Thornton railway station

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 from 1878 to 1955.

For other uses, see Thornton railway station (disambiguation).

Thornton
Location
PlaceThornton
AreaCity of Bradford
Coordinates53.790760°N 1.863580°W / 53.790760; -1.863580
Grid referenceSE090327
Operations
Original companyBradford and Thornton Railway[1]
Pre-groupingGreat Northern Railway
Post-groupingLondon and North Eastern Railway
Platforms2
History
14 October 1878 (1878-10-14)[1]Station opened
23 May 1955 (1955-05-23)[1]Station closed
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

The station had an island platform and was very close to the 300-yard (270 m) 20 arch Thornton viaduct which spans the Pinch Beck valley.[2] It opened for passengers in 1878 and closed in 1955.[3] The viaduct, closed off for many years, was reopened in 2008 as part of the Great Northern Walking Trail[4] after it had been safety checked and the former railway bed was sealed. No other parts of the former large station building remain. The site is occupied by Thornton Primary School (previously Royd Mount Middle School) since 1977.[5] The original goods platform and a large retaining wall are still visible and have been incorporated into the school's grounds design.[6] The viaduct is a grade II listed building,[7] and is unusual in that it has an 'S' shape to accommodate the natural contours of the valley.[6] It is in a picturesque location that has remained unchanged since its construction. The final trip by train over the viaduct was in 1966, by a goods train.[8]

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.[3]

Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Queensbury   GN
Queensbury Lines		   Denholme

Photographs
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References
  1. Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 229. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
  2. "Thornton conservation area assessment" (PDF). bradford.gov.org. Bradford Council. October 2003. p. 11. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  3. "Disused Stations: Thornton Station". www.disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  4. "Thornton viaduct set to open". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 10 November 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  5. "Thornton reopens as traffic-free route". www.forgottenrelics.co.uk. 21 November 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  6. Haywood, Jo (4 October 2013). "Thornton - the real birthplace of the Brontes". Yorkshire Life. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  7. "Thornton conservation area assessment" (PDF). bradford.gov.org. Bradford Council. October 2003. p. 23. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  8. Bairstow, Martin (2015). The Queensbury Lines: Part two: The Great Northern Railway in the West Riding. Farsley: Bairstow. p. 98. ISBN 978-1-871944-44-0.


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