CravenRailThe newsletter for supporters of SELRAP:

- the Skipton-East Lancashire Rail Action PartnershipIssue 11 Summer 2008

“After meeting with Tom Harris, the Rail Minister, my understanding is that theGovernment has no objection to the reopening of disused rail lines, provided thatthe economic case stacks up” ..... Brian Simpson MEP & Socialist Group Spokesman Transport/Tourism.

“And a recently-published study carried out by JMP Consulting demonstrates beyonddoubt that there is a sound economic case for reopening the Skipton-Colne line. Soit can only be a matter of time before the contractors move in!”..... Ed.

Patrons: Richard Bannister, Rt Rev. Nicholas Reade, MPs David Curry, Nigel Evans, Gordon Prentice, Kitty Ussher,MEPs Chris Davies, Den Dover, Timothy Kirkhope, Diana Wallis.

Skipton-East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership

RECONNECTING YOUR REGION

MISSING LINK II:EXTRA MILES TOBRIDGE THE GAP

Skipton 2008

NEW STUDYBRINGSSKIPTON-COLNE RAIL LINKCLOSERSTILL

Colne 2008

2

Contents

MAKING A DIFFERENCESELRAP’s campaign goes from strength to strength .....and continues to break the mould.

3 COMMENTOn just how an early Victorian sized rail network copeswith 21st century demands.

HEADLINES4 JUST FOR THE RECORD

4 2007: WHAT A YEAR

5 A CHANGE IN THE WIND

NEWS5 MISSING LINK II GOES EXTRA MILES

6 ECONOMIC CASE STACKS UP

7 STUDY LAUNCHED

8 BETTER STILL

9 YET MORE HEAR OF SELRAP

9 HITTING THE HEADLINES

9 CATALOGUE OF SUPPORT GROWS

10 NEW PATRON

10 SELRAP IN WESTMINSTER

11 KILBRIDE

11 NEW INITIATIVES

WHAT ELSE11 EXPANDING ON NOSTALGIA

12 JOIN US: MEMBERSHIP FORM

12 SELRAP CONTACT DETAILS

12 WHAT NEXT

12 HOW YOU CAN HELP

12 EVENTS

12 MEETINGS SCHEDULE

SELRAP’s campaign to reopen the Skipton-Colne rail-way continues to redefine the boundaries of what isachievable by a voluntary group. The business of re-opening a railway has been likened to pushing aboulder uphill. But driven by a passion to replace justa tiny part of a transport network trashed in the dashfor modernity forty years ago, the group is increas-ingly hitting the high notes. And, thanks to the vastamount of work willingly undertaken by SELRAP’sdedicated team, there’s a growing feeling amongstJoe Public and his next door neighbour that it reallyhas become a question of when the railway reopens,and not if.

All of that said, it remains a fact that there are thosewho, incredulous at the prospect of returning a rail-way to the region, find it difficult to get beyond im-ages of steam trains, derelict track ..... and tales ofthe railways as they were years ago. Before bloodyBeeching wiped away connection with the rest of thenation for thousands of communities.

But it is images such as these that drive those at theheart of SELRAP’s campaign to reinstate the Skipton-Colne railway. And whilst being a stark reminder ofwhat has been lost to the region, those images alsooffer a crucial window on future. For it is a fact thatalmost forty years on from closure of the Skipton-Colne line, there are many for whom the notion ofjoined up transport to the rest of the nation is simplynot an option. Together with the widely acknowl-edged economic, social and environmental benefitsthat rail services bring to the communities they serve.

Increasingly regarded as one of the UK’s most highprofile rail reopening pressure groups, SELRAP seesbeyond the images above, and to the return of a rail-way designed to serve the wider needs of the 21stcentury, together with its changing demographics.

To this end, SELRAP continues to engage with thoseat the highest level. And following publication of thehighly acclaimed JMP study into the business case forthe line, SELRAP is pursuing an action plan aimed atall levels of Government, the rail industry, and more.

SELRAP: breaking the mould, and making a differenceto transport!

How it is ..... thetrackbed betweenThornton inCraven and El-slack in remark-able ondition .....and seeminglyready for the re-turn of rails.

But wait .....Isn’t that a trainwaiting for railstoo!

How it was fiftyyears ago. Joinedup transport atEarby (mid way be-tween Skipton &Colne) ..... showinga BR Standard Class2 Tank Engine incharge of a localtrain.

Photo: Courtesy ofBarry Atkinson

FRONT COVER”As yet another high pro-file demonstration of theneed to reopen the linebetween Colne and Skip-ton, SELRAP’s secondcharter train, “The Miss-ing Link II” followed a135 mile circular routevia Blackburn and Helli-field ..... before return-ing via Leeds, Bradfordand Hebden Bridge. Thetrain is shown shortlyafter arrival in Skipton.AND TO THE RIGHT: Focussing on the busi-ness case for the Skip-ton-Colne railway,publication of the JMPstudy has brought its re-opening closer still.

Skipton: October 28th 2007. And a peek into the future.The train now standing at platform 3 is the 11.37 from Colne.

3CommentReduced to a network no bigger than it was 150years ago, many rail routes are now up to capacity,whilst the loss of strategic links such as the Skipton-Colne line ensures that others remain dysfunctional.

Time travellers turning back the clock 150 years would find life very different to theirown. Visitors would step from their Tardis into a steam driven revolution busilytransforming a largely rural economy into the world’s first industrialised nation.

But what has any of this got to do with SELRAP’s campaign to reopen the Skipton-Colne railway line? For surely the far-off world of 1858 is something that took placethen. And SELRAP’s campaign to reopen a disused railway is now.

Yet it is a fact that without effective transport none of that economic growth couldhave taken place. And despite the passage of years nothing has changed on thatscore. For it also remains a fact that neither raw material nor labour is of value untilthe two can be brought together. And their outcome transported to a point of sale.

History reveals that the nation’s economy has always been a reflection of its trans-port infrastructure, be it packhorse track, turnpike road or canal. And, unable tocope with the demand for growth, in turn each was usurped. Thus, by 1858 a10,000 mile [and growing] network of railway lines was servicing the needs of a rap-idly developing industrial economy.

Funny thing, history. For, alongside the assertion that it offers a window on thefuture, it also has a habit of laying down land mines ready to rear up unexpectedlyin our faces. Sadly, ongoing examples of the latter are to be found the world over.

Closer to home, fifty years ago the UK was embracing modernity with a will.Teenagers, pop music, indoor bathrooms. Supermarkets and tower blocks. A bravevision of a brand new economy. Concrete. Cortinas. And empty roads to drivethem on. Together with the prospect of industrial estates and out of town shoppingcentres trailing in the wake of the motorway.

