Middleton Junction and Oldham Branch Railway
Encyclopedia
The Middleton Junction and Oldham Branch Railway (MJOBR) was opened on 31 March 1842 by the Manchester and Leeds Railway
, whose chief engineer was George Stephenson
. The MJOBR left the Manchester
to Littleborough railway line (opened on 4 July 1839), at Middleton Junction
(then Oldham Junction) went through the expanding town of Chadderton
to a station in the lower part of Oldham
named Werneth
. It was part of the original route to Oldham. The Werneth Incline - 1 mile 1,383 yards (3 km) long - was the steepest passenger worked railway line in Britain, with a gradient of 1:27 for about a mile. The earliest trains to use this line required cable assistance to get to the top of the incline.
The railway did not prosper in its first few years and plans were quickly made for the railway line to come nearer the town centre of Oldham
. An extension was built to Oldham Mumps railway station
, including an intermediate station at Oldham Central railway station
. The line and stations opened on 1 November 1847. The railway prospered: Chadderton was a mining town and there were numerous collieries around the town; and Oldham had, in 1838, 213 textile mills, more than Manchester. The railway system around Oldham was completed when the line to Rochdale
from Mumps
opened on 12 August 1863, and the branch to Royton
was completed on 21 March 1864. Soon the railway led to all of Oldham's five railway stations: Werneth
, Central
, Mumps
, Clegg Street
, and Glodwick Road
, as well as linking stations at Lees
, Derker
and Royton
.
On 12 August 1914 a goods and coal depot was opened at Chadderton. This was at the end of a 1097 yards long line which branched off the MJOBR approximately 400 yards from Middleton Junction at Chadderton Junction.
By the 1930s road transport was taking over, and the cotton mill
s and collieries were closing. Broadway, the new arterial road (A663), was opened, and the significance of the line was lost. The line to Manchester via Hollinwood, which had been opened on 17 May 1880, and which was much less steeply graded, took most of the traffic: from 1958 only one passenger service (an early morning train from Rochdale
to Manchester) had been using the line.
Following the Beeching Report
in 1963, the line was set to close. It did so, to all traffic between Chadderton Junction and Oldham Werneth on 7 January 1963. Oldham Central Station closed later in the 1960s. Soon after, on 13 March 1964, saw the pulling up and scrapping of the rails and other railway goods on the Middleton Junction and Oldham Branch Railway. The Chadderton goods and coal depot remained open at this stage as a short freight only branch from Middleton Junction. Over the years the rest of the line which went to the Chadderton depot was closed and scrapped, and the countryside slowly took over. Over 40 years later the landscape has irreversibly changed back to other uses: apart from an area where the old line entered a cutting, and where the old Johnny Whitehead Bridge can still be used as a crossing point for rambler
s.
Manchester and Leeds Railway
The Manchester and Leeds Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1839, connecting Manchester with Leeds via the North Midland Railway which it joined at Normanton....
, whose chief engineer was George Stephenson
George Stephenson
George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
. The MJOBR left the Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
to Littleborough railway line (opened on 4 July 1839), at Middleton Junction
Middleton Junction railway station
Middleton Junction Railway Station was on the Caldervale Line, from 1842 until closure in 1966. It lay within Chadderton. Originally called Oldham Junction, it was opened on 31 March 1842 by the Manchester and Leeds Railway, whose chief engineer was George Stephenson, as part of the branch to...
(then Oldham Junction) went through the expanding town of Chadderton
Chadderton
Chadderton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England, historically a part of Lancashire...
to a station in the lower part of Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
named Werneth
Oldham Werneth railway station
Oldham Werneth railway station was situated on the Oldham Loop Line, 10 km north east of Manchester Victoria. The station was situated on Featherstall Road South, in the Werneth area of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England...
. It was part of the original route to Oldham. The Werneth Incline - 1 mile 1,383 yards (3 km) long - was the steepest passenger worked railway line in Britain, with a gradient of 1:27 for about a mile. The earliest trains to use this line required cable assistance to get to the top of the incline.
The railway did not prosper in its first few years and plans were quickly made for the railway line to come nearer the town centre of Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
. An extension was built to Oldham Mumps railway station
Oldham Mumps railway station
Oldham Mumps Railway Station opened on 1 November 1847 and served the town of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. The station was a primary station located on the Oldham Loop Line north east of Manchester Victoria operated and managed by Northern Rail....
