Excursions From Closed Stations

[Andy873]

Probably another one of my silly questions, but between 1958 and the end of summer 1964 there were some summer excursion trains, Wakes week trains etc on my old line. The stations closed to regular passenger trains from 2/12/1957.

Some of these trips you would have an idea that they were going to run at / on / around certain dates, but with the stations closed to the public where would these trains be advertised? in newspapers etc?

The next question is with the stations closed, where would you buy your ticket from? would BR open the station up to sell these for a few days? or say on Saturdays maybe three weeks before?

Once you've got your ticket and you go to the normally closed station to wait for the train, would the station buildings be opened up for the public, e.g. so people could use the toilets, sit in the waiting room etc?

I don't think my old line was special in regards to running summer specials from its closed stations?

Thanks,
Andy.

 

[Magdalia]

Definitely not a silly question.

One of the main methods of advertising excursion trains was handbills. Collections of these sometimes appear for sale at auctions or on ebay.

But I would like to know how they were distributed. Were they inserted into local newspapers, delivered to homes, or on racks in shops, pubs, clubs and libraries?

That doesn't answer the question of how a prospective traveller got a ticket if they were joining the train at a closed station.

 

[Springs Branch]

In the Bolton / Leigh area, a good example of this "Excursions from Closed Stations" situation occurred on the historic Bolton & Leigh line each year in the late 1950s.

The layout of this line and the stations involved can be seen on the map in this entry for West Leigh on the Disused Stations website.

In summary, this line's stations at Bolton Great Moor Street, Atherton Bag Lane, Atherleigh and Westleigh had closed to passengers in March 1954, but were re-opened for June/July Wakes Week specials and (in the case of Westleigh) for occasional rugby league football specials until summer 1958.

To give an idea of the scale of these holiday operations (quoting the Disused Stations article) "On Saturday 28 June 1958 there were nine holiday special departures from Bolton Great Moor St, the first being a train for Bangor at 6.25am. The last departure was at 1.30pm, being a train for Llandudno".

Regarding ticketing arrangements at closed stations Dennis Sweeney's book A Lancashire Triangle - Part 2 includes part of the handbill (more accurately a multi-page booklet) covering Holiday Specials on the Bolton & Leigh line for Summer 1958. I won't post scans on here to avoid infringing Sweeney's copyright, but here is an extract:

SPECIAL NOTICE
Passengers travelling from ATHERTON BAG LANE can obtain their tickets in advance at HOWE BRIDGE station, and such passengers may alight on return at that station.
Passengers travelling from ATHERLEIGH and WESTLEIGH stations can obtain their tickets in advance at LEIGH station, and such passengers may also alight on the return journey at that station.

Tickets to all points may be purchased in advance at Stations and Official Railway Agents commencing forthwith.

Passengers wishing to travel by services shown herein must have their tickets regulated for use by the scheduled train required.

The trains will depart at the times shown or as near thereto as possible. Full details of the actual times will be published before the holiday and programmes will be available at the stations and agents.

Passengers booking in advance are requested to confirm the time of departure before travelling.

So it seems the message is:

• Tickets for departure from closed stations must be bought in advance from either the still-open stations at Howe Bridge or Leigh (doesn't seem to mention the nearby ex-LYR Atherton Central as an option), or from local Travel Agents like Thomas Cook.
• Tickets must be "regulated" for a particular train (i.e. an unassigned counted seat reservation in modern language).
• If you travelled outwards on one of the booked Holiday Specials you had an option to return home on regular timetabled services to one of the still-open stations in the district.

I very much doubt any station facilities (waiting rooms etc.) would be available, even at a more substantial (but still closed) station like Bolton Great Moor St. It was mid-summer - so wouldn't be cold or rainy at all - and you'd probably not travelled far from home, so shouldn't need a toilet - yet!

 

[Gloster]

For advertising I would think that an advert and (possibly) a free news item in the local paper would be a major way of getting the information out. Remember that in those days they were much more important. Flyers would be put on the hoardings outside the station, in shop windows, on the noticeboards at major employers, etc. Where would be up to the knowledge of the local stationmaster, who would also trust to word of mouth.

