Micklehurst Line
Encyclopedia
The Micklehurst Line was a railway line between Stalybridge, Cheshire, and Diggle junction in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The line, approximately eight miles long, was also sometimes referred to as the Micklehurst Loop and the Stalybridge and Diggle Loop Line.
had built its line from Stalybridge
to Huddersfield
through Standedge tunnel between 1847 and 1849 and it opened on 1 August 1849 for through trains between Liverpool Lime Street
, Manchester Victoria, Huddersfield and Leeds. The increasing number of passenger and goods trains on the route required a second single-bore tunnel to be built, opening in February 1871. A further growth in traffic required construction of a double-track tunnel which was completed in August 1894.
To effectively serve the four railway tracks through the Standedge tunnels, an additional twin-track railway line was constructed, which ran along the eastern side of the Tame Valley, parallel to and about one mile from the original line, which followed the western side of the valley. The new line was completed in 1885.
; next was Micklehurst
; the third station from Stalybridge was Friezland
and the nearest to the junction at Diggle
and the tunnel entrance was Uppermill
. Passenger traffic in this sparsely populated Pennine valley was light. Micklehurst was closed to passengers on 1 May 1907; Staley and Millbrook on 1 November 1909; and Uppermill and Friezland stations on 1 January 1917.
and Greenfield
and this caused most of the heavy goods trains to use it.
Daily local freight trains called at each of the stations to shunt waggons in the goods yards until and after their closure to passengers, Uppermill closing for goods traffic on 15 June 1964.. The section of the line from Diggle to Staley and Millbrook was closed to all traffic on 3 October 1966, with the remaining section from Stalybridge to Staley and Millbrook surviving for a few more years to serve Hartshead Power Station
near the latter location.
Construction and opening
The London and North Western RailwayLondon and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
had built its line from Stalybridge
Stalybridge railway station
Stalybridge railway station serves Stalybridge, Greater Manchester. It lies on the Huddersfield Line 12 km east of Manchester Piccadilly and 13 km east of Manchester Victoria. The station is managed by First TransPennine Express....
to Huddersfield
Huddersfield railway station
Huddersfield railway station serves the town of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England.The station is managed by First TransPennine Express who provide trains between the North East, North and East Yorkshire, and Leeds to the east and Manchester Piccadilly and North West.It is also served by local...
through Standedge tunnel between 1847 and 1849 and it opened on 1 August 1849 for through trains between Liverpool Lime Street
Liverpool Lime Street railway station
Liverpool Lime Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England. The station lies on a branch of the West Coast Main Line from London Euston, and on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network...
, Manchester Victoria, Huddersfield and Leeds. The increasing number of passenger and goods trains on the route required a second single-bore tunnel to be built, opening in February 1871. A further growth in traffic required construction of a double-track tunnel which was completed in August 1894.
To effectively serve the four railway tracks through the Standedge tunnels, an additional twin-track railway line was constructed, which ran along the eastern side of the Tame Valley, parallel to and about one mile from the original line, which followed the western side of the valley. The new line was completed in 1885.
Passenger train service and stations
Whilst the line had mainly been built with through goods trains in mind, the LNWR built four intermediate passenger stations on the line, all opening on 3 May 1886. The first out of Stalybridge was Staley and MillbrookStaley and Millbrook railway station
Staley and Millbrook railway station served the villages Staley and Millbrook in Stalybridge, Cheshire .The station was built by the London and North Western Railway on the Micklehurst Line and opened on 3 May 1886. It served passengers to and from the locality until closure on 1 November...
; next was Micklehurst
Micklehurst railway station
Micklehurst Railway Station served the village of Micklehurst in Tameside until closure in 1907. It was built by the London and North Western Railway on its Micklehurst Line. The station building on the up side are still standing and are used as a private residence.-References:*The Manchester and...
; the third station from Stalybridge was Friezland
Friezland railway station
Friezland Railway Station served the Hamlet of Friezland in Oldham until closure on 1 January 1917. It was built by the London and North Western Railway on its Micklehurst Line.-References:*The Manchester and Leeds Railway by Martin Bairstow...
and the nearest to the junction at Diggle
Diggle, Greater Manchester
Diggle is a village within the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. The village is situated on the moorlands of the Pennine hills....
and the tunnel entrance was Uppermill
Uppermill railway station
Uppermill Railway Station served the village of Uppermill in Oldham. It was built by the London and North Western Railway on their Micklehurst Line from Stalybridge to Diggle and Huddersfield. It opened in 1886 and closed in 1917.-References:...
. Passenger traffic in this sparsely populated Pennine valley was light. Micklehurst was closed to passengers on 1 May 1907; Staley and Millbrook on 1 November 1909; and Uppermill and Friezland stations on 1 January 1917.
Goods train traffic
The line had been built primarily to handle the many goods trains that ran between Lancashire and Yorkshire. A typical weekday in Autumn 1952 saw at least thirty-seven eastbound goods trains running into Yorkshire using the Micklehurst Loop and a similar number of westbound trains. The loop had easier gradients than the original line through MossleyMossley railway station
Mossley railway station serves the town of Mossley, Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the Huddersfield Line north-east of Manchester Victoria and is managed by Northern Rail....
and Greenfield
Greenfield railway station
Greenfield railway station serves the village of Greenfield, in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England...
and this caused most of the heavy goods trains to use it.
Daily local freight trains called at each of the stations to shunt waggons in the goods yards until and after their closure to passengers, Uppermill closing for goods traffic on 15 June 1964.. The section of the line from Diggle to Staley and Millbrook was closed to all traffic on 3 October 1966, with the remaining section from Stalybridge to Staley and Millbrook surviving for a few more years to serve Hartshead Power Station
Hartshead Power Station
Hartshead Power Station was a coal-fired power station situated at Heyrod, Greater Manchester in North West England.- History :Preparations for a power station at Heyrod began in 1916 when of land were purchased. The station was opened in 1926 by the Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield...
near the latter location.