Delph railway station

Delph railway station served the village of Delph, Oldham, in what is now Greater Manchester, United Kingdom, between 1851 and 1955.

Delph
Remains of the station in 1996 with Bailey Mill to the right
Location	Delph, Oldham England
Coordinates	53.5634°N 2.0216°W
Grid reference	SD986074
Platforms	1
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	London and North Western Railway
Pre-grouping	London and North Western Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 September 1851	Station opened
2 May 1955	Station closed

History

The station was opened on 1 September 1851[1] as the terminus of the London and North Western Railway branch from Greenfield.

The station closed on 2 May 1955,[1] when the Delph Donkey passenger train service from Oldham to Delph via Greenfield was withdrawn. The station building (complete with platform) still survives as a private residence, now much hemmed in by later development.

For a period after closure, the station yard became home to a small, privately owned collection of railway rolling stock, including two steam locomotives. The locomotives were a Hunslet 0-6-0ST Darfield No.1, built in 1953, and a Hunslet 0-6-0ST Brookes No. 1, built in 1941. Other stock consisted of a British Railways Mark 1 bogie coach, an oil tank wagon and a goods brake van. Both locomotives have gone on to enjoy useful lives on preserved lines, but the coach and wagons were cut up on site.

One of the major features of the station was the Bailey Mill, located adjacent to the station building. The mill had been derelict since ceasing production in 1996. Evidence of the railway line still existed in front of the mill. The mill was gutted by fire in 2016 and was subsequently demolished.[2] A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of arson.[3]

References

1. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 77. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
2. Belmore, Aimee (21 June 2016). "Epitaph to a Delph landmark: final cutain for Bailey Mill". Saddleworth Independent. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
3. "Arrest made after Bailey Mill fire in Delph". Saddleworth Life. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2020.

• An Illustrated History of Oldham's Railways by John Hooper (ISBN 1-871608-19-8)
• steam '76, the official Association of Railway Preservation Societies Year Book & Steam Guide 1976

External links

• Delph Station on navigable O.S. map

Delph Donkey
Delph Measurements Halt Dobcross Huddersfield line to Huddersfield Moorgate Halt Greenfield Grasscroft Huddersfield line to Stalybridge Lydgate tunnel Grotton and Springhead Oldham Loop Line to Rochdale Lees Oldham Mumps Oldham Glodwick Road Metrolink to Manchester Victoria Oldham Central Oldham Clegg Street LNWR Goods Depot GC Goods Depot Oldham Werneth Oldham, Ashton & Guide Bdge to Ashton-under-Lyne Oldham Loop Line to Manchester Victoria Scottfield GC Goods Depot

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Measurements Halt Line and station closed		L&NW Delph Donkey		Terminus