Newsletter - March 2014

Transcription

1 LASRUG Lancaster and Skipton Rail User Group Newsletter - March 2014 Class 150 DMU No.228 approaching Wennington on 21st April 2011 with the Morecambe to Leeds service. Simon Clarke LASRUG is 25 years old this month, and in this issue of our newsletter we take a look at what has happened in that time, recalling events, surveying changes and assessing progress. We look back to a historic tragedy, reminisce about journeys on the line and about working for it, remember a busy station and its staff, wax unapologetically nostalgic at times and, as we, like the train operating companies, face the uncertainties of the forthcoming franchising round, try to bring the future into focus.

2 LASRUG 25 YEARS ON It is 25 years, March 1989, since Richard Watts, Rail Transport Chief Assistant for Lancashire County Council - at that time the Chairman of the N.W. branch of the Railway Development Society - called a meeting in Bentham with the aim of forming a rail user group for the Skipton - Carnforth line. The late eighties were threatening times for many railway lines. It was the time of the proposed closure of the Settle - Carlisle line and talk of large-scale bustitution (bus substitution) throughout Britain. (See article from 1989 opposite.) BR and its chairman Sir Bob Reid were still locked in the mentality of the post-beeching era. A government sold on monetarist economics was happy to reduce the transport budget by reducing the network. The social argument counted for little. The Leeds/Bradford-Lancaster/Morecambe service had been badly served by Beeching when the direct route from Wennington to Lancaster Green Ayre (now Sainsbury s Supermarket) via Hornby, Caton and Halton was closed, and traffic from Wennington directed to Lancaster via Carnforth, a longer and roundabout route. Now even this seemed threatened, because, we were told, of the high cost of necessary work on Melling tunnel. The response to the first meeting was positive enough for Richard Watts to call a second one on 18 th April in Bentham. Here he was able to announce the good news that the Minister of Transport had told BR that the Settle to Carlisle line was to remain open. It was indicated that bustitution would only occur if there were major civil engineering problems, as at Melling. The urgency of what that implied for our line helped to sharpen the focus of the minds of those present in Bentham Town Hall. The Lancaster and Skipton Rail User Group was formed that afternoon. A constitution was agreed. Officials were elected two of these, Jack Warbrick and Margaret Cowling still serve on the present committee. And a further meeting was arranged. We had left the station, not realising how rough the journey would be. The initial campaigns were: to establish a presence and get BR to listen to us; to keep the line open; to maintain the existing service - at that time 7 trains westward and 6 eastward per day and 2 each way on Sundays; to improve the timings; to improve the rolling stock used on the line. Dealing with BR in those days was never easy, because BR s own situation was far from easy, but they grew to listen to us and to accept that we were both working to the same end. Even so, the level of service deteriorated after 1990 and, by 1991, was reduced to 4 trains each way per day. (This was when we lost that great blessing a late train ex- Leeds at around 19.30, which we have still not succeeded in getting back but continue to press for.) We had little power to fight these cutbacks, and our task through the nineties had to be a holding operation, to stand up for the line and railways generally against an adverse economic dogma that seemed to believe that the good life consisted in driving on new motorways to huge new shopping malls and out-of-town retail parks. Inter-City trains for business passengers (who now became customers ) were the only rail travellers of consequence. 2 Fortunately we kept our nerve and were encouraged by the growing success of the Settle and Carlisle. Since privatisation (in spite of its fragmented chaos) and the growth in desirability and necessity of rail travel generally, progress has been made. The development of the idea of community rail and the formation of partnerships has given non-main lines a voice in their own affairs that the train companies, Network Rail and the government have listened to. The Leeds-Lancaster-Morecambe Community Rail Partnership and the emerging friends of stations groups are adding strength to LASRUG s elbow in gradually improving the rail service on the line. We still have a long way to go to establish a more useful service in terms of numbers of trains, timings and quality of journey, but progress is being made year by year, as other pages in this issue make clear. And imagine what the situation might be, if a few determined spirits had not resolved to form a rail action group a quarter of a century ago. JSW Article from the Locomotive Journal of January

