Morley to Cottingley 19/02/23

3.9 miles, via Valley Mills, Gasworks Crossing, White Rose, Broad Oaks and Churwell.

Having spent my entire week of being NIW walking in circles from home, we need to actually travel somewhere as the month progresses, but not too far as the legs aren't feeling like jaunting too far from home, especially as a pervasive chill remains in the air and there's still going on occurring down by the railways even after the engineering possession has ended and the trains resumed, and thus we set out on the Sunday morning to recommence our strolling from Morley station, arriving at 9.45am to find no one at all on site after all that business before. We can descend to the platforms to take a gander up the line towards Leeds, and see that the rail-facing edges of the new platforms have been installed up to their apparent full length between the wire-retained rock face of the cutting and the site of the old town gasworks, and also wander back along the old site to regard the new electrical junction boxes that have been installed, as an initial measure before full scale electrification works start I'd assume, trying to not look like weirdo to the early morning travellers or the couple of security guards watching over the construction site. Our wander can then follow Valley Road down past the works that have encroached over the Valley Mills site with a lot of stored plant and aggregate, coming around to Gasworks crossing, where the first stopping train of the day can be observed departing for the city, with its six carriage length being measured against the new platforms from a reverse angle, illustrating that hey could indeed be long enough to accommodate lengthier trains, and that's a service improvement to ponder as we move on, along the dirt path towards the White Rose centre, where more new electrical workings can be seen, at the entrance to the cutting to its rear, by the lost foot-crossing site.

New Morley Station, from Old Morley Station.

New Elcrical Workings, Morley Station.

A six carriage TPE at the new station site.

New Electrical workings behind the White Rose Centre.

Once past the shopping centre, we need to take a closer look at the development of White Rose station, having not ventured up close during any of my local trailing, or through the entirety of 2022 for that matter, and the first point of view has to come from the embankment-side footpath behind Elliot Hudson college, to see the assemblage of the 'down' platform high up beyond the foot tunnel, where I assume the main access point is being assembled, where metalwork has been arranged atop the platform on their many piles, without giving a clear indication of how it's going to all fit together. As the works have cut this path off, we have to double back down this increasingly overgrown track to woodland walk and the footbridge that leads to Broad Oaks farm so that we might join the Churwell bound path where we can observe the construction work going on about the 'up' side, where assemblage of metal structures goes on in the hollow below the embankment and passing trains also illustrate the increased length of the new platforms, to be regarded before being obscured by the rolls of the open fields and our landing on the suburban streets. We are then led out to Elland Road as the A643 descends from Churwell, out of the village and past the allotment gardens to the viewpoints over the open plateau where the ongoing workings have headquartered themselves, and established a rather permanent looking car park, while beyond Churwell Viaduct we can regard the 'down' platform again, from across the Millshaw playing fields to ponder the accessibility issues that are going to arrive from the various levels of the surrounding ground, all still looking like a work in progress after 15 months of construction.

White Rose 'down' platform, from the Railside footpath.

Construction ongoing behind Elliott Hudson college.

Six-Carriage length platforms on the 'up side, from Broad Oaks

The full extent of White Rose station, from the Churwell path.

The 'up' side and the works HQ, from Elland Road.

The 'down' side, above Millshaw playing fields.

We need to ascend beyond Old Lane, getting the elevated views to the new station and the viaduct as we pass over the grassy bank to Cottingley Drive, to walk around the Cottingley Hall estate for a distance that's always rather than I expect so that we might visit Cottingley station again before it closes, for which notification hasn't been given yet but is certain to come as White Rose promises to  supersede it in purpose and usefulness, having never built up that much passenger traffic since opening in 1988 (peaking at only 100k journeys per year) and having been under-served with trains in recent years, despite having its platforms extended in 2019. We'll have a tour about here, walking the length of both its platforms and criss-crossing its footbridge, spending more time on the station than is honestly sensible, without loitering in its pair of shelters deliberately, as we regard its construction in mostly wood as it reaches up the cutting, between the Cottingley Hall estate and the still swelling suburbia of Chruwell, towards the M621 bridge and ponder that there will be little left to jog the memory of its presence once it finally gets demolished, aside from its bridge that actually pre-dated its arrival on the scene. We should wrap up here and finally tag Cottingley station as a destination on my travels, but the TPE Sunday 'service' on this line is an absolute trash fire at present, and there's no need to dwell here for 90 minutes for the return service, we'll instead descend by Churwell new village's Lego houses to meet Old Lane by the Grange farm house and trace the path between the council houses and the looming six arches of Churwell viaduct to get us up the steps that lead back to Elland Road, where a #51 bus back up the hill ought not be too far away as our first jaunt away from home ends, at Midday.

Churwell Viaduct, north-east face.

Cottingley station, from Cottingley Drive.

Cottinley station, looking 'up' towards Leeds.

Cottingley station, looking 'down' towards Morley.

The enduring Cottingley - Churwell footbridge.

Churwell Viaduct, south-west face.

5,000 Miles Cumulative Total: 5934.9 miles
2023 Total: 12.7 miles
Up Country Total: 5,454.2 miles
Solo Total: 5599.3 miles
5,000 in my 40s Total: 4524.7 miles

Next Up: So, where is 2023 going to lead us?