Yorkshire & Humberside

Prior to the 1923 railway grouping, the North Eastern Railway dominated much of this region to the north of the Humber Estuary, whilst in South Humberside the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway (re-christened Great Central Railway from 1897) held sway.  Things were different in the West Riding where many other large and powerful railways, along with the NER and MS&L, fought for traffic and territory by either building their own lines or absorbing local companies.  The history of railway development in this part of the region was made even more complex by a pattern of selective joint ventures and shifting alliances.

In Volume 8 of the “Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain” covering South & West Yorkshire (now sadly out of print) David Joy provides a comprehensive overview for anyone interested in knowing more.  As the dust jacket to the second edition makes clear; “the urban portion of the former West Riding had in its heyday perhaps the most complex railway network in Britain.  Crowded into the relatively small area of 1,800 square miles were about 850 route mailes of railway, with seven major companies vying with one another for supremacy” (David St. John Thomas/David & Charles).

STATIONS

The North Eastern Railway’s 1871 station at Castleford represents a classic example of the style they adopted for a large and important town.  It replaced an earlier York & North Midland Railway station about ¼ mile further east.  During my time as Station Manager it provided a suitable backdrop to the Kippax Amateur Operatic Society publicity shots for their forthcoming production of “Hello Dolly” – hence the temporary renaming to “Yonkers”.  All the station buildings were later swept away in the 1970s and replaced by a bus shelter, only for a new £2.8 million station building to be opened in January 2021.  The (now closed) NER ‘Type S1a’ signal box dates from 1882.

Wakefield Kirkgate, Halifax and Huddersfield stations all have Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway associations, each in its way representing the grandiose self-importance and financial success which that company wished to project.

  • Wakefield Kirkgate (1854-57) built jointly with the Great Northern Railway
  • Halifax (1855, altered 1885-86) built jointly with the Leeds, Bradford & Halifax Railway
  • Huddersfield (1846-50) built jointly with the Huddersfield & Manchester Railway & Canal Company (absorbed by the London & North Western Railway in 1847)

The LMS 1930s buildings at Leeds have particular personal resonance, having been based there for much of my BR management training during the late 1960s.

This gallery ends with more classic examples of equipment and buildings representing the NER or its constituent companies.

  • NER Slotted Post Signal, York Station concourse
  • Knaresborough Signal Box (1872) and Knaresborough Station (1890)
  • Beverley Signal Box (1911, NER Southern Division Type 4) and Beverley Station (York & North Midland Railway, 1846).

TRAINS

The “Peak”, “Thames-Clyde Express”, “Deltics” and “Yorkshire Pullman” recall Inter-City services of the 1960s.  At the opposite end of the scale are the 1980s “Pacers” – beginning with the unique Class 140 prototype, followed by a Class 141, first of the production types, and finally the Class 144, last of the breed.

More recent ECML services are represented by the Class 222 “Pioneer” and Class 180 “Adelante” diesel units of open access operators.  Rounding off the gallery is a former Class 319 Thameslink emu being re-born as a Class 769 electric/diesel/(battery) bi- or tri-mode unit.

FREIGHT

During my period of BR Management Training during the late 1960s, railway freight activities were still very traditional.  This is amply displayed by the pictures of Healey Mills, which had only opened 6 years previously.  Travelling in a brake van at night on an unfitted freight train is an experience not easily forgotten.

At that time heavy industries still predominated on Teeside, as shown by the massive steel fabrication being sent by rail.

KINGSTON-UPON-HULL

Although born and having grown up in Hull, I moved away before beginning any serious photography.  This brief gallery begins with shots taken at two of Hull’s stations, only one of which had any trains.  It continues with pictures of the fondly remembered ferry service to New Holland and closes with a more modern view towards one of the docks with modern ferries destined for Zeebrugge & Rotterdam.  (Zeebrugge route ceased 01/01/2021.)

The Railway Clearing House map from 1914 gives some idea of the extent of railway operations in Hull during the city’s more prosperous period.  At that time Corporation Pier was officially referred to as “Victoria Pier”.