{"id":1348,"date":"2022-12-14T17:09:07","date_gmt":"2022-12-14T17:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lancashireloominary.co.uk\/index.html\/?p=1348"},"modified":"2022-12-16T15:42:31","modified_gmt":"2022-12-16T15:42:31","slug":"northern-weekly-salvo-309","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/lancashireloominary.co.uk\/index.html\/northern-weekly-salvo-309","title":{"rendered":"Northern Weekly Salvo 309"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Northern Weekly Salvo<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Incorporating \u00a0Slaithwaite Review of Books, Weekly Notices, Sectional Appendices, Tunnel Gazers\u2019 Gazette etc. <\/em>Descendant of Teddy Ashton\u2019s Northern Weekly <\/em>and Th\u2019Bowtun Loominary un Tum Fowt Telegraph<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Published at 109 Harpers Lane Bolton BL1 6HU email: paul.salveson@myphone.coop<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Publications website: www.lancashireloominary.co.uk<\/strong><\/p>\n

No. 309 December 14th <\/sup>2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Christmas Extra<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Salveson\u2019s half-nakedly political digest of railways, tripe and secessionist nonsense from Up North. Sometimes weekly, usually not; definitely Northern.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s that time of year<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Welcome to the Christmas Salvo<\/em> for 2022. This edition has some weighty stuff on things like Gordon Brown\u2019s report on devolution, and a portrait of an extra-ordinary Lancashire radical, Solomon Partington (first published in the Bolton News<\/em>). There\u2019s also a brand-new Christmas ghost story. You\u2019d probably got sick of reading Who Signed the Book?<\/em> every year. This tale is set on the same bit of railway, between Bolton<\/p>\n

\"\"
Thanks to Valerie Hirst for the artwork<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

and Blackburn. Hope you enjoy it. I\u2019ll probably do an end of year edition after Christmas, trying to avoid saying a lot of boring things about what is happened in 2022 and regurgitating stuff I\u2019ve already published. We\u2019re well and truly into the festive season now and here in Bolton we\u2019ve had plenty of snow; it still looks very white out there. I love it, but I find myself having to be extra careful walking on the slippery surfaces. Signs of old age \u2026.But anyway, stop it. Have a lovely Christmas! I hope to do a New Year Crank Quiz for issue 310. If you want any last minute Christmas presents I’ve got some of my books going at bargain prices, including Settle-Carlisle Railway<\/em> (just had a new consignment from the publisher).<\/p>\n

Railways in melt down? Fresh thinking required.<\/strong><\/h5>\n

The general view of the railways at the moment ranges between \u2018awful\u2019 and \u2018disastrous\u2019. The combination of industrial action and ongoing problems related to Covid have resulted in cancellations and poor reliability, even when trains are supposed to be running. Interestingly, agreement has been reached on some parts of the network which are not controlled by the Westminster government, which says a lot. It does look increasingly like there is a settlement to be had but the main obstacle is no. 10. When interviewed, Rail Minister Huw Merriman<\/p>\n

\"\"
Under-used asset: Farnworth station: booking offices must become community hubs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

says that devolved governments who\u2019ve settled with RMT ducked the issue of workplace reform. Maybe he has a point but throwing wholesale ticket office closures and driver-only operation into the bag was never going to result in an agreement. Some reform is needed, there\u2019s no question about that \u2013 around Sunday working particularly and more flexible use of Network Rail maintenance teams.\u00a0 However, blanket closure of ticket offices would be hugely unpopular with the travelling public, even if there are no compulsory redundancies.<\/p>\n

There has been talk of \u2018re-purposing\u2019 ticket offices but there\u2019s no clarity on what that means. You can\u2019t compare regional rail services with London Underground where ticket offices have disappeared but a staffed presence remains on platforms. It\u2019s not the same kind of railway. People welcome a staffed presence in a ticket office for all sorts of things \u2013 not just getting a ticket but general enquiries and a sense of security, even if the person isn\u2019t on the platform. How do we make bettr use of that precious resource?<\/p>\n

The Rail Reform Group recently held a well-attended seminar on the future of stations in the appropriate surroundings of the Platform 5 Gallery on Bolton station. Dr Nicola Forsdyke and Alex Warner gave stimulating presentations on ways forward which involve keeping a staffed presence at all or most stations (maybe even some new ones) but doing different things. The debate goes back a long way and it was pointed out that even in BR days more creative use of ticket offices was debated. A full report of the seminar will be available shortly.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, is it time to re-visit local operation of secondary railways? \u2018Microfranchising\u2019 was the dog that never barked, but as the railways enter a new era of possible cuts, different ways of operating and managing the more peripheral parts of the network should be explored once more. What a shame Adrian Shooter isn\u2019t around to help with the vision.<\/p>\n

Brown\u2019s Report fails to inspire<\/h5>\n

Labour\u2019s new report A New Britain: Renewing our Democracy and Rebuilding our Economy<\/em> has had a mixed reception. The report was the work of the \u2018Commission on the UK\u2019s Future\u2019 chaired by Gordon Brown. The SNP described the proposals for Scotland as \u2018underwhelming\u2019 and I must say that was my reaction to its ideas for England. It\u2019s a weighty piece of work, without a doubt, running to over 150 pages. It recognises that there is a big problem with our centralised United Kingdom and it\u2019s time for change: \u201cThe UK is at a constitutional moment, and needs change comparable to the important shifts in power in the 19th and 20th centuries that widened the franchise,<\/p>\n