At the start of the era briefly outlined above, almost 20,000 miles of railway linesstill linked most parts of the country. And few were far from their national transportnetwork. I guess that hindsight is a wonderful facility. But the fact remains that ineconomic, environmental and social terms, fifty years on, land mines that oversawthe loss of a once-complete rail network are doing exactly what it said on the box.Our highway network is slowly choking on its own success. As worsening road con-gestion results in longer and unpredictable journeys for both passenger and freight.And the cost to the nation of all those delays? £20 billion per year. Roughly trans-lating to a congestion charge of £330 for each and every one of us.

So what’s the answer? Innovative and proactive Government policies aimed at adramatic increase in the use of rail transport. That should fix it. But hang on. A railnetwork of 10,000 miles. Isn’t that where we came in? On an early Victorian railnetwork tasked with servicing the needs of a population yet to reach 25 million.

Set to the backdrop of a modern economy supporting a population of 60 million,questions concerning the fitness for purpose of a rail network no bigger than it was150 years ago beg to be asked. The more so when those much-vaunted increasesin both passenger and freight traffic are factored into the equation. Together withthe fact that demand is artificially regulated by fares said to be the highest in theworld. Imagine the demand for rail travel if regular fare structure was transparent,coherent ..... and equated to ordinery folks’ ability to pay. At a stroke, much ofcurrent car use would wind up a no-brainer. But I imagine it would need a policy!

Longer trains for half of the nation who already enjoy the luxury of a rail service is acommendable notion. The other 30 million of us look forward to long term commit-ment, at Government level, to realtime expansion of the network ..... together withthe proven and well documented benefits it will offer.

Reinstating just 11½ of railway between Skipton and Colne will open up a newstrategic trans-Pennine route for passengers and freight. And as such it has the po-tential to offer services to a whole tranche of the population for whom rail travel iscurrently not an option.

Makes you think? It should. And yes, the campaign goes on.

Andy Shackleton - Editor

FIT FOR PURPOSE. OR HISTORY WAIT-ING TO REAR UP IN OUR FACES?

The upper map shows an approxima-tion of the 10,000 mile UK rail networkas it was in 1858. The major industri-alised regions were already connected,but more rural areas waited until laterin the century for their rail services.NB. Skipton-Colne (opened 1848) linearrowed.

The centre map shows the network asit was 50 years ago, when almost20,000 route miles of railway stilllinked most parts of the country.

As shown in the lower map, with theexception of a few lines still open in theHighlands of Scotland and rural Wales,the current 10,000 mile UK rail networkbears a striking resemblance to the onethat serviced the nation 150 years ago.

Maps courtesy of Tony Gosling, free-lance journalist

4

JUST FOR THE RECORD, SELRAP .....

The Skipton-East Lancashire Rail Action Partner-ship is a voluntary group campaigning for the re-instatement of the Skipton–Colne railwayline as part of a new, modern, trans-Pennineroute for passengers and freight. As if mem-bers of SELRAP or, indeed, any of the group’s rap-idly expanding network of high profilesupporters and followers needed reminding. Butthere are times in life when, in order to get a fixon what we are about, where we are going, andhow we are to set about achieving those objec-tives, it is wise to step back for a moment, andtake a peek from the outside.

With this in mind, and for those new to SELRAP, itmight be worth catching up with the story so far.Established just seven short years ago, led by anexecutive committee with task-specific officers,progress towards the group’s ultimate goal ofrestoring through rail services to the Skip-ton-Colne corridor has been startling. Indeed,in the face of formidable odds, and not a little ap-athy on the part of some who ought to haveknown better, SELRAP’s list of achieveme-ments and supporters grows ever longer.And in their spare time the group’s volunteershave made a start on redefining the meaning of“impossible”. To SELRAP, this simply meanstasks take just a little longer!

Back, now, to where we came in: the map belowreveals just why the Skipton-Colne railway is re-garded as the missing link between the rail net-works of the North West and Yorkshire:

The route survived Beeching, only to be closed asa through route in 1970 after the Skipton-Colnesection failed to gain subsidy under Barbara Cas-tle’s 1968 Transport Act. From its junction withthe Calder valley line, its remnants struggle onas the short dilapidated and under-used sin-gle(d) line branch to Colne. Under the protec-tive umbrella of the East Lancashire CommunityRail Partnership the line is secure. For now. Butnothing can get away from the fact that its mas-sive infrastructure was designed for double trackand heavy use. And the reality is that untilthrough services are restored to the corridor,this valuable transport resource is beingunder-utilised on a grand scale.

Linking the economies of Yorkshire & Humberside,Leeds, Bradford and the Aire Valley with those ofEast Lancashire, Manchester, Preston and Merseyports beyond, reopening the Skipton-Colne line aspart of the National Network will allow additionalthrough services between the two City Regions ofCentral Lancashire (which covers East and WestLancashire) and Leeds. Double trackedthroughout and electrified, the railway wouldestablish a Northern Cross Rail Link, as out-lined within Northern Way Strategy.

The 11½ mile trackbed between Skipton andColne has not been redeveloped, and intensivelobbying by SELRAP has seen it formally pro-tected against any future development thatwould prevent its future use as a railway.Local plans for both Pendle Borough and CravenDistrict Councils include support for reopeningwhat will be the most easily graded trans-Pennineroute. And both Lancashire and North YorkshireCounty Councils have included implicit support forthe reopening within respective Local TransportPlans (LTP2) for the period 2006–2011.

In addition to enjoying the endorsement of tenhigh profile Patrons, SELRAP has received lettersof support for reopening the line from 105 MPs, 36MEPs and 46 Members of the House of Lords, to-gether with over 110 Local Authorities within thecatchment area of its wider corridor.

You, the reader, will be the first to appreciate thatnone of this is accidental. It is the combined re-sult of a vast amount of work undertaken by vol-unteers who have a passion for the return ofa rail link fit for the purpose of projecting anentire region and its economy into a joinedup 21st century.

But as the concept metamorphoses into one ofthose irrisistable buy one, get one free offers itgets better still. Which roughly translated, pointsto the fact that for the price of re-building just11½ miles of railway, a much-neededEast/West Coast Mail Line link will be createdOver half of which is already electrified!

2007: WHAT A YEAR

SELRAP’s campaign to reopen the Skipton-Colnerailway has an enviable track record of pushingat the boundaries of what is achievable byvolunteers. But by any standards 2007 was alandmark for the group.

It has been said that SELRAP’s proposals are un-stoppable. For proof of that notion, consider thefact that: • At the beginning of the year SELRAP made a decision

to re-examine the business case for reopening theSkipton-Colne railway. This decision was based on ad-vice of Network Rail, together with the fact that, coin-cidentally, the DfT was indicating that only when thebusiness case for reinstating the Skipton-Colne linewas shown to stack up, could SELRAP’s proposals betaken seriously.

