Editing Midland Main Line (section)

===Leeds to Carlisle===
''For marketing and franchising, this is no longer considered part of the Midland Main Line'': see [[Settle–Carlisle Railway]].

[[File:MidlandMainLineBradfordDiversion.JPG|thumb|right|300px|A geographical representation of the aborted Midland Main Line diversion through the West Riding, which would have put [[Bradford]] on a through line and provided a direct connection to Scotland. (Existing lines shown in black and the diversion in red).]]
[[File:Colne, Halifax, Holmfield & Keighley Laister Dyke, Bowling, Bradford, Low Moor & Shipley RJD 8.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Map showing the proposed Midland line into Bradford]]

World War I prevented the [[Midland Railway]] from finishing its direct route through the [[West Riding of Yorkshire|West Riding]] to join the [[Settle–Carlisle Railway|Settle and Carlisle]] (which would have cut six miles from the journey and avoided the need for reversal at [[Leeds]]).

The first part of the Midland's West Riding extension from the main line at [[Royston, South Yorkshire|Royston (Yorks.)]] to [[Dewsbury]] was opened before the war.  However, the second part of the extension was not completed. 
This involved a viaduct at Dewsbury over the [[River Calder, West Yorkshire|River Calder]], a tunnel under Dewsbury Moor and a new approach railway into [[Bradford]] from the south at a lower level than the existing railway (a good part of which was to be in tunnel) leading into Bradford Midland (or [[Bradford Forster Square railway station|Bradford Forster Square]]) station.

The {{convert|500|yd|m}} gap between the stations at Bradford still exists. Closing it today would also need to take into account the different levels between the two Bradford stations, a task made easier in the days of electric rather than steam traction, allowing for steeper gradients than possible at the time of the Midland's proposed extension.

Two impressive viaducts remain on the completed part of the line between Royston Junction and Dewsbury as a testament to the Midland's ambition to complete a third direct Anglo–Scottish route. The line served two goods stations and provided a route for occasional express passenger trains before its eventual closure in 1968.

The failure to complete this section ended the Midland's hopes of being a serious competitor on routes to Scotland and finally put beyond all doubt that Leeds, not Bradford, would be the West Riding's principal city. Midland trains to Scotland therefore continued to call at Leeds before travelling along the Aire Valley to the [[Settle–Carlisle Railway|Settle and Carlisle]]. From Carlisle they then travelled onwards via either the [[Glasgow and South Western]] or [[Waverley Route]]. In days gone by the line enjoyed named expresses such as the [[Thames–Clyde Express]] and [[Waverley (passenger train)|The Waverley]].

* '''{{stnlnk|Leeds}}''' along the [[Airedale line]]
** Here is ''Apperley Junction'' for the [[Wharfedale line]]
* '''{{stnlnk|Shipley}}''': here is the triangular junction for the branch line serving '''{{stnlnk|Bradford Forster Square}}''' 
* {{Stnlnk|Saltaire}}
* {{stnlnk|Bingley}}
* {{Stnlnk|Crossflatts}} 
* '''{{stnlnk|Keighley}}'''
** Here is the ''[[Keighley and Worth Valley Railway|Worth Valley]] Branch junction'' to {{stnlnk|Oxenhope}}. 
* {{Stnlnk|Steeton & Silsden}} 
* {{stnlnk|Cononley}}
* '''{{stnlnk|Skipton}}'''
** Here is ''Settle Junction'' for the line to Morecambe
***{{stnlnk|Giggleswick}}
***{{stnlnk|Clapham}} 
**** Here was the junction for [[Ingleton, North Yorkshire|Ingleton]] and an end-on junction via [[Sedbergh]] to [[Low Gill]] on the [[London and North Western Railway]] (LNW) [[West Coast Main Line]]
*** {{stnlnk|Bentham}}
*** {{stnlnk|Lancaster Green Ayre}} 
**** At this point the line divided: a triangular junction for the two lines:
*****{{stnlnk|Morecambe}}
*****{{stnlnk|Heysham Port}}, including a station for Middleton Road [[Heysham]]
* {{stnlnk|Settle}}
* {{stnlnk|Horton-in-Ribblesdale}}
* {{stnlnk|Ribblehead}}
* {{stnlnk|Dent}} 
* {{stnlnk|Garsdale}} 
** At [[Hawes railway station|Hawes station]], on the branch to the east of the main line, there was an end-on junction with the [[North Eastern Railway (UK)|North Eastern Railway]] (NER) line across the [[Pennines]] to {{stnlnk|Northallerton}}
* {{stnlnk|Kirkby Stephen}} 
* [[Appleby railway station|Appleby]] 
* {{stnlnk|Langwathby}}
* {{stnlnk|Armathwaite}}
* {{stnlnk|Cumwhinton}}
* {{stnlnk|Carlisle}}