\"\"
Samuel Compston, Rossendale Liberal councillor, was a great advocate for ‘local patriotism’ in its best sense<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

reformed Parliament or, more recently, introduced devolution. Our economy is faltering. Our democracy has lost the trust of its people, who have repeatedly voted for change. 17.4m people voted for Brexit in 2016 and 1.6m in Scotland voted to leave the UK in 2014. Britain urgently needs a new government.\u201d<\/p>\n

I think we can all agree on that, and the follow-on which states that \u201cif we are to transform our country, we must change not just who governs us but how we are governed.\u201d Yet this is where the report is weak, ducking out of the chance to transform the structures of UK governance and really energise the regions and nations of the UK. That\u2019s not to say that there\u2019s nothing good about the report \u2013 that would be a ridiculous response. Where it is perhaps clearest is on House of Lords reform \u2013 proposing to replace it with an elected second chamber \u2013 an \u2018Assembly of the Regions and Nations\u2019. Yet ironically, while the House of Lords is a very easy target, it probably isn\u2019t the biggest issue facing constitutional reform. As the report says, for all its lack of democratic credibility, the Lords does have a lot of expertise which is put to good use in scrutinising and challenging Governments of the day.<\/p>\n

The report scores several good \u2018hits\u2019, highlighting the problems of over-centralisation: \u201cBrexit has not delivered the control people were promised. Britain hasn\u2019t taken back control \u2013 Westminster and Whitehall have. And our over-centralised system has shown itself to be open to abuse \u2013 the conventions of our unwritten constitution ignored; conflicts of interest allowed to fester; the use of patronage intensified, and ethical standards – and advisers on ethics – swept aside, ignored by a conservative political class that has tried to act without constraint. Meanwhile, decisions of vital importance to communities – including the allocation of funds under Levelling Up – are made for increasingly naked party political reasons, further undermining trust. All of this makes the case for a radical devolution of power to locally elected and locally accountable representatives best placed to identify the needs<\/p>\n

\"\"
Mutual Mills, Heywood: a sleeping giant: good contender for levelling-up funds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

and opportunities in their own areas, and to unleash the potential that exists everywhere throughout the country. Our aim must be to put power and resources in the hands of communities, towns, cities, regions and nations, to make their own decisions about what will work best for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, absolutely, but the report fails to recognise that the levers at our disposal, particularly in England, are woefully inadequate. The mishmash of poorly-funded local councils, a mix of unitary and two-tier authorities, with \u2018combined authorities\u2019 in metropolitan areas, is a very poor structure indeed to be given significant new powers. Yet we\u2019re told that \u201cacross England, we recommend that every town and city is given the powers needed to draw together their own economic and social plan and take more control of their economic future. In particular we believe that by empowering Mayors, Combined Authorities and local government in new economic partnerships, we can create and advance a supportive environment for the dynamic new clusters in the digital, medical, environmental and creative industries in a new pro-growth strategy, and make every part of our country more prosperous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Really? I don\u2019t think so, and the report\u2019s authors missed a great opportunity to democratise the combined authorities by in effect creating new regional forms of government that would be directly elected. Instead, we\u2019re told that “We cannot turn the clock back to recreate Regional Development Agencies, or still less to impose a system of regional government from the centre on the different parts of England. This gap must be filled by growth from the bottom up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Actually we could. It’s what governments do. What we are likely to get is confusing mixture of mostly unelected local bodies or \u2018partnerships\u2019 with increasing powers given to mayoral combined authorities which have just one person being subject to direct election. There is a massive democratic deficit with the combined authorities which has excited little comment amongst the political classes \u2013 either because they are<\/p>\n

\"\"
Lancashire on the march…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

outside of London so of little interest, or there are too many vested interests involved in keeping them as they are, overseen by leaders of the relevant constituent authorities. The report does nothing to address this and overall represents a huge missed opportunity to create a \u2018New Britain\u2019. There is a model out there already with the directly-elected (by PR) governments in Cardiff, Belfast and Edinburgh. Why not the same for the English regions?<\/p>\n

(first published in Chartist<\/em> magazine)<\/p>\n

The report is here: https:\/\/labour.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Commission-on-the-UKs-Future.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Christmas Ghost Story: <\/strong>The First Aid Phantom of Wayoh Sidings<\/strong><\/h5>\n

My grandchildren are always meithering me for a \u2018ghost story\u2019 this time of year. Well here\u2019s one about a benevolent<\/em> ghost, or boggart, which featured in something that happened to me a long time ago when I was a young relief signalman in Bolton.<\/p>\n