I think that some stations that still handled parcels were able to issue tickets, even if only of the limited choice of Adult or Child for an Excursion.

 

[mailbyrail]

I remember in the 1970s that BR operated excursions from closed local stations around Doncaster using local shops such as hairdressers and other well-established agents to sell tickets.

 

[Trackman]

In the Bolton / Leigh area, a good example of this "Excursions from Closed Stations" situation occurred on the historic Bolton & Leigh line each year in the late 1950s.

The layout of this line and the stations involved can be seen on the map in this entry for West Leigh on the Disused Stations website.

In summary, this line's stations at Bolton Great Moor Street, Atherton Bag Lane, Atherleigh and Westleigh had closed to passengers in March 1954, but were re-opened for June/July Wakes Week specials and (in the case of Westleigh) for occasional rugby league football specials until summer 1958.

Little Hulton was also definitely one of them that came from Bolton Great Moor street too.. I assume it was the same line (so to speak) - unsure of the layout, but basically the Bolton & Leigh line I think, unless it had a different name.
Not sure when it all closed, but a cine video of a class 40 on the line surfaced a while back.. Chequerbent it said.

 

[Andy873]

Thanks, a lot for me to think about here.

So it seems the message is:

• Tickets for departure from closed stations must be bought in advance from either the still-open stations at Howe Bridge or Leigh (doesn't seem to mention the nearby ex-LYR Atherton Central as an option), or from local Travel Agents like Thomas Cook.
• Tickets must be "regulated" for a particular train (i.e. an unassigned counted seat reservation in modern language).
• If you travelled outwards on one of the booked Holiday Specials you had an option to return home on regular timetabled services to one of the still-open stations in the district.

I very much doubt any station facilities (waiting rooms etc.) would be available, even at a more substantial (but still closed) station like Bolton Great Moor St. It was mid-summer - so wouldn't be cold or rainy at all - and you'd probably not travelled far from home, so shouldn't need a toilet - yet!

I'm not quite clear on this, all the photos I've seen are trains calling at Great Harwood & Padiham heading for the coast. But I don't see any return ones?

Does this mean you could start from a closed station but only return to a nearby open one, and presumably get the bus home?

If you could return to a closed station you would have to catch a very specific train and certainly at GH station the side gate (exit from the station) would need to be manned and locked again after the return train had gone.

EDIT: I found an exception here, but it's the only one I can see.

 

[John Luxton]

Did not excursions operate from Torrington and possibly Bideford stations until freight closure?

Also wasn't Okehampton also used for the odd outbound excursion until it was officially reopened last November?

 

[Gloster]

When the train left it would be at a time that was on the ticket or otherwise easily advertised, but the return would often just be of the ‘leaves Blackpool at 8.30 p.m.’ type, i.e. the passengers or others wouldn’t know. Additionally, the return might be after dark and the train might be late or earlier than the time in the WTT, so even if it was in daylight the photographer might have a long wait.

The situation varied, but you could have the choice of either getting the train back to your starting point, but if you wanted to stay on a bit longer you could. You could use your ticket to one of a (probably named) group of stations, but this was the railway being kind and giving you such an alternative, and it wasn’t going to involve itself in any extra expenditure so you would have to sort out the last bit yourself if you took that option. (You pays your money and you takes your choice.)

When boarding at a closed station there would probably be a member of staff to check everybody had a ticket and see the train off. When the train came back the station might well be unstaffed with the side-gate left open; if it was after dark they may or may not have put lights on.

 

[RT4038]

If you could return to a closed station you would have to catch a very specific train and certainly at GH station the side gate (exit from the station) would need to be manned and locked again after the return train had gone.

Quite possibly the Guard, and/or a Travelling porter, would have this responsibility when the train arrived at the station and prior to its departure?

 

[Andy873]

@Gloster Thanks, that's a great insight as to why there aren't many return train photos.

Quite possibly the Guard, and/or a Travelling porter, would have this responsibility when the train arrived at the station and prior to its departure?

