Woodlesford station probably enjoyed its heyday in the years before the First World War when the line was part of the main line of the Midland Railway between London St Pancras and Leeds, and then on to Scotland via the Settle and Carlisle line which was opened in 1875. Famous long distance express trains hauled by the distinctive red engines of the Midland passed through the station. In later years, when the Midland became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway, the Devonian and the Cornishman took holidaymakers from West Yorkshire to the West Country, although if you were travelling from Woodlesford you had to travel into Leeds to catch them.
A postcard view of a Leeds and Bradford express.
Midland Railway trains at Leeds Wellington Street station in June 1933.
This card was posted in August 1906. It shows a Leeds and Bradford Dining Car Express.