KIRKGATE & BELLE VUE

 Let's now head down Kirkgate (in Wakefield) and here are a couple of West Ridng trams at the lower end.

Just off this part of Kirkgate is Fernandes Brewery Tap, AKA Luis Bar.

The nearby Bridge Hotel is no longer standing.

Another, more recent, casualty is the Grey Horse.

The Primrose Tavern is now another dead pub, outside Kirkgate railway station.

A West Riding tram passes under the L&YR railway bridge.

Here's the exterior of Wakefield Kirkgate station in L&YR days.

West Riding's trams were delivered new to Kirkgate station goods yard.

Inside the station, a L&YR 2-4-2T loco on a local service.

The North Eastern Railway also ran into Kirkgate.

Into LMS times and the ex L&YR steam railmotor 10616 is seen in Kirkgate station, between duties on the Dearne Valley service.

The mid 1960s still saw plenty of steam at Kirkgate station.

Flying Scotsman also paid a visit, en route to Blackpool.

Wakefield Kirkgate West signal box, before its abolition.

Here's the station in 1979, now unstaffed.

A DMU calls in 1984.

Even in the 1990s, there was plenty of freight. 37706 Coridae passes through in 1992.

EWS 56071 is towed through Kirkgate, on its way to Knottingley, 2004.

Northern Rail operates most of today's services through Kirkgate.

Just to the south is the bridge over the River Calder, which has its own chapel attached.

West Riding's trams were based in a depot at Belle Isle, part of the suburb of Belle Vue (see the map). Car no 24 arrives from Kirkgate station during its delivery from Preston.

The tram depot site became the main works and garage for West Riding's buses.

A short walk away was Wakefield loco shed. Here it is in 1937.

Plenty of heavy LMS freight locos were based here.

A view of the shed in 1967 and some of the last steam locos to be found there.

We now recross the Calder into an area named East Moor, where there's the Albion Inn, a Sam Smith's house, but no hand-pulled OBB these days.

Next time, we'll head towards the Rhubarb Triangle.