The Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway was an early British railway company in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

. It built a line from near

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

through and to . The Skipton–Colne Line closed in 1970, but the remainder of the line is still in use today, and once formed part of the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It am ...

's main line route from

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

History

Authorisation

The Leeds and Bradford (Shipley–Colne Extension) Railway Act of 30 June 1845Binns, p.8 empowered the company to build its line as an extension of the

Leeds and Bradford Railway The Leeds and Bradford Railway Company (L&BR)The abbreviation L&BR is more commonly seen referring to the London and Birmingham Railway. opened a railway line between the townsLeeds obtained city status in 1893; Bradford became a city in 1897. on ...

, which was still under construction between

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

and

. In July 1846, the company was leased to the

, which later absorbed it on 24 July 1851.Awdry, p.87

Opening

The first section of the line was from , at a triangular junction with the

, to . A tender for construction was let on 15 October 1845 and the section opened on 16 March 1847. The line included a tunnel at

Bingley Bingley is a market town and civil parish in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, which had a population of 18,294 at the 2011 Census. Bingley railwa ...

. A second section from Keighley to opened on 7 September 1847, initially as a single track, but doubled by the end of the year. Trains ran between Bradford and Skipton; passengers to and from Leeds changed at Shipley. The final section between Skipton and was contracted on 9 September 1846 and opened on 2 October 1848. At Colne it was to make an end-on junction with the

East Lancashire Railway East Lancashire Railway is a heritage railway line in North West England which runs between Heywood, Greater Manchester and Rawtenstall in Lancashire. There are intermediate stations at Bury Bolton Street railway station, Bury Bolton Street, ...

's Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington and Colne Extension Railway, which did not open until 1 February 1849. By 2 April in the same year the line was part of a through route between Leeds and

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, but the majority of passenger trains were local between Skipton and Colne.Suggitt, p.73

Little North Western Railway

The

"Little" North Western Railway The North Western Railway (NWR) was an early British railway company in the north-west of England. It was commonly known as the "Little" North Western Railway, to distinguish it from the larger London and North Western Railway (LNWR). The NWR w ...

built a line, from a junction just west of Skipton, which would eventually become the main line through Skipton. The Skipton to Ingleton section opened on 30 July 1849, and by 1 June 1850 there was a through line to .Bairstow, p.96 The line was leased to the Midland Railway from 1 January 1859.Awdry, p.97 After the opening of the Midland Railway's Settle-Carlisle Line on 1 May 1876,Bairstow, p.28 the Leeds–Skipton Line was used by the Midland's to

express trains. Other trains ran to Morecambe, and .Binns, pp.19–20

Partial closure

The

Beeching cuts The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised British Rail, railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Develop ...

of 1963 reduced the services along the Skipton–Colne Line, and on 2 February 1970 this section of line closed.Suggitt, p.75 The

Skipton - East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Air ...

campaigns to reinstate it.

Surviving section

The Shipley to Skipton Line is still in use as part of the Airedale Line, and also used by trains of the Leeds-Morecambe Line and Settle-Carlisle Line.

Notes

References

*Awdry, C. (1990), ''Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies'', Patrick Stephens Ltd., Wellingborough, *Bairstow, M. (2000), ''The "Little" North Western Railway'', Martin Bairstow, Leeds, *Binns, D. (1984), ''Steam in Airedale'', Wyvern Publications, Skipton, *Dewick, T. (2002), ''Complete Atlas of Railway Station Names'', Ian Allan Publishing, Hersham, , Maps 21 and 42 *Suggitt, G. (2004 reprint), ''Lost Railways of Lancashire'', Countryside Books, Newbury, {{Borough of Pendle culture Early British railway companies Midland Railway Companies based in Bradford Craven District Rail transport in West Yorkshire Rail transport in North Yorkshire Transport in the Borough of Pendle Railway companies established in 1845 Railway lines opened in 1847 Railway companies disestablished in 1851 Defunct companies based in Yorkshire 1845 establishments in England British companies disestablished in 1851 British companies established in 1845