• On April 1st SELRAP’s groundbreaking “Missing Link”charter train became the first rail service to link Colneand Skipton since closure of the direct route 37 yearsearlier. But that high proflile event was just one partof an amazing year. One that brought a permanentrail link between the two towns closer still.

5

• Later that month a SELRAP delegation was invited toattend the Route Utilisation Strategy consultationmeeting for the Lancashire & Cumbria region. As a re-sult of that meeting, SELRAP was able to make a sub-mission to that strategy, outlining the case forreinstating the Skipton-Colne line ..... and is cautiouslyoptimistic that when made public later this year, theoutcome will further boost the group’s proposals.

• In July, backed by funding from The North West RailCampaign, Pendle Borough Council, Craven DistrictCouncil, Railfuture, together with individual donations,SELRAP commissioned JMP Consulting to carry out astudy focussing on the business case for reinstatingthe Skipton-Colne railway line.

• In October, taking a 135 mile circular route via Black-burn, Hellifield, Leeds, Bradford and Hebden Bridge asa further high profile demonstration of the need to re-open the direct route, SELRAP’s second train named,unsurprisingly, “The Missing Link II” travelled fromColne to Skipton and back.

• In November the long awaited JMP study into the busi-ness case for reopening the Skipton-Colne line wasmade public. Published in modular format, the reportis complemented by a full colour brochure outlining themajor points within the 80 page document. The studyis a thorough vindication of SELRAP’s long held con-tention that demand for the return of rail services be-tween Skipton-Colne line is there. But that is nowbacked up by a broad based business case that hasproved to be the catalyst for a series of major new ini-tiatives. See main heading for details.

• In March this year SELRAP made a presentation in theHouse of Commons. See main heading for details.

The brief summary above fails to do justice to theamazing amount of work willingly undertaken bySELRAP volunteers. Or the increasingly posi-tive signs that it is all beginning to pay off.And all of this, interestingly, at a time when, inso-far as rail reopenings are concerned, the line (nopun intended) taken by the DfT appears to besoftening a little around the edges. Did I hearyou say “About time too?” Fact is, though, thatwith this kind of momentum as a backdrop, thegroup is able to pile yet more pressure onthose with the power to say “yes”. And, con-cerning the latter in no small manner of means,from where the author is sitting, there does ap-pear to be a .....

A CHANGE IN THE WIND

For all sorts of reasons that the reader cannot beunaware of, despite the denials, it had to hap-pen sooner or later. A change in Government at-titude towards reopening disused railways, that is.

Not least, perhaps, for the factthat the next door neighboursall appear to have taken onboard the fact that for a wholeraft of economic, environ-mental and social reasons,investment in reinstating raillines is proving to be a win-ner in more ways than one. In-deed, as we speak, so to speak,programmes aimed at reinstat-

ing certain strategic rail routes are ongoing inScotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Repub-lic of Ireland. There has to be something in it.For let us be under no illusion that England’searly Victorian-sized rail network, is uniquelyable to cope with snowballing demands made

on it by the nation’s travellers and trade. Themore so when one considers that our gridlockedroad network has gained the unenviable reputa-tion of being an increasingly unreliable wayof getting anywhere on time.

Set to a backdrop such as this, the statement (seeinset) made by Brian Simpson MEP & SocialistGroup Spokesman for Transport & Tourism at a re-cent meeting with SELRAP is a natural sequel.

THE MISSING LINK II

What form of transport could possibly take morethan an hour and a half to cover the short dis-tance between between Colne and Skipton?And even longer for the return journey.

Sounds like the one about the somewhat pompousland owner who proudly told of the fact that ittook him several hours to drive round the perime-ter of his estate ..... only to learn that his listenerhad a car like that ..... once!!

Just 11½ miles separate Skipton from Colne.But in tranport terms, it seems like the best partof an awful lot further if, for whatever rea-son, you don’t care to drive.

And on Sunday 28th October, packedwith over 200 people who had cho-sen not to drive, SELRAP’s secondcharter train “The Missing Link II”took almost four hours for the re-turn journey between the twotowns.

It really doesn’t get much dafter.But that was the whole point. Andwhat with the regular trains on theColne branch being made up of half-empty two car Pacer units, as a

Upper & lower pics.

“The Missing LinkII” arriving inColne and [inset],close up of head-board.

Crowds waiting toboard “The MissingLink” on Colne sta-tion and [inset]Councillors Allan-Buck and CaroleManley, Mayors[respectively] ofPendle & Skipton.

“After meeting withTom Harris, the RailMinister, my under-standing is that theGovernment has noobjection to the re-opening of disusedrail lines, providedthat the economiccase stacks up”

6

media event it doesn’t get much bigger thanthe packed four car class 156 train speciallychartered from Northern. Like April 1st 2007[when SELRAP operated its first train] Colne sta-tion was more reminiscent of Wakes Week ashundreds of passengers crowded on to theplatform waiting to board. Following the routetaken by SELRAP’s first train, “The Missing Link II”picked up more passengers in Nelson, Burnley, Ac-crington and Blackburn, before heading up theRibble valley line to Hellifield ..... and on to SettleJunction for a second reversal in direction and afast trip to Skipton, where travellers had a 2½hour break before continuing their journey.

Travellers were joined for the journey byCouncillor Allan Buck, Mayor of Pendle andCouncillor Carole Manley, Mayor of Skipton.On arrival in Skipton, both Mayors made speechesemphasising their councils’ support for SEL-RAP’s aim of reinstating the rail link betweenthe two towns, and adding that re-building theline would be of great benefit to employ-ment, inward investment, tourism and theenvironment. Then in the best traditions of railopenings, and to cement the link between neigh-bouring councils, both Mayoral parties, togetherwith top brass from SELRAP, headed off for a cele-bratory meal at a nearby hotel.

After a non-stop sprint down the Aire valleyline to Leeds in just 28 minutes, “The MissingLink II” continued its journey back to Colne viaBradford, Hebden Bridge and the Copy Pit route.

Regarded by all as a grand day out, the 135 milereturn journey between Colne and Skipton tookmore than four hours and involved no lessthan five reversals of direction. When themissing link between the two towns is reopened,the [return] journeywill take just 30 minutes.

Yet another first for SELRAP, the media mademuch of the fact that “The Missing Link II” car-ried a clear message concerning the need toreopen the direct line.

ECONOMIC CASE FOR SELRAP STACKS UP

A recently-published study carried out by JMPConsulting demonstrates beyond doubt that thereis a sound economic case for reopening theSkipton-Colne line.

