Castleton’s railway children

Castleton Railway Station

The safety of children was addressed by The Friends of Castleton Station at the Castleton Forum on Tuesday evening.

Frank Salt spoke of the increase in speed of trains following the recent upgrade to the line between Manchester Victoria and Littleborough. He said: "The upgrade means that trains will pass through Castleton at speeds of up to 60mph. With the frequency of trains planned to increase in the near future this means our railway is changing and all people, and especially children, must be aware of this."

With this in mind the Friends and STORM are contacting British Transport police to arrange visits to all the primary schools in Castleton and later in the whole of Rochdale.

The Friends new secretary and treasurer, Rod Hughes, explained the changes in how the group will operate under the new Arriva Trains North franchise and proposed a vote of thanks for the 15 years devoted service of the retiring station adopter Roy Williams, which the Forum endorsed. Mr Williams will continue with the Friends, which he established 20 years ago.

A plea for new members was made by the Friends, especially to assist in the floral displays and to boost the influence in coming meetings with the East Lancashire Railway to extend steam operations into Castleton Station.

New members can contact the group through the Friends website:

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/sites/friends-of-castleton-station