Idle railway station

Idle railway station was a railway station in Idle, West Yorkshire, England.[1]

This article is about the station open from 1875 to 1931. For the earlier station in the same town, see Idle railway station (Leeds and Bradford Railway).

Idle
Location
Place	Idle, West Yorkshire
Area	City of Bradford
Coordinates	53.8358°N 1.7316°W / 53.8358; -1.7316
Operations
Original company	Bradford, Eccleshill and Idle Railway
Pre-grouping	GNR
Post-grouping	L&NER
Platforms	2
History
15 April 1875	Opened
2 February 1931	Closed (passenger)
7 October 1968	Closed (line)
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z

Bradford Lines
Leeds & Bradford Extn Rly to Skipton Skipton–Ilkley line to Skipton Steeton and Silsden Ilkley Keighley Ben Rhydding Keighley (GN) Burley-in-Wharfedale Menston Guiseley Ingrow West Ingrow East Crossflatts Damems Cullingworth Bingley Esholt Oakworth Wilsden Saltaire Baildon Haworth Denholme Shipley Oxenhope Thornton Shipley and Windhill Apperley Bridge to Halifax Queensbury Frizinghall Clayton Manningham Great Horton Bradford Forster Sq Horton Park Bradford Exchange City Road Bradford Interchange Airedale line to Leeds Manchester Road St Dunstans Bradford Adolphus St Thackley Bowling Idle Bowling Junction Laisterdyke Eccleshill Calder Valley line to Leeds to Leeds Dudley Hill Birkenshaw and Tong Pudsey loop line railway to Leeds Low Moor│ Low Moor Goods Spen Valley line to Mirfield Wyke and Norwood Green Calder Valley line to Halifax

History

During the 1860s, two small railway companies were formed to promote suburban railways in Bradford, the Bradford, Eccleshill and Idle Railway and the Idle and Shipley Railway. Their schemes - and the companies themselves - were taken up by the Great Northern Railway, which built a line looping through the villages to the north-east of Bradford: from Laisterdyke, through Eccleshill, Idle and Thackley to Shipley.

The line was open to goods traffic on 4 May 1874, and to passengers on 18 January 1875.[2] Idle railway station opened on 15 April 1875[3] and was situated south of the High Street next to the Oddfellows Hall, built in 1840.

Passenger service on the line ceased on 2 February 1931 and the passenger station closed, though goods traffic continued on the whole line until October 1964 and between Shipley and Idle until 1968.[4]

Little now remains to show that there was ever a railway station in Idle. The station was just south of the bridge where the railway crossed High Street at the junction with New Street. It then followed the route of what is now Idlecroft Road south towards Eccleshill.

Route

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Thackley		GNR Shipley Great Northern Railway branch line		Eccleshill

References

1. Whitaker, Alan; Myland, Brian. Railway Memories No. 4: Bradford. Bellcode books. ISBN 1-871233-03-8.
2. Bairstow, Martin (1999). The Great Northern Railway in the East Riding. Martin Bairstow. ISBN 1-871944-19-8.
3. "Bradford timeline 1850-1899". Retrieved 26 December 2009.
4. Joy, David (1984). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain Volume VIII South and West Yorkshire. David St John Thomas. ISBN 0-946537-11-9.