Wadsley Bridge railway station was a station in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and metropolitan county, metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of City of Doncaster, Doncaster and City of Sh ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

on the

Great Central Railway The Great Central Railway in England was formed when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897, anticipating the opening in 1899 of its London Extension. On 1 January 1923, the company was grouped into the ...

's core route between

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

and Sheffield.

History

The station opened on 14 July 1845 as part of the then

Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway The Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway was an early British railway company which opened in stages between 1841 and 1845 between Sheffield and Manchester via Ashton-under-Lyne. The Peak District formed a formidable barrier, and ...

, on its original route from Bridgehouses in Sheffield (soon superseded by Sheffield Victoria) to

Manchester London Road Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. Opened as Store Street in 1842, it was renamed Manchester London Road in 1847 and became Manchester Piccadilly in 1960. Located to the south-east of Manchester city ...

. This route became more popularly known as the Woodhead Line. The station stood on the north side of Halifax Road between

Neepsend Neepsend is a suburb of the city of Sheffield, it stands just north-west of the city centre. The main area of Neepsend covers the flood plain of the River Don from Lady's Bridge at the Wicker up to Hillfoot Bridge. The suburb falls within the ...

and

Oughtibridge Oughtibridge ( ) is a residential village in the north of Sheffield within the bounds of Bradfield civil parish. The village stands north-west of the city centre in the valley of the River Don. The population of the village has increased si ...

stations.Subterranea Britannica - Wadsley Bridge station
/ref> The station closed to regular passenger service on 15 June 1959, with the Woodhead Line itself closing to passengers in 1970.
However, Wadsley Bridge railway station still saw occasional passenger use. summer specials were advertised until 31 October 1965, Between 15 and 19 February 1979, British Rail temporarily reopened the station (along with

Dronfield Dronfield is a town in North East Derbyshire, England, which includes Dronfield Woodhouse and Coal Aston. It lies in the valley of the River Drone between Chesterfield and Sheffield. The Peak District National Park is to the west. The nam ...

and the

Midland Main Line The Midland Main Line is a major railway line in England from London to Nottingham and Sheffield in the Midlands. It comprises the lines from London's St Pancras station via Leicester, Derby/Nottingham and Chesterfield in the East Midlands ...

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.Sheffield–Huddersfield passenger trains continued to run through the station until 1983 and football specials used the station until 1994, serving

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...

's Hillsborough Stadium. Official closure took place in 1997 after which the station platforms were abandoned.

Present

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.The Woodhead Site - Wadsley Bridge station
/ref> An old station sign, almost certainly from the signal box, can be seen attached to the adjacent John Fairest

Funeral Home A funeral home, funeral parlor or mortuary, is a business that provides burial and funeral services for the dead and their families. These services may include a prepared wake and funeral, and the provision of a chapel for the funeral. Services ...

(see picture). In 2008 the

weighbridge A truck scale (US), weighbridge (non-US) or railroad scale is a large set of scales, usually mounted permanently on a concrete foundation, that is used to weigh entire rail or road vehicles and their contents. By weighing the vehicle both emp ...

was removed and reconstructed at Levisham railway station on the

North Yorkshire Moors Railway The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England, that runs through the North York Moors National Park. First opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway, the railway was planned in 1831 by Geor ...

References

External links

Subterranea Britannica: Wadsley Bridge StationWadsley Bridge station in 2002, looking towards SheffieldWadsley Bridge station
{{Sheffield stations Disused railway stations in Sheffield Former Great Central Railway stations Woodhead Line Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1845 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1997 1845 establishments in England 1997 disestablishments in England