| High Royds Hospital Railway | |
|---|---|
 Looking north on the A65 at Menston. The bridge on the left carries the road over the former railway. Both portals have been filled in | |
| Overview | |
| Status | Closed |
| Owner | High Royds Hospital |
| Locale | West Yorkshire |
| Termini |
|
| Service | |
| Type | Private Line |
| Operator(s) | High Royds Hospital |
| History | |
| Opened | 1883 |
| Closed | 1951 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 0.5 miles |
| Number of tracks | 1 |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Electrification | 110 V DC[1] |
The High Royds Hospital Railway was a short railway connecting the West Riding County Asylum near Leeds in West Yorkshire with the Midland Railway line between Menston and Guiseley on the Otley and Ilkley Joint Railway (nowadays the Wharfedale Line). The line opened in 1883 and ran for just over 0.5 miles (0.8 km), it was constructed to 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge and was a single line throughout.[2] The line closed in the 1930s in the face of road competition and increasing maintenance costs but reopened again in 1939 when the outbreak of war led to a fuel shortage for road transport. Final closure came in 1951.[3]
- ^ Smith & Bairstow (1992), pp. 75–76.
- ^ Joy (1984), p. 73.
- ^ Smith & Bairstow (1992), p. 75.