Index of Topics To sections on this page.
Index of Topics
To sections on this page.
This Picture - View of Penistone viaduct using an early digital camera, taken from the wall on Sheffield Road in the early 2,000s before new houses were built atop the ridge. You can't really notice from this angle that the viaduct is curved with a half-mile radius from a point beyond Spring Vale.
The Penistone Line
What we now know as the Penistone Line (to Huddersfield) was originally given Royal Assent in 1845 as the 'Huddersfield and Sheffield Junction Railway' (H&SJR) to connect Huddersfield with Penistone Junction and the newly-constructed Manchester, Sheffield and Lincoln Railway (MSLR) from Manchester Piccadilly to Sheffield Victoria station, via Penistone.
The Huddersfield and Sheffield Junction Railway was absorbed into the MSLR about a year later and in 1847 became the 'Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway'. The Huddersfield platform canopy has evidence of its early Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway history with an MSLR monograph visible in the canopy. After spending so much money on the line, the failing MSL railway company acquired the unfortunate nickname of 'Money, Sunk and Lost.' That changed to 'Gone Completely' when the Great Central Railway took over. The line was officially opened 1st July 1850, the year of Charles Dickens' 'David Copperfield.'
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The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MSLR) monograph on the canopy of Platform2, repeated all along. The 'S' is mingled with the 'R'. In the 1970s old carriages were used for maintenance tools and supplies. They were parked by the Huddersfield line. |
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Huddersfield to Penistone Route Highlights
The Penistone Line is very scenic and passes through many cuttings, tunnels and bridges, and over three good viaducts at Lockwood, Denby Dale and Penistone on the journey from to Huddersfield to Penistone. The views are generally very pleasing, and especially from the viaducts. Some highlights of the route are listed here:
Huddersfield Station, Springwood Tunnel, Paddock viaduct (15 arch), Lockwood station, Lockwood viaduct (34 arch), Berry Brow station, Robin Hood Tunnel (228 yards), Honley Tunnel, Honley station, Brockholes station, Thurstonland Tunnel (1,631 yards), Stocksmoor station, Shepley station (formerly 'Shepley and Shelley'), Cumberworth Tunnel (906 yards), Denby Dale station (formerly 'Denby Dale and Cumberworth' serving Upper and Lower Cumberworth), Denby Dale viaduct (21 arches), Wellhouse Tunnel with Wellhouse Lane passing over, Penistone Viaduct (29 arches) and Penistone station.
Penistone Viaduct
Penistone is proud of the viaduct as a landmark feature of our town. In 1845, the Huddersfield to Penistone extension involved building a curved 29-arch viaduct over the dale of the River Don at Penistone to the height of about 80 feet. Our elegant viaduct opened on 1st July 1850. It became a proud landmark for Penistone and testimony of our town's progress towards the modern age, opening all kinds of possibilities beyond being a purely rural economy. It also opened the way for the Penistone Iron and Steel Works to arrive a few decades later. Stone for the viaduct came from the area of Walk Mill Oxspring (near the wireworks) and was conveyed alongside the River Don through Spring Vale.
The radius of the curve is half a mile, or 40 chains (880 yards = 804 metres). A Chain is an old Imperial Measure of 22 yards (20.1168 metres) and chains were much employed on railways for such as distance markers. The railway, numbered marker posts were (are still?) spaced at one chain intervals along the track, thereby allowing Sherlock Holmes to guage accurately the speed of a train he was travelling on using only his stopwatch and by counting the markers, in a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story.
In the modern age a Chain is more familiar to cricket supporters as the distance between wickets. A real chain might be used to organise the cricket pitch ready for matches, setting the distance between wickets at 22 yards = 1 Chain. The middle stump at one end is passed through the chain which is then opened out to the other wicket. The middle stump at the other end is passed through that end of the chain resulting in a very accurate spacing ready for the big match.
This view of the viaduct was taken from the top of Penistone church tower, with Hoylandswaine roundabout not quite visible in the centre distance.
The Collapse
At 4.15pm on 2nd February 1916, part of the Penistone viaduct gave way in wet weather and the locomotive slid down the gap. Only eight minutes earlier, a passenger train had traversed the viaduct from Huddersfield into Penistone. Heavy rain had weakened the foundations. Cracks had already been seen developing and an inspection was carried out some days before it happened. The second and third arches collapsed along with a stationary freight locomotive on top. These were the arches nearest to the River Don. There were no casualties. An on-looker noticed a hollow forming in the track and shouted to Mr Lockwood (Driver) and Mr Butler (Fireman), both had time to jump clear and neither of them would be injured in the accident.