It was December 1966, not long after I\u2019d been promoted from my first signalbox at Bullfield West to a \u2018relief\u2019 job, with more money. It involved covering rest days, holidays and sickness at several boxes in the Bolton area, mostly within a mile or so of the station. A couple were more remote; the furthest and most difficult one to reach was Wayoh Sidings, up on the moors between Bolton and Blackburn. The \"\"only way you could reach it was by walking up the line from Entwistle, just over a mile. There was no road access and the other relief men didn’t like it – they couldn\u2019t get there by car. I was young and fit back then and would either walk or even cycle up the path along the line, keeping an eye out for passing trains. If it was wet, most drivers – if you asked them nicely – would drop you off outside the box.<\/p>\n

Wayoh Sidings was at the summit of the line, the end of a long gruelling climb in both directions. It was a lonely place, with the nearest houses half a mile away near the old quarry on the Roman Road. Beyond the box, going north, the line plunged through a deep cutting and then into the two-mile long Whittlestone Tunnel. In steam days most of the freights would be \u2018banked\u2019 by a loco coming up behind the train, from either Bolton or Blackburn. When the train reached Wayoh Sidings the assisting engine would shut off steam and come to a stop by the signalbox, with the signalman changing the points to allow it to \"\"drift back to base. If there was nothing else about, the driver and fireman would park their engine outside and come up for a brew.<\/p>\n

That was about the only company you\u2019d get, apart from the occasional platelayer. Harold Hodgkiss was the regular man who walked his length every week and would call in to \u2018camp\u2019 over a brew of tea.<\/p>\n

I was rostered to cover the night turn at Wayoh in the week before Christmas, relieving the regular signalman, Frank Hatton, at 10.00pm. Once you\u2019d got there it was an easy job, just an empty stock for Newton Heath depot about midnight, the Colne \u2018papers\u2019 at 4 a.m. and the Heysham \u2013 Brindle Heath goods round about six, which was usually banked up from Blackburn.\u00a0 My relief would take over at 6 and I\u2019d \u2018caution\u2019 the first up passenger and get a lift back down to Bolton. You could get away with that sort of thing, back then. After signing the Train Register Book it was a case of putting the kettle on and settling down to a good read, maybe with a brief doze before being disturbed by a \u2018call attention\u2019 signal for the Colne papers \u2013 express passenger, followed by four beats of the bell.<\/p>\n

Some of the other relief signalmen didn\u2019t like the place, claiming it was haunted. Jimmy Blackburn said he’d heard a voice calling to him when he was walking up the track from Entwistle, something like ‘get out of the way’ and ‘look out’. \u00a0 As a signed-up Marxist revolutionary, I regarded that as a load of superstitious nonsense.<\/p>\n

………………………………….<\/p>\n

I\u2019d already done a couple of nights that week before \u2018the incident\u2019 happened. It was Thursday December 23rd<\/sup> and it would be the last full night shift before Christmas. Frank, on the afternoon turn, would close the box at 10.00pm Christmas Eve and re-open on the 27th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

The last train from Bolton that stopped at Entwistle was the 8.30 to Colne. I could\u2019ve asked the driver to drop me off at Wayoh but thought I\u2019d call in at Entwistle box and have a brew with Paddy Hanlon, one of the two regular signalmen there. The box was perched above the two \u2018fast lines\u2019. Back then there were four tracks between \"\"Entwistle and Wayoh, provided by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway to give extra capacity for freight trains. By the 60s there wasn\u2019t much freight, apart from the evening Burnley \u2013 Moston on the up line and the Ancoats \u2013 Carlisle on the down.<\/p>\n

Paddy always welcomed a bit of company and the kettle was usually on the boil. I got off the diesel train and waved a cheerio to the Manchester guard, watching the train trundle away up the last bit of the climb towards Wayoh, the red tail light slowly disappearing from view on what was a fine, clear but bloody freezing night. You could see your breath almost freeze when you breathed out.<\/p>\n

I jumped down off the platform and crossed the tracks to get to the signalbox steps. \u201cNow then Paddy!\u201d I shouted, so he wouldn\u2019t think it was any unwanted visitor, such as an over-zealous inspector making an out of hours call.<\/p>\n

I walked up the flight of stairs and found the door unlocked. The warmth from the stove hit you like a blanket as soon as you stepped in.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome in and sit yourself down lad,\u201d said Paddy. \u201cThe kettle\u2019s just boiled, here\u2019s a nice cup of tea for ye.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Entwistle signalbox behind engine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like all the boxes in the area, there was an \u2018easy chair\u2019 that was the preserve of the resident signalman. There was usually another chair for visitors, not as comfortable but good enough. Decorum usually meant that the visitor would make do with the hard chair but Paddy was a true gent and offered me the easy chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks Paddy, that\u2019s very kind. And here\u2019s a card for you and the family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paddy lived in one of the old railway cottages just beyond the pub, he and his family had been there for a good thirty years after moving from a box in the Manchester area, Collyhurst I think. He hailed from the west of Ireland and had no end of stories about life in \u2018the ould country\u2019. He loved the Lancashire moors and was the only applicant for the vacancy at Entwistle when the previous incumbent, Abraham Holroyd, retired.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo Paul, are you and your young lady all ready for Christmas?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I think so. We\u2019re going over to Sheila\u2019s mother\u2019s for Christmas Day but we\u2019ll have a quiet time, see the rest of the family on Boxing Day, get out for a walk and take it easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAye, it\u2019s a time for family alright,\u201d Paddy agreed. \u201cThey say it might be a white \u2018un too, some snow forecast for tonight according to the news.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it\u2019s looking clear enough now,\u201d I replied, not wanting to get snowed in at Wayoh Sidings for Christmas. \u201cBut anyway, I\u2019d better be getting on, Frank will be wondering where I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAye, he\u2019s a stickler for punctuality is Frank, and no harm in that, for a signalman,\u201d responded Paddy. \u201cBe careful how you go and mind you don\u2019t come across any of those Lancashire boggarts on the way!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s any chance of that, Paddy, but if I do I\u2019ve a spare copy of The Morning Star<\/em> I can give them, to demonstrate they\u2019re just an illusion!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn your way lad, and have a grand Christmas\u2026just look out for the Burnley-Moston, not had it yet so it might be on its way.\u201d<\/p>\n

