Thornton railway station

Thornton
Thornton
General information
Location	Thornton, City of Bradford; England
Coordinates	53°47′27″N 1°51′49″W / 53.790760°N 1.863580°W
Grid reference	SE090327
Platforms	2
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Bradford and Thornton Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Northern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
14 October 1878	Station opened
23 May 1955	Station closed for passengers
28 June 1955	closed for goods

Thornton railway station was a station on the Keighley-Queensbury section of the Queensbury Lines which ran between Keighley, Bradford and Halifax via Queensbury. The station served the village of Thornton, West Yorkshire, England from 1878 to 1955.

The station had an island platform and was very close to the 300-yard (270 m) 20 arch Thornton viaduct which spans the Pinch Beck valley.^[2] It opened for passengers in 1878 and closed in 1955.^[3] The viaduct, closed off for many years, was reopened in 2008 as part of the Great Northern Walking Trail^[4] after it had been safety checked and the former railway bed was sealed. No other parts of the former large station building remain. The site has been occupied by Thornton Primary School (previously Royd Mount Middle School) since 1977.^[5] The original goods platform and a large retaining wall are still visible and have been incorporated into the school's grounds design.^[6] The viaduct is a grade II listed building,^[7] and is unusual in that it has an 'S' shape to accommodate the natural contours of the valley.^[6] It is in a picturesque location that has remained unchanged since its construction. The final trip by train over the viaduct was in 1966, by a goods train.^[8]

The original 'Thornton' platform sign was a large concrete affair, some 16 feet (5 m) long. This is on display at the Industrial Museum at Eccleshill on the outskirts of the city of Bradford.^[3]