On September 15, 1851, Sheffield Victoria Station officially opened in the city.
As one of the main railway stations in Sheffield, it was the principal stop on the Great Central Railway – a main line from Manchester’s London Road Station through to Cleethorpes.
The station was in service throughout to World Wars. In the Second World War, Sheffield Victoria was a departure station for evacuees. Despite the being targeted during the Sheffield Blitz the city had one of the lowest evacuation rates in the country.
During the 1950s, the station reached the height of its operational activity. It served as a key stop for express services along the Great Central line, connecting Manchester London Road, Sheffield Victoria, and London Marylebone.
Express trains traveled to London King's Cross via the East Coast Main Line, while prominent named services—including the Master Cutler (pictured in the gallery below), the Sheffield Pullman, and the South Yorkshireman—frequently called at the station. A range of semi-fast trans-Pennine routes linked Manchester to East Coast destinations, alongside regional trains operating to Chesterfield, Barnsley, Nottingham, Doncaster, Retford, Penistone, and Lincoln.
Electrification reached Sheffield Victoria by 1954, a result of changes in freight requirements after World War II, as part of the UK's only main line operating at 1,500 V DC. This upgrade cut travel times to Manchester to just 56 minutes, though all Manchester-bound passenger trains required a locomotive change at Victoria to either a Class 76 or Class 77.
Service continued from the station until January 1970, when the final passenger trains pulled out of Sheffield's Victoria Station bringing to an end its almost 120-year service.
Now 150-years following its opening, we take a look back to Sheffield Victoria Station, in its heyday, as well as pictures of its staff and passengers over the years.
9. Electric railway
A general view of the platform and first electric train at the inauguration of electric railway from Sheffield Victoria Station, September 14, 1954
10. Parcels
The scene on platform three of the Sheffield Victoria Railway Station as one of the night trains is loaded by members of the parcels department, December 30, 1957
11. Night shift
Ernest Hales, the night left luggage attendant at Sheffield Victoria Railway Station, on December 30, 1957
12. Banners
Staff and their families from the John Banner store, Attercliffe, on their annual day trip to the seaside at the Sheffield Victoria Railway Station in 1958. Submitted by Margaret McLean (nee Myers)