Maybe, I'm not sure. The only thing I can tell you is at Great Harwood station after regular passenger services ceased 2/12/1957, the station master at nearby Rishton station (on the East Lancs line) had the responsibility of supervising the remaining staff at GH i.e. the staff operating the goods yard / shed.

Maybe he sent someone over to see the excursion train off / possibly back again...

 

[marsker]

I'm surprised that no one has yet mentioned the Durham Miners' Gala. Trains ran over a number of closed lines into Durham, both the current station and Gilesgate until the early 1960's for Big Meeting Day. The Waterhouses branch and the line that came across from Ryhope are 2 that spring to mind.

 

[Irascible]

Also wasn't Okehampton also used for the odd outbound excursion until it was officially reopened last November?

It had a regular (charter) sunday summer service from the 90s. I'd be interested in anything people can dig up that *started* at Torrington or Bideford.

 

[John Luxton]

It had a regular (charter) sunday summer service from the 90s. I'd be interested in anything people can dig up that *started* at Torrington or Bideford.

I am sure some of the Torrington / Bideford trips were organised by a chap by the name of Joanes trading as Joanes Travel.

I have just had a quick look at Six Bells Junction and found one entry day excursion from Torrington / Bideford / Barnstaple and other Tarka Line Stations to London Waterloo departing Torrington 06:45 on October 20, 1979. I am sure there may be others.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Jul 2022 ==

I am sure some of the Torrington / Bideford trips were organised by a chap by the name of Joanes trading as Joanes Travel.

I have just had a quick look at Six Bells Junction and found one entry day excursion from Torrington / Bideford / Barnstaple and other Tarka Line Stations to London Waterloo departing Torrington 06:45 on October 20, 1979. I am sure there may be others.

The Okehampton service was that basically sponsored by Devon County Council but that was more of a regular summer service. Though I think there were outbound excursions. There certainly have been in recent years. Okerail that was one of the groups campaigning for reopening have operated at least one HST excursion in recent times.

 

[Irascible]

The Okehampton service was that basically sponsored by Devon County Council but that was more of a regular summer service. Though I think there were outbound excursions. There certainly have been in recent years. Okerail that was one of the groups campaigning for reopening have operated at least one HST excursion in recent times.

I think it would have made more sense if I'd continued my original thought to where I'd intended, which was "when does a closed - and presumably that's just one you can't get a ticket to - station become an unusaable one", because Okehampton had been shut a quarter of a century already by the time regular charters started.

Well, you'd definitely want to get the train back to Torrington rather than try and find an alternative!

 

[Gloster]

I think that Okehampton had the advantage that for some years the station and line were, albeit in a rather basic fashion, maintained to passenger standards for military specials.

 

[D6130]

Sometime in the late 1960s/early 1970s BR Eastern Region ran a class 40-hauled works outing excursion to Scarborough or Bridlington starting from a factory yard in Heckmondwyke, West Yorkshire, with passengers joining and alighting using ladders. I have a vague recollection of it being mentioned in a previous thread on here....but can't find it. Maybe somebody could elucidate?

 

[Gloster]

I think they also used to run works excursions from Tytherington Quarry north of Bristol using DMUs, and possibly local-hauled trains, using steps for boarding. I am sure there were others.

 

[Magdalia]

I think they also used to run works excursions from Tytherington Quarry north of Bristol using DMUs, and possibly local-hauled trains, using steps for boarding. I am sure there were others.

It was common for Miners' Welfare to organise day excursions starting at the pithead.

 

[Taunton]

Excursions were commonly advertised in the local press, and on large roadside boards on railway property, even outside freight depots if on main roads.

Leicester Belgrave Road was the old Great Northern station in the city, approached by a long branch from the east and closed to passengers from at least the early 1950s. However the branch pointed straight towards Skegness, he most popular resort for the city, and as substantial freight services still ran into there, for at least another 10 years summer passenger excursions were run from there. Being a more integrated time on the railway, porters etc at the goods depot were the staff who got the Sunday overtime and attended the passenger service. Railway magazines of the time did a couple of features on them.

