The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-05 00:00:00

1844.

MANCHESTER AND LEEDS RAIL-
WAY.

(From the Manchester Guardian.)
OPENING OF THE LEEDS EXTENSION

LINE TO HUNT'S BANK AND THE VIC-
TORIA STATION.
On Monday last, New Year's Day, the extension
line of the Manchester and Leeds Railway, from
Collyhurst to the New Victoria Station, at Hunt's
Bank, was opened, as announced in our last, the first
train from the station starting at seven o'clock in the
morning. There was no public celebration, the train
taking its departure in the ordinary way, amidst the
cheers of those assembled. The station is the largest
in this, or, perhaps, any other part of the kingdom,
possessing a larger covered area than even the
Derby station. Being the joint and central sta-
tion connecting the uninterrupted railway com-
munication between the great seaports of Liver-
pool and Hull, it will unite in a line of the
most accessible communication four of the
largest towns in the north of England—
Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, and Hull; and
thus bring the German Ocean and the Irish Sea
within a few hours' distance of each other—while it
also links to this great chain of railway communica-
tion the important towns and places of Bolton, Old-
ham, Middleton, Rochdale, Huddersfield, Bradford,
Halifax, Selby, and York—and gives access, by
means of its junction with the North Midland and
York and North Midland Railways, to almost every '
other great line of railroad in the kingdom, north and
south. We think, therefore, that a description of the
Leeds Extension Line and the Victoria Station, al-
though to some extent they have been previously no-
ticed in our columns, cannot fail to be interesting to
many of our readers. We omit all notice, in the
present article, of the junction or extension line of the
Liverpool and Manchester Railway from Ordsall Lane
to Hunt's Bank (through Salford) ; because, although
it is in a tolerably forward state, it is net by any
means completed ; and when this portion of the con-
nection is opened (which is expected to be " in all
March"), that will be the fittest time to notice the
works of that part of the junction :

THE LEEDS EXTENSION LINE IN MANCHESTER.

The Manchester and Leeds Extension Line com-
mences at some distance to the east of the late tem-
porary station in Oldham Road (now the goods sta-
tion), viz. :—Near Ryder's Mill, a little to the north-
east of Collyhurst Lane, which the railway crosses by
a bridge. For nearly 500 yards up to the goods sta-
tion, the original line and the extension line run nearly
parallel ; the latter being a short distance to the north
of the former, and both passing over land, the whole
of which is the property of the Company.
The extension line, where it leaves the main line,
commences on an embankment of about 14 feet, which
is gradually reduced till it reaches the surface of the
ground, on which it continues through the greater
part of the Company's land. On quitting this land
after proceeding to the north of the engine-house, it
passes the north end of Cropper and Back Cropper-
streets (which streets are carried over the railway),
and under St. George's-road (near Buckley-street, the
road being raised about five feet for this purpose. The
road is carried over the railway by a neat bridge,
with stone facings and iron girders, 191 feet in
length. It then proceeds, in excavation, with retain-
ing walls (as near Euston-square, London), through
or near the end of several small and ill- defined streets
of cottages, lying to the north of St. George's-road,
till it reaches a point a little north of Nelson-street.
It next passes on an embankment of a few feet, over
some vacant land, to Lower Tebbutt-street, and there
commences a viaduct, on the east side of that street;
the line being carried over it by an iron bridge. On
this viaduct it continues to Bromley-street, which it
crosses a little to the north of the Manchester Gas-
works. It next crosses over Parker-street, Back Irk-
street, Ashley-lane, adjoining the burial-ground, and
Blakeley-street (over the last-named street by means
of a large iron-bridge), and thence, still by a viaduct,
over several small streets, till it reaches a bend of the
river Irk, east of Scotland-bridge, which it crosses
twice, by skew arches, at an elevation of about 3.5 feet,
so as to leave ample passage for the river when flooded.
Thence the line is carried over Long Millgate, which
is spanned by an iron bridge in the direction of
Mill-hill, a little south of Scotland-bridge. It
then proceeds close to the south side of the old
Town's Mill, and crosses the Irk a third time, at an
elevation of about 35 feet, and nearly at right angles,
and thence proceeds, still on arches, to within a short
distance of York-street, Cheetham Hill ; being a
distance, on arches, of 670 yards. The number of
arches in this viaduct, including those of the bridges,
is 38. These arches, of course, vary, both in height
and span, with the nature of the ground and the
width of the streets passed over ; the extreme height
being 35 feet, and the average height about 28 feet.
The principal bridges on this line are those at Long
Millgate, New Blakeley-street, Lower Tehbutt-
street, St. George's-road, and Cropper-street, all of
which are of iron. The line proceeds to York-street,
Cheetham Hill, beneath which it passes, about six-
teen feet below the level of the street, a little above
the entrance to the burial ground, near Ducie Bridge.
Here it takes the line of the division wall between
the burial ground and the premises of the Manchester
workhouse, and so arrives at the proposed station of
the Company in Hunt's Bank, just below the garden
of the workhouse, and near the confluence of the Irk
and the Irwell.

IVith respect to the gradients, we may state that,
on its leaving the main line near Collyhurst Lane, it
descends at an inclination of 1 in 49, to where it
crosses St. George's-road. Thence to York-street,
the descent is continued at an inclination of 1 in 60 ;
and, from that point to the terminus at the Hunt's
Bank Station, it will ascend at an inclination of 1 in
132. This ascent to the station possesses the advan-
tages of enabling the trains arriving to ascend it
solely by the impetus obtained by their descending
the plane of 1 in 60, which will carry them up to the
station, and gently stop them there, almost without
needing the application of the brake ; strong buffers,
however, are provided, at the extreme end of the ar-
rival line. The departing trains descend this incline
of 1 in 132 of themselves, without the aid of horse or
other power, till they reach the endless rope at York-
street, where they are attached, and are thence drawn
to the junction of the extension with the main line,
near Collyhurst Lane. The endless rope is of iron wire,
combined in a number of strands, and for which the in-
ventor, Mr. Newall, obtained a patent. There are two
stationary engines, or, more correctly, a double sta-
tionary engine, of 240 horses' power, placed near
the junction with the main line, at Collyhurst. The
signal to these engines to work the endless rope is
given from the York-street bridge, by the telegraph,
which we shall notice hereafter. The extension line
has two curves in it ; both of which, however, are of
so large a radius, as to be wholly unobjectionable.
The entire length of the Manchester and Leeds cx-
tion line is 2,320 yards. That of the Liverpool and
Manchester Junction, from Ordsall Lane to hunt's
Bank will be about 1,790 yards ; so that the entire
length of the junction lines from Collyhurst to Ordsall
Lane will be nearly two miles and a third. We do
not know the exact cost of the Leeds extension, but
presume that it will not much exceed 180,0001. In
connection with it we may mention, that parties con-
nected with both the Manchester Workhouse and the
Town's (or Grammar School) Mill have applied to
have communications with the railway near those
establishments. To the latter the advantage of the
railway passing it is very great, as the grain required,
whether from Liverpool or Yorkshire, can thus be
deposited at its gates without any loss of time or cost
for carting, &c. We believe, that in compliance with
the request of the Committee of the Town's Mill, a
siding is to be laid from the line into the yard of the
mill, so that waggons of grain from either Liverpool
or hull can be run direct into the mill. Gates have
been erected, and a similar siding is to be made from
the line to the Manchester Workhouse yard.