Commemorating the closure of the Oldham Loop Line

One of the pacer trains at Rochdale Train Station, which regularly ran along the Oldham loop line.

A number of events are taking place to commemorate the closure of the Rochdale, Oldham and Manchester railway line on Saturday 3 October.

They include the naming of a local diesel unit as ‘Gracie Fields’ and three special trains travelling around the ‘loop’, including one steam train and two heritage diesel locomotive trains.

For the final scheduled train a brass band will be present as the train leaves Manchester Victoria, calling at all stations to Rochdale via Oldham.

The railway has served local communities for over 140 years. The line will reopen as a Metrolink tram route in summer 2012.

The naming ceremony will be at Victoria station at 16:00 and the newly refurbished unit from Newton Heath Depot will provide services around to Rochdale for the rest of the evening.

The steam train will depart to travel the route at 18:15 arriving back, via Castleton, Rochdale and Oldham Mumps into Victoria around 19:30.

The first heritage diesel locomotive will then take the same train back around departing Victoria at 19:45.

The last locomotive hauled passenger train around the Oldham Loop will depart from Victoria at 20:05 and arrive back into Victoria at 21:15.

There will be a ‘relief’ train service stopping at Oldham Mumps, Shaw and Rochdale at around 23:20 and the final scheduled passenger train will leave around 23:30. Normal fares apply to these service trains.

For information nearer the day visit the STORM website on the community section of Rochdale Online.