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' V A steam train near Billington in 1961 The castellated tunnel entrance at Gisburn


THE iron horse f i r s t came panting up the Rib­ ble Valley 140 years ago. Spectators poured into


Clitheroe, some climbing the steeple of St Mary’s Church, while others sought a bird’s eye view from the castle walls and keep. Handkerchiefs were


Ribble Valley rail dreams comes true


The Ribble Valley rail line is opening to passenger traffic again. VIVIEN MEATH looks at the future and the remarkable past of this line


waved in salute as the gleaming, brass-domed engine hauled the red VIP coach with it’s flag flutter­ ing in the June breeze, into town. In the village of Chat- burn, schoolchildren were


dismissed to gaze in amaze­ ment as. the “puffing Billy” arrived at the station. Ribble Valley’s age of the


regular passenger train con­ tinued until 1962 when Dr Beeching and his notorious axe finally signalled it’s death knell.'


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turned out eager for a ride on the last train. Handkerchiefs were out


On that day too, crowds


decades later, the count­ down has again begun. The. Blackburn — Helli-


again, but there was sad­ ness at every station along the line as the train, com­ plete with life-sized effigy of Dr Beeching, drew away leaving waiting rooms and platforms empty. Now, more than two


field line is just a week away from the re-instate­ ment of regular weekend passenger rail services. On Saturday, May 19th,


coup for the area’s pressure group, Ribble Valley Rail, whose members have strived long and hard for a reversal of the 60’s decision to close th e lin e to passengers. British Rail is, some


an experimental service returns to the Ribble Val­ ley. If it succeeds, a regular service could be operational by 1991. The decision is a major


the organisei-s hope it will be just as memorable. . Ribble Valley’s tourism


The awe-inspiring Whalley Arches' the gardens was 2s 6d.


officer Mr Keith Taylor is already urging all sections of the community to “use it or lose it” and has high hopes of encouraging people to visit the historic town, with coach tours of the Rib­ ble Valley linked to the service. When the Blackburn—


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ever, heavily overshadowed- by . the enthusiasm of local rail campaigners. The first train into Clith­


would say, taking quite a risk. The sceptics are already prophesying the project’s failure and the renewed service has not been welcomed by all sec­ tions of the community. The pessimism is, how­


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eroe should leave Preston at 7-19 a.m. Civic dignitaries and guests will join passen­ gers arriving in Clitheroe for 8a.m. when the occasion will be marked by a special commemorative breakfast at the town’s Old Post House Hotel. It will perhaps not be as


magnificent as that in 1850 when 240 people attended a dinner and ball held in a marquee at Whallcy, but


Bolton Railway Company decided to build the line, the e s t im a te d c o s t 'w a s £600,000. - The 16 acres necessary


and without doubt, the greatest engineering feat in the initial length was the construction of the 49 arches in Whal­ ley. The bricks were made in the village and 7,000,000 were used. The cost of the viaduct was £40,000. To support the column


arranged via train to Pres­ ton Guild and the trains were so full that in order to cope with the extraordinary exodus from Clitheroe, cat­ tle wagons were used to take excess passengers with resulting amusing incidents.


In 1862 t r ip s were


for it’s construction cost £2,700 — £168 an acre which was expensive by the day’s standards. The first sod was cut in


■Temperance Band. A mahogany wheelbarrow containing a silver spade was wheeled into town and when the railway cutting reached Standen Hey, Clitheronians used to go


1846, with a procession headed by Clitheroe’s.-Old


.down in large numbers on Sundays to see the weekly progress.


half years to construct the railway to Clitheroe


It took three and a


standing in the river, a raft was laid in the riverbed for the foundations.— neces­ sary due to quicksand — and during the building,the 12th and 13th spans from the Billington end fell down, k i l l in g th r e e of th e workmen.


- wheel” across the .parapet from Clitheroe towards Bil- lington, fell over on the Whalley side and died. . . A f te r the line was


pletion of Whalley arches, there was further tragedy when a man “bowling his


Shortly before the com­


Gisburn in 1879 and one year later Hellifield — the link with Yorkshire and fur­ ther north being fully estab­ lished at a cost of £300.000.


The railway line reached


Clitheroe on Saturday May 19th is scheduled to-depart at 8-15 a.m. arriving in Blackburn at 8-35 a.m. Three more will follow each Saturday until Septem­ ber,at 9-25 a.m.,4-50 p.m. and 5-55 p.m. with links to Preston and Manchester. 'F o r Lancashire-folk,


opened, many local people' were sceptical of the Whole section, preferring to join the train at Langho to avoid the viaduct.


lar aspect of the railway and in 1855 the fare to Belle Vue-including admission to


Cheap trips were a popu­


there’s a chance to travel over ,the much publicised and by now world renowned Settle-Carlisle line on Sun­ day’s through the summer months. The Lancashire Dalesrail service will be calling at Clitheroe at 10.55 a.m., arriving in Carlisle at 1.39 p.m.


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