Notes: The line from Bradford to Thornton via Queensbury was opened as a joint venture between the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway and the Great Northern Railway between 1876 and 1878. The line was extended to Keighley in 1884. Once out of Bradford, the line was mostly rural and necessitated the construction of many earthworks, viaducts and tunnels. Its hilly nature earned it the nicknames of 'the Alpine route' or 'the switchback' from its loyal drivers.

Like Clayton and Thornton, Denholme station was built in the GN "island" layout. Passenger use was never very great as the station was a mile away from the village down a dark and windy lane. Local buses always offered a more convenient service for most people. At 850 ft above sea level, Denholme was the highest station on the entire GN system and as a result, its coal depot was kept busy in the winter when the roads were cut off. After passenger services ceased in 1955, the station also continued to handle a large amount of timber traffic. Despite local opposition, the station closed in 1961 and the heavy freight traffic was transferred to the roads, frequently causing noise & congestion on the narrow lane.

When I visited the site in 2005, I found that virtually every public footpath around the site had been closed off (some illegally) or built over, making photography a difficult and frustrating task!

In May 2005 a section of the railway was brought back to life as the Great Northern Trail. The first section of the new trail runs from Cullingworth to Harecroft Eventually the new trail will cover a distance of 10 kilometres between Queensbury and Cullingworth but it will be five years before it is completed.

The new trail is availbale for walkers, cyclists and horse riders and is also suitable for wheelchairs. The section of the trail already open includes two viaducts including the listed Hewenden Viaduct near Cullingworth

To see the other stations on the Halifax - Bradford - Keighley lines click on the station name: Halifax St. Pauls, Pellon,
Halifax North Bridge, Ovenden, Holmfield, Queensbury, Clayton, Great Horton, Horton Park, Manchester Road, St. Dunstan's, Bradford Adolphus Street, Thornton, Wilsden, Cullingworth & Ingrow East