, including an intermediate station at Oldham Central railway station
Oldham Central railway station
Oldham Central Railway Station was opened on 1 November 1847 as part of the extension of the Middleton Junction to Oldham Werneth line to Oldham Mumps. It was eventually one of six stations in the town of Oldham and was adjacent to Clegg Street railway station which closed on 2 May 1959...
. The line and stations opened on 1 November 1847. The railway prospered: Chadderton was a mining town and there were numerous collieries around the town; and Oldham had, in 1838, 213 textile mills, more than Manchester. The railway system around Oldham was completed when the line to Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
from Mumps
Oldham Mumps railway station
Oldham Mumps Railway Station opened on 1 November 1847 and served the town of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. The station was a primary station located on the Oldham Loop Line north east of Manchester Victoria operated and managed by Northern Rail....
opened on 12 August 1863, and the branch to Royton
Royton railway station
Royton Railway Station which opened on 21 March 1864 served the town of Royton, England. It was at the end of a short branch line from Royton Junction railway station on the Oldham Loop Line. Royton closed to goods services on 2 November 1964, and to passengers services on 16 April...
was completed on 21 March 1864. Soon the railway led to all of Oldham's five railway stations: Werneth
Oldham Werneth railway station
Oldham Werneth railway station was situated on the Oldham Loop Line, 10 km north east of Manchester Victoria. The station was situated on Featherstall Road South, in the Werneth area of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England...
, Central
Oldham Central railway station
Oldham Central Railway Station was opened on 1 November 1847 as part of the extension of the Middleton Junction to Oldham Werneth line to Oldham Mumps. It was eventually one of six stations in the town of Oldham and was adjacent to Clegg Street railway station which closed on 2 May 1959...
, Mumps
Oldham Mumps railway station
Oldham Mumps Railway Station opened on 1 November 1847 and served the town of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. The station was a primary station located on the Oldham Loop Line north east of Manchester Victoria operated and managed by Northern Rail....
, Clegg Street
Clegg Street railway station
Oldham Clegg Street railway station was one of five stations that served the town of Oldham in northwest England.-History:The station was the northernmost passenger station on the Oldham, Ashton and Guide Bridge Railway; it opened on 26 August 1861...
, and Glodwick Road
Glodwick Road railway station
Oldham Glodwick Road railway station was one of five stations that served the town of Oldham. It was close to Oldham Mumps railway station, but was on a different line.-History:...
, as well as linking stations at Lees
Lees railway station
Lees railway station was opened in 1856 at Lees, Greater Manchester as part of the London and North Western Railway route from Oldham to Greenfield. The station closed in May 1955, when the Delph Donkey passenger train service to Delph via Greenfield was withdrawn. Not far from the station was Lees...
, Derker
Derker railway station
Derker railway station was a railway station in Derker, an area of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It was on the Oldham Loop Line, north east of Manchester Victoria and was managed by Northern Rail at the time of closure....
and Royton
Royton railway station
Royton Railway Station which opened on 21 March 1864 served the town of Royton, England. It was at the end of a short branch line from Royton Junction railway station on the Oldham Loop Line. Royton closed to goods services on 2 November 1964, and to passengers services on 16 April...
.
On 12 August 1914 a goods and coal depot was opened at Chadderton. This was at the end of a 1097 yards long line which branched off the MJOBR approximately 400 yards from Middleton Junction at Chadderton Junction.
By the 1930s road transport was taking over, and the cotton mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
s and collieries were closing. Broadway, the new arterial road (A663), was opened, and the significance of the line was lost. The line to Manchester via Hollinwood, which had been opened on 17 May 1880, and which was much less steeply graded, took most of the traffic: from 1958 only one passenger service (an early morning train from Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
to Manchester) had been using the line.
Following the Beeching Report
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
in 1963, the line was set to close. It did so, to all traffic between Chadderton Junction and Oldham Werneth on 7 January 1963. Oldham Central Station closed later in the 1960s. Soon after, on 13 March 1964, saw the pulling up and scrapping of the rails and other railway goods on the Middleton Junction and Oldham Branch Railway. The Chadderton goods and coal depot remained open at this stage as a short freight only branch from Middleton Junction. Over the years the rest of the line which went to the Chadderton depot was closed and scrapped, and the countryside slowly took over. Over 40 years later the landscape has irreversibly changed back to other uses: apart from an area where the old line entered a cutting, and where the old Johnny Whitehead Bridge can still be used as a crossing point for rambler
Hillwalking
In the British Isles, the terms hillwalking or fellwalking are commonly used to describe the recreational outdoor activity of walking on hills and mountains, often with the intention of visiting their summits...
s.