Skipton--colne--london
 

When i was at Agecroft 26B,we had a job in our link where we started at 2.55 in the morning,where as we prepared a black 5 for 5.20 Southport,and of course our own stanier tank for 5.10 colne,and i am hoping some of you guys remember this line,and probably add to it. We worked out of Manchester Vic's bay platforms by the side of the electric platforms which served Bury,now the Tram lines,and the ELR at Bury.
We used to have 3 / 4 coaches of the non corridor stock,first stop Bury,then all stations to Colne,quite a number of miners used this train for the mines around Huncoat,Hapton and Brierfield,i think,though someone out their will know more than i on the mines. This was a good job for the week,but our return was Colne,Burnley,Accrington,up the steep Accrington bank,via Clifton Juncton,although we did not stop there,then Salford,and Manchester Victoria. On the Saturday we did the same but with a shiny black 5,being the summer timetable we arrived at Colne,then empty stock to Skipton,drop the carriages in the sidings,on the shed turn our engine,do the necesarry's,a brew and our snack,then in to the station and work the 9.00 Skipton London,with 10 on stopping at Colne,Burnley,Blackburn,Bolton,Manchester Vic,and Stockport Edgeley,and get relieved by Edgeley men. The unusual thing about this train, is that the carriage headboards stated COLNE,LONDON can anyone tell me why,as i would have thought it should have read,SKIPTON LONDON. Torquay.

It might have been something to do with Skipton already having a direct service to London St.Pancras via Leeds.
I don't know when the Euston service started but it could even have been prior to 1923 when Colne was the border between the Midland Rly and the Lancashire & Yorkshire Rly. In those days the Euston service probably did start from Colne as an L & Y train.