My own experience was an excursion not FROM a closed station but TO one. Burnham-on-Sea was on the Somerset & Dorset, end of the branch from Evercreech through Highbridge and for a mile on to the coastal resort. This last section for the several daily branch trains, which had traditionally, at least in summer, carried more passengers than all the rest of the line put together, was also closed in the early 1950s, because it was found a right nuisance crossing the WR Bristol to Taunton line on the flat. However it was retained for a once daily freight, plus on Sundays, when the WR main line had less services, a range of summer excursions were run, including from Taunton. These required a double-reversal shunt at Highbridge, over the crossing, back over the sharply curved connecting line, then forward over the crossing again to Burnham. For this the S&D side steamed two 412xx locomotives, the branch otherwise being closed on Sundays, to handle the train through the manoeuvre and for this last section.

The "Burnham Excursion" was a significant point in the Taunton summer social calendar, being booked up by every church Sunday school, scouts group, pub club, and such like in the town, and about 10 coaches, formed of five Taunton B-sets. I was extremely juvenile when we went on it, but heard about its various glory days. I think Taunton shed even polished up their 41xx for the occasion, possibly to show the S&D men how even a 2-6-2T loco should be presented, and the loco crews' families, and even the shedmasters', rode in the front first class compartment. John Betjeman later made a well-known television documentary around 1962, where he rode on the daily freight through to Burnham, and walked through the onetime passenger station, commenting how it was all still intact but not on the excursions.

 

[Magdalia]

Leicester Belgrave Road was the old Great Northern station in the city, approached by a long branch from the east and closed to passengers from at least the early 1950s. However the branch pointed straight towards Skegness, he most popular resort for the city, and as substantial freight services still ran into there, for at least another 10 years summer passenger excursions were run from there. Being a more integrated time on the railway, porters etc at the goods depot were the staff who got the Sunday overtime and attended the passenger service. Railway magazines of the time did a couple of features on them.

Leicester Belgrave Road had trains in the Public Timetable until the end of the 1962 summer, so it wasn't closed to passengers. The summer Saturday Leicester-Skegness and Leicester-Mablethorpe trains, plus the summer Sunday Leicester-Skegness day trippers train, all ran from/to Belgrave Road until 1962.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

The ex GWR branch to Brynamman East closed in August 1958 to passengers , but retained very rare Rugby specials after this date (to Edinburgh) , as well as shuttles in 1959 to connect with special holiday extras to the West Country.

 

[Andy873]

Very interesting replies, thanks.

John Betjeman later made a well-known television documentary around 1962, where he rode on the daily freight through to Burnham, and walked through the onetime passenger station, commenting how it was all still intact but not on the excursions.

Yes seen it a few times, he makes some good points in it too.

It's been explained to me how many of these excursion trains were organised by groups such as miners, social clubs etc, but what I can't work out is how excursions would have been organised for the two smaller towns of Great Harwood & Padiham.

I've read by the early 1960's one cotton mill was closing every week in Lancashire, the coal mine along the line stopped producing coal 30 years before and both towns are close to other bigger towns...

Would BR kill two birds with one stone, e.g. an excursion train coming from say the North East or Yorkshire be routed along the branch line to take in both stations rather than just organise a special one because the dates and destination worked out nicely?

I've learnt there were lots of excursions coming from these and other areas mainly going to Blackpool and the West Lancashire coast running up to and during the summer months.

Thanks,
Andy.

 

[Gloster]

At a guess, as far as BR promoted trains were concerned, there would have been an annual excursion or excursions going to Blackpool or other events for years, so the Station Master would work out what date or dates were best and pass the information on to the Special Trains Section. They would then decide when and how to run the train, much of which would probably involve looking at last year’s arrangements and making any adjustments. If there were some new elements, such as a change in mill holiday arrangements, the Station Master would be expected to know and pass on the information.

It would be unusual for, say, a train from Yorkshire or the North-East to pick up within the London Midland Region. That train would have been promoted by the North Eastern Region and the LM’s responsibility was limited to getting it from the regional boundary to Blackpool and back.