The study has its roots in an earlier report pre-

pared for Lancashire and North Yorkshire CountyCouncils by consultants Steer Davies Gleave in2003. The latter concluded that reinstatingthe Skipton-Colne line is technically feasible,and that it had a long term future as astrategic trans-Pennine route.

SELRAP had been aware for some time that thereis much within the SDG report to be commended.That said, insofar as the potential for traffic on areopened Skipton-Colne line is concerned, projec-tions within the report were becoming increasinglyoutdated. The more so within the context ofmodern day patterns of modal shift [to rail],ever-changing demographics, increasingroad congestion, and more.

Thus the need to upgrade the business case forreopening the Skipton-Colne railway. Added towhich was the fact that both Network Rail andthe DfT had made it clear to SELRAP that onlywhen the business case for reinstating theline was proven, could the group’s proposalsbe taken seriously.

And following extensive fund raising, in July 2007,SELRAP commissioned JMP Consulting tocarry out a study focussed on the businesscase for reopening the Skipton-Colnerailway.

Entitled “Re-opening of the Skipton-ColneRailway”, and published in modular format, the80 page document is supplemented with a fullcolour brochure outlining the main points.

The modules are:

● Executive Summary.

● Engineering & Train Operations.

● Market Assessment & Cost:BenefitAnalysis.

● Wider Economic, Environmental andSocial case.

It is clearly beyond the scope of this newsletter togo into detail. Suffice to say, overleaf is a briefresume of the major points outlined in the study:

Key Messages of the JMP study:

● Reopening of the railway between Skipton andColne as part of a new trans-Pennine route hasstrategic and regional value: it will connectthe Leeds and Central Lancashire City Regions.

Above:

“The Mising LinkII” soon afterarrival in Skipton

Right:

JMP Study: “Re-opening of theSkipton to ColneRailway” & theColour Brochureoutlining the mainpoints.

Benefit: Cost ratio of up to 2.43 is achievablewith a single track rebuild.

and also that:

A Benefit: Cost ratio of up to 1.53 is achiev-able with a double track rebuild.

7

● Additionally, reinstating the Skipton-Colne linecould become the catalyst for the restora-tion of direct rail links between East Lan-cashire and Manchester via an upgradedBlackburn-Bolton line, or a reinstated Todmor-den West Curve. Or both! Ed.

● The line could provide a link between the Eastand West Coast Coast Main lines. And ports.And much of that route is already electrified! Ed.

● The entire trackbed is safeguarded againstdevelopment that would prevent its re-use asa railway. And it is feasible to construct asingle or double track railway at a cost ofbetween £43 Million and £81 Million .....the latter including the cost of re-doubling be-tween [Burnley] Gannow Junction and Colne.

● Based on a 3% growth rate per annum [forpatronage of new line], forecasts indicate that,by 2014, 341,000 additional rail passen-gers will be carried ..... generating an annualrevenue of £914,000 in the year 2014.

● Based on a 4% growthrate, by 2014, passengerfigures are projected tobe 565,000 ..... gener-ating an annual revenueof £1.51 million in theyear 2014. And by 2024,passenger figures are setto rise to 759,000 .....generating an annual in-come of £2.04 million.

● The economic appraisal demonstrates that anumber of service options will providevalue for money.

● Restoration of the Skipton-Colne rail link willreduce Co2 emmisions, reduce the num-ber of road accidents and deliver environ-mental and safety benefits of between £7million and £12 million.

● Re-opening the line will deliver improved ac-cessibility, benefiting areas with high levelsof deprivation.

● Benefits gained through additional employ-ment and visitor spend are estimated tohave a value in the range £86 million to £195million over the appraisal period.

● The scheme enjoys strong local, regional andnational support.NB For more on SELRAP’s increasing level of support,see page 9.

But pivotal to proceeding with any new rail projectis proof that quantifiable benefits will exceed in-curred [capital and ongoing] costs. Known as theBenefit: Cost ratio, a figure of 1.5 and above isregarded as the notional threshold for theongoing interest of both Network Rail and theDfT. And figures within the study show that a:

Note that both single and double track re-build scenarios show a Benefit Cost ratio inexcess of 1.5.

In accordance with DfT guidance, figures usedwithin the study were calculated to Network RailGRIP stage 1 (Guide to Railway InvestmentProjects) ie. +/- 40%.

The DfT also requires that a loading of:

● 66% is added to capital costs.

and also that:

● 41% is added to annual operating costs.

The rationale behind these massive cost hikes liesrooted in massive overspends in the early days ofprivatisation. Who can forget the long-runningmedia series based on the cost over-run on theWest Coast Main Line upgrade? The DfT has not!

And whilst it has to be said that costs associatedwith rail projects have now been brought undercontrol, figures for the Skipton-Colne rail re-opening proposal are saddled with those“avoidance of burnt fingers” supplements.Yet, as JMP point out within the study, those pre-miums are usually managed down as thescheme becomes better defined ..... thus boost-ing the BCR still further.

But you know what? Even with those massivepenalties (and it doesn’t get much more mas-sive than 66% and 41%) factored into theequation, the figures for reopening the Skip-ton-Colne railway still stack up!

Although the financial performance for the singletrack option stacks up favourably against mostgrowth and service scenarios at reopening, dou-ble tracking becomes increasingly attractiveif account is taken of the additional costs of up-grading a working railway at a later date. The more so when set to the backdrop of an anticipated[and more realistic] growth rate approaching 7%. Ed.

So there you have it. The ultimate af-firmation of SELRAP’s long heldconviction that, not only is reinstat-ing the Skipton-Colne railway techni-cally feasible, but that there is also asound business case for the rebuild.

SELRAP wishes to thank the followingorganisations and individuals who [to-gether] made this groundbreakingreport possible:

The North West Rail CampaignPendle Borough CouncilCraven District CouncilRailfuture

Additionally, thanks are due to those who travelledon “The Missing Link” special trains (profits fedinto funds) and to those who bought the DVDs ofthose journeys. Special thanks are reserved forthose who made individual donations to the fund.

THE STUDY WAS LAUCHED .....

In November last year at a high profile event heldat Herriots Hotel in Skipton. Formerly the Midland[Railway] Hotel, the venue was more than appro-priate, as almost 160 years earlier [in October

NB Worth noting is thatsince taking over the fran-chise in December 2004, pa-tronage throughoutNorthern Rail’s patch has in-creased by 23% ..... equatingto an annual growth rate of7% ..... and also the fact thatin the last 10 years, railtravel to Leeds increased by100% ..... which also equatesto a 7% growth pa. Ed.

8

1848] that company opened the railway fromSkipton to Colne. Where, after opening in Febru-ary 1849, it made an end-on junction with theEast Lancashire (later L & Y) Railway ..... thus cre-ating a through route between the [then]West Riding of Yorkshire and Manchester.

