The Pickle Bridge Line is a disused railway route in Northern England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 that ran between the cities of Huddersfield

Huddersfield

Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....

 and Bradford

Bradford

Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...

.

History

The line was authorised in 1865 and amended 1873. Construction started in 1874.

Wyke viaduct

Wyke viaduct (locally known as Red Lion viaduct) was by far the largest engineering feature on the line, a 22 arch 270 yards (246.9 m) stone construction built by Hawkshaw & Meek. Unfortunately it was an unnecessary diversion around an unfriendly landowner across unsuitable ground. It suffered from subsidence due to local mine workings and a speed limit was imposed, followed by diversion of all passenger services in 1948 and complete closure of the line in 1952. The viaduct continued to deteriorate and British Rail applied for permission to partly demolish it, as by this time it was grade II listed. This permission was granted and the 14 arches at the northern end of the viaduct were demolished in 1987. Today, the viaduct is owned by BRB (Residuary) Ltd.

BRB (Residuary) Ltd.

BRB Limited is the successor to the British Railways Board. It is a private company limited by shares, with 100% of the issued share capital owned by the Secretary of State for Transport.-Background:...

The route

The line began at Anchor Pit Junction between and on what is now the Caldervale Line

Caldervale Line

The Caldervale Line is a railway route in Northern England between the cities of Leeds and Manchester as well as the seaside resort of Blackpool...

, but which was at that time the Manchester & Leeds Calder Valley main line and continued as follows:

• Heading west and diverging north at Anchor Pit Junction.
• Crossing the River Calder
  River Calder, West Yorkshire
  The River Calder is a river in West Yorkshire, in Northern England.The Calder rises on the green eastern slopes of the Pennines flows through alternating green countryside, former woollen-mill villages, and large and small towns before joining the River Aire near Castleford.The river's valley is...
  
   and swinging west to:
• Clifton Road
  Clifton Road railway station
  Clifton Road was a railway station built by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway to serve the village of Clifton north east of Brighouse in West Yorkshire, England.- History :...
  
   (Opened 1 March 1881, closed 14 September 1931, demolished 1934).
• Heading north over a 5 arch viaduct at Thornhills and continuing north to: (Opened 1 March 1881, closed 1917, burned down 1929).
• Crossing over Wyke Viaduct (partly demolished 1987).
• Swinging north east and joining the current Caldervale Line
  Caldervale Line
  The Caldervale Line is a railway route in Northern England between the cities of Leeds and Manchester as well as the seaside resort of Blackpool...
  
  at Pickle Bridge junction between and Lightcliffe station.