The Leeds – Morecambe Community Rail Partnership has celebrated the 175th anniversary of the line.

The Anniversary was celebrated with a special ‘Grand Day Out To The Seaside’ journey to Morecambe.

The route was opened on the 1st June 1850 after the line between Clapham Junction (Yorkshire) and Bentham was declared open.

Originally, the line went from Leeds to Wennington before heading via the Lune Valley via Hornby and Lancaster Green Ayre to Morecambe.

Fast forward to the present day and trains now head to Wennington and on to the Lune Valley at Arkholme before joining the West Coast Main Line at Carnforth before heading into Lancaster. Trains then reverse here before heading to Morecambe / Heysham Port via Bare Lane.

The 08:31 Leeds to Morecambe was the train to take guests and passengers for their grand day out, where they were welcomed by the Lancaster City Brass band. Guests then rode on a vintage double-decker bus for a tour of Heysham, Morecambe and Bare.

Darren Allsopp, Stakeholder Manager at Northern Trains commented, “We are delighted to welcome you all onboard this very special seaside service to celebrate 175 years of this beautiful and scenic railway. I would like to thank everybody who has worked hard to make this event come to life, and make the day a very special and memorable for all. Northern Trains are proud to partner community rail initiatives and the LMCRP always has positive surprises in store”.

Following the event Gerald Townson remarked, “today it has been a real pleasure to welcome onboard many volunteers and stakeholders who have supported the LMCRP over almost 20 years, along with individuals and groups we have worked alongside to make the Bentham Line a welcoming place for all”.