Sheffield City Goods Station - what do you know?

[Sheffield History]

City Goods was a goods station, belonging to the London and North Western Railway, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.

The London and North Western Railway presence in Sheffield began in 1895 when it opened a small goods station on Bernard Road. The company opened a ¾-mile branch eastwards from Woodburn Junction to what was then called their Sheffield City Goods terminal on Bernard Road. Its first line in the steel city was inadequate in the eyes of the LNWR as it was buried under its rivals’ network of lines. The company obtained powers to build a more suitable establishment.

The site chosen was at the corner of Broad Street and Wharf Street, behind the Corn Exchange, ¾ mile west of their terminus on Bernard Road. A tunnel under the Nunnery Colliery goods line was necessary as well as a bridge above the Midland Main Line (MML), just north of Midland station. The exit of the tunnel was directly above the MML and connected to a bridge above the main railway line. It then continued west to the depot on red brick arches. The depot building itself was three storeys high and covered 94,260 ft²; it possessed two 20-ton hydraulic lifts capable of carrying 10-ton wagons down to the basement (actually at street level). The yard opened in February 1903 and Bernard Road depot was kept open to deal with heavier loads.

To avoid confusion, Bernard Road goods was renamed Nunnery Goods and the title of City Goods passed on to the new goods yard.

The depot closed on 12 July 1965 when a large new freight transshipment and engine depot opened at Grimesthorpe.

[Old rider]

This yard was at a high level. A neighbour worked on the excavation of the site to bring it down to street level before the hotel was built. He brought a lot of Victorian bottles home that he had found during the excavation he proposed to sell. He said there were hundreds of smashed bottles in the ground there.

[lysander]

 My understanding is that the LNWR never had a line of their own into Sheffield but used their "running powers" to gain access via other companies lines.

[Unitedite Returns]

Some brief, but tantalising images of the City Goods Depot, in this British Transport Commission film of 1961.

I remember, when I was much, much younger, always taking the opportunity to look into the goods yard from the top-deck of the no.93, Woodhouse to Sheffield bus, when it passed up and down Broad Street.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Duoq7esgf5s

 

[Unitedite Returns]

Some more interesting stuff about freight handling in Sheffield in the 1960's contained within the following British Transport Commission film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_pB7ccAgPE&list=PLOlMfcwKbrLSnWyb-bdYRL8ry7aim4UUP&index=50

 

[Unitedite Returns]

On ‎05‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 14:00, Sheffield History said:

A tunnel under the Nunnery Colliery goods line was necessary as well as a bridge above the Midland Main Line (MML), just north of Midland station. The exit of the tunnel was directly above the MML and connected to a bridge above the main railway line.

The bridge over the Midland Main Line was finally demolished in July 1975. The attached image, taken by me at that time demonstrates the complexity of its construction and the congested nature of its' site.