In the mid nineteenth century, there were many proposals to construct new railways. Some of these were overly ambitious and never saw the light of day, others were superceded by revised schemes. In this article we will look at some of those planned railways as announced in the regional newspapers.
Dukinfield Station
In November 1845, The Sheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester Railway was seeking Parliamentary powers to construct a railway from Dukinfield to Bradshaw Edge, Whaley Bridge or at some intermediate point. A branch from New Mills to Hayfield was also proposed.
In December 1846, special trains from Manchester and Sheffield carried directors and shareholders of the Sheffield and Manchester Railway to the Dog Lane Station at Dukinfield. The occasion was the ceremony of cutting the first sod of the new Whaley Bridge branch. Having arrived at Dukinfield, the guests had to walk about a mile along the tracks to Flowery Field where the event was to take place. A polished steel spade was provided and carried various inscriptions including the arms of the company and the names of the directors. The shaft was adorned with a profile of the Queen. The spade was presented by the Chairman, Mr John Chapman, to F.D.Astley Esq who then cut a large sod which he then wheeled away. Returning he called for three times three cheers for the Whaley Bridge Branch. After each of the directors had cut a sod, it was the turn of the navvies who had soon made a pretty large opening. The company then returned by train to Manchester where they were entertained to dinner at the Albion Hotel.
In August 1847 it was reported that 80,000 cubic yards of earthworks had been raised, five bridges had been built and four others in hand. The foundations for the viaduct at Marple were about to be commenced. Much of the route from Dukinfiedl to Hyde was ready for ballasting. Possession of the land between Marple and Whaley Bridge had not yet been obtained but the whole of the line had been staked out.
The company had spent some £85,000 on the line and it had been completed as far as Hyde. When the company wanted rails for use elsewhere, they found the price to be too high and did not think it expedient to buy them at that time. They therefore lifted them from the Whaley Bridge branch.
In February 1849, the company announced that works on the Whaley Bridge branch had been entirely suspended.
In 1854, at a meeting of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Company, it was stated that the North Western Company was supporting the proposed line from Stockport to Disley and Whaley Bridge and this was considered an unfriendly gesture. The company already had parliamentary powers to build their own line from Newton near Hyde, to Whaley Bridge and had already purchased land for the purpose. it was now proposed to seek powers to complete the railway in opposition to that now proposed. They also considered it advantageous to build a line from Woodley to Stockport and branches to Hayfield and Bugsworth.
The railways linking Hyde, Marple, New Mills and Hayfield were of course subsequently completed. There is still visible evidence, near to the site of Gow Hole sidings, of the earthworks including a bridge, which would have taken the line towards Whaley. Construction of the Midland line throught the valley took over much of those workings. The dotted red line on this map shows the proposed alignment.
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Another proposal in November 1845 sought to link Sheffield with Macclesfield. The line was to commence close to the Sheffield Station of the Sheffield, Ashton-under-lyne and Manchester Railway and terminate in or near the town of Macclesfield either at it's own station or by forming a junction with the Manchester and Birmingham Railway.
The precise route was not given in the newspaper report although it appeared to pass through the Hope Valley and Whaley Bridge.
Application was about to be made to Parliament for the necessary powers.
These railway proposals are according to announcements by the promotors in the newspapers of the time. In only a few cases were the routes described in detail although these were usually available elsewhere.
We have been given some other information about proposed routing. It seems that Cowburn tunnel had been suggested as early as 1815, originally for a canal route between Bugsworth and Cromford via the Derwent Valley. This same route would have been followed by some of the abortive railway schemes.
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It was 1865 when the question again arose of a railway to link Macclesfield and Whaley Bridge. A public meeting was held in Macclesfield Town Hall to present the proposals. The Mayor presided and the engineer Mr Dennis outlined the plans. The distance by rail between Macclesfield and Buxton was then 34 miles and this would be halved by construction of the new line. A junction would be made at Whaley Bridge with the Buxton branch and only 8 miles of line would need to be constructed. The benefits of a direct route between Macclesfield and Sheffield were stated as were the opportunities for freight traffic between the Potteries and South Yorkshire. The resolution passed by the meeting affirmed that the railway would be of great benefit to Macclesfield and it's neighbourhood.
It would be interesting to know how it was intended to engineer such a route. The topography would require gradients beyond the capabilities or conventional traction.
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A number of schemes sought to build a railway through the Hope Valley to Sheffield. In November 1865 The Sheffield, Buxton and Liverpool Railway announced their proposals. A junction was to be constructed from the eastern end of New Mills Station (Newtown) on the Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge Railway and a railway constructed to terminate at 189 Glossop Road in Sheffield. A further branch was to be built from the northern end of the platform at Dove Holes to meet the first railway at Peak Forest, 800 yards north east of White Lee farmhouse. A short line was also proposed within Sheffield branching from the first railway at Lansdown Road and terminating at the Union Inn, Barker's Pool. These two terminii were to the east of the City Centre, only 500 metres apart and some distance from any other railway. There was no apparent connection to any existing lines within Sheffield. The route was not described. White Lee Farm is closer to Sparrowpit than to Peak Forest.
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In June 1941, the High Peak News carried a short article about an early proposal:
"It is interesting to learn that but for the obstinate refusal of a local landowner to move with the times a hundred years ago, Whaley Bridge might have been the Crewe of the North.
When the Manchester to London railway was first planned it was hoped to build it through the Goyt Valley, and had this scheme materialised Whaley Bridge would have become the main railway junction. But Mr Grimshaw, of Errwood Hall, refused to have such a devilish invention as the railway running through his land, and so the plan had to be drastically revised.
In these days, when a main railway junction is regarded by the enemy as a legitimate objective, one feels inclined to bless the unprogesssiveness of that Victorian Grimshaw."
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This next line would not have directly affected this locality but it is an interesting proposal nonetheless
In November 1871 it was announced that a proposal was to be made to Parliament for a bill to enable construction of a narrow gauge railway between Hillsborough and Dove Holes. The railway was to commence from a field just north of The Queen’s Ground Hotel and to the west of Langsett Road. This is about 2 miles from the city centre and on the opposite side of a river valley from the nearest railway some half mile away. Hillsborough was then on the outskirts of the city and the site was a farm field. The Queen's Ground is still there and today trams pass the door. Possibly the site was chosen because of suitable access to Sheffield through the Rivelin Valley from the west. It was not otherwise a convenient place to commence ones journey to Dove Holes. The line was to continue westwards through Rivelin, Moscar and into the Lady Bower Gorge. It would turn southwards towards Bamford, Bradwell, Tideswell and Wormhill. It was to reach Dove Holes some 700 yards south of the station. There would be powers to continue the line towards Buxton, either alongside the existing railway or by converting it’s gauge to that of the line from Sheffield
The railway would be laid to a track gauge of 3 feet and would be 24 miles in length. There would be two tunnels, not of great length and although the land was rough, by following contours, the railway would be built without any great engineering problems.
The proposed capital of the company would be £200,000 and powers would be sought to borrow up to £66,000. There would be five directors and by December these had already been named. The Parliamentary bill would allow five years to complete the line. Passenger fares were to be at the rate of 3d per mile. First class; 2d per mile, second class and 1d, third.
The route shown on these maps is only approximate.
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No doubt, other schemes were discussed, many of them perhaps too fanciful to see the light of day.
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