3 THE WENNINGTON RAIL CRASH 1880 On 11 th August 1880 the Leeds to Lancaster train was involved in what the Lancaster Guardian newspaper described as one of the most terrible accidents on the Midland Railway for many years. The train, an express, was not scheduled to stop between Bentham and Hornby and was running 20 minutes late. It passed through Wennington station at unusually high speed according to survivors and, after passing the Furness Railway branch to Carnforth, the engine and its tender jumped the rails and ploughed under the road bridge, skewing as it did its train into the buttress of the bridge. Of the nine vehicles the first three were smashed to matchwood and the other six more or less damaged. Eight people were killed and 23 injured. Help came immediately from locals, and rescue operations were directed by the Wennington stationmaster. The Fosters Arms opposite the station quickly offered sustenance and, in due course, served as a temporary mortuary. Passengers were treated by the line side, but, although the Bentham doctor was soon on the scene, medical help from Lancaster was delayed by four hours owing to single-line operation between Lancaster and Hornby. The Lancaster Guardian of 14 th August 1880 provides graphic accounts of the scene given by passengers involved. We pick our way round the wrecked train and pass through the arch (of the bridge). Here we become sensible of sounds which the hissing steam of the break-down engine has hitherto prevented us from hearing. A succession of shrieks makes us pause. Just through the arch they have made a bed of cushions for an elderly gentleman whose feet are turned completely round and are saturated with blood. Beyond a girl screams in agony; her limbs are evidently crushed and the lower part of her dress is soaked in blood. They are trying to give her some water, but nothing can be done until the arrival of the doctors. Two dead women lie side by side; a mother and child have been killed, and a surviving child is sobbing in an agony of grief. The sickening sensation of being surrounded with agony which one can do nothing to alleviate comes over us. However, in spite of the difficulties of the situation, there was an urgent sense that the service must be resumed as soon as possible. The Midland Railway s chief engineers and inspectors were on the scene within a few hours, and by 9.00 p.m. 300 men were working to clear the line and relay the rails. As night fell huge fires fuelled by the wood of the smashed carriages enabled the work to continue. The banking near the bridge was covered with a curious mass of wreckage: among beams, wheels and twisted couplings were such things as caps, Bradshaw s guides, children s toys, sides of bacon and bottles of pickles. Trains took the injured to Lancaster Infirmary, where curious and well-wishing crowds lined the streets. An enquiry found excessive speed at the junction and inadequate braking power of the train to have been the causes. The Midland Railway was blamed for not having fitted continuous brakes to its passenger trains, which had been recommended twenty years previously. JSW A drawing of the Wennington accident of 11th August 1880 from The Illustrated London News. CONTACTS FOR LASRUG President and Press Officer John Bearpark, 31, Northfield Crescent, Settle, North Yorkshire, BD24 9JP -Tel johnbearpark@gmail.com Joint Chairman Richard Rollins, The Eyrie, 29, Waterside, Lancaster, LA1 1AY Tel richard.rollins3@googl .com Joint Chairman Hugh Turner, Kirk Syke, High Street, Gargrave, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 3RA - Tel hught@uwclub.net Meetings Secretary Kay Craven, 12, South Street, Gargrave, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 3RT - Tel cravenpk@aol.com General Secretary and Publications Co-ordinator - To whom all items for the Newsletter should be sent - Gerald Townson, 5, Wenning Avenue, High Bentham, Lancaster, LA2 7LR Tel gerald.townson@btinternet.com Membership Secretary and Newsletter Editor Jack Warbrick, Lakeber House, Robin Lane, Bentham, Lancaster, LA2 7AF - Tel jsmazeppa@yahoo.co.uk Treasurer David Alder, 28, Main Street, Bentham, Lancaster, LA2 7HL Tel david.alder1@btinternet.com Committee Members - Tim Parker, Stephen Cross, Jim Trotman, Margaret Cowling, Simon Clark, Marion Armstrong, Robert Starling, Gareth Adams, Lin Barrington, Paul Gardner. Website - LASRUG 4 5

