Delph Railway Station served the village of Delph between 1851 and 1955.
History
The station was opened on 1 September 1851[1] as the terminus of the London and North Western Railway branch from Greenfield.
The station closed on 2 May 1955,[1] when the Delph Donkey passenger train service from Oldham to Delph via Greenfield was withdrawn. The station building (complete with platform) still survives as a private residence, now much hemmed in by later development.
For a period after closure the station yard became home to a small, privately owned, collection of railway rolling stock, including two steam locomotives. The locomotives were Hunslet 0-6-0ST Darfield No.1, built in 1953 and Hunslet 0-6-0ST Brookes No. 1, built in 1941. Other stock consisted of a BR Mk 1 bogie coach, an oil tank wagon and a goods brake van. Both locomotives have gone on to enjoy useful lives on preserved lines, but the coach and wagons were cut up on site.
One of the biggest features of the station was the adjacent Bailey Mill. This was one of the prime features of the railway and is located just next to the old station, which was used to transport goods in the 19th and 20th centuries. The mill has long been derelict since ceasing production in the late 20th century (a small amount of operations continued until 1996 during the last year of official operation), although the whole structure of the mill is still standing today and is looked after. Evidence of the long gone railway line in front of the mill still exist with wasteland and old tracks piled up in the mill yard.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 77. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
- An Illustrated History of Oldham's Railways by John Hooper (ISBN 1-871608-19-8)
- steam '76, the official Association of Railway Preservation Societies Year Book & Steam Guide 1976
External links
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