Pudsey loop railway

The Pudsey loop was a railway line in the former West Riding of Yorkshire, England, which served the town of Pudsey and later offered a second connection between Bramley in the east and Laisterdyke and Dudley Hill in the west, in addition to the existing line between Leeds and Bradford Exchange station.

There is a promontory at Pudsey rising to 577 feet above sea level, and the LB&HJR avoided the engineering difficulty, routing its line through Stanningley, a mile to the north.

The GNR decided that a railway connection to Pudsey was now essential, and on 24 July 1871 a short branch line was authorised.

The authorised route was to make a triangular junction with the Leeds to Bradford line between Bramley and Stanningley.

The line began in a dock platform at Stanningley, and was 1 mile 62 chains in length to a terminus at Pudsey Greenside.

The Board of Trade inspecting officer refused to sanction opening of the station until a second platform with a shelter, and a loop line with catch points had been provided.

[8] Lack of capital delayed construction, and the Pudsey loop line became operative on 1 December 1893 with the opening of the new (east-facing) curve at Bramley and the extension to Cutlers Junction, near Laisterdyke.

[10] A park and ride station was later provided (on 6 March 1967) on the Leeds - Bradford main line; it was named "New Pudsey".

Any traces of the line between Bramley station and Mount Pleasant Road have been lost due to the construction of an industrial estate and of Stanningley Bypass.