4 MORECAMBE MEMORIES by Jim Trotman, LASRUG committee member and CRP officer for Cumbria. In the spring of 1990, I arrived at Morecambe s Promenade Station for an interview with Lancaster City Council for the post of Senior Tourism Officer. I walked from the station to Morecambe Town Hall wondering if I was up to the challenge of working in a rather run down resort. I got the job but did not realise that in a few year s time I would be working in the old station buildings, as they were soon known.as part of the City Council s regeneration programme, it was decided to r e d e v e l o p m u c h o f Morecambe s sea front and the central area. This meant that the railway had to change in order to create the new Central Drive. This opened up an area of mostly derelict land and allowed the building of Morrison s supermarket, the cinema and the Festival market. Tourism was to be at the heart of the newly regenerated centre of the resort and the tourism offices were moved into the still operational Promenade Station, little touched since it opened in It amused me to see elderly visitors coming along the platform to be greeted by Caribbean dancers during one of the summer Womad festivals. The look of shock on their faces was a picture. Eventually trains stopped running into Promenade Station and Morecambe s new station was built very close to the site of the mid 19 th century Northumberland Street station. I had planned to get the name board from the old signal box but it mysteriously disappeared ; however, I did manage to save the Gentlemen sign from the toilets and this is now at Carnforth station s Heritage Centre, along with various station trolleys etc. Morecambe Promenade Station had some of the largest station toilets owing to the lack of toilets on the old compartment carriages used on holiday trains from West Yorkshire. There often used to be a sprint down the platform to the toilets when the trains arrived. Once the trains stopped running to Promenade Station, the building looked in a very sorry state for a while with most of the glass roof smashed and the concourse infested with starlings and rats. At least the public visiting the Tourist Information Centre in the front corner did not see the state of the rest of the building. The old goods shed was demolished and the stones were re-used on site to build the Wacky Warehouse, a place for children s entertainment next to the pub created in the front part of the old station closest to the Midland Hotel. Many people still remembered the old Promenade Station and for a couple of years after the new station opened came into the Tourist Information Centre to try to buy tickets or ask where the train was. Eventually the Tourist Information Centre (TIC) was remodelled and lost its railway theme. It was good to reflect the history of the building but it still looked too much like a station booking office. Hence, the Visitor Information Centre, as it became known after about 15 years as a TIC, has a more modern look and now provides information covering much of the Bay area. Some older people regretted the change of use of the Promenade Station but its current uses are a great improvement on the state of dereliction that existed in the early 1990 s. This range of uses attracted an award for the station and the plaque is still in the front entrance. Passengers arriving at what is still known as the new station can either walk along the Poem Path, on the site of the former goods yard, towards the Midland Hotel or take the original Northumberland Street route to the promenade. During my twenty years with Lancaster City Council, I ended as the Tourism Manager with equal responsibility for tourism in Lancaster, the Lune Valley and Morecambe. However, the historic railway connection with Yorkshire remained important to me and we celebrated 150 years of what is now known as the Bentham Line by hosting a large model railway show in the arts venue known as The Platform in the year I became involved with LASRUG from the early 1990s as the City Council was worried about the loss of train services between Leeds and Morecambe. Even then, West Yorkshire continued to provide 25% of Morecambe s visitors. Being one of the Council s rail enthusiasts, I was asked to get involved with the Lancaster & Skipton Joint Action Group (LASJAG) and this eventually merged with LASRUG. As a result, I became involved with ACoRP, the national Association of Community Rail Partnerships, and, with their help, set up the Leeds-Morecambe Community Rail Partnership now The Bentham Line CRP. I enjoyed being the chairman of the new partnership in its early years and was allowed to do so by the City Council because of the strong link between transport and tourism. After retiring in 2010, I took up the post of Community Rail Officer for the Furness and Lakes Lines - being paid to pursue my hobby. Carnforth station is included in the Furness Line s designation and there are still strong links with the Bentham Line CRP and with LASRUG. All the local CRP lines in Lancashire and Cumbria, and in Yorkshire too, are showing growth in passenger numbers (up 17% in three years on the Furness Line) and are seeing improvements to stations and to the marketing of the lines. Much of this is due to the work of the CRPs, Rail User Groups and to the support of the Train Operating Companies. Despite cuts to local authority funding, I very much hope that local people and communities will make our local railway lines thrive in the future. 6 7

