'Great Little Trains of the South Pennines' - The Kirklees Light Railway, West Yorkshire
Pictured here at 14.10pm at Skelmanthorpe, the line's intermediate station and passing loop, sees the 'Safety Token Exchange' between the drivers of Garratt Type 0-4-0 + 0-4-0 Owl (left) and 2-4-2 Sian (right).
This 'Stunning' 15inch narrow gauge railway runs for three and three quarter miles from Clayton West to Shelley on the former trackbed of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway's branch line, opened in 1879, that ran from Clayton West Junction, near Shipley, on the Peniston Line from Huddersfield to Sheffield (via Penistone and Barnsley). It was built with bridges, tunnels and earthworks suitable for a double track in case of a proposed extension beyond Clayton West to link up with the Dewsbury and Barnsley line. Despite many attempts to extend, its terminus remained at Clayton West and only a single track was used.
Its main traffic was coal from Skelmanthorpe, from the nearby Emley Moor Colliery and Park Mill Colliery at Clayton West. The line survived the Beeching Cuts because of its mineral traffic from the collieries but sadly was not adopted by the West Yorkshire Passenger Train Executive - unlike nearly all the other passenger lines in West Yorkshire. It closed to passengers in 1983. Coal continued to be transported until 1984 before closure of the Emley Moor pit in 1985. The track was lifted in 1986.
Construction of the 15 inch narrow gauge railway began in Mid Summer 1990, following a joint application for a Light Railway Order between Kirklees Council and the Kirklees Light Railway Company in February 1989. Its construction was aided significantly by the amount of redundant materials available from the many local collieries ending mining operations. A Light Railway Running Order was obtained in September 1991. The line was extended in stages to Shelley - finally being completed in 1996. All the original rolling stock was built by the Late Brian Taylor and is a fitting and lasting testimony to his vision and drive.
Features include the 511yd Shelley Woodhouse Tunnel and views of the distinctive Emley Moor TV Transmitter mast at 1,084ft high - the UK's highest free standing structure. The nature of the wildlife that can be seen from the trains is reflected in the names of five of the locomotives.
'Great Little Trains of the South Pennines' - The Kirklees Light Railway, West Yorkshire
Pictured here at 14.10pm at Skelmanthorpe, the line's intermediate station and passing loop, sees the 'Safety Token Exchange' between the drivers of Garratt Type 0-4-0 + 0-4-0 Owl (left) and 2-4-2 Sian (right).
This 'Stunning' 15inch narrow gauge railway runs for three and three quarter miles from Clayton West to Shelley on the former trackbed of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway's branch line, opened in 1879, that ran from Clayton West Junction, near Shipley, on the Peniston Line from Huddersfield to Sheffield (via Penistone and Barnsley). It was built with bridges, tunnels and earthworks suitable for a double track in case of a proposed extension beyond Clayton West to link up with the Dewsbury and Barnsley line. Despite many attempts to extend, its terminus remained at Clayton West and only a single track was used.
Its main traffic was coal from Skelmanthorpe, from the nearby Emley Moor Colliery and Park Mill Colliery at Clayton West. The line survived the Beeching Cuts because of its mineral traffic from the collieries but sadly was not adopted by the West Yorkshire Passenger Train Executive - unlike nearly all the other passenger lines in West Yorkshire. It closed to passengers in 1983. Coal continued to be transported until 1984 before closure of the Emley Moor pit in 1985. The track was lifted in 1986.
Construction of the 15 inch narrow gauge railway began in Mid Summer 1990, following a joint application for a Light Railway Order between Kirklees Council and the Kirklees Light Railway Company in February 1989. Its construction was aided significantly by the amount of redundant materials available from the many local collieries ending mining operations. A Light Railway Running Order was obtained in September 1991. The line was extended in stages to Shelley - finally being completed in 1996. All the original rolling stock was built by the Late Brian Taylor and is a fitting and lasting testimony to his vision and drive.
Features include the 511yd Shelley Woodhouse Tunnel and views of the distinctive Emley Moor TV Transmitter mast at 1,084ft high - the UK's highest free standing structure. The nature of the wildlife that can be seen from the trains is reflected in the names of five of the locomotives.