The Forgotten Otley Branch Railway | The Complete Story (Feature-Length Documentary)

Otley Branch Line. 🚂 First proposed by the Lancashire & Yorkshire North Eastern Railway (incorporated as the Wharfedale Railway Company) in 1846 to build a line from Skipton through Ilkley and Otley to Arthington[ but the scheme failed as the company could not raise the necessary capital and was wound up in 1852. A second proposal was made in 1856 for a company called the Wharfedale Railway to construct a line on the same route as that authorised in 1846, but the promoters of this scheme could get no support from the major companies (the MR and the NER) who operated the lines into which the Wharfedale Railway would connect. Finally in 1860, following approaches from local representatives, the NER and the MR met and agreed to build a joint line between Otley and Ilkley. The Midland Railway would make a connection with the new line by building a branch from the Leeds to Bradford line at Apperley Bridge to a junction at Burley in Wharfedale and the NER would build a branch from its Leeds to Harrogate line at Arthington to make an end-on connection with the new line at Otley. Construction began in 1863 with The MR taking responsibility for building the line between Otley and Ilkley. The NER branch from Arthington was finished first, and the first train from Otley to Leeds, via Arthington, ran on 1 February 1865. The MR line from Apperley Junction and the joint line itself were completed a few months later and the first passenger train from Ilkley to Otley ran on 1 August 1865, freight services starting a year later, in October 1866. The two companies set up a joint committee, the Otley & Ilkley Joint Line Committee, to manage the line. The line was and was 6+ 1⁄2 miles (10 km) long. It opened to passenger traffic on 1 August 1865 and freight traffic some months later, the line ran for almost 100 years before partial closure in July 1965 when the line to Otley closed. The beeching axe had fallen again. It was possible to get a train from Otley to St Pancras in London, but the first world war stopped this and was never again reinstated. After the 1923 grouping the line continued to be run on a joint basis by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). At this time there were around 8 trains a day each way. With nationalisation in 1948 there came an end to the joint committee and the entire line became part of the London Midland Region of British Railways although this was short lived and in 1955 it became part of the North Eastern Region instead. By this time the Otley service remained at four services each way. None of which were direct to Leeds. And only two remained direct to Bradford. Please buy me a coffee ☕ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/petelofty9G Go fund me link for donations to support the channel Here’s the link: https://gofund.me/6a3f30e4 Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @whatremainsx   Please support the Yorkshire Wolds Railway. Visit https://www.yorkshirewoldsrailway.org click here for more videos    / @whatremainsx   MOTORCYCLE DASH CAM 22% discount code: NMCG 22 Direct buy link: https://aoocci.com/products/c9-motorc... code=NMCG 22&ref=xqaudohg