I left the cosiness of Paddy\u2019s box and walked down the steps into the old goods yard and felt the first flurries of snow coming down. The clear bright sky had clouded over and there was an eerie light across the tracks.<\/p>\n

If I walked briskly I\u2019d be there in twenty minutes. The unfenced path ran alongside the up fast line and had been used by generations of railwaymen, and \u2013 unofficially \u2013 some of the local farmers and quarrymen too.<\/p>\n

It started coming down heavily and within a couple of minutes I could hardly see the tracks, let alone the path. To make it worse, I was \"\"walking into the wind, howling down from Whittlestone Head and blowing the snow horizontally. I was struggling to see and the snow felt more like small balls of ice.<\/p>\n

I was able to walk forward only by feeling the edge of the ballast to my left, under the rails of the up fast line.<\/p>\n

I kept edging forward, stumbling a couple of times, and could just make out the lights of Wayoh Sidings box in the distance, through the blizzard.<\/p>\n

Maybe I was getting over-confident; I was getting close when I went over. I hit a bit of redundant rail some dozy platelayer had left lying across the path. All I can recall is falling and striking my head against something hard. Then oblivion.<\/p>\n

The next thing I can remember is a loud voice, shouting \u201ccome on lad, come on, tha\u2019 cornt lie theer\u2026look out!\u201d<\/p>\n

I came back into consciousness and felt a hand tugging at my feet. I became aware of the sound of a steam loco hard at work, and not far away.<\/p>\n

It dawned on me that I was lying across the outer rail of the up fast, and the sound I could hear was the late-running Burnley \u2013 Moston goods, just passing Wayoh Sidings and a few yards from where I was lying. It was working hard, with the driver probably trying to make up a bit of lost time and get home to Manchester. Up here, he was a long way from Deansgate.<\/p>\n

I felt another hard tug at my leg and the next instant the \u2018whoosh\u2019 of a heavy steam locomotive rushing by, at very close quarters. I could feel the leaking steam from the engine and the smell of hot oil. Then the clank of wagon after wagon as the train went past, followedby silence. I could also feel a small dog pulling at my trouser leg.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you awreet lad?\u201d a voice asked. \u201cTha\u2019s just had a close call wi\u2019 destiny!\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked up and through the snow, still coming down heavy. I could make out the shape of a large, bearded man in platelayer\u2019s clothes.<\/p>\n

\u201cTha must ha fallen onto th\u2019 rail and knocked thisel\u00a0 eawt. Lucky aw were tekkin\u2019 th\u2019dog for a walk an\u2019 saw thi. Let\u2019s have a look at thi.\u201d<\/p>\n

I had a nasty bump on my head where I\u2019d hit the rail and also felt as though I\u2019d twisted my ankle when I went over.<\/p>\n

\u201cCon tha walk?\u201d my rescuer asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure I can\u2026but I have to relieve my mate in the box at 10.00.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, he can wait a few minutes. Howd on to me an\u2019 we\u2019ll get you into my cabin just up th\u2019line.\u201d<\/p>\n

We edged forward through the blizzard, both of us completely white, the snow biting into our faces like small sharp nails.<\/p>\n

My rescuer pushed open the door of what looked like a platelayer\u2019s cabin just set back from the track, I’d never seen it before. We entered a warm but dark room lit only by a blazing fire and an oil lamp on the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cSit thiself on this chair,\u201d he said. Let\u2019s tek a look at thi. Wheer\u2019s it hurtin\u2019?<\/p>\n

I explained about the bump to my head and what I thought was the sprained ankle from when I\u2019d fallen.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s tek a look. Tha\u2019s had a bit of bump awreet but it doesn\u2019t look too bad. A sma\u2019 cut but nowt much. We\u2019ll soon fix that. Let\u2019s have a look at that foot.\u201d<\/p>\n

He got on his knees in front of me and took hold of my injured left foot.<\/p>\n

\u201cNowt to worry abeawt, but this meyt hurt for a minute lad.\u201d<\/p>\n

He got hold of my foot and gave it a good wrench. He was right, it was bloody painful.<\/p>\n

\u201cOw! Bloody hell, what\u2019re you doin\u2019?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t fratch, it\u2019ll be awreet, tha\u2019ll see. Now let\u2019s get that head wound dressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

