On Saturday (6 April 2024) Middleton Railway celebrated the many community groups in the area at their Community Day.
As well as free train rides up to Middleton Park, visitors at the Moor Road station were able to talk to groups including:
- Middleton Life History Group
- MHA Communities South Leeds
- Middleton Elderly Aid
- Friends of Middleton Park
- Leeds County Girlguiding
- Hamara Healthy Living Centre
- West Yorkshire Police
- West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue
- Leeds Parks & Countryside
- Leeds Transport Historical Society
- Hunslet Carr Resident’s Association
- Cranmore Bowling Club
The Lord Mayor of Leeds Cllr Al Garthwaite and Hilary Benn MP and local Councillors attended and were shown progress on Hunslet Little Moor, the greenspace across Moor Road from the station. Middleton Railway has worked closely with the council on the upgrade. Interpretation boards telling the story of locomotive engineering in Hunslet have been installed along with new benches. More work including fencing is to be carried out in the near future.
A ride on the train was next on the agenda before the Lord Mayor spoke with the community groups about their work.
The Middleton Railway was built in 1758 and is the first railway authorised by an Act of Parliament, the first to have commercially successful steam locomotives, in June 1812 and also the first standard gauge preserved railway, opening in June 1960. It has operated trains every year since opening in 1758.
Entry to the museum is free. For full details of trains and special events go to www.middletonrailway.org.uk
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