Godley Old Railway Turntable 2026
The 70ft diameter turntable was built in the early 1930s as part of the Woodhead electrification process. It was the changeover point from electric to steam trains which would carry the load (usually coal) towards Cheshire. During the war, it was an important storage site and a bomb narrowly missed the turntable where a nearby pond acts as the reminder of the crater it left behind. The the last known locomotive to use the turntable was in 1968. After the railway closed in the 1960s, the site was abandoned for 40 years and became overgrown. However, the old brickwork and the pits where ash was deposited remained intact.
Contacts
Operator: The Friends of the Trans Pennine Trail
Address: Godley end of the Apethorn – Godley link Hyde Cheshire
- Telephone: 01226 772 574
- Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
- Website: View website
Open Days & Times
Access at all times. Visit website for more details.
Facilities
- Part disabled access
Volunteers working on the Trail felt that such an historic site should be restored, and would be an interesting location worthy of being visited by local people and users of the nearby Trans Pennine Trail. Since then there have been habitat improvements that include the provision of bat boxes, bug hotels and wildflower planting, along with information boards on the environment and history of the railway in the area.
When visiting the website on completed projects scroll down to find the Godley Turntable piece which has six pictures you can click on to bring them up in size.