A bandage appeared from what looked like a battered old first aid box and he cut a couple of pieces, laying them on the table. He dabbed some sort of lotion on the bruise, had an odd smell that I can\u2019t describe but quite pungent, then wrapped the bandage around my head, securing it with a knot.<\/p>\n

\u201cTha\u2019s had a nasty bang on th’yed, but tha\u2019ll live. Aw\u2019ve dabbed a bit o\u2019comfrey on that bruise, it\u2019ll heal it gradely weel in a day or two. Grew it in mi own garden. Let\u2019s get thi up to th\u2019box, tha should be fit for duty neaw.\u201d<\/p>\n

We went out into the cold night air to find the blizzard had stopped. The clouds had rolled away leaving a clear, starry night with the path up to the box illuminated by a full moon. About six inches of snow had fallen.<\/p>\n

We walked in silence up towards the box, the lights getting closer and stronger as we trudged through the undisturbed snow. I held on to my rescuer and hopped along on one foot, not putting pressure on the injured one. The little dog ran by his side.<\/p>\n

\"\"We got to the steps leading up to the box and I turned to wish my rescuer a hearty thanks, with an invitation to come up for a brew. I hadn\u2019t even had chance to ask his name.<\/p>\n

\u201cAw\u2019ll tek me leave neaw, th\u2019wife\u2019s expectin\u2019 me back. Aw think tha\u2019ll find that yon foot is healed and just give that bruise on thi yead a couple o\u2019days.\u201d<\/p>\n

I turned round and there was no sign of him.<\/p>\n

But what was most strange was that there were no footprints leading away from the signalbox. Maybe the wind had blown some drifts across the path.<\/p>\n

Before I had time to think any further, the signalbox door opened and Frank shouted down to me. \u201cAre you alright Paul? Paddy had told me you were on your way and then that friggin\u2019 blizzard came on. Worried you\u2019d got caught out by that freight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I\u2019ve had a strange experience, that\u2019s for sure. Is that kettle on?\u201d<\/p>\n

I entered the signalbox; inside it was pretty much the same as Entwistle, a standard L&Y design. The fire was blazing away merrily.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s happened to thi lad? What\u2019s the bandage for?\u201d Frank asked.<\/p>\n

I explained to him that I\u2019d tripped on some lineside junk and fallen onto the track, knocking myself out. Someone had pulled me away just in time before the freight passed. Whoever it was, he\u2019d saved my life. And on top of that he\u2019d dressed my wound and my foot was no longer in pain. I realised I could walk on it as normal.<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like tha\u2019s seen a boggart!\u201d said Frank, a man well versed in Lancashire folklore and daft tales.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomebody helped me, that\u2019s for sure. I owe my life to him, but I\u2019ve not a clue who the bloody hell he was \u2013 and he just disappeared. A bit of blowing snow probably covered up his footprints but I\u2019ve no idea where he went. He said he was out taking his dog for a walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

I described his appearance, as much as I could, to my colleague. Tall and thick set, beard. Wearing what looked like old-fashioned working clothes, railway greatcoat, smelling of tobacco. Spoke broad Lancashire.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid he look like that chap, on the photograph over the frame?\u201d Frank pointed to an old black and white photograph amongst a group of pictures of the line and the box, taken in the early 1900s by the look of them. Sure enough, one of the men in a group of platelayers was a spitting image, as much as I could see, of my rescuer. Even his clothes looked the same, with the cap and heavy overcoat. And there was the little dog by his side.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s Bill Horrocks, he was foreman platelayer when there was still a small gang up here. Before the First World War. Bill was prominent in the railway first aid movement \u2013 chairman of the Bolton branch. He used to go round giving lectures on railway safety and first aid, won lots of prizes so they say. Swore by herbs, his house was full of all sorts of different lotions and potions. It\u2019s ironic that he was killed in a railway accident, trying to rescue a workmate who\u2019d fallen onto the rails, just down the line from here. He got his injured mate out of the way but didn\u2019t have time to get out of the road himself. His little dog tried to pull him out of the way, so they say, but he was too heavy. Killed outright. They laid out his body in the old platelayer\u2019s cabin just down the line \u2013 it\u2019s derelict now, roof\u2019s gone, but you can still see it from the line, if you look carefully. Anyway lad, I\u2019ve arranged with the driver of the Newton Heath empties to give me a lift home and he\u2019s just passed Spring Vale, so I\u2019d better get down to meet him. Merry Christmas, and have an easy shift. Don\u2019t see any more ghosts!\u201d<\/p>\n

Frank picked up his bag and disappeared down the steps. I saw the train\u2019s lights as it emerged from Whittlestone Tunnel, slowing down to pick him up. A friendly toot on the horn and the train disappeared into the distance. I replaced my signals to danger and settled down to a quiet night, under the protective gaze of Bill Horrocks.<\/p>\n

The Wisdom of Solomon<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Solomon Partington is a name that probably doesn\u2019t mean a lot to most Salvo<\/em> readers. It may ring a bell with those of you who\u2019ve followed the story of the Winter Hill Mass Trespass of 1896, whose 125th<\/sup> anniversary was celebrated last September. Yet the North owes a lot to him, not least for his campaigning for public rights of way but also for promoting local democracy. Partington was the quintessential Lancastrian, a champion of Lancashire cultural identity.<\/p>\n

