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Somewhere in the Welsh Valleys. Where is it?
Please send your answers to raildate.co.uk@gmail.com
This area of Yorkshire was transformed in 1963 into major railway centre. Where is it?
Answer: Healey Mills, 3 miles W of Wakefield. Congratulations are due to the following for their correct answers: John Czyrko, Colin Penfold, Richard Maund, Richard Hart, Paul Hopper, Chris Gibbard, Bob Hart, Dave Goodyear, Andrew Treves, John Musselwhite, Phil Deaves, Richard Weller, Phil Drake, Bryn Pitcher, Jeremy Harrison, Chris Callaghan, John Lacy, David Bromley, Michael Willsher, Neil Spencer, Simon Wass
The hump marshalling yard replaced a smaller set of sidings. The project involved creating a new cut for the River Calder and demolishing Healey Low Mills (top of map). It opened in the North Eastern Region, prior to its 1967 merger with the Eastern. The depot (56B, later HM) never handled steam and had a peak allocation of over 70 locos - Classes 03, 08, 37, 40, 47 and 56.
The yard closed in 2012. The site had been protected to be used as a train depot for the HS2 Leeds leg, but I don't know its current status.
The southerly line shown as being "in course of construction" was intended to be the Midland Railway's new direct main line through Bradford, avoiding Leeds. Progress fizzled out in 1906 having reached Dewsbury (NW of our map) when running powers onwards to Bradford via the L&Y were acquired instead. Savile Town station was built in Dewsbury, and Crigglestone as an intermediary stop, but passenger service is not thought to have ever started. The goods line closed in 1950 but a fine viaduct SE of Horbury remains in place.
The 1913 RCH diagram below shows Plan B i.e. a link to build (green dashes) through Bradford but utilising L&Y metals the short distance to Dewsbury. The whole scheme was abandoned in 1919. We now know Bradford Market Street station as Forster Square, but the square itself only dates from 1906 and the name wasn't applied to the station until after the Grouping.
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