The first train in normal service steamed into Pontefract in the spring of 1848. Almost 120 years later, the last scheduled steam train through the Town passed along the same line late on a winter’s afternoon in 1967 and marked the end of an important period in our local history.
This book tells the story of that period by means of an outline history and a photographic tour of the railway lines in Pontefract as seen through the Author’s camera in the 1950s.
Stephen Crawshaw –
This glossy paged book is packed with photographs of the railway services through Pontefract in the 1950s. The book includes an outline of the history of the railways through Pontefract.
The book has been thoughtfully thought through and well written. The photographs have been laid page by page following the different routes of the railways through Pontefract staring on the southern boundary of the borough along the Swinton and Knottingley Joint Railway north toward Burton Salmon. Then it covers the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Line from east to west and the loop crossing Bondgate, connecting the two different railway company lines. Each photograph has a quality that if it wasn’t for the fact the subject is 1950s and in black and white, you’d think the photograph was only taken yesterday.
Each is accompanied by a narrative that gives an interesting insight into each accompanying photograph. Page by page, Peter Cookson’s book opens a whole new vista on the railways of Pontefract. All three stations, Baghill, Monkhill and Tanshelf are covered.
The book is a must for anybody who has an interest in railways or the recent history of Pontefract.
The book a has become a very welcome addition to my small collection of books.