According to 'Pennine Journey,' a small book by William B Stocks (Penistone Library), two schoolboys watched what was happening and noticed a bent parapet railing and bricks falling from two arches. The locomotive had to be broken up to remove it and this took three weeks but salvaged parts were used in building a new locomotive. The funnel became used as a decorative flowerpot on Brockholes station platform. While repairs were ongoing for six months, a temporary station was set up at the Viewlands end of the viaduct, up some steps from Barnsley Road.
Penistone viaduct is a fine structure on the Penistone Line, as are the other three. There is a similar-looking viaduct at the next station of Denby Dale, a village famous for its occasional giant pies. Their viaduct was originally wooden but was blown down in bad weather. Its replacement for a short time was also wooden and very rickety. So rickety in fact that they used to fill the fire buckets along the length to only the half-way line. There was no point filling any higher as they would always end up half-full anyway after the train went past. One interesting feature of the Denby Dale viaduct is that it has a slant arch where it crosses the Barnsley road.
From Penistone, there is also a good stone viaduct at Oxspring. See Huddersfield Exposed for more about our lovely viaduct and some of the accidents associated with it.
Some Accidents
Reported in the Manchester Guardian, 1856: ' Railway Collision at Huddersfield. (From our correspondent.)
'As the down train from Manchester, due at Huddersfield at 1.20 pm was crossing the up line to enter the station, it came into collision with a coke train. Several of the passengers were much shaken, and sustained slight bruises, and the stoker of the coke engine was cut on the left foot seriously, and had to be conveyed to the Infirmary. The coke engine has lost one buffer, wheel casings ripped open, &c. and the passenger engine has also sustained damage; a large hole having been made in the fire-box, and; one axle is broken off. The passenger train was delayed upwards of twenty minutes. It appears that the down train had scarcely cleared the main line for the siding when the coke train came up, and thence arose the accident, which might have been a very serious one.'
A railway collision at Huddersfield Junction on 27th February 1927, resulted in one death and 47 injured. Two of the viaduct arches near Sheffield road collapsed in February 1916 with no loss of life but the steam locomotive was a mangled wreck. The Huddersfield end of the viaduct was used as a temporary station until the viaduct could be repaired.
The 'Tin Bath' Train
Penistone has been visited many times by special steam-hauled trains and these have always brought out the enthusiasts in great numbers. A frequent visitor had been the 'Tin Bath' double-header but later visits became unreliable and have not been seen for a few years. This picture of BR 44871 crossing Penistone viaduct in full steam was taken on Sunday 17th March 2013. Unfortunately, the second loco was not photographed at the time.
The BR 44871 locomotive was built at LMS Crewe engine works and originally numbered 4871 before British Railways took over. It spent much of its working life in Scotland and later on at North Yorkshire Moors Railway. A return trip in 2016 featured BR 44871 again, coupled with BR 45407 (both Stanier Class 4-6-0), hauling the familiar crimson livery coaches on a round trip from Preston via Wigan, Bolton, Sheffield, Penistone and Huddersfield and returning to Preston.
Berry Brow Station
Nearly two miles south of Huddersfield, the earlier Berry Brow station was replaced in October 1989 by the current one. The shortest tunnel on the Penistone Line is only 228 yards long and located near to the station. The former Berry Brow tunnel was renamed Robin Hood tunnel in 1945.
For many years, youngsters would be thrilled to see the carving depicted below, which was to the left of the station platform. It was carved by a young lad of great skill, John Charles Stocks (aged 17) who was a native of Berry Brow. It depicted a Barton Wright 0-4-4 T loco and train leaving a tunnel. The figure at the top of the arch was a likeness of Mr Swinburn, a railway engineer. The carving was moved to Tolson Museum in Moldgreen, Huddersfield for safe keeping. Another carving had been destroyed by vandals.
This picture was found in an old Penistone Almanack.
The DMUs
Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) are unloved by some but most people seemed to like them. This picture is from 2007 showing a DMU approaching Penistone Station from the viaduct. British Rail Class 142 DMUs from the 'Pacer' style of railbuses have been the normal type of passenger vehicle on the Penistone Line. The design was based upon the Leyland National bus and used many of the same parts. They were built in large numbers between 1985 and 1987, first as Class 140, then improved versions 141 and 142. Our line tended to receive the older DMUs retired from other lines.
