The Holmfirth (Summer Wine) Branch Line

Holmfirth was, in its genesis, little more than a northern industrial textile town, despite the fact that it nestled in some stunningly beautiful countryside. By the mid-1960s many of the mills had gone out of business and the short branch railway had closed in May 1965. Then, something rather unusual happened that would change Holmfirth forever. On 4th January, 1973 the first ever Last of the Summer Wine programme hit the TV screens. The programme was a great success and the rest, as they say, is history. Today Holmfirth has changed out of all recognition from the town where the respected transport historian, Professor Alan Earnshaw went to school. In this book he charts the history of the former Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway branch line from Brockholes Junction to Holmfirth in a way that will be enjoyed by railway enthusiasts, railway modellers, locals and visitors alike.