Description
The two sculptures, seen here early 1900s, both show trains leaving a tunnel. The first sculpture, seen here in the top right hand corner, was carved by local sculptor Thomas Stocks in about 1866 depicting a train of four wheeled coaches. The second sculpture, which replaced the original in the centre, as seen here was made by Thomas Stocks’ son, J C Stocks, in about1886. This shows a Barton Wright 0-4-4T loco hauling a train and is surmounted by a carved head, reputably of Thomas Swinburn who had been an engineer on the line.
Very regrettably by the early 1960s the earlier carving had been irretrievably damaged by vandalism but the later sculpture was moved in 1963 to the Railway Museum at York. When it was announced that a new station was to be built in 1989 it was hoped that this sculpture would be returned but it was moved a bit nearer home to the Tolson Museum in Huddersfield.