The Rishworth Branch

The Rishworth Branch

The first edition of this book was written in 1988 and published in 1990. It’s been out of print for some years and this new printing is essentially a slightly updated reprint. After some false starts finally the Richworth Railway in the West Riding of Yorkshire opened for part of its length in 1878 then throughout in 1881. Partial closure occurred in 1952 and total closure in 1958 some time after which it was dismantled. The author describes the line as ‘very ordinary’ with no particular claim to fame. Starting from Sowerby Bridge the line served the villages of Triangle, Ripponden and Rishworth in its short 13 minute journey up the Ryburn Valley. The book is in ten chapters starting with a general description of the area then five chapters deal with the story from its origins until the railway is extended to Rishworth. The final chapters deal with rail motors, closure and the remnants of the line since closure, this last chapter having been updated to 2020.