REGISTER OF CLOSED RAILWAYS

RCH Yorkshire District 1918

ACD - Mon 07/09/1964 - BLN 19; PNM 1980 p34. LTR - Sun 06/09/1964. 

*Service also appears in B900 Jul 1908 p569.

**B1273 Aug 1939 p551, 610, 651 & 699 (!) show a 4 45aft Week Days Halifax - Sheffield (Midland) via Thornhill & Cudworth calling at Greetland, Elland, Brighouse, Mirfield, Thornhill, Cudworth and Chapeltown. From B1285 Aug 1940 the Halifax Sheffield service continued but appears to have been rerouted via Swinton. Consequently, there is no evidence of any regular timetabled passengers services over this line. However, do read on.  

***PSUL Summer 1964 gives the following services operating over this section of line:-

9-10 a.m. SO Kingswear-Bradford F. Sq.; 10-20 a.m. SO Newton Abbot-Bradford F. Sq.; 9-45 a.m. SX Paignton-Bradford F. Sq.; 9-15 a.m. St. Pancras-Edinburgh W.; 10-15 a.m, St. Pancras-Glasgow St. E.; 12-15 p.m. St. Pancras-Bradford F. Sq.; 2-10 a.m. MX Sheffield M.-Leeds City; 10-05 p.m. Edinburgh W.- St. Pancras; 10-05 p.m. SUN Edinburgh W.-St. Pancras; 8_35a.m. SO Glasgow St. E.-St. Pancras; 9-05 a.m. Glasgow St. E.-St. Pancras; 9-25 p.m. SX Glasgow St. E.-St. Pancras; N 6-38 a.m, SO Leicester L. Rd.-Gourock; D 1-36 p.m. FO Leeds City-St. Pancras.

D Train does not run for the full period of the time table. N Not advertised in public time tables; intending passengers should make such local enquiries as may be necessary to ensure that trains marked 'N' will actually be running when they intend to travel. 

The foregoing supports the information contained in Rails Through Barnsley; A Photographic History. A. Whitehouse & P. Rodgers which records the fact that the line was constructed and opened in 1899 to relieve congestion around Swinton and Rotherham and was known as the Chapeltown Loop. Principal express passenger services such as the Thames - Clyde Express were routed this way. 

This entry highlights some of the difficulties in identifying whether or not and when a section of line carried a regular timetabled passenger service and when such service(s) ceased, officially or otherwise, especially when the route had no intermediate stations. 

My attention was drawn to the Sheffield - Leeds via Wombwell and Cudworth service by an eagle-eyed website visitor, to whom I am very grateful. This prompted a trawl through my timetables where I spotted the elusive Halifax to Sheffield train of 1939 vintage. This train also traversed the Royston - Thornhill line, another route that is difficult to identify passenger services with. (At least I assume it did, rather than making a circuitous detour via Wakefield (Kirkgate) and Oakenshaw South Jct.)

Information about the express services has since come to light, but these could not be identified as such purely from the public passenger timetables.

Any further revelations most welcome.

Page updated: 02/05/2022