5 A MEMORABLE JOURNEY OF SEVENTY YEARS AGO LASRUG member, Philip Tordoff, organist emeritus of Halifax Minster, recalls a journey on the Little North Western during the war. Joining trains at Wennington on 29th July The portion from Morecambe (right) about to pull forward before reversing and coupling onto the carriages from Carnforth (left) to form the complete service to Leeds. The platform gas lamps never received their fittings and the original oil lamps were eventually replaced by electric ones. Philip Tordoff One of the many gangs currently replacing sleepers on the line. Trevor Illston 8 9

6 BENTHAM S NEW STATION REACHES 60.. This year sees the sixtieth anniversary of the building of the new station at Bentham, which will be marked later in the year. Jennifer Lister, whose father worked as clerk at the station in the 1950s and 60s, provided us with an article from a British Railways Magazine of the time, which indicated that in 1954 the original 1849 station building was demolished, cleared and the new one built in just fifteen weeks. At the same time the platforms were raised and new signage and lighting were installed. Who said the railway can t move quickly Back in 1954, Bentham was served by up to 23 passenger and 4 freight trains daily. It was a busy section of line with 42 freight trains passing through each day. The station had 11 staff, 16,432 tickets were issued, 11,529 parcels forwarded, 857 tons of goods began their rail journey at Bentham and there was a steady livestock traffic. Whilst we have photographs of the station before and after the rebuilding, we have been unable, so far, to find any of the demolition, the construction and opening taking place. Can you help? Do you have an old photograph of, or article about, the rebuilding tucked away somewhere? We would love to see it and, with your permission, would scan and return any items straight away. If you can help, please get in touch via the contact form on our website, or call in at the station... AND THE NEW LEISURE PARK OPENS. Tuesday, 25th February 2014 saw the opening of the new leisure park facilities for birds, insects and small mammals at the Bentham Station embankment. The event formed part of the Friends of Bentham Station Embankment Rejuvenation Project which started last year and is being undertaken in association with the Community Rail arm of Network Rail, SWGR and the volunteers of Bloomin' Bentham. Seven handcrafted cosy nest boxes, based on RSPB designs available from their website, have been installed on the north facing sides of the old lime trees, six for small birds and the seventh purpose-built for a member of the local tawny owl population. One of the nest boxes even has its own bathing pool in an adjacent bough. Habitat piles have been created at the bases of all of the trees built from branch cuttings, shrubs planted to attract butterflies and hundreds of bulbs planted to bring colour in spring. The substantial nest boxes were constructed by the FOBS Treasurer, Richard Wilson, (see photograph below left), from recycled solid timber and have recycled plastic roofs along with easy-clean access. Bev Sim of FOBS took the lead in creating the habitat piles and the Bloomin' Bentham troops spent hours planting bulbs last autumn. This all followed on from the initial clearing of the embankment and trimming of the trees by SWGR on behalf of Network Rail and the repair of the boundary fencing. Plans are afoot to create a 'bat wing' at the Leisure Park and an adjacent restaurant, in the near future, and there is on-going work to trim the many lower level shoots around the lime trees. The whole area is now much lighter and brighter, and a place of interest for the embankment guests, the neighbouring residents and the many walkers and cyclists passing by. TEST RUNS Following overhauls at the West Coast Railway Company in Carnforth a number of steam locomotives have been seen on the Bentham Line recently. In order to obtain the certificate to permit running on main lines each locomotive is taken on a test run loop from Carnforth to Hellifield, then on to Clitheroe, Blackburn and Preston, before returning north to Carnforth on the West Coast Main Line. Jubilee Class 45699, Galatea pauses at the newly refurbished Hellifield Station during a loaded test run via the Bentham and Clitheroe Lines on 29th January Mike Pridmore 10 11