The launch was hosted by SELRAP chairman DerekJennings who, after welcoming guests [that in-cluded the media] and speakers, told of the factthat this was a pivotal moment in the group’shistory. Councillor Manuel Camacho, Vice Chair-man of Craven District Council and Councillor EricJaquin, Deputy Mayor of Skipton, welcomedguests to the town. Steve Broadbent outlined thehistory of the Skipton-Colne line, and his vision ofre-creating it as part of a new through route.

Andy Shackleton made a presentation that leftguests in no doubt about the rationale behind SEL-RAP’s startlingly successful campaign to reopenthe Skipton-Colne railway. He pointed out thatwhilst a staggering 7 million passengers per yearuse the Airedale line to Leeds, just 800,000 useservices on the [part-singled] East Lancashire linebetween Colne and Blackpool. He described todelegates just how re-opening the “MissingLink” would transform the region’s strategictransport network by providing a rail link be-tween the region’s economic drivers of Manchesterand Leeds ..... and also act as a catalyst formuch-needed regeneration both within and be-yond the immediate corridor of the new route. MrShackleton then went on to outline the mainthrust of the JMP study ..... together with itsimplications for SELRAP’s ongoing campaign.

Andrea Staltmeier, who spearheaded moves to-wards making the new study a reality, highlightedfigures within the report making clear the fact thatthe new railway will be of major benefit to themany deprived areas along the wider corridorcreated when the Skipton-Colne line is reopened. David Curry, MP for Skipton and Ripon [and SEL-RAP patron] congratulated the group on the“sheer vigour” of its campaign, and went on to saythat it had to be “..... based on hard economics..... and now you have got the business case-done.” He added that it was possible for pres-sure groups to get Government policy changed.

Gordon Prentice, MP for Pendle [and SELRAP pa-tron] also spoke warmly of SELRAP’s campaign.He made reference to the fact that the Govern-ment’s answer to calls for capacity enhancementis the provision of 1,300 extra carriages. And

went on to equate SELRAP’s campaign to reopenthe Skipton-Colne railway to “pushing a boulderuphill.” He added that “getting the line re-opened is a priority for me” ..... and that hewould do everything he could towards making it areality.

James Keeley, Prospective Parliamentary Candi-date for Skipton & Ripon and [Lancashire County& Pendle Borough] Councillor Sonia Robinson bothadded their strong support for reinstating therail link between Skipton and Colne.

After listening to the presentation of his own com-pany’s report, Alan Beswick, Director of JMP Con-sulting said “You appear to have a case, evenbased on some deliberately conservative as-sumptions.”

SELRAP wishes to thank the Skipton Building Soci-ety and Herriots Hotel for [jointly] sponsoring thelaunch event. Proactive support such as this isinvaluable to SELRAP’s ongoing campaign to re-open the Skipton-Colne railway as part of the Na-tional Network. And yet another illustration of thegroundswell of support for reinstating the link. Tosee just how much support there is for SELRAP’sproposals, go to page 9.

Yet another first for SELRAP, this groundbreak-ing study has, not unexpectedly, been the cata-lyst for a series of major new initiatives aimedat racking up the pressure on those with thepower to to say “Yes” to reopening the Skip-ton-Colne railway line.

Copies of the full report and brochure are obtain-able at a cost of £8.00 inc p&p from MembershipSecretary Derek Jennings Tel 01282 690411. Al-ternatively the full report and brochure are down-loadable free from SELRAP’s website:www.selrap.org.uk

BUT THEN IT GETS BETTER STILL

For whilst SELRAP’s proven business case forreopening the Skipton-Colne railway is, necessar-ily, based solely on use by passenger traffic, theroute has the potential to offer a valuable linkfor freight services too. Opportunistic by neces-sity and nature, realistically rail hauliers could notbe expected to crystal ball gaze at future freightflows that might take advantage of the new routeonce opened. But when the line is up and run-ning, the new link will open up an alternativetrans-Pennine route avoiding some congestedareas. It also has the potential for tapping intonew markets currently off limits for rail. And

Left:Delegates pay care-ful attention to thepresentation at thelaunch.Below:MPs David Curryand Gordon Prentice(right of screen) lis-ten to Andy.

Colne bound fromSkipton:Left to right areshown SELRAPChairman DerekJennings, ViceChairman of CravenDistrict CouncilManuel Camacho,Director of JMP Con-sulting AlanBeswick, SELRAP Li-aison Officer AndyShackleton, DeputyMayor of SkiptonEric Jaquin.

9

Easter Ross), Graham Stringer (Manchester, Blackley),Rt Hon Charles Kennedy (Ross, Skye & Lochaber),Ian Stewart (Eccles), Sir Peter Soulsby (LeicesterSouth), Gwyn Prosser (Dover & Deal), Mike Hancock(Portsmouth South), Mark Oaten (Winchester), ChrisHuhne (Eastleigh), Tony Cunningham (Workington),John Hemming (Birmingham Yardley), Albert Owen(Ynys Môn), Rt Hon Stephen Byers (North Tyneside),Janet Dean (Burton), David Mundell (Dumfriesshire,

Clydesdale and Tweeddale), FrankDobson (Holborn & St Pancras),Susan Kramer (Richmond Park),Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd), IanMcCartney (Makerfield), NormanLamb (North Norfolk), Tobias Ell-wood (Bournemouth East), FraserKemp (Houghton & WashingtonEast), John Leech (ManchesterWithington), Chris Mullin (Sunder-land South), Dave Anderson

(Blaydon), Sharon Hodgson (Gateshead East & Wash-ington West), Sir John Butterfill (Bournemouth West)Virendra Sharma (Ealing Southall), Mike Wood (Bat-ley & Spen) & Angela Smith (Sheffield Hillsborough)

Support from the House of Lords has also grown...... from 19 to 46. The extra peers being:

Rt Revd James Jones (Bishop of Liverpool), Rt RevdNigel McCulloch (Bishop of Manchester), John Lee(Lord Lee of Trafford), The Rt Revd Peter Forster(Bishop of Chester), Lord Campbell-Savours, LordBlaker, Lord Bradshaw, The Rt Revd Graham Dow(Bishop of Carlisle), Baroness Dean (of Thornton-le-Fylde), Alan Haworth (Lord Haworth of Fisherfield),Lord Feldman, Lord Marland, Lord Greaves, LordJudd, Lord Waddington, Lord Howell, BaronessHarris, Lord Hoyle, Baroness Scott of NeedhamMarket, Baroness Lockwood, Lord Brooke of Alver-thorpe, Viscount Tenby, Lord Graham of Edmonton,Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank, Lord Stokes, LordSlim, Lord Cameron of Dillington & Lord Inglewood

In the same period the number of MEPs backingour campaign has increased from 20 to 36. Thismeans that an astonishing 45% of UK MEPssupport SELRAP. The latest recruits are:

David Sumberg (NW), Stephen Hughes (NE), FionaHall (NE), Robert Kilroy-Silk (E. Midlands), DerekClark (E. Midlands), Liz Lynne (W. Midlands), PhilipBushill-Matthews (W. Midlands), Andrew Duff (Eastof England), Giles Chichester (Devon & SW), RogerKnapman (South West), Neil Parish (South West),Graham Watson (South West), John Bowis OBE (Lon-don), Jean Lambert (London), John Purvis CBE (Scot-land) & Glyn Ford (SW).

