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Our 1950’s tour of the railways of Pontefract in steam days concludes with scenes taken in the vicinity of Tanshelf Station. The community of Tanshelf does not now exist but in those days was almost a town within a town and its station was on the western side of the A639 bridge by contrast with the present station which is on the eastern side.

This is the view looking east from the A639 bridge. A ten-coach excursion train bound for Belle Vue (Manchester) is approaching from Monkhill behind an Ivatt Class 4MT 2-6-0 No 43101. In the right background can be seen some of the streets of Tanshelf. Houses in York Street and Princess Street can be seen at right angles to the railway while parallel to the line are Chapman’s Terrace and Railway Avenue. In the far left background rather mistily, some of Prince of Wales Terrace can be seen. The embankment to the right of the locomotive formerly had two sidings, variously described as a coal depot or a stone depot at which road wagons could be loaded from above by using the cells beneath. The present station is roughly alongside the engine and the first three coaches.

Peter Cookson Railway Photography
Photograph copyright © Peter Cookson

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