Halifax High Level Railway. Pellon Railway Station to Wheatley. Part 2

The Halifax High Level Railway was first planned in 1884 where it was envisaged the line would run from the Queensbury Line at Holmfield and provide a new through route to Huddersfield and beyond. This never got beyond the planning stage so only a short 3mile long branch was constructed as far as the St Paul's area of King Cross which opened to Pellon Station on the 1st August 1890 and through to St Paul's on the 5th September 1890.
The line although busy for goods was never overly popular with passengers, the short 1.3 mile journey to Halifax Old Station taking over 30 minutes including a change at Holmfield, and by the time trams had reached the Pellon and King Cross areas of Halifax by the turn of the century passengers numbers had dwindled.

[@malcy34]

They certainly went to a lot of effort on those pedestrian bridges and they still are very impressive, thanks for all your effort in filming in this series it is an interesting watch...

[@newmotorcycleguy]

Yea a little over kill! Can’t you imagine that today!! Thanks I really enjoyed making this and seeing what was left!

[@MalacdenValleyModels]

Yet another fantastic episode 👍 lots of very interesting information, well done 😊 The iron work on the old station bridge is very impressive. The metal trough on the bridge ceiling is a smoke deflector. They are designed to lift smoke away from the loco so that the driver has better visibility, quite important when pulling into a station! 😊 The large arched bridge, wow what a structure! The other bridges, gosh they built them to last! Image trying to get a quote for them these days? 😂 (The average navvie was paid 30 shillings a week back in 1880, that’s about £120 in today’s money with inflation!) Keep the videos coming, thank you! 😊

[@newmotorcycleguy]

Thank you and thanks for the comment. I went back on a day the yard would be open hoping they would let me in and it paid off. I really do try to get things on film other people may miss. These will not be around forever! Although the foot path bridges maybe!! 😂

[@yorkie2789]

Those bridges over the footpaths were amazing, never seen anything like that before.

[@newmotorcycleguy]

Yea and the camera doesn’t show it all. If you are ever that way it’s definite stop and look!

[@tonystack7375]

Just brilliant,so Halifax had six stations 2 L and Y and 4 GN.great video.

[@newmotorcycleguy]

Thanks. To me it seems crazy that the line is not a public footpath/cycle way and that all the Queensbury lines are gone!!

[@timmoontransported.6385]

I can’t believe I’m old enough to remember a goods train in Pellon station.

[@newmotorcycleguy]

Well. It could be worse! You could remember passenger trains! This one has been difficult to get photos for but I bet a collector has loads stored away!

[@timmoontransported.6385]

Yes I suppose. To be fair I’d have been about six, but I have a distinct memory of a Black 5 shunting loads of timber in the yard, as well as seeing steam crossing Wheatley viaduct.

[@newmotorcycleguy]

@@timmoontransported.6385 what a fantastic memory to have though.

[@grahamsmith7885]

Basically the line was built to get raw materials to the top of the town and get finished goods going the other way .The cost would have been enormous with all the building and earthworks involved but the LYR and the GN did this regularly .The factory owners at the top of the town would have put a lot of money into this venture . I've really enjoyed the videos by the way ,very interesting and enjoyable .Looking forward to the next ones you do Graham Smith

[@newmotorcycleguy]

Thanks for that. The cost would have been crazy and two huge engineering works and a dozen bridges and deep cuttings on such a short track!

[@grahamsmith7885]

The cost of building the line from Holmfield to Halifax would also have been enormous .Just out of interest the original station building and the Station Master's house still exist at Ovendon .Quite amazing really as the station building is a wooden structure . Keep up the good work .

[@newmotorcycleguy]

@@grahamsmith7885​​⁠I should look at that line. Do you know who lives in it?

[@newmotorcycleguy]

@@grahamsmith7885I deleted your late reply in error sorry. I’ll look it In to it. Holmfield is a scrap yard. But I’ll see if I Can find acts of parliament or anything about the ovenden to Halifax line.

[@grahamsmith7885]

It was called the High Level Railway because it served the higher parts of the town of Halifax.From Holmfield the line doubled back and went down into Halifax town .

[@newmotorcycleguy]

Thank you! I feel a wasted opportunity for a town cycle and walking path with tunnel now blocked off and no access to the viaduct!

[@grahamsmith7885]

To cut a long story short .The station is at Ovendon on the Holmfield to Halifax line .

[@newmotorcycleguy]

Yea I had a Quick Look

[@seany84uk]

Amazing stuff! I dont know why but parts 2-4 didnt appear on my subscribe feed!

[@newmotorcycleguy]

Thanks. That is odd! I guess KZbin wants to keep stuff interesting to itself! 😂