7 LASRUG 25 YEARS ON OTHER BENTHAM-LINE STATION DEVELOPMENTS A reflection on recent developments. Wennington There was a major refurbishment of the station footbridge last summer. The platforms were improved some 15 years ago. Bentham Line Usage Each year the number of passengers using the line has continued to rise steadily. 450,000 journeys were made in 2012/13 alone to and from our stations. There have been large increases in the number of passengers using Hellifield (25%) and Bentham (24%) stations in recent years. Rolling Stock It remains a constant challenge to get the right stock for our 75-mile trans-pennine route. Lately fewer Class 142 and 144 Pacer units have operated our services and have been replaced by the smoother riding Class 150 Sprinters. Class 153 (single cars) and Class 158 Super Sprinters are occasionally used with the later proving to be the most suitable stock for the line. Track Following a thorough survey of the line last summer an extensive programme of sleeper replacement has taken place this year. Several sections will be receiving new continuous rails too. The point work and track alignment at Settle Junction and Morecambe South Junction was improved last year. Promotion LASRUG continues to take an active role in the promotion of the line producing leaflets and posters, as well as articles for the local press and specialist railway publications. Bentham New metal footbridge staircases were installed early this century. The renovation of the station building, for community use, was completed in In 2011 the Friends of Bentham Station was formed and the station formally adopted. In 2012 the transformation of the station environment for the better gathered pace. Clapham The westbound platform was completely rebuilt to the west of the footbridge complete with shelter towards the end of the 1990s. At the same time the eastbound platform and Grade II-listed shelter refurbished. Giggleswick The platforms were completely rebuilt in the late 1990s, after plans to build short 20-metre platforms were withdrawn. Unfortunately the plans for the westbound platform did not include a shelter. Long Preston A steeply-sloping access ramp was built to the westbound platform from the over bridge in the 1990s and the platforms raised and refurbished. In 2012 a new emergency intercom was installed on the eastbound platform (right). Leeds-Lancaster-Morecambe Community Rail Partnership The Partnership was formed in 2006 with LASRUG members taking a leading role in the formation and development. Several LASRUG members are currently directors of the Partnership and are progressing projects on the line. Bentham Line Designation On 22nd October 2011 the then Community Rail Minister Norman Baker MP announced the Service Designation for the Bentham Line, following a successful application by the CRP. Working Relationships A successful conference (left) was held in Settle last July which brought together councillors from the Craven Friends parishes and local MP Julian Of Smith with representatives from the Bentham-line rail bodies. Bentham Station Groups One of the biggest recent successes for the line has been the station adoption at Bentham following the formation of FOBS. Several members of the group are also LASRUG committee members whilst others come from various voluntary groups in the community or have joined as individuals. 12 Station Hellifield Here the station retains its Grade II-listed splendour. The empty buildings and canopies were restored by Railtrack in 1993 with funding from local councils. Following this the West Coast Railway Company, based at Carnforth, took out a long lease on the building and the platforms at the western end. The platforms at the eastern end were raised and refurbished for continued use by the local rail services. During the second half of 2013, Network Rail undertook a full restoration of the canopies at the eastern end. At the same time the WCRC repainted its building and canopies. Gargrave The platforms were raised and resurfaced in the 1990s. In 2013 the Parish Council provided a new 10-space car park to the south of the station and is looking to complement this with a linking pavement and lighting. Skipton The station was renovated in 1995 and the track layout remodelled as part of the major programme to electrify the Aire Valley Line. The bay platform was reopened. In 2013 the Grade II-listed canopies were completely renovated. 13

8 Continuing our occasional series featuring people who work or worked on the Leeds- Morecambe line. JOHN ( JACK ) LISTER Writing some years ago Mr Lister penned these reminiscences of working at Bentham station in the 1950s. Working as a goods and passenger clerk at Bentham station from 1952 to 1960 proved to be the most interesting and enjoyable eight years of my working life. Billy Fox ( Foxy ) was the station master and, although he never let us forget that, he was a great guy. Bentham station was a real revenue earner, being served by over 20 passenger trains daily, more on Saturdays. Angus s factory used rail for a heavy and regular dispatch of parcels and goods traffic (by passenger and goods trains respectively), employing four or five box vans every week. Livestock, mainly sheep from Bentham auction market, for slaughter for the Min of Ag, Fish and Food, was, in season, the main flow of traffic each Wednesday often as many as six or eight cattle wagon loads. Phil Fawcett was the goods yard checker and it was his job to count the sheep as they were loaded. One day the sheep were being driven on foot from the auction to the station loading dock when one collapsed and died. For it to be of any use as