Leeds - Railway 200 Issue 11

The railway history in the Leeds area stretches back well over 200 years to the mid-18th century when Parliament granted permission for a wooden wagon-way to connect the coalmines at Middleton to the city. From this small beginning a network of lines soon be developed servicing industrial and passenger traffic in the surrounding area. Prior to the amalgamation of the railways in 1923, Leeds was served by the Great Northern, Midland and North Eastern Railways, each bringing their distinctive flavour to the area. The post World War 2 Nationalisation resulted in various line closures in the 1960s as the network was rationalised to reduce operating costs. Modernisation and privatisation has seen an increase in the variety of both stock and operators servicing the city.