\"\"
????????<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bolton writer Allen Clarke described him in his\u00a0 Moorlands and Memories <\/em>(1920) in gushing terms: \u2018as great \u00a0a champion of liberty and justice as ever used a pen on behalf of the robbed and oppressed\u2019. He was one of the key figures in the Winter Hill \u2018Trespass\u2019 of 1896, an event celebrated by hundreds of Boltonians last September.\u00a0 But there\u2019s a lot more to this extraordinary man than that single event, important though it was.<\/p>\n

He was born in Alkrington, Middleton, in 1844. At the time, it was an expanding cotton town, famous for being the home of the hero of Peterloo, Samuel Bamford. Handloom weaving was still a common occupation and Middleton was noted as centre of silk weaving. Both Partington\u2019s parents were silk weavers, part of a highly cultured and well-read industrial community which was, by then, beginning to disappear. In 1866 he married Eliza\u00a0 who was the daughter of a silk weaver, Adam Butterworth.<\/p>\n

The young Solomon got a job on the railways as a clerk, then quite a highly regarded position for a working class lad. In 1871, at the young age of 26, he was promoted to station master at Birkdale, near Southport. The family moved from Middleton, probably occupying a railway house provided by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.<\/p>\n

However, following unfounded accusations of embezzlement, he resigned from the company and got a job as a reporter on the Leigh Journal<\/em> in 1874. The paper was part of the Tillotson group of publishers whose titles included the Bolton Evening News <\/em>and Bolton Journal and Guardian<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Partington became involved in local politics as a member of the Liberal party. He had already become active in the co-operative movement in Middleton, and subsequently wrote a history of the society, published in 1900; his commitment to co-operative principles stayed with him all his life. During his time in Leigh, Partington was involved in campaigns for better children\u2019s facilities. In February 1885 he reported in the Leigh Journal <\/em>on a meeting held at the Co-op Reading Room with influential businessmen and community leaders, to discuss their concerns about Leigh\u2019s children having nowhere to play. The issue was taken up by the local council of the day, Leigh Local Board. They met to discuss the issue in August that year and Partington decided to exert public pressure. Whilst the councillors deliberated in the Town Hall, Solomon Partington led a \u2018Thousand Lads of Leigh\u2019 march past the building, with hundreds of lads carrying bats and balls shouting \u2018we want a playground\u2019. Amongst their number was Joseph Ashworth, then aged 14 and a little piecer in a local mill. Although the council decided it couldn\u2019t afford a public park, Partington\u2019s campaign finally succeeded. Ashworth stood for council and eventually became mayor; after a wait of nearly thirty years Leigh got its children\u2019s play facilities.<\/p>\n

The \u2018Thousand Lads of Leigh\u2019 march was an important and largely forgotten event: a rare example of children becoming involved in a local campaign. As a result of Partington\u2019s efforts he became celebrated as \u2018The Children\u2019s Friend\u2019 and was presented with a testimonial when he left Leigh in 1887 to work for The Bolton Evening News<\/em>. He wrote for several Tillotson publications and developed a speciality in local history, using the by-line of \u2018Historicus\u2019,<\/p>\n

For a while, Partington remained an active member of the Liberal Party, supporting Gladstone\u2019s \u2018home rule for Ireland\u2019 campaign. He became increasingly concerned about public rights of way and the growing number of footpaths, walked for generations without obstruction, being closed by landowners. The event which acted as the catalyst for Britain\u2019s biggest-ever rights of way battle was Colonel Richard Ainsworth\u2019s action in closing Coal Pit Road, from Smithills up to Winter Hill, in the summer of 1896. Partington made common \"\"cause with local socialists such as Joseph Shufflebotham in organising opposition to Ainsworth\u2019s footpath closure, and a demonstration was organised for Sunday September 6th<\/sup> 1896, with announcements in the Bolton Journal and Guardian <\/em>and other local papers that it would set off at 10.00 from the Bottom of Halliwell Road, \u2018to test the right of way\u2019. A few hundred gathered at the start of the march, but by the time it reached The Ainsworth Arms, at the top of Halliwell Road, the ranks had swelled to about 10,000. There was a melee at the point where Ainsworth ahd erected a gate to deter walkers, and the gate was unceremoniously destroyed. Further demonstrations followed, with the following Sunday\u2019s being the biggest, with an estimated 12,000 taking part. Partington\u2019s experience with the \u2018Thousand Lads\u2019 march in Leigh, over ten years previously, was clearly being put to good effect.<\/p>\n

Ainsworth took a number of the organisers, Partington being one of the most prominent, to court. The case was heard at Lancashire Chancery Court, in Manchester, during march 1897. Despite having the support of many local townspeople, and ably represented by Richard Pankhust, husband of the famous suffrage leader Emily, the case went against them. Although nobody was sent to prison, costs \"\"totalling \u00a3565 were awarded against the protestors and Partington and his friend (and treasurer of the Defence Committee) William Hutchinson found themselves saddled with having to find \u00a3600. His erstwhile socialist friends appeared to have abandoned them. Partington mounted an energetic campaign to recover some of the costs; the most generous supporter was William Hesketh Lever (Later Lord Levehulme) who contributed \u00a3100. A further \u00a3165 was given by local people including the Liberal M.P. George Harwood.<\/p>\n

