More information : The Middleton colliery railway, the world's oldest railway, was built in 1758 to transport coal from Middleton pits to Casson Close near the Great Bridge at Leeds. The construction of Great Wilson Street cut back the north terminus by about 50 yards. the line declined from about 1890 onwards, traffic north of Moor Depot was discontinued in 1948, and most of the line was closed in 1960. (1)
The 1st edition 6" shows the complete system via Venter Pit to the West Pit, SE 295 277, with a tramway running from Henrietta Pit, SE 2981 2783 via Glasshouse Colliery, SE 2992 2749, to Bleachground Pit, SE 2998 2705. (2)
Almost the entire length of the colliery railway has been obliterated by modern development. Two original portions survive, at SE 3010 2830, and from SE 3060 2840 to SE 3083 2890. the latter section, `The Belle Isle Incline', is in the process of being destroyed. (3)
The Middleton Railway was conceived by Charles Brandling who succeeded to the Middleton Estate in 1749. The first route was a horse-drawn wagonway from the Middleton Colliery (Broom Pit, Lady Pit and Engine Pit?) to the River Aire staithes near Thwaite Green (SE 321 312) in 1755 but was abandoned in 1807.
The next stage was a wagonway to Leeds, authorised in 1758 from Casson Close (SE 303 330) near Leeds Bridge to the Middleton Colliery with an inclined plane called `Old Run' - now called Old Run Road
(centred SE 307 303).
A steam engine designed by Matthew Murray which contained a cog wheel for use on a cast iron `rack' rail, designed by John Blenkinsop, was successfully demonstrated in June 1812 on track laid down between Casson Close and the top of Hunslet Moor (area SE 305 315). The four locomotives built were the first in the world to be commercially successful and the railway was the first to be worked by the aid of a `rack' rail.
Steam traction was discontinued about 1835 and horse traction re-introduced. Further horse wagonways were constructed and by 1848-51 the system had reached its fullest extent, Bleachgrounds (SE 299 270)
being the southern terminus. At the northern end, the line was truncated by about fifty yards to Great Wilson Street (SE 303 328) between 1831-39. The Brandling Estates were sold in 1862 and the new company replaced the original " Blenkinsop" rails and re-introduced steam locomotives in 1866; a line avoiding the Old Run Incline was constructed circa 1875. A link with the Midland Railway was made with the Middleton Railway at Balm Road (SE 310 311) in 1895.
The northern end of the route, Great Wilson Street to Whitaker's Hunslet Moor staithes (SE 306 315) closed in 1947 and from the staithes to a point now truncated by the M1 motorway (SE 304 311) was closed in 1961 and dismantled in 1970.
The Middleton Railway Preservation Society (now Trust) formed in 1960, acquired the ex-National Coal Board section in 1968 and the preserved railway now runs from the M1 motorway at Hunslet Moor (SE 304 311) to Middleton Park Gates (SE 307 295 - short of Middleton Colliery, closed in 1968 and demolished. (4)
See Linear Archive File for further details. (5)
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