With the exception of just one North East MEP, the cam-paign to reopen the Skipton-Colne railway is sup-ported by all the MEPs from the North of England.

NB The full list of MPs, MEPs and Peers who havesent letters of support to SELRAP can be found onour website: www.selrap.org.uk

Action: If either your MP or MEP is not listed on theabove site, please contact them and ..... ask themto write a letter or e mail supporting the reopeningof the Colne to Skipton railway.

As the Skipton-Colne railway is a cross borderroute, it is vital to have the support of both[Lancashire & North Yorkshire] County Councils.

SELRAP has received letters of support from:

33 Lancashire County Councillors:Albert Atkinson, Timothy Ashton, Malcolm Barron,Jean Battle, Terry Burns, Mike Calvert, SusieCharles, Chris Cheetham, Christopher Coates,

who knows the extent of that potential ..... themore so when allied to much-needed railfreight interchange facilities.

MORE AND MORE ARE HEARING OF SELRAP

Such is the demand to keep up to speed with SEL-RAP’s campaign to reopen the Skipton-Colne rail-way that 4,000 copies of the last issue of thegroup’s newsletter CravenRail 10 were distrib-uted. Even this has proved to be insufficient and5,000 copies of this edition have been printed.Added to this are e mailed copies and availabilityon SELRAP’s website www.selrap.org.uk

When you have finished reading CravenRail 11, itwould be appreciated if you could to pass it on tosomeone else.

CravenRail is distributed free of charge to SEL-RAP members and all other readers. More than anewsletter, it has come to be regarded as a majorcampaigning tool. SELRAP wishes to thank print-ers Hudson and Pearson for their proactive sup-port of SELRAP’s campaign to reopen theSkipton-Colne railway ..... that makes it possiblefor us to produce CravenRail in eye catching fullcolour. That said, readers will appreciate thatprinting costs are not inconsiderable. And SELRAPwishes to thank Passenger Focus for sponsoringthis issue of CravenRail.

But CravenRail is far from the whole story. In-deed, SELRAP’s campaign to reopen the railwaybetween Skipton and Colne has been ....

HITTING THE HEADLINES

Not entirely unexpectedly, SELRAP has regularlybeen making the news in the local and regionalpress. And, all of it in a most positive fashion.But that’s not all. For the campaign has also seenspreads in the specialist rail press. With fea-tures to be found in “Rail” magazine, “Today’sRailways UK” and “Rail Professional.” BBCTV “Look North” and “NorthWest Today” fea-tured “The Missing Link” ..... SELRAP’s first spe-cial train ..... being the first to travel betweenSkipton and Colne for 37 years. And BBC RadioLancashire, together with Fresh Radio and 2BRhave regularly featured SELRAP’s fast movingcampaign. Then, in April 2008 SELRAP was fea-tured on the prestigious Radio 4 programme“You and Yours.”

CATALOGUE OF SUPPORT GROWS

A total of 105 MPs have now written lettersin support of SELRAP’s campaign to reopen theSkipton-Colne railway. In the last six monthsletters of support have been received from:

Dr Tony Wright (Cannock Chase), Joan Humble(Blackpool North), Dave Watts (St Helens North), GregMulholland (Leeds North West), Austin Mitchell (GreatGrimsby), Eric Illsley (Barnsley Central), Mary Creagh(Wakefield), John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland &

For more, go to: ww.passengerfocus.org.uk

Passenger Focus isthe independent na-tional rail consumerwatchdog, whose mis-sion is to get the bestdeal for passengers.

“I believe restoration ofthe rail link would providesignificant benefits to boththe North West and York-shire regions, particularlyin opening up employmentopportunities and helpingto provide closer economiclinks”

John Battle MP Leeds West

10

William Cropper, Shelagh Derwent, Sarah Fishwick,Christopher Holtom, Jennifer Mein, David O’Toole,Tim Ormrod, Miles Parkinson, Mark Perks, TonyPimblett, Doreen Pollitt (Deputy Leader), SoniaRobinson, Duncan Ruddick, Thomas Sharratt,Richard Shepherd, Joyce Stuart, Stephen Sutcliffe,Matthew Tomlinson, Colin Walton, Michael Welsh,Dorothy Westell, Francis Williams, Valerie Wilson,Jean Yates.

And 19 North Yorkshire CountyCouncillors:Dr Keith Barnes, Eric Broadbent,Rob Broadley, Gordon Charlton,Margaret-Ann De Courcey-Bai-ley, Polly English, John Fletcher,John Fort, Heather Garnett,Richard Hall, Bill Hoult, MichaelKnaggs, Carl Les, Morris Light-foot, Steve Macare, J.W. Mar-shall, Shelagh Marshall, LeslieParkes, John Wren.

Action: If your County Councillor is not on theabove list, please contact them ..... and ask themto write a letter or email supporting the reopeningof the Colne to Skipton railway.

Lancashire residents go to:www.lancashire.gov.uk/council/councillors.my-councillorfind.asp or ‘phone 0845 053 0000 North Yorkshire residents go to:www.northyorks.gov.uk or ‘phone 0845 872 7374 Over 110 Local Authorities now support SELRAP.They are:The 3 Unitary authorities of:Blackpool, Bradford & Wigan.

The 8 District Councils of:Chorley, Craven, Harrogate, Hyndburn, Lancaster,Pendle, Preston, West Lancashire.

15 Town Councils:Barnoldswick, Bentham, Brierfield, Carnforth,Clitheroe, Hebden Royd, Keighley, Knaresborough,Longridge, Penwortham, Settle, Silsden, Skipton,Todmorden, Whitworth.