There could be some juggling. As a purely hypothetical example, a train starting in Colne could pick up to Brierfield and then run fast to Padiham and pick up on the loop. Meanwhile, another train started at Burnley and picked up on the main line.

 

[Irascible]

Caernarvon ( as the station was spelt back then ) - Llanberis closed to passengers in 1930 but took summer specials until the line closed - was there ever one originating from it? over 32 years I guess there's a chance at least one did. Nantile ( up the line to Afon Wen ) does seem to have counted.

 

[Andy873]

At a guess, as far as BR promoted trains were concerned, there would have been an annual excursion or excursions going to Blackpool or other events for years, so the Station Master would work out what date or dates were best

It would have had to been the station master at nearby Rishton station on the East Lancashire line if that was the case. The station master lost his job and presumably his house back in 1957 when regular passenger trains ceased.

I know for a fact that the SM from Rishton took over the duties for GH station.

was there ever one originating from it? over 32 years I guess there's a chance at least one did.

Don't know for sure, but I hope there was.

It does lead to a sideways question - what really are excursions, occasional trains that end up running roughly the same time every year because they were originally organised by say a group, but just end up being run / expected to run anyway?

It would be unusual for, say, a train from Yorkshire or the North-East to pick up within the London Midland Region. That train would have been promoted by the North Eastern Region and the LM’s responsibility was limited to getting it from the regional boundary to Blackpool and back.

Yes, that sounds logical to me. But I would have thought the NE region wouldn't care too much as long as the train gets to its destination, someone in the LM region might pick up on this train movement and use it as part of a local excursion?

That said, I have in my WTT's some such trains that simply just past through, i.e. didn't stop at all. Any excursion trains that did stop are not listed of course as these are not regular services.

 

[Broucek]

I need a time machine....

 

[Gloster]

Yes, that sounds logical to me. But I would have thought the NE region wouldn't care too much as long as the train gets to its destination, someone in the LM region might pick up on this train movement and use it as part of a local excursion?

The problem is that the NE would be trying to fill all the seats in order to maximise the amount of money it gets in its coffers: they would be providing the coaches, and therefore responsible for the maintenance, cleaning, etc., costs. They don’t want to find the LM getting revenue from their costs. Yes, it would be possible to come to an arrangement, but there are a lot of variables and so a lot of work. But, in essence, the NE is going to try to fill its train and almost always wouldn’t know until it departed from its last station that there were spare seats.

 

[Western Sunset]

In the Derby area, there were excursions from long-closed stations such as Etwall and Mickleover (ex-GN) and Chellaston and Castle Donington (ex-MR), for example.

As noted above, L'ter Belgrave Road didn't close until the end of the Summer '62 season. A very detailed account of preparing the workings there to Skeggy and Mablethorpe will be found in "A Friend in Steam" by W Elgar Dickinson (Silver Link Publishing, 2007).

 

[D6130]

It does lead to a sideways question - what really are excursions, occasional trains that end up running roughly the same time every year because they were originally organised by say a group, but just end up being run / expected to run anyway?

Most of the excursions from the East Lancashire mill towns would have been either day trips to the seaside - usually on Sundays, when the mills would have been closed - or one-way reliefs at the beginning and end of the appropriate town's 'Wakes Week'.

If you can get hold of a copy of "The Railways of Colne, Lancashire" by Stuart Taylor (Foxline Publishing, 1994. ISBN 1870119355), it will give you a huge amount of information about the operation of such excursions, as well as lots of photographs. Also by Stuart Taylor - in the same series - are "Journeys by Excursion Train from East Lancashire - Part 1: Colne, Nelson, Burnley, Accrington and Blackburn to Blackpool and Fleetwood via Poulton", which I believe includes the Great Harwood Loop and "Journeys by Excursion Train from East Lancashire - Part 2: Southport via the West Lancashire Line and Morecambe via Preston and Lancaster"....both of which are essential reading if you are interested in this subject. I have all three books but, after a couple of house moves, they're stuck in a box somewhere and I can't place my hands on them at the moment. They should be available from Amazon or on E-Bay though.