meat it needed to be bled at once. Phil insisted that he knew what to do. When a butcher eventually came he collected a headless sheep When the daily shunt engine arrived from Lancaster to deliver and/or collect any wagons, Foxy would be waiting in the yard to direct operations. Officially this was the duty of leading porter Danny O Neill and a difference of opinion could occasionally occur. One day I was walking down the yard on my way to lunch when I sensed something was going on. Shunting was in full swing with Danny instructing the engine driver to draw up. However, at the same time Foxy was telling him to back off. After an exchange littered with four- and seven- letter words Danny threw down his shunting pole and told the boss to do the ******* job himself and retired to the porters room to cool off. Needless to say things were back to normal on the next shunting day. On one occasion the boss was to be absent for a full day and on the evening before he left instructions with Phil as to what was required of him. Okay, boss said Phil, leave it to me. When Foxy returned after his day off he noticed that Phil had not complied and demanded to know why. I m sorry, boss, but I didn t have time; I was helping George on the lorry all day. What Phil didn t know was that George had just apologised to the boss for not being at work that day through illness. Being a railway employee I tried for but didn t succeed in getting a permit to allow me to walk down the railway between home and work. I wasn t put off and continued to do this. One morning just after leaving home an engine pulled up alongside me. I thought, This is it, Jack; a trespass warning. But not so. How far are you going, yelled the driver. Bentham station I replied. Come on, climb up then. I can still see the expression on Foxy s face, when the train made its unscheduled stop and I alighted from the footplate. Knowing the local drivers had its compensations. One day a huge cob of steam coal accidentally fell off the engine within a few yards of my back door There were often times when junior clerks were sent to Bentham for training and,as they became more competent, I would be sent out to other stations as holiday relief clerk. Settle, Lancaster Green Ayre and Scale Hall were three of the stations I worked at. I was at Bentham station when, in 1954, the station was demolished and rebuilt. The transitional period was inevitably a shambles, an old wooden cabin being supplied for use as a combined booking office, parcels office,goods office and station master s office. This cabin was very small and claustrophobic and the large coke-burning stove did nothing to improve the atmosphere. Foxy liked it that way and did not approve of the door being left open whilst he was present. To combat this one of the juniors hit on an idea. Whilst I was attending to a train I noticed George, the junior, leave the office and close the door behind him. He was followed almost immediately by Foxy with a stupefied expression on his face. What the hell s going on he spluttered. George gave me the wink. As he had left he had placed three glass stink bombs on top of the red-hot stove. They didn t explode but slowly melted without trace. The office door was left open for some time after When the new station was due to be opened, the historic nature of the occasion occurred to me, and I purchased the last ticket to be issued from the old station and the first from the new. ******************** Above left: A Leeds to Morecambe service calls at Bentham in the early 1950s. Above right: Midland passing through Bentham with an eastbound freight in Photographs from the David Johnson Collection

9 A LA RECHERCHE DES CHEMINS DE FER PERDUS LASRUG s first chairman, Jack Warbrick, goes in search of his lost railway youth. HEYSHAM As a boy I used to visit Heysham harbour with my grandfather, who worked there first for the LMS and after 1948 for the newly nationalised British Railways. He worked in the marshalling yard but knew well the crews of the Irish boats, the dock workers and station staff. We would walk down the quayside, watch the boats being loaded and unloaded, wave to the crane drivers up in their eyries, hail the men on the tugs or dredgers or chat to the shunters. But we always ended on the station, (my first taste of a quayside station - so different from a normal station ) its layout designed to cater for the Irish and Isle of Man travellers, its wooden platforms and those alien electric trains imported from the London area. It was an unusual place when no boats were due to depart or arrive: strangely quiet except for distant sounds from the quays or the mess rooms or the bar, where grandfather would enjoy a pint of mild with other off-duty railwaymen. Visiting the now oddly renamed Heysham Port recently, it saddened me to see the rundown wreck of a station that greets the passenger leaving for the Isle of Man: a depressing spectacle that made it impossible to conjure up from what