Together with 60 Lancashire Parish Councils:Aighton, Bailey & Chaigley, Arkholme with Ca-wood, Barley, Barrowford, Bickerstaffe, Billingtonand Langho, Blacko, Brindle, Briercliffe with Ex-twistle, Burscough, Charnock Richard, Clayton-le-Woods, Cliviger, Cockerham, Coppull, Croston,Dunnockshaw & Clowbridge, Earby, Eccleston, Eux-ton, Freckleton, Foulridge, Goldshaw Booth,Grindleton, Habergham Eaves, Haighton, Heapey,Heath Charnock, Hesketh with Becconsall, Hilldale,Hoghton, Ightenhill, Kelbrook & Sough, Laneshaw-bridge, Lea and Cottam, Little Eccleston with Lar-breck, Longton, North Meols, North Turton,Pendleton, Read, Reedley Hallows, Ribby withWrea, Ribchester, Rivington, Roughlee Booth,Salesbury, Salterforth, Tarleton, Tatham, Trawden,Wennington, Whalley, Whittington, Whittle-le-Woods, Wiswell, Worsthorne-with-Hurstwood,Wray with Botton, Woodplumpton, Wrightington.18 North Yorkshire Parish Councils:Addingham, Austwick, Carleton in Craven, Claphamcum Newby, Cononley, Draughton, Embsay withEastby, Farnhill, Gargrave, Giggleswick, Grassing-ton, Hebden, Hellifield, Kirkby Malhamdale, LongPreston, Stainforth, Sutton in Craven, Buckden.

9 West Yorkshire Parish Councils:Blackshaw, Burley, Cullingworth, Erringden, Hep-tonstall, Ilkley, Menston, Steeton-with-Eastburn,Wrose.

And Dent (Cumbria).

SELRAP’s campaign also has the support of a widevariety of businesses, educational establishments,health authorities, sports clubs, religious bodies,all three rail unions. And more. At the time ofwriting SELRAP has 330 members and 25 affiliatedgroups ..... together with 10 high profile patrons.

Sadly, there is insufficient space to list the vastnumber of individuals, businesses and organ-isations that have written letters of supportfor SELRAP’s campaign to reopen the Skipton-Colne railway. But you can see them on our web-site: www.selrap.org.uk NB Internet facilitiesare available at most local libraries.

Action: If your local Council, or a group/organisa-tion you are a member or user of is not listed,please contact, as appropriate, the Chairperson,Secretary or Principal ..... and ask them to write aletter or email supporting the reopening of theColne to Skipton railway.

NEW PATRON

Timothy Kirkhope MEP for Yorkshire and The Hum-ber has become SELRAP’s tenth patron. Picturedbelow at Knaresborough railway station, he writes:

I am delighted to become a Patron ofSELRAP. The cause of bringing backinto use the Skipton-Colne railway lineis a very good one, especially as thereis firm evidence that more peoplewish to travel by rail. And this routewould make life easier for a consider-able number of people. Like all pro-posals there is a need for not onlygoodwill from Politicians, but also acommitment to take action to ensure

that the appropriate funding is in place. With a trackbedin place and ready to be re-laid, and with a clear demon-stration of need, SELRAP cannot fail. As ConservativeTransport spokesman in Europe I am personally commit-ted to improving rail services for Yorkshire and The Hum-ber. I travel by rail from my home near Knaresboroughon a regular basis and I value the infrastructure which isavailable to me. The SELRAP proposals make goodsense. I am pleased to be associated with the organisa-tion and will do whatever I can to help it achieve itsaims.

Regrettably, for contractual reasons, broadcasterNicholas Owen has resigned as a patron of thegroup. SELRAP wishes to thank Mr Owen for hisactive support.

SELRAP IN THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT

In March a delegation from SELRAP addressedmembers of the All Party Parliamentary RailGroup. Led by Chairman Derek Jennings, thegroup included Frank Filardo and Andy Shackleton..... who made a presentation to the group.

The team was then able to answer questionsabout the campaign. As a result of this opportu-

“I am all for reopening /maintaining rail lines andlinks and firmly believethat sometime in the fu-ture, HM Government willwake up to the fact thatrailways provide an effi-cient and effective meansof meeting modern daytransport needs – freightor people.”

John Fletcher, NYCC Coun-cillor for Great Ayton.

Caught on Camera,in Committee room 7.The Houses of Parlia-ment.

From left to right:Gordon Prentice MP,Lord Berkeley, LordGrocott, Norman BakerMP, Lord Faulkner,Kelvin Hopkins MP,and SELRAP ChairmanDerek Jennings

11

nity, within Westminster the case for reopeningthe Skipton-Colne line is expected to grow.

SELRAP wishes to thank Gordon Prentice MP forsetting up this groundbreaking meeting. TheAPPRG comprises over 300 parliamentarians fromboth houses who are interested in rail issues.

Interestingly, also presenting to the APPRG wasthe .....

KILBRIDE GROUP

Kilbride is a subsidiary of the Kilmartin Group, anda specialist transport infrastructure and propertydevelopment company focussing, in particular,on the rail sector.

The rail activities of the group have diversified toinclude passenger rail line reinstatementprojects, where rail infrastructure is put in placeto serve development. The study into the rein-statement of the Lewes- Uckfield line serving sig-nificant housing allocations in the area was fundedby Kilbride, and more recently the reinstatementof the Bere Alston to Tavistock line in Devon hasbeen promoted by the group.

Kilbride are looking at a number of new op-portunities involving community rail projects in asimilar way to the Bere Aslton to Tavistock project.

Kilbride Community Rail Managing Director PeterFrost, said “We look forward to meeting SEL-RAP representatives to see if there is any-thing we can do to help this project, whichhas already gathered considerable supportfrom interested parties.”

A site meeting with Kilbride is scheduled for laterin the year. Interesting times for SELRAP!

For more on Kilbride, see www.kilbridegroup.com

NEW INITIATIVES

As stated earlier, publication of the JMP study hasbeen the catalyst for a series of major new ini-tiatives. With the business case for reopeningthe line now proven beyond doubt, and aneventual eye on securing funding for the project,SELRAP delegations have already had most posi

tive meetings with Network Rail, Brian Simpson-MEP, The Northern Way (an amalgam of threeRegional Development Agencies) and the WestYorkshire Passenger Transport Executive. Andmore high level meetings are planned. Plainlythere is a long way to go before trains can, oncemore, run between Skipton and Colne, but SEL-RAP is steadfastly following a strategic planaimed at breaking the funding logjam. And itis increasingly evident that the question is nolonger “if”, but when those trains will run.

EXPANDING ON NOSTALGIA

Lord Tony Greaves looks back a little. And castshis critical eye over the rationale behind SELRAP’scampaign to reopen the Skipton-Colne railway.

Back in the 1950s a group of usused to ride the Yorkshire railwaylines for the fun of it, collecting thenumbers of the engines we saw enroute almost as a “useful” spin-off.

The Calder Valley lines, the Ha-worth branch, to Whitby via whatis now the North York Moors Rail-way and down the coast, visits toBolton Abbey – even the old GreatNorthern route between Bradfordand Keighley.

