Great Northern Railway.
During the 1860s, the Idle and Shipley Railway was opened to promote suburban travel and connected Bradford's north and south rail sytems. This was later taken up by the Great Northern Railway, which built a line looping through the villages of Eccleshill, Idle and Thackley to Shipley. The line was open to goods traffic on 4 May 1874, and to passengers on 18 January 1875. Shipley & Windhill station closed on 2nd February 1931, though goods traffic continued on the whole line until October 1964 and between Shipley and Idle until 1968.
Here you can see members of the Stephenson Locomotive Society visiting the station in 1953
I am told that there is a tunnel from the cellar of Windhill station to where the Bradford canal was to enable livestock to be transferred from barges to the railway.
Approaching Shipley the Idle branch split into two single lines, on to the Midland line at Leeds Junction and the other to Windhill goods yard.
Anyone doing my Bradford Canal series might like to note the blocked up canal bridge just above the station building.
Bring a Pen - There are few rules in the game. But one rule is that you need to sign the logbook. Always pack a pen to make sure you're ready to sign your Geocaching username, the date, and leave a note.