now passes for Heysham station the tidy, business-like and atmospheric scene from childhood. Perhaps the CRP can prevail upon the Isle of Man government to take an interest in what BARE LANE Bare Lane is similarly a place of youthful memories for me. Although urban it had the atmosphere - like many city suburban stations - of the country railway. The main building merging with the station master s house had a cosy cottage feeling, and the station master/booking clerk would appear at his window like a character out of Oh, Mr Porter or The Railway Children. The Lancaster end of the platforms went off into fields, scrub land and views of Morecambe golf club and the great green rise of Torrisholme Barrow. Looking towards Morecambe was more urban: a mile of straight tracks with balloon sidings to stable all the summer holiday excursion trains. The signal box that controlled the locality but above all the level crossing had two skins: an original weatherboarded timber one and a plastic mimic one added later. The wooden waiting room on the up platform was particularly cosy in winter, when a roaring coal fire greeted travellers and also a society of us railway enthusiasts, who would regularly plan rail tours in there. How lacking in atmosphere the present denuded station is, and, worse, now provokes antagonism. is after all the gateway to their island. The human contact with station master and signalman has been replaced by impersonal information monitors. The waiting room and signal box have been removed, to be replaced by a bus shelter. And local people, motorists and pedestrians alike have become irritated by the (to them unnecessarily) extra time the barriers are down, controlled now from 25 miles rather than 25 feet away. One of the four Midland power cars inside Heysham Station around (British Railways) Top: A Class 110 DMU forms a Leeds to Morecambe service on 20th July (Martin Bairstow) Above: A new fence on the right marks where the signal box stood. 27th February Jack Warbrick 16 17

10 THE TIMETABLE FROM 1989 In the 1980s the Leeds-Morecambe timetable had been considerably affected by, first the run-down, and then the proposed closure of the Settle-Carlisle line. From 1982, when the Nottingham-Glasgow trains were diverted away from the S&C, three of the seven weekday Leeds-Morecambe trains became semi-fasts, running non-stop between Skipton and Carnforth. They then ran direct to Lancaster, in order to provide connections to and from Glasgow. Since the closure in 1966 of the line from Wennington through Lancaster Green Ayre to Morecambe passengers for Lancaster had needed to change at Carnforth. People in the communities along the line, Bentham especially, protested at the loss of nearly half their trains. At first inter-city style diesel units were used, which continued from Lancaster to Morecambe; in 1984 loco-hauled trains took over, and these terminated at Lancaster. However, not many travellers to Carlisle or Scotland were attracted to these trains, and gradually, under Ron Cotton, the frequency on the S&C was improved. In 1987 Pacer units took over the Airedale line services, and seven of these were extended to and from Morecambe, calling at all stations between Leeds and Morecambe, but now running via Lancaster. On Sundays, as for many years, there continued to be three trains each way in summer, but only two in winter. An era of cut-backs on British Rail had now begun. Rumours of threatened service reductions led to the formation of LASRUG in Surely enough, in May 1990 weekday trains were reduced to six westbound and five eastbound. The first from Leeds (08.16 Monday to Saturday, on Sundays) ran via Bradford, and on weekdays omitted Cononley. A serious blow was that, to provide more capacity for commuters, the tea-time departures from Leeds to Morecambe and Carlisle were exchanged; the longer loco-hauled Carlisle train took over the time-honoured departure slot of the famous Residential. The Morecambe train was brought forward to There remained a later departure at 19.40, but not for long. The following year the timetable was again re-cast so that trains were now operated exclusively from the east end of the line, and so on weekdays a train had to be worked out from Skipton in order to form the to Leeds. There now just four trains each way (counting the from Skipton), and the last from Leeds was at On Saturdays the from Leeds continued on to Morecambe, but all other weekday trains terminated at or started from Lancaster. The three summer Sunday trains ran on to Morecambe, but from October 1991 the two trains went only as far as Lancaster, as did all weekday trains. This pattern persisted for the next three years. During this time, however, LASRUG was joined by the Lancaster & Skipton Joint Action Group, LASJAG, formed of representatives of the Lancashire and North Yorkshire County Councils and of other local authorities..the line now came under British Rail`s Regional Railways North East, and they