Pudsey Greenside Station
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1897-1997
Pudsey Greenside Station
Pudsey Greenside Station would be just 19 years old when the left hand photograph was taken. To celebrate its opening on 1st April 1878 the Pudsey Brass Band paraded through the town and the church bells rung throughout the day. Pudsey's other station, at Lowtown, was opened a few months later. As the route to Bradford was not opened until 1892, for 14 years Pudsey Greenside was the end of the line. The construction to Bradford included a long tunnel and an embankment across Pudsey Beck which is said to be the largest man made embankment in Europe. At first it had just 16 trains a day but by 1900 this had increased to 60. A return to Leeds cost 1 shilling and 6 pence first class, 1 shilling second class and 9 pence third class. Waggons loaded with bales of wool for local mills were shunted into the large goods depot on the right of the old picture to be unloaded and the bales stored awaiting collection. The extension in 1892 allowed a circular trip from Leeds City to Pudsey, Dudley Hill, Low Moor, Thornhill, Dewsbury, Batley, Tingley and back or in reverse order. The round trip one way took around an hour and a half covering a distance of 30 miles. The line was closed in 1962.
Greenside Tunnel
1899
The train pictured on the left above is passing under a bridge which carried the track down to Smalewell quarries. It has just passed through a quarter of a mile long tunnel (pictured below) at Greenside which connected Pudsey to Laisterdyke at Bradford. A little further down the track behind the photographer was the enormous embankment described above. The bridge and tunnel are still in place although very over grown with weeds and trees. The track on top of the bridge is used by walkers, cyclists and horses as a route on to common land. The quarry works closed down many years ago but they left behind huge scars on the land.
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