Wadsley Bridge railway station

Wadsley Bridge
Wadsley Station in January 2005.
General information
LocationWadsley Bridge, City of Sheffield
England
Coordinates53°25′08″N 1°29′57″W / 53.418880°N 1.499170°W / 53.418880; -1.499170
Grid referenceSK334915
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Pre-groupingSheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway
Great Central Railway
Post-groupingLondon and North Eastern Railway
London Midland Region of British Railways
Key dates
14 July 1845Opened
15 June 1959Closed to regular passenger services
8 January 1994[1]Last used by football specials
2 March 1997official complete closure date

Wadsley Bridge railway station was a station in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England on the Great Central Railway's core route between Manchester and Sheffield.

History

Wadsley Bridge signal box on 6 June 1987
Wadsley Bridge signal box on 6 June 1987

The station opened on 14 July 1845 as part of the then Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway,[2] on its original route from Bridgehouses in Sheffield (soon superseded by Sheffield Victoria) to Manchester London Road. This route became more popularly known as the Woodhead Line. The station stood on the north side of Halifax Road between Neepsend and Oughtibridge stations.[3]

The station closed to regular passenger service on 15 June 1959,[3][2] with the Woodhead Line itself closing to passengers in 1970.[4] However, Wadsley Bridge railway station still saw occasional passenger use. summer specials were advertised until 31 October 1965,[4] Between 15 and 19 February 1979, British Rail temporarily reopened the station (along with Dronfield and the Midland Main Line platforms at Dore) because road transport throughout Sheffield had been brought to a standstill by heavy snowfall. All Sheffield–Huddersfield trains served the station during that period, and a special single fare of £0.16 was charged.[5] Sheffield–Huddersfield passenger trains continued to run through the station until 1983[3] and football specials used the station until 1994, serving Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium.[3][4] Official closure took place in 1997 after which the station platforms were abandoned.

Present

Old station sign at John Fairest Funeral Home.

The station buildings survived until final closure, but have since been demolished. The two platforms remain, however they are in a visibly poor condition. Passing through the station is the single line from Sheffield to Stocksbridge - this has been retained for occasional freight workings to steel mills in Stocksbridge.[6]

An old station sign, almost certainly from the signal box, can be seen attached to the adjacent John Fairest Funeral Home (see picture).

In 2008 the weighbridge was removed and reconstructed at Levisham railway station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.


Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Oughty Bridge   British Railways
Great Central Main Line 		  Neepsend

References

  1. ^ Railway Passenger Stations by M.Quick page 456
  2. ^ a b Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 239. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  3. ^ a b c d Subterranea Britannica - Wadsley Bridge station
  4. ^ a b c Sheffield Victoria and the Woodhead Route Archived 21 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "British Rail News: Temporary Re-opening of Stations". Journal of the Transport Ticket Society (183). Luton: Transport Ticket Society: 121–122. March 1979. ISSN 0144-347X.
  6. ^ The Woodhead Site - Wadsley Bridge station