Thornton railway station
Encyclopedia
Thornton railway station was a station on the Keighley-Queensbury section of the Queensbury Lines
which ran between Keighley
, Bradford
and Halifax
via Queensbury
. The station served the village of Thornton, West Yorkshire
, England
. The station had an island platform and was very close to the 300 yards (274.3 m) 20 arch Thornton viaduct
which spanned the Pinch Beck valley. It opened for passengers in 1878 and closed in 1955
The viaduct, closed off for many years, was reopened in 2009 as part of the Great Northern Walking Trail after it had been safety checked and the former railway bed was sealed. No other parts of the former large station remain, the site now occupied by Thornton Primary School since 1977. However, the original goods platform and a large retaining wall are still visible and have been incorporated into the school's grounds design. The viaduct is a grade II listed building, and is unusual in that it has an 'S' shape to accommodate the natural contours of the valley. It is in an extremely picturesque location, that has remained unchanged since its construction. The final trip by train over the viaduct was in 1966, by a goods train. The station, like many others, fell victim to the Beeching plan
for the British rail network. The original 'Thornton' platform sign was a large concrete affair, some 16 feet (5 m) long. This is on display at the Industrial Museum at Eccleshill on the outskirts of the city of Bradford.
The Queensbury Lines
The Queensbury Lines were part of the Great Northern Railway in West Yorkshire, England. They opened in 1882 and closed in 1955, however goods trains continued to run until 1974 between Bradford Exchange and Horton Park Station....
which ran between Keighley
Keighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
, 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...
and Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
via Queensbury
Queensbury, West Yorkshire
Queensbury is a village in the metropolitan borough of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Perched on a high vantage point above Clayton and Thornton and overlooking Bradford itself, Queensbury is one of the highest parishes in England, with fine views beyond the West Yorkshire conurbation to the...
. The station served the village of Thornton, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, 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...
. The station had an island platform and was very close to the 300 yards (274.3 m) 20 arch Thornton viaduct
Thornton viaduct
Thornton viaduct is a disused railway viaduct crossing Pinch Beck valley at Thornton, near the city of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is long and has 20 arches. It was built in an S-shape to allow a smooth access to Thornton station....
which spanned the Pinch Beck valley. It opened for passengers in 1878 and closed in 1955
The viaduct, closed off for many years, was reopened in 2009 as part of the Great Northern Walking Trail after it had been safety checked and the former railway bed was sealed. No other parts of the former large station remain, the site now occupied by Thornton Primary School since 1977. However, the original goods platform and a large retaining wall are still visible and have been incorporated into the school's grounds design. The viaduct is a grade II listed building, and is unusual in that it has an 'S' shape to accommodate the natural contours of the valley. It is in an extremely picturesque location, that has remained unchanged since its construction. The final trip by train over the viaduct was in 1966, by a goods train. The station, like many others, fell victim to the Beeching plan
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...
for the British rail network. The original 'Thornton' platform sign was a large concrete affair, some 16 feet (5 m) long. This is on display at the Industrial Museum at Eccleshill on the outskirts of the city of Bradford.