Diggle railway station

Diggle railway station was a station that served the village of Diggle on the Huddersfield Line to the north of Uppermill. Immediately to the west of the Standedge tunnels, it was opened in 1849 along with the first rail tunnel and closed to passenger traffic in 1968.[1] In its heyday, the station had platforms serving all four lines but little trace remains of it today—all of the buildings and much of platforms having been demolished (although the nearby signal box remains operational).

Diggle
Site of the station in 1996
General information
LocationDiggle, Oldham
England
Grid referenceSE007080
Platforms4
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyLondon and North Western Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and North Western Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 August 1849Station opens
7 October 1968Station closes
Railway accident in 1923 from The Sphere 14 July 1923

On 5 July 1923, an express passenger train, hauled by Ex-LNWR Whale Experiment Class 4-6-0 No. 1406 George Findlay, was in a rear-end collision with a freight train. Four people were killed.[2]

Local residents have periodically campaigned for the station to be reopened. This has often been connected to proposals to fully reopen the Standedge Tunnels.[3]

In 2012, a renewed effort was launched by a local Liberal Democrat parish councillor.[4] This was unsuccessful, as Transport for Greater Manchester concluded that much of the cited passenger demand would actually be abstracted from the existing station at nearby Greenfield.[5]

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Saddleworth
Line open, station closed
  London and North Western Railway
Huddersfield Line
  Marsden
Line and station open
Uppermill
Line and station closed
  London and North Western Railway
Micklehurst Line
 
Micklehurst Loop
Diggle
Butterhouse tunnel
Uppermill
Friezland
Royal George tunnel
Micklehurst
Staley and Millbrook
Stalybridge

Notes

edit
  1. ^ Diggle Community Association - Railways www.digglevillage.org.uk; Retrieved 20 March 2009
  2. ^ Trevena, Arthur (1980). Trains in Trouble. Vol. 1. Redruth: Atlantic Books. p. 31. ISBN 0-906899-01-X.
  3. ^ "Anniversary Of When Local Stations Closed – SADDLEWORTH LIFE". www.saddleworthlife.com. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  4. ^ "Diggle Station platform for investment". Oldham Evening Chronicle. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  5. ^ Disused Stations- Diggle Disused Stations; Retrieved 7 January 2016


References

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  • Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1.
  • An Illustrated History of Oldham's Railways by John Hooper (ISBN 1-871608-19-8)

53°34′09″N 1°59′25″W / 53.5692°N 1.9904°W / 53.5692; -1.9904