Compared to the Leyland buses, the Pacers have wider carriages to accommodate a three-by-two seating arrangement. The driver's windows are divided into three to reduce injury from falling (or thrown) objects. Doors are automatic and are opened on request by departing passengers pressing a button, always with a long delay of several seconds after the train has stopped. They close together before departing a station.
In operation, the guard employs a signal buzzer to tell the driver when it is safe to depart each station. At one time, the guard announced each station but that became automated along with warning messages for such as not forgetting to take luggage or such as "The train terminates at Huddersfield." By the way, a 'Guard' is the proper job title, not 'Conductor.' One of their essential duties is to oversee the passenger safety and assist as required in emergencies. They are all trained in train evacuation and more.
New Ticketing in 2018
Until recently, tickets would have been issued from any manned station or from the train guard while travelling. In 2018, new self-operated ticket machines were set up on Platform Two and the other stations on the Huddersfield line. It is still possible, if risky, to purchase a ticket on the train by first obtaining a 'Promise to Pay' chit from the platform ticket machine then hoping that the Guard would walk the train and issue the ticket, something which was not always a certainty. By this means, someone could pay for the trip by cash. If the Guard failed to appear, you might be able to pay at the Huddersfield station barriers. On occasions they would be unmanned.
Over recent years, the railway companies have been trying to remove a need for guards on trains, although their training is primarily aimed at promoting public safety and dealing with emergencies. Examples might be if a train caught fire or broke down in a tunnel. Disabled passengers could also need help when boarding or alighting from trains. Guards also help instill the reassurance of passenger safety. And you can chat with them.
A newspaper article from Manchester highlighted a safety concern where driver-only working is employed. The driver can see CCTV images of every door but also has other things to do when setting off. On one occasion, a passenger had some part of her clothing caught in the remotely-operated door of a carriage and was dragged along a platform for several yards until noticed to be in difficulty by the driver. Guards are important to passenger safety.
The Picture - A view from a train travelling towards Huddersfield in 2007 on the first arch of the viaduct. It looks down on to Sheffield Road.
; A Scenic Line
And a few links for interest. The Penistone to Huddersfield line is a particularly scenic part of the 37-mile trip between Sheffield and Huddersfield. Well worth a visit, although Huddersfield itself is looking very run down in the 2020s. Video - Take a look at the journey from Penistone to Huddersfield on Youtube, from Down the Line Rail.
Linking Huddersfield with Penistone, the first sod was cut at Wellhouse cutting by Lord Wharncliffe, 19th August 1845, with the first Penistone to Huddersfield trains running in February 1854. It was extended five years later to connect Penistone with Sheffield. The line from Penistone to Huddersfield needed four viaducts, six tunnels, a variety of cuttings and 57 bridges. The architect for the Lockwood viaduct was John Hawkshaw.
Closed:
Kirklees Light Railway (KLR) - The old Skelmanthorpe branch line regained a new lease of life as a 15" narrow-guage leisure line. Kirklees Light Railway is being marketed as 'Whistlestop Valley' (Facebook) for days out with families and children. It is a larger version of a miniature railway but, to to railway enthusiasts, of limited interest beyond its novelty value. It is aimed at children who enjoy such as 'Thomas the Tank Engine.'
The main point of access is from the Wakefield Road at Clayton West but there are stops on the line at Skelmanthorpe and Shelley, where there is walking route to Shepley railway station, a play area and a tea room. Visitors can travel to Denby Dale station and catch a bust to KLR. Please note that there is no vehicle access to or parking at the Shepley station, so it is not a good way to get to the KLR. As a narrow guage railway, KLR does not connect with the railway network.
Further Reading
See 'Huddersfield Exposed' (Wiki) and Penistone Line History page from the Penistone Line Partnership, which used to employ this little animated graphic on their website. They stopped using it but this website likes to keep the little train moving.
A full description of the line can be found in 'Through Scenes of Surpassing Loveliness' ISBN 1-900497-08-5, a small booklet published by the Penistone Line Partnership. Some further notes here have been gathered from 'Mills, Moors and Luddites' ISBN 0-948135-47-6, a book of walks based on the Penistone Line. Many Thanks to Tony Martin for some corrections in this section.
EM Forster: 'Railway termini are our gates to the glorious and the unknown.'