Between 1899 and 1901 he produced a series of six \u2018Truth\u2019 pamphlets arguing the case for public rights of way, using ancient records. In 1904 he was elected on to Bolton Council, running on an independent \u2018public rights\u2019 platform supported by Clarke and his Northern Weekly<\/em>. It \"\"seems he became frustrated with the lack of support for his campaigns within the local Liberal Party and became more aligned to the local Labour Party. His election agent was Allen Clarke who used the pages of his Teddy Ashton\u2019s Northern Weekly <\/em>to win support for Partington.<\/p>\n

After his victory, Clarke wrote: \u201cWe addressed outdoor meetings at the gates of the big iron works, and other places; also on the Town Hall Square. Dozens of Northern Weekly <\/em>readers also worked quietly for us, in their own streets \u2013 and all of these, known or unknown to us, have a share in the great victory.\u201d<\/p>\n

He served the people of West Ward (Halliwell and Smithills) until 1911, with a year\u2019s break in 1907. He was a key figure in the Bolton Municipal Reform League, together with his socialist friend Sarah Reddish, with whom he shared a common passion for the principles and practice of co-operation. His history of Middleton and Tonge Co-\"\"operative Society was published in 1920. Partington remained in touch with public rights of way campaigners in Bolton and wrote an extended letter to Bolton Housing and Town Planning Committee in 1915, highlighting unresolved footpath issues.<\/p>\n

Partington shared Allen Clarke\u2019s love of the Lancashire dialect and was a member of the Lancashire Authors\u2019 Association which Clarke set up in 1909. After his move to Silverdale, and then Grange-over-Sands, Partington devoted himself to historical research though he never completed his intended \u2018magnum opus\u2019 – a history of Lancashire dialect writing. His two books on the dialect, The Future of Old English Words <\/em>and Romance of the Dialect,<\/em> show what might have been achieved.<\/p>\n

He died on August 5th<\/sup> 1927 and the obituary in The Bolton Evening News<\/em> paid tribute to \u201ca trenchant and fearless writer who used the Press in full measure, though never unfairly, for the advance of schemes for the public good.\u201d He is buried in Grange-over-Sands.<\/p>\n

(first published in the Bolton News<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Harrogate\u2019s Railways<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Martin Bairstow has just brought out a new and enlarged edition of Railways Through Harrogate<\/em>. It\u2019s a must if you live in Harrogate or like trains\u2026or for that matter, if you are interested in that fascinating part of Yorkshire that embraces York, Knaresborough, Harrogate, the Nidd Valley, Otley, Wetherby and the north of Leeds.Martin combinesd a good understanding of railway history with a real feel for the places that the railway served. What a travesty that trains no longer go to Wetherby or Otley! Martin is acerbic in his criticism of the decision to \"\"close lines which, had they survived, would have been thriving and part of the electrified network, for certain. There is a fascinating chapter on accidents and the railways\u2019 sometimes reluctant efforts to make their operations safer. The chapter titled \u2018Lock, Block and Brake\u2019 pus railway safety in a wider political context, making use of Bairstow\u2019s encyclopedic parliamentary knowledge. There\u2019s an interesting section on the Poppleton Community Railway Nursery, just outside York. I was about to say that there can\u2019t be many garden centres with their own railway but actually there\u2019s quite a few. Poppleton\u2019s claim to fame is that it was an original railway nursery, created by the LNER during the Second World War, and was the very last. I gave a helping hand in rescuing the nursery in my Northern Rail days and it now thrives as a community project.<\/p>\n

Railways Through Harrogate<\/em> is priced at \u00a317.95 and should be in everyone\u2019s Christmas stocking.<\/p>\n

Fellowship is Life!<\/strong><\/h5>\n

It\u2019s very heartening to see Denis Pye\u2019s superb book on the Clarion Cycling Club appear in a new edition. Denis was a great friend and a much-loved part of the Lancashire libertarian socialist scene. He played a major role in keeping the Bolton Socialist Club going when the outlook was very bleak. The new edition has a lovely foreword by his widow, Wendy, The book has a new introduction which brings the story of the remarkable Clarion up to date. It was formed as the cycling auxiliary of the Clarion newspaper, edited by Robert Blatchford, in the years before the First World War, which in many ways were the socialist movement\u2019s years of innocence. The Clarion Cycling Club was formed in 1894 and put down deep roots in the North of England, enjoying \"\"close links with the Independent Labour Party and a plethora of local socialist organizations. In parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire members created \u2018Clarion club houses\u2019 which acted as workers\u2019 holiday resorts \u2013 you could call in for lunch during a\u00a0 ride, or you could stay for a few weeks and enjoy a game of tennis, read uplifting books and argue socialism, anarchism and liberalism with fellow guests. One survives, the Clarion House at Roughlee, near Nelson. It was visited by Michael Portillo in his \u2018Great Railway Journeys\u2019 and in true Lancashire socialist style he was given a warm, friendly welcome.<\/p>\n

