Visit to the Library

As a group we decided to visit the Huddersfield archives in our library to research into the history of the Penistone Line. Here are just a few quotes from a book and a newspaper article I found interesting.

THE STORY OF HUDDERSFIELD
Roy Brook
1968
The Trinity Press London

• ‘Little-borough Tunnel itself took over a thousand men four years to make and the route, which became the Manchester and Leeds Railway,’
• ‘Huddersfield had been by-passed, the idea of Standedge Tunnel was shelved and Cooper Bridge was the nearest station to the town.’
• ‘By 1842, Huddersfield passengers urged the Manchester and Leeds Railway to consider building a branch line to the town.’
• ‘The Company was not prepared to consider the more expensive project and their spokesman declared “Huddersfield is not worth stopping the engine for!”’
• ‘The Canal Company decided to support the venture and the Huddersfield and Manchester Railway and Canal Company was authorised, by Act of Parliament to raise the capital and build the line’
• ‘The first sod of the line from Penistone to Huddersfield was cut on 29^th August 1845 and this was to give a direct link from Huddersfield to Sheffield.’

I found it very interesting to learn how difficult it was to actually get the Penistone line up and running which made me think about whether it may still be in danger now.

After speaking to Rowena (contact from the Penistone Line Partnership) I learnt that there isn't much danger of the line closing now but more of a difficulty getting people to use it. As there is only one line for the train which means the trains are very irregular and can be up to an hours wait making less people want to catch the train. However, the train is not busy enough to give reason for a second track to be built.

This research gave me more of a reasoning to promote the Penistone Line in this project.