Barnoldswick Railway
| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railway |
| Founded | 1862 |
| Defunct | 1899 |
| Fate | Absorbed by Midland Railway |
| Headquarters | England |
Area served | Barnoldswick, Lancashire (formerly West Riding of Yorkshire) |
| Parent | Midland Railway (from 1899) |
The Barnoldswick Railway was a railway enterprise in England that constructed a brief branch line leading to Barnoldswick[note 1]. This line connected from a junction on the Midland Railway route running between Skipton and Colne. Commencing operations in 1871, the Midland Railway managed the line from its inception. The company experienced modest financial returns and was eventually absorbed by the Midland Railway in 1899.
Due to diminishing traffic volumes, passenger services were discontinued in 1965, followed by the termination of goods traffic in 1966.
Construction and opening
During the period, Barnoldswick was a modest-sized cotton weaving community whose development was constrained by inadequate transportation options, partially alleviated by the late 18th-century introduction of a local segment of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.
The Midland Railway launched its Skipton to Colne route in 1848, which bypassed Barnoldswick but served other settlements along the corridor.[1]
To establish a rail connection to Barnoldswick, local financiers gathered capital to construct a branch linking with the Midland Railway at Sough Bridge near Earby. The Barnoldswick Railway Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vict. clxxxi) received Royal Assent on 12 August 1867.[note 2][2][3][4][5]
The branch extended from Barnoldswick Junction at Sough Bridge and officially opened on 13 February 1871 under Midland Railway operation.[note 3][6][7][8][2][1][5]
Train operations
By 1895, the schedule included nine daily trains traveling in each direction between Barnoldswick and Earby, with four services operating on Sundays. By 1910, weekday train frequency had risen to between 15 and 18 trips each way, alongside six Sunday services. In 1922, the number of weekday trains remained largely unchanged, but Sunday offerings decreased to two trains per direction. By 1938, the timetable featured 26 trains from Monday through Friday, 28 on Saturdays, and nine on Sundays.
Incorporation into the Midland Railway
The Barnoldswick company initiated negotiations with the Midland Railway in March 1898 to sell the line. Given its dependable operation and a satisfactory dividend yield—5% as recorded in June 1897—the Midland Railway consented and obtained authorization in 1899. The takeover was formalized under the Midland Railway Act 1899 on 13 July 1899. This acquisition marked the final purchase by the Midland Railway prior to its 1923 amalgamation into the London Midland and Scottish Railway.
Proposal for a light railway
In May 1904, plans were submitted by the Barnoldswick and Gisburn Light Railway for a brief single-track route intended to connect with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway just north of Gisburn station and link to the Barnoldswick branch. However, the L&YR declined permission for a junction at Gisburn, effectively terminating the initiative.
Baughan observes:
Although initially consenting to all conditions, the L&YR later refused approval for the junction during an inquiry held at Gisburn. Following this refusal, the promoters abandoned their scheme. Nearly a decade later, a modified proposal omitting a junction with the Midland was presented; this time L&YR consented provided it could manage operations on the line.
Though authorization was granted, construction was prevented by World War I.
Train heating
On 16 November 1922, the Midland Railway authorized installing steam heating equipment in nine carriages and two locomotives on the Barnoldswick branch. This update came almost twenty years after such systems were introduced on main line coaches and shortly before the Midland Railway ceased to exist due to the Grouping in 1923.
Line closure
Due to diminishing patronage, passenger services on the branch ended on 27 September 1965, with freight operations ceasing on 1 August 1966.
Station list
- Barnoldswick Junction
- Barnoldswick; opened 13 February 1871; closed 27 September 1965
See also
References
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 G O Holt, revised by Gordon Biddle, A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: volume X: the North West, David St John Thomas, Newton Abbot, 1986, ISBN 0-946537-34-8, page 176
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Donald J Grant, Directory of the Railway Companies of Great Britain, Matador, Kibworth Beauchamp, 2017, ISBN 978 1785893 537, page 30
- ↑ Chronological Tables of Local Acts: Acts of the Parliaments of the United Kingdom: Part 60 (1867), at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/changes/chron-tables/local/60
- ↑ Ernest F Carter, An Historical Geography of the Railways of the British Isles, Cassell, London, 1959, page 389
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Donald Binns, The Skipton-Colne Railway and The Barnoldswick Branch, Trackside Publications, Skipton, 1995, ISBN 1-900095-00-9, page 12
- ↑ M E Quick, Railway Passenger Stations in England, Wales and Scotland: A Chronology, version 5.03, September 2021, Railway and Canal Historical Society
- ↑ Clement E Stretton, The History of the Midland Railway, Methuen and Co, London, 1901, page 230
- ↑ Carter, page 406
- Midland Railway
- Transport in the Borough of Pendle
- Railway companies established in 1862
- Railway lines opened in 1871
- Railway companies disestablished in 1899
- Barnoldswick
- 1862 establishments in England
- 1899 disestablishments in England
- British companies disestablished in 1899
- British companies established in 1862