The Meltham branch line is a disused

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

that ran for from Lockwood to Meltham, in

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

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 ...

. The line was single track for its entire length. The last regular passenger service was on 21 May 1949. It closed completely on 3 April 1965. Mean Lane Bridge, Meltham Branch - geograph

Mean Lane Bridge, Meltham Branch - geograph

The route

The route began just south of Lockwood station near

Lockwood Viaduct Lockwood Viaduct is a stone railway bridge that carries the Huddersfield to Penistone Line across the River Holme, in West Yorkshire, England. The viaduct is noted for its height, (being an average of high, but at its maximum, to the top of th ...

at a junction with the

Penistone Line The Penistone Line is operated by Northern Trains in the West Yorkshire Metro and Travel South Yorkshire areas of northern England. It connects Huddersfield and Sheffield via Penistone and Barnsley, serving many rural communities. Metrocard ...

and continued as follows: * Woodfield (Opened and closed June 1874 due to being on an unsafe gradient) * here is ''Butternab Tunnel'' (256 yards) * here is ''Netherton Tunnel'' (333 yards) * Netherton * * here is ''Healey House Tunnel'' (30 yards) * Meltham Mills Halt * Meltham

Present day

A new

housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular throughout the United States ...

and a

Morrisons Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headq ...

supermarket A supermarket is a self-service shop offering a wide variety of food, beverages and household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earlier grocery stores, but is smaller and more limit ...

have been built on the site of the Meltham station but much of the line remains. In 2004 a plan was proposed to convert much of the

track bed The track bed or trackbed is the groundwork onto which a railway track is laid. Trackbeds of disused railways are sometimes used for recreational paths or new light rail links. According to Network Rail, the trackbed is the layers of ballast a ...

to a

cycle track A cycle track, separated bike lane or protected bike lane (sometimes historically referred to as a sidepath) is an exclusive bikeway that has elements of a separated path and on-road bike lane. A cycle track is located within or next to the r ...

to be known as the ''Meltham Greenway''. The first section of this opened in May 2008 between Station Road in Meltham and Huddersfield Road (B6108). In 2012, the Friends of Beaumont Park were awarded £49,900 from the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

to carry out restoration of the section of track bed which ran along the lower end of the park and to turn it into a heritage trail. The project was completed towards the end of 2014. Butternab Tunnels Southern Portal has been converted into an Airbnb (previously an art studio) the Northern Portal remains Bricked up. Much of the line between Butternab and Netherton Tunnel lies on private land however the trackbed remains traceable. In 2022 the high winds caused a tree fall just outside the bricked up Northern Portal of Netherton Tunnel. As of 2022 the Southern Portal of Netherton Tunnel remains bricked up and the station site is now being built over by a housing estate however some of the station platforms remain traceable. Trackbed between Netherton and Healey house remains on private land albeit still traceable. Occupation Bridge remains on the approach to Healey House however some track has been blocked off. The 30 yard Healey House tunnel still remains at the old station site and some of the platform can still be traced. However most of the station has been overgrown. The bridge just before the station was demolished in the 1960s. Trackbed between Healey House station towards Meltham Road is now a stream and a lot of the Trackbed then is blocked by tree falls then private land. Hall Heys Iron bridge which went over Meltham Road was demolished sometime in the 1960s.

References

External links

Photographs of the Meltham branch line
{{Railway lines in Yorkshire and the Humber Closed railway lines in Yorkshire and the Humber Rail transport in West Yorkshire Railway companies established in 1861 Railway lines opened in 1868 Railway lines closed in 1965 History of West Yorkshire Transport in Kirklees Rail trails in England 1861 establishments in England

The route

Present day

References

Further reading

External links