatusClosed
History
Original companyLancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and North Western Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 July 1850Station opened
3 December 1865Station closed
11 March 1867Station reopened
31 October 1959Station closed to passengers
3 May 1965Station closed completely
Location

History

Thongs Bridge railway station was opened with the Holmfirth branch in July 1850.[1] It was the only intermediate station on the branch between Brockholes railway station, and the terminus at Holmfirth.[2] The station was 5.75 miles (9.25 km) south of Huddersfield, (1-mile (1.6 km) south of the junction with Penistone Line at Brockholes), and 1-mile (1.6 km) north of Holmfirth.[3] The line through the station was double track, and each track had a platform face; Holmfirth station had only a single platform.[4][5] The station was developed within a rock cutting with steep sides, and was equipped with a goods yard, which was south-west of the station and had a 3 tonnes (3.3 tons) crane for goods loading and unloading.[6][7][8] This stayed open for six years after closure to passengers, ceasing to forward traffic on 3 May 1965.[9]

The collapse of Mytholmbridge Viaduct caused the station to be closed temporarily from 3 December 1865 to 11 March 1867 whilst a replacement viaduct was constructed.[10][11] The station closed to passengers permanently on 31 October 1959.[3] In 1961, the branch was singled throughout.[12]

The station was always labelled as Thongs Bridge by the railway, as that was the traditional name of the settlement.[7] Thongsbridge is a modern version of the name.[6]

Services

Initially, the branch operated trains only as far as Brockholes station, but by 1863 seven services along the line extended all the way into Huddersfield.[13] In 1887, services consisted of ten daily out and back workings along the branch. Most were worked from Bradford Exchange, with some starting from Halifax. Sunday saw just three services per day.[14] In 1910, this was 16 services each way, though some only ran as far as Huddersfield or Brockholes.[15] In the last year of Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway operation (1922), services varied between 18 and 19 depending on the day of the week, with three services on a Sunday.[16] In 1938, under London Midland Scottish operation, it had risen to twenty trains per day.[17]

During the Second World War, services had dropped to seven each way, with no Sunday service.[18] In 1946, the station saw eleven services a day, though at least one other passenger train along the branch did not call at Thongs Bridge. The Sunday service was also absent.[19] In 1951, under British Railways, the service pattern had dropped to just six services per day, with only three per day in 1959 when the line closed to passengers.[12][20]

References
  1. Bairstow 1993, p. 21.
  2. Earnshaw, Alan (1992). The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway : then & now. Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan Pub. p. 116. ISBN 0-7110-2058-2.
  3. Bairstow 1993, p. 81.
  4. Bairstow 1993, p. 29.
  5. Young 2015, p. 51.
  6. "Disused Stations: Thongs Bridge Station". disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  7. "Thongs Bridge mapping from 1904". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  8. The Railway Clearing House handbook of railway stations, 1904. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. 1970. p. 531. ISBN 0715351206.
  9. Bairstow 1993, p. 63.
  10. Quick, M. E. (2009). Railway passenger stations in Great Britain : a chronology (4 ed.). Oxford: RCHS. p. 378. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5.
  11. Burgess, Neil (2014). The lost railways of Yorkshire's West Riding. The central section : Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield. Catrine: Stenlake. p. 28. ISBN 9781840336573.
  12. Young 2015, p. 55.
  13. Young 2015, p. 52.
  14. Bradshaw's August 1887 railway guide; a new edition of the August 1887 issue of Bradshaw's General Railway and Steam Navigation Guide for Great Britain and Ireland. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. 1968. p. 324. ISBN 0-7153-4325-4.
  15. Bradshaw's April 1910 railway guide; a new edition of the April 1910 issue of Bradshaw's General Railway and Steam Navigation Guide for Great Britain and Ireland. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. 1968. p. 788. ISBN 0-7153-4246-0.
  16. Bradshaw's July 1922 railway guide. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. 1985. p. 574. ISBN 0-7153-8708-1.
  17. Bradshaw's July 1938 railway guide. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. 1969. p. 614. ISBN 0-7153-4686-5.
  18. Young 2015, p. 54.
  19. 1946 June Bradshaw's Railway Timetable - British Isles at the Internet Archive
  20. 1951 July Bradshaw at the Internet Archive

Sources
  • Bairstow, Martin (1993) [1985]. The Huddersfield & Sheffield Junction Railway : the Penistone Line (2 ed.). Halifax. ISBN 1-871944-08-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Young, Alan (2015). Lost stations of Yorkshire. Kettering: Silver Link. ISBN 978-1-85794-438-9.
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