Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
I am trying to find the "Wakes Week" special services that ran from these two terminal branch line stations and would be grateful if website members can assist.
THE L.Y.R. and subsequently theL.M.S.R. made lavish provision for the peak summer Town Holiday traffic of Lancashire. The practice of Lancashire and West Riding towns of closing down for a week led to a mass exodus of the population from each town in turn, and meant that for eight weeks a full programme of outward-bound trains set out on Friday night and Saturday, to return one week later. Since the motorcar was the perquisite of only a few, the peaks of holiday traffic were far greater than today.
. . . the usual lament for those of us interested in this sort of thing.Further details of the following excursions lay buried in the mists of time
I wonder if that Oldham to Scarborough train started from Clegg Street and continued on the ex-LNWR line via Lees to Greenfield, then through Standedge Tunnel? Despite the local 'Delph Donkey' already having been eliminated by 1959, the line though Glodwick Road and on to Greenfield was still open. Given it was a Wakes Week Saturday, maybe the ex-L&Y stations in Oldham were flat out dealing with large crowds heading for Blackpool, Southport, Morecambe etc. The Lancashire coast specials from the Oldham Loop frequently seemed to go via Shaw & Rochdale, then Bury Knowsley St and Bolton, avoiding Manchester Victoria.Oldham Clegg Street is interesting - it closed to passengers on 2nd May 1959, so kept being available for a few weeks more just for Wakes specials. Quite why the adjacent Central (still open at the time) or Mumps wasn't used is interesting - you can see why Dr. B. was keen to eliminate all this uneconomic working.
Yes, summer 1965 looks likely as the last year it was technically possible. According to the Disused Stations website entry for Royton. . .When would Royton station last have been open for possible Wakes Week traffic? 1965?
Middleton the year before, probably?
http://www.disused-stations.org.uk said:Despite the heavy passenger use, the line was earmarked for closure in The Reshaping of British Railways (Beeching) report of 1963. Goods services finished on 2nd November 1964, and the last passenger service departed Royton at 18:50 on Saturday 16th April 1966; official closure took place on 18th April. Shortly afterwards the line was lifted, and the station demolished.
Many years ago. whilst speaking to an elderly rail enthusiast, he recalled such a train as this passing through Broadfield station (situated between Heywood and Bury Knowsley Street railway stations).Given it was a Wakes Week Saturday, maybe the ex-L&Y stations in Oldham were flat out dealing with large crowds heading for Blackpool, Southport, Morecambe etc. The Lancashire coast specials from the Oldham Loop frequently seemed to go via Shaw & Rochdale, then Bury Knowsley St and Bolton, avoiding Manchester Victoria.