Historic Leeds railway’s anniversary recognised in Parliament
The 250th anniversary of Middleton Railway has been marked in Parliament.
A motion tabled by Leeds West MP John Battle congratulates the Railway and thanks the volunteers who keep it operating.
Middleton Railway is one of the most historic railway sites in the world, having been the first to be constructed under powers from an Act of Parliament in 1758. Though originally built to carry coal from the Middleton pits to Leeds, the railway continues to be run by a group of volunteers and runs on Sundays and Bank Holidays throughout the year.
Mr Battle said: “Having enjoyed visiting the Railway with my family in the past, I was delighted to put down this motion in Parliament to mark the 250th anniversary. The volunteers who keep it going put in a great deal of time and effort and this was a good way to recognise that. I hope they will attract many new visitors in this anniversary year.”
Andrew Gill, Chairman of Middleton Railway, said: “Whilst we celebrate 250 years of continuous running of our now ‘Heritage Railway’, we must remember the reasons we are here.
“Coal, which had to be transported cheaply to the then town of Leeds to supply the ever-increasing appetite of the industrial revolution. This in turn led to build more railway locomotives than any other town or city in England.
“Alas, all this is now history, but we can keep part of it alive today so we can remember those early pioneers of industry, railways and mining, who worked so hard for so little, often in appalling conditions.
“As we continue the Railway into the future, with the possibility of extending our track into Middleton Park close to the original route, we say thank you to all of them!”
The Railway runs passenger trains every week, with a diesel service on a Saturday and a Sunday steam service, as well as running services on every Wednesday in August.
The motion reads:
EDM 1315
250th ANNIVERSARY OF MIDDLETON RAILWAY
02.04.2008
Battle, John
That this House congratulates Middleton Railway on the 250th anniversary of its foundation in 2008; notes that the Railway was the first to be constructed under powers from an Act of Parliament in 1758 and has remained in continuous use over at least part of the network ever since, and thus has a claim to be the world's oldest working railway; commends the volunteers who devote significant time and energy to keeping it operating; and wishes them success in the anniversary celebrations planned for 2008.