proved sympathetic. In September 1995 the timetable was again recast, providing one additional train each way on weekdays and also on summer Sundays. The new weekday from Morecambe only ran as far as Skipton. Except for the first train each way, all weekday trains again ran through to and from Morecambe. These changes coincided with the electrification of the Airedale line, and Morecambe trains now ran independently of the local services. The weekday from Leeds called also at Bingley, but all other trains now called only at Keighley between Shipley and Skipton. Regional Railways North East wanted to promote travel between York and the Lake District, and so the timetable now showed connections at Lancaster to and from Windermere. They hoped to be able to run a through service between York and Windermere, but found there was not enough capacity on the Windermere branch. Following these improvements, the Leeds-Morecambe Development Group grew out of the various bodies involved, with members from LASJAG, LASRUG, the various local authorities and tourist boards and of the train operating company. Ideas to promote the line and improve the service were discussed. One change secured was the move of the first train from Lancaster on Saturdays to run an hour later, to encourage shoppers and others to travel to Leeds. The group`s major project was the mounting of a bid for funding for three extra trains each way on weekdays, under the government`s Rail Passenger Partnership scheme. Sadly, in 2003, after three years` hard work building up the case, and just when success looked likely, the government dropped the scheme. The timetable has remained essentially unchanged for the seventeen years since privatisation. Formation of the Community Rail Partnership again raised hopes of an improved frequency, and has led to the welcome introduction in 2011 of a full 8-train Sunday service all the year round. In 2008 the service from Leeds was extended to Heysham Port to connect with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company s service to Douglas. The train returns to Leeds at having collected passengers from the vessel s inbound voyage. For a number of years prior to this, the boat train only ran between Lancaster and Heysham Port. In the late 1980s the service had started in Stockport. The campaign to restore the service the line enjoyed in 1989 continues. JB COFFEE MORNINGS A very sincere "thank you" from the LASRUG committee to everyone who supported, assisted at, baked or provided items for our coffee morning at Bentham Town Hall on the 22nd February. It was a very enjoyable event with a splendid raised to add to LASRUG funds which will be used towards our campaigns and publications in support of the Bentham Line. LASRUG Coffee Morning, Gargrave Village Hall Saturday, 21st June am to 11.30am 18 19

11 What can we see here through the clouds of steam? We can say with confidence: Royal Scot Class No Scots Guardsman heading out of Hellifield after taking on water, 5th February Gerald Townson But what can we see through the clouds of uncertainty surrounding the next few years of railway operation and franchising? WHAT OF THE FUTURE? Members will recall that in our December Newsletter we laid before them LASRUG s aspirations document, what we would like to work towards. These are the aspirations that we shall present to the CRP, the train operating company franchise bidders and other rail bodies and local authorities. As the date for the next franchising round approaches, this means that we are ready with our proposals and are prepared to urge their adoption with firmness and confidence. We are in a much stronger position now than 25 years ago. Many more people are using railways and are demanding more of them. Governments realise this. Community Rail partnerships and user groups are formulating passengers requirements in local and precise ways and achieving things that would not have been possible in One of our original committee members, Robin Morris, ( a delightful and wise man with a wealth of transport experience, rail, road and air, and sadly now deceased) was speaking up for high speed rail and widespread electrification in transport forums even before LASRUG was formed. Robin thou shouldst be living at this hour This rail user group was formed because enough people valued the line to want to prevent its closure and secure a regular and satisfactory rail service between Lancaster and Morecambe and the West Yorkshire towns and cities with which they have long had a close connection. Morecambe was not nicknamed Bradford by the Sea for nothing. Now the line links major university cities and east and west coast main lines, the link assumes even greater strategic importance. LASRUG was formed in a time of emergency when there was good reason to be pessimistic about the Leeds - Morecambe line in particular and railways in general. As we move into our next 25 years, we have better cause to be optimistic about both. JSW 20