The Manchester & Leeds Railway Company (M&LR) was formed in 1836 to connect the two growing industrial cities by rail. Engineered by George Stephenson it was the first trans-Pennine railway. Its name changed to The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway in 1847.

The line opened in stages with the first section from Manchester to Littleborough opening in July 1839. The one way fares between the two places were 1st class 4 shillings (20p); 2nd class 2 shillings and sixpence (12.5p); 3rd or wagon class 1 shilling and sixpence (7.5p) but that should be read in the context of a skilled textile worker’s weekly wage of 15 shillings (75p).

The second stage was opened by the M&LR in October 1840 between Hebden Bridge and Normanton where its trains then ran on the rails of the North Midland Railway in to Leeds. The company had originally intended to build its own line in to Leeds running parallel with the North Midland’s but Parliament refused authorisation. There were three trains a day each way but no Sunday service and the journey time from Hebden Bridge to Leeds was 1hour 50 minutes.  Prior to the completion of Summit Tunnel passengers were conveyed by coach between Littleborough and Hebden Bridge.

Following completion of Summit Tunnel the line was opened throughout from Manchester to Normanton on 1st March 1841 with a more frequent service and a Sunday service was introduced despite fierce opposition.  Depending on the number of stops the journey time between Manchester and Leeds was around three hours.  At Normanton passengers could change for trains to York, Selby, Hull, Sheffield and Derby and from there to Birmingham or London.

The early timetables noted that:

• ‘Every train will have First and Second Class carriages and most for the convenience of the working classes open wagons without seats’


• ‘The Company’s servants are not allowed to Porter for Wagon Passengers’


• ‘Gratuities are not allowed to be taken by any of the Company’s servants’


• ‘Smoking is strictly prohibited on any of the Company’s premises’

Hebden Bridge station

Between Rochdale and Brighouse there were stations at:

• Littleborough
• Todmorden
• Eastwood (closed 1951)
• Hebden Bridge
• Luddendenfoot (closed 1962)
• Sowerby Bridge
• Elland (closed 1962)

Littleborough Station

Stations were opened at Mytholmroyd in 1847, at Walsden in 1845 and at Smithy Bridge in 1868, the latter two closed but have now re-opened.

The Calder Valley line however by-passed several of the West Riding’s growing industrial towns, Halifax, Bradford, Huddersfield and Dewsbury, much to the anger of industrialists in these towns.

Initially Sowerby Bridge was the station for Halifax and passengers travelled between the two by horse drawn omnibus but this service was very shortly transferred to Elland as the turnpike tolls were cheaper. Brighouse was the nearest station for Bradford and the station nameboard read ‘BRIGHOUSE AND BRADFORD’, again passengers travelled between the two towns by horse drawn omnibus.

During the next decade all these towns were connected to the Manchester & Leeds Railway and shorter routes from it to Leeds were also constructed, but by different railway companies, and the circuitous route to Leeds via Normanton was discontinued. However Normanton services continued on the Calder Valley Main which also was used for east-west express services, such as York - Manchester, until the 1970s.

There is still a frequent Manchester – Leeds service on the line but most now leave it shortly after Sowerby Bridge to go via Halifax and Bradford and one continues to beyond Mirfield then going via Dewsbury. There is also a service from Huddersfield to Wakefield along the Calder Valley