But I must make a confession.When we got off at Skipton wenever thought to get on a train toColne. In those days Colne was

just a place I’d noticed on signposts on the road to holi-days in Morecambe. And anyway it was in Lancashire!

Some years later when I’d learnt better and come to livein Pendle the line was still open – just. I remember someof the last trains trundling along between Foulridge andEarby. And then nothing.

When Pendle Council started up in 1974 we resolved toprotect the line and to support re-opening as best wecould, but it seemed like a gesture in the face of hostilegovernment, a triumph of futile hope over harsh reality.

Yet in November last year, on the day before the launchof the JMP report, I found myself telling the House ofLords that reopening is a very serious proposal.

Noble Lords have now taken to asking me “how’s yourrailway campaign getting on?” I am at pains to correctthem. “It’s not my campaign, it’s a group called SEL-RAP”. Which as everyone here will know leads on toquestions about what SELRAP means.

For many years I was pessimistic. The railways werecontracting and both British Rail and the governmentwere about “managing decline”.

Two things have happened to change my view – not onthe desirability but on the practicality. The first is a com-plete change in the national context in which the rail-ways operate – much due to the fact that the motorwaysare now often full up and there is simply no appetite forduplicating the network.

Whether or not the Department forTransport is happy about it, their tasknow is to manage expansion – for pas-sengers and freight, main lines, com-muter lines and branch lines. The bottomline is that they’ve at long last ruled outline closures, which at least guarantees aroute for Skipton-Colne to join on to!

The second is the formation, growth and strength ofSELRAP, and the commitment of the officers and volun-teers who run this brilliant campaign. (There is also ofcourse the underlying strength of the case but that on itsown would not be enough).

So I’m one of the people who will continue to cheer youon from the sidelines (though not the sidings!) and dowhat I can when the chances arise to lend support andpush the cause with the powers that be.

Thanks to SELRAP I live with increasing confidence that Iwill be able to add (the appropriate part of) Skipton-Colne to the tally of all those Yorkshire metals I rode asa youth!

Tony Greaves is a Liberal Democrat member of theHouse of Lords and of Pendle Council.

Left to right:Brian SimpsonMEP, AndyShackleton, SEL-RAP ChairmanDerek Jennings,Emma Antrobus- CoordinatorNW Rail Cam-paign, DavidPenney

1.21 billion passen-ger journeys weremade by rail in 2007:

More than at anytime since 1946.And on a networkroughly half the sizeit was then.

12

See SELRAP’s website: www.selrap.org.uk formore information on progress towards the restora-tion of rails between Skipton and Colne. No internet at home? Then access our website atyour local library (free) ..... or maybe via a friendor relative.With 20,000 hits per month already SELRAP’s web-site has got to be worth a look!

CravenRail is edited by: Andy ShackletonHigher Park FarmKelbrook RoadBarnoldswickLancsBB18 5TD

Tel: 01282 814358

e mail: cravenrail@selrap.org.ukIf there are issues you wish to raise, or draw tothe attention of the Executive Committee, pleasemake use of the contact details above.

WHAT NEXT

A meeting with the Rail Minister Tom Harris islined up for later in the year. Mr Harris has indi-cated [in advance of the meeting] to SELRAP thatbefore reinstatement of the Skipton-Colne linecould be considered, the unequivocal support ofboth Lancashire and North Yorkshire CountyCouncils is required.

A combined total of 52 County Councillors havealready written in support of SELRAP’s campaign.The LTP2s for both L & NYCC indicate implicit sup-port for reopening the line. Readers will be unsur-prised to learn that the lobbying will go on.

There are also plans for a 1½ hour adjournmentdebate on the reopening of the Skipton-Colne linein the House of Commons.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

● Signed up to SELRAP? If not, then join us andhelp make the Skipton-Colne line England’s firstrail reopening for the best part of far too long.

● Already a member? Then you’ll appreciate theincreasing and exacting workload for those of usat the sharp end of the campaign. Care to join uson this fast moving thriller? Contact: the Editor.

● Associated with the media? The Editor of a Na-tional Daily. TV Producer maybe? SELRAP’s cam-paign is a force to be reckoned with. And there’sa tale to be told. Mutual benefit to be had!

● Care to sponsor an issue of CravenRail? Or makea donation to the fighting fund? Please do re-member that we are all volunteers.

● If you are in a positionto say “Yes” then stepbeyond the incredulity..... and do so!

● And finally, it’s worthremembering that:

2007 was a successful year for SELRAP at eventsin the Lancs/Yorks. areas - enabling Rail Ambassa-dors to discuss the reopening campaign in relaxedcommunity settings. Thanks to all who assisted.If you would like to assist at future events, an am-bassador training day is to be held on SaturdayJune 7th ..... at Greatwood Community Centre,Skipton from 10.00am to 2.00pm. For more de-tails, contact Joy Holdsworth Tel 01282 813116

FORTHCOMING EVENTS:Mon. May 5th: May Day, Towneley Park, Burnley:10am-5pm.Sat. May 17th: Community Rail Partnership Day:Hellifield railway station.Fri./Sat./Sun. June 27th, 28th and 29th: 40th An-niversary Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. Keigh-ley to Skipton special steam trains running.Sun. August 10th: Trawden Show. Sat./Sun. Sept 27th & 28th: Halifax Model RailwayExhibition. Sat. Oct 4th: Open Day, Community Centre Earby:10am-4pm.

.

MEMBERSHIP FORMName:....................................................

Address:..............................................................................................................Tel:.................... Mobile:.........................e mail:...................................................

I wish to become a member of SELRAP andenclose my Annual Membership Fee of £5.00[Concessions: £3], Groups £10, Life £50and/or make a donation by Cheque payableto SELRAP; or by filling out the StandingBanker’s Order below:To: ........................Bank/Building Society,Branch Code: ................................ Full Address: ..........................................................................................................................Account Name:.............................................................Account No: .................................Pay To: Yorkshire Bank plc, Market Street,Colne BB8 0HT For the Account of: SELRAP:Branch Code: 05 – 03 - 83 Account No:

34689554 The Sum of: ................ On thesame date each year Dated: .....................

Signature: ..............................................

Please return to: SELRAP MembershipSecretary Derek Jennings, 3 Hamilton Rd,Carr Hall, Barrowford, Lancs BB9 6DE

OPEN COMMITTEE MEETINGS FOR 2008

● Mon. 12th May @ 7.00pm: Earby CommunityCentre, New Road, Earby.

● Mon. 14th July @ 7.00pm: St. Stephen’s School,Gargrave Road, Skipton.

● Mon. 8th September @ 7.00pm: St.Bartholomew’s Church, Albert Road, Colne.

If you only do what you’vealways done .....You’ll only get what you’vealways had .....Makes you think.It should! Ed.