I
Outlook Settle to Carlisle line
Carlisle Line Joint Action Group had a very dynamic team fighting to save the line.
In the early years I
served as secretary and membership secretary for the group until it became properly Yorkshire-based. Even Mr Ron Cotton,
BR’s official closure man ager, did his best to save the line. With the tremen dous support throughout the country, we were con vinced we would win. Mem bers of FOSCLA went down to London to hear the historic announcement by David Mitchell, the Trans port Minister, in the House of Commons. A shock was in s tore, in place of a reprieve the Minister said consent was likely to be given for the line’s closure, but said the line would be offered for sale first! Hearing this shocking
news everyone was even more determined that the line would NOT close. The groups fighting the closure had succeeded in restoring the local stopping train ser vice (axed in 1970) and were determined not to lose it. A business liaison group was formed to strengthen the campaign. Transport useres’ consul
tative committee hearings were in favour of the line’s retention and all were in support of saving the line. As said by Mr Mole, the
costs of repairing Ribble- head Viaduct were much
lower than BR had quoted. A grant from English Heri tage of £1 million was on offer too. This was only dis covered after Nicholas Rid ley, Environment Secretary had “sat on it” for a year! (Sabotage?). The rail sale was in vain.
Finally, I have it on good
authority that “the handbag was swung” and Paul Chan- non was forced to announce the reprieve of the line in April this year.
Repair works are already
underway on Ribblehead Viaduct and attention is turning to the long-neg lected Blackburn to Helli- field Line. It was recently announced that this line will re-open for regular passen ger services in May, 1991, so providing an extra pas senger flow for the line. Beeching’s axings were
nothing but sabotage. When you close connecting lines, traffic on the main lines is bound to go down. We have the Waverley route — dis used fo r 20 y e a r s — between Carlisle and Edin burgh via Hawick to testify to this folly.
Approaching the 1990’s
the rail revival is well underway. The saving of the Settle to Carlisle line could not have been done without the help of the public. With the re-opening of
the Clitheroe line again it is up to the public at our end of the line to ensure East Lancashire does not miss out on the railway race to the North! Press your claims with BR and Lan cashire County Council to create through services from Colne to the Yorkshire Dales and Carlisle via Clith eroe! Also the continuation of Dales Rail in 1990. The leisure route of the future is on our doorstep! □
‘Long Meg’ climbs out of Birkett Tunnel, Malierstang, south of Kirkby Stephen. One of the great sights in steam days, this heavy mineral train of anhydrite ran to Widnesfrom Long Meg sidings near Lazonby, hence the nickname
Winter at Sherriff Brow, near Stainforth. The north-bound Skipton snowplough, powered by two Standard Class Fours, crosses the River Ribble
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