EARBY STATION CLOSURE FEBRUARY 1970.

[Stanley]

EARBY STATION CLOSURE FEBRUARY 1970.

Last train out means goodbye to jobs
Yorkshire Post Reporters
AMONG the crowd who watched the last scheduled passenger train from Skipton to Colne draw out of Earby station at 9.9p.m. on Saturday, were two men who had lost their jobs with the closure of the line.
Mr. Vincent Cook, 55, of Green End Villas. Earby, the porter, and Mr. Cyril Foster, 58 of Colne Road, Earby, signalman and gatekeeper, will be seeking other jobs this week.

They returned for a short spell of duty yesterday to let through a special train, organised for railway enthusiasts by the Yorkshire Dales Railway Society.
Mr. Cook has worked at Earby for 22 years, the last 18 months on his own, acting as stationmaster, porter, booking clerk and ticket collector.
" It used to be a busy place when I first came here, with a stationmaster and two booking clerks. But gradually the passengers have disappeared and the branch line to Barnoldswick was closed three years ago. I think the main reasons are that more people are travelling by bus and a lot of people use their own cars. I will be looking for another job but I will be keeping my eye on the station, for the souvenir hunters will probably be busy," said Mr. Cook.

Mr Foster said he had seen a vast reduction in traffic during his 11 years in the Earby box. “Apart from many more through passenger trains, there used to be a train every half hour on the Barnoldswick branch a busy goods yard and several special excursion trains. Now we have 16 passenger trains a day and if we have 40 passengers a week, we are lucky. You have got to face reality. If the line isn't paying, you cannot go on running trains."

A sad but pleasant journey for many of the passengers was how a spokesman of the Dales Railway Society last night described yesterday's last journey.
The Society’s events department had organised a special last train trip for enthusiasts and those regular users of the line who will now have to look elsewhere for transport between the two towns. " Some are going to find it very hard now,” he added. The two car Diesel train stopped at Thornton in Craven and Earby in both directions. The driver was Mr. A. Roberts of Hellifield who has been driving since 1937 and the guard was Mr, Alfred Pickles of Skipton, he has had 44 years service on the railway, 29 of them as a guard.

“I knew both Vincent and Cyril when I was a lad. When my dad was working nights at Armoride I sometimes left home early on the Ranch to meet him from work - an excuse to spend 15 or 20 minutes in the signal box with Cyril. He tried to explain the intricacies of block signalling but most of it went over my head. I recall a particular "pea souper" when he had placed the warning explosives on the track and the anticipation of waiting for the loud crack before a train approached was almost unbearable. Vincent seemed a giant of a man who was always cheerful and happy. Many a time he threatened to cuff us cheeky schoolboys but more often than not shared a few sweets and a laugh. [Colin Myers. OGFB. 20 March 2005]

[Stanley]

Bumped....

[Big Kev]

An interesting read considering the current stories pushing for the Skipton/ Colne line to be reinstated.

[Stanley]