This is an article which I wrote in the Mid 1990's whilst studying A102 with the Open University.
Here is part of an essay I wrote whilst studying with the Open University 1996. Where it shows expansion of the railways around Marsden.
This has been taken from a DOS application so it maybe not as modern as required.
Railway Expansion around Marsden
from 1842 to 1894.
The London and North Western Railway opened a main line from Manchester to Huddersfield in 1849, thereby giving a direct access from the two great manufacturing centres of Manchester and Huddersfield.
The line came into Yorkshire via a 3 mile 66 yard tunnel through the Pennine Hills called Standedge tunnel. This tunnel was built through solid rock, but would only accommodate a single track of
railway, which in time to come placed a severe restriction on the traffic flowing in both directions through the tunnel.
Great delays occurred in this area both to passenger trains, and to the flow of freight traffic.
The rest of the line was built as far as
Thornhill LNW Junction to double track standards, with major stations at Huddersfield and Mirfield, complete with large goods warehouses at these locations.
This line carried express passenger trains, local trains and many slow moving goods trains in both directions. By 1868, it was found that the capacity of the twin track railway was insufficient to carry the ever expanding traffic, and because of the single line tunnel, great delays were faced to all traffic using the line.
This traffic started in the 1850's as a slow trickle, and as mining methods improved, millions of tons of coal, were transported across the
Pennines to the hungry furnaces of the Lancashire cotton mills, for export to all parts of the world, as well as domestic household coal.
By this time, wool and textile raw materials were flowing in ever increasing tonnage from the Lancashire ports, to the large new mills for the Huddersfield and other woolen towns in the area.
The railway, was the only form of transport, and something had to be done to increase the track capacity over the route.
It was decided in 1868, to build another tunnel through the Pennines, and work started on the second Standage tunnel, which was opened in 1871.
This speeded traffic up, but as time progressed, even more traffic was using the railway, so plans were made, to add another two lines on the whole route, and this was completed in 1890, with yet another tunnel through Standage, this time carrying two tracks. This gave four tracks all the way from Manchester to Mirfield, a distance of 35 miles.
When the railway first came to the Huddersfield area, it came with a bang.
Large imposing stations were built at Manchester and Huddersfield, proclaiming the might of the LNWR.
Its passenger trains cut travelling time to 1 hour 18 minutes for the 26 mile journey from Manchester to Huddersfield, this would have been quicker non stop, but this train stopped at 16 stations en route.
On the goods side, vast quantities of merchandise could be moved at speeds of 25 mph, to reach destinations in hours rather than days or weeks before the rails came.
As the railway came it made vast changes to the landscape, with tall stone viaducts, deep cuttings through the hills, and long brick lined tunnels clawed through solid rock mountains.
We can see from this, that the Directors of The London North Western Railway, were not afraid of moving in tune with the massive demands placed on them to move passengers and goods through solid rock to achieve Prince Albert's view of progress.
As progress was linked to prosperity, they were not afraid of spending millions of pounds, by digging tunnels and enlarging their track capacity to keep pace with demands placed on them for trains and services.
All the Town Councils, on the route from Manchester, would be appealing to the Railway Company, to link their Town with the rail system, to bring wealth to their area.
In a Town like Huddersfield, there was the Midland, Lancashire and Yorkshire, Great Central and Great Northern Railways, plying for the trade of the Town, and in some cases, such as the Midland Railway, they built a complete new line into the Town to capture a slice of the woollen and cloth trade, that emanated from the Town.
All in all, it would be hard to imagine, what England would have been able to achieve, had the railway not progressed, in the way it did.
Here is part of an essay I wrote whilst studying with the Open University 1996. Where it shows expansion of the railways around Marsden.
This has been taken from a DOS application so it maybe not as modern as required.
Railway Expansion around Marsden
from 1842 to 1894.
The London and North Western Railway opened a main line from Manchester to Huddersfield in 1849, thereby giving a direct access from the two great manufacturing centres of Manchester and Huddersfield.
The line came into Yorkshire via a 3 mile 66 yard tunnel through the Pennine Hills called Standedge tunnel. This tunnel was built through solid rock, but would only accommodate a single track of
railway, which in time to come placed a severe restriction on the traffic flowing in both directions through the tunnel.
Great delays occurred in this area both to passenger trains, and to the flow of freight traffic.
The rest of the line was built as far as
Thornhill LNW Junction to double track standards, with major stations at Huddersfield and Mirfield, complete with large goods warehouses at these locations.
This line carried express passenger trains, local trains and many slow moving goods trains in both directions. By 1868, it was found that the capacity of the twin track railway was insufficient to carry the ever expanding traffic, and because of the single line tunnel, great delays were faced to all traffic using the line.
This traffic started in the 1850's as a slow trickle, and as mining methods improved, millions of tons of coal, were transported across the
Pennines to the hungry furnaces of the Lancashire cotton mills, for export to all parts of the world, as well as domestic household coal.
By this time, wool and textile raw materials were flowing in ever increasing tonnage from the Lancashire ports, to the large new mills for the Huddersfield and other woolen towns in the area.
The railway, was the only form of transport, and something had to be done to increase the track capacity over the route.
It was decided in 1868, to build another tunnel through the Pennines, and work started on the second Standage tunnel, which was opened in 1871.
This speeded traffic up, but as time progressed, even more traffic was using the railway, so plans were made, to add another two lines on the whole route, and this was completed in 1890, with yet another tunnel through Standage, this time carrying two tracks. This gave four tracks all the way from Manchester to Mirfield, a distance of 35 miles.
When the railway first came to the Huddersfield area, it came with a bang.
Large imposing stations were built at Manchester and Huddersfield, proclaiming the might of the LNWR.
Its passenger trains cut travelling time to 1 hour 18 minutes for the 26 mile journey from Manchester to Huddersfield, this would have been quicker non stop, but this train stopped at 16 stations en route.
On the goods side, vast quantities of merchandise could be moved at speeds of 25 mph, to reach destinations in hours rather than days or weeks before the rails came.
As the railway came it made vast changes to the landscape, with tall stone viaducts, deep cuttings through the hills, and long brick lined tunnels clawed through solid rock mountains.
We can see from this, that the Directors of The London North Western Railway, were not afraid of moving in tune with the massive demands placed on them to move passengers and goods through solid rock to achieve Prince Albert's view of progress.
As progress was linked to prosperity, they were not afraid of spending millions of pounds, by digging tunnels and enlarging their track capacity to keep pace with demands placed on them for trains and services.
All the Town Councils, on the route from Manchester, would be appealing to the Railway Company, to link their Town with the rail system, to bring wealth to their area.
In a Town like Huddersfield, there was the Midland, Lancashire and Yorkshire, Great Central and Great Northern Railways, plying for the trade of the Town, and in some cases, such as the Midland Railway, they built a complete new line into the Town to capture a slice of the woollen and cloth trade, that emanated from the Town.
All in all, it would be hard to imagine, what England would have been able to achieve, had the railway not progressed, in the way it did.