SideTracked - The Wharfedale Line - Ben Rhydding
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The Wharfedale Line is like a two pronged fork, one line runs from Leeds, initially on The Airdale Line, before leaving this at Apperly Bridge, on a single line to Esholt Junction where it joins the Bradford line, and then runs on to Guiseley the 1st station for Leeds trains.
The other line starts at Bradford Foster Square, Frizinghall, Shipley (where it crosses The Airedale Line), Baildon and then joins the Leeds branch to form the handle of the fork running via Guiseley, Menson, Burley in Wharfedale, Ben Rydding before terminating at Ilkey
The line was originally owned by the Midland Railway from Leeds to Burley-in-Wharfedale. At this point the line became joint property, with the North Eastern Railway, and was known as the Otley & Ilkley Joint Railway (O&IJt). The line originally carried on from Ilkley, this Midland line served Addingham, Bolton Abbey and Embsay to Skipton. The section from Embsay to Bolton Abbey has been reopened by enthusiasts and operates steam locomotives as the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway.
The line was electrified between 1994 and 1995, and is mainly served by four-coach Class 333 electric multiple units operated by Northern Rail
During Monday to Saturday daytimes services run to/from Leeds and Bradford twice per hour, there are four services every hour to Ilkley. During Monday to Saturday evenings, services are hourly to/from both Leeds and Bradford Forster Square. On Sundays, services are hourly to/from Leeds and every two hours to/from Bradford.
Ben Rhydding station, built as part of the Otley and Ilkley Joint Railway, was opened to passenger traffic on the 1 July 1866, eleven months after the opening of the railway. In April 1885 the North Eastern Railway Board had "ordered that a small wooden station consisting of booking office, waiting room and retiring room for ladies be provided as a temporary accommodation at Ben Rhydding." Six years later, in May 1871, the Joint Committee reached an agreement with the proprietor of the Ben Rhydding Hydro, that more a more permanent station structure should be built at the expense of the Hydro, with a ground rent of a penny per annum, so long as the structures met the approval of the railway engineer, a Mr. Crossley. The Hydro's arrangements with the company lasted until 1885, when the structures - a stone built station house on the south (down) platform and a wooden structure on the north (up) platform - were sold to the railway company for £240. Clients of the hydro were met