Now! Then! Trains begin to pass through Leeds town centre on the North-Eastern Railway extension

Excerpt

Railways through large towns are common enough now, but the sight of a locomotive steaming across some of the principal streets in Leeds was so entirely novel that the spectacle yesterday caused no small amount of amazement. Passers by in the leading thoroughfares gazed on in wonderment and admiration, and tradespeople hastened to the doors of their business premises, only to join in the expressions of astonishment. The moving locomotive was best seen from Briggate. As it crossed the girder bridge at the foot of that busy thoroughfare, the passengers gave a hearty cheer, and as the sound died away those who had heard it became fully alive to the fact that the undertaking was rapidly approaching completion, and that in reality the enormous traffic of a giant company will, ere long, be carried across our streets and among our house-tops. At all points of the line groups of workmen are engaged in giving what may be regarded as the finishing touches to this great engineering undertaking and, these accomplished, this connecting link between the old Leeds and Selby line, and the more modern systems of the North-Eastern Company will be complete.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

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Margaret Drinkall also found this, but misdates it to 1867 (Drinkall 2013).

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Original

THE NORTH-EASTERN RAILWAY EXTENSION THROUGH LEEDS.-Although the inhabitants of Leeds have for the last two or three years been watching with increasing interest the steady progress of the extensive works in connection with the now joint station of the North-Eastern and the London and North-Western Railway Companies and the link-line of the former company through the very heart of the town, they were scarcely prepared for the scene that was witnessed yesterday, so far advanced is one set of metals that a locomotive and tender performed several journeys between the old terminus in Marsh-lane and the new station in Wellington-street. Railways through large towns are common enough now, but the sight of a locomotive steaming across some of the principal streets in Leeds was so entirely novel that the spectacle yesterday caused no small amount of amazement. Passers by in the leading thoroughfares gazed on in wonderment and admiration, and tradespeople hastened to the doors of their business premises, only to join in the expressions of astonishment. The moving locomotive was best seen from Briggate. As it crossed the girder bridge at the foot of that busy thoroughfare, the passengers gave a hearty cheer, and as the sound died away those who had heard it became fully alive to the fact that the undertaking was rapidly approaching completion, and that in reality the enormous traffic of a giant company will, ere long, be carried across our streets and amongst our house-tops. At all points of the line groups of workmen are engaged in giving what may be regarded as the finishing touches to this great engineering undertaking and, these accomplished, this connecting link between the old Leeds and Selby line, and the more modern systems of the North-Eastern Company will be complete.

295 words.