This is a lovely book and can be heartily recommended. Fellowship is Life: The Story of the National Clarion Cycling Club<\/em>, by Denis Pye is published by National Clarion 1895 Publishing and costs \u00a310. It is available on Amazon but why not take a ride or walk to Clarion House (only open Sundays) and get a copy from them?<\/p>\n

Lancastrians: at a gradely book shop near you soon<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Lancastrians: Mills, Mines and Minarets <\/em>is being published next year by the highly-respected publishers Hurst whose catalogue is well worth a look at it. See https:\/\/www.hurstpublishers.com\/catalogues\/spring-summer-2023\/<\/a>. The page on Lancastrians<\/em> says: \u201cThis long-overdue popular history explores the cultural heritage and identity of Lancashire. Paul Salveson traces to the thirteenth century the origins of a distinct county stretching from the Mersey to the Lake District\u2014\u2018Lancashire North of the Sands\u2019. From a relatively backward place in terms of industry and learning, Lancashire would become the powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution: the creation of a self-confident bourgeoisie drove economic growth, and industrialists had a strong commitment to the arts, endowing galleries and museums and producing a diverse culture encompassing science, technology, music \"\"and literature. Lancashire developed a distinct business culture, its shrine being the Manchester Cotton Exchange, but this was also the birthplace of the world co-operative movement, and the heart of campaigns for democracy including Chartism and women\u2019s suffrage. Lancashire has generally welcomed incomers, who have long helped to inform its distinctive identity: fourteenth-century Flemish weavers; nineteenth-century Irish immigrants and Jewish refugees; and, more recently, New Lancastrians from Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. The book explores what has become of Lancastrian culture, following modern upheavals and Lancashire\u2019s fragmentation compared with its old rival Yorkshire. What is the future for the 6 million people of this rich historic region?\u201d<\/p>\n

The book will be published in June 2023 in hardback, price \u00a325.<\/p>\n

Last Train from Blackstock Junction <\/strong><\/h5>\n

My new book comprising 12 short stories about railway life in the North is now available. Last Train from Blackstock Junction<\/em> includes a very appropriate tale about the last train from somewhere called \u2018Blackstock Junction\u2019 on November 5th<\/sup> 1966, when a group of kids succeeded in stopping the Glasgow \u2013 Manchester express which they mistakenly thought was the last stopping train from their local station. Oops.What very<\/em> naughty boys. Don\u2019t try this on your local railway.<\/p>\n

The book has a very kind foreword by Sir Peter Hendy, chairman of Network Rail, who said “As you read these stories, you\u2019ll find some history, some romance, some politics, a little prejudice \u2013 sadly – and some humour; you will in fact be in the world of railway men and women. I hope you find them as absorbing as I did when I read Paul\u2019s manuscript. Please enjoy his work!”<\/p>\n

Writer and environmentalist Colin Speakman said \u201cit is an amazing collection \u2013 powerful, moving, and what I would call \u2018faction\u2019 which tells truths even though the details may be fantasy, \u2018Hillary Mantel school of history\u2019 perhaps. Director of Platform 5 Publishing, Andrew Dyson, said \u201cPaul\u2019s \u00a0stories provide a fascinating insight into what life<\/p>\n

\"\"
Could this be Blackstock Junction?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

was really like for thousands of railway workers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tales also include a ghost story set in a lonely signalbox in Bolton, in 1900 (‘Who Signed The Book?’) while other stories are about life on today\u2019s railway, including \u2018From Marxist to Managing Director\u2019 \u2013 the story of a young female political activist who ends up running a train company. Some are set in the \u2018age of steam\u2019 and life on the footplate as well as the rise of the trades unions on the railways and the rise of the Labour movement.<\/p>\n

Salvo<\/em> readers will get the book at a specially discounted price, courtesy of Platform 5 Publishing. Go to https:\/\/www.platform5.com\/Catalogue\/New-Titles<\/a>. Enter LAST22 in the promotional code box at the basket<\/strong> and this will reduce the unit price from \u00a312.95 to \u00a310.95.<\/p>\n

Talks, walks and wanderings<\/strong><\/p>\n

Following the \u2018official\u2019 end of the Pandemic, I\u2019ve been getting a number of invitations to give talks on various topics. Recent talks have included \u2018The Social History of Lancashire\u2019s Railways\u2019 for Preston Historical Society, \u2018Allen Clarke\u2019s Bolton\u2019 for Friends of Smithills Hall and Bolton U3A, \u2018Railways and Railwaymen of Turton\u2019 for Turton LHS, \u2018Moorlands, Memories and Reflections\u2019 for What\u2019s Your Story, Chorley?\u00a0 and \u2018Railways and Communities: Blackrod and Horwich\u2019, for Blackrod LHS. \u00a0Next Tuesday evening I\u2019m talking to Chorley Archaeological Society on \u2018The Lost Railways of Lancashire\u2019. I\u2019m speaking on \u2018Railways in the North\u2019 for the Stephenson Locomotive Society in Manchester on November 5th<\/sup>. The following Saturday I\u2019m at Shap Wells talking to the Cumbrian Railway Association on the Settle-Carlisle Railway. Other topics are:<\/p>\n