until 1938, the town was served by no fewer than six railway stations: todmorden, stansfield hall, cornholme, portsmouth, walsden and eastwood. with the exception of todmorden railway station, all closed during the middle third of the 20th century although walsden railway station reopened on 10 september 1990 on a site a few yards north of the original 1845 railway station. in december 1984 a goods train carrying petrol derailed in the summit tunnel between todmorden and littleborough causing what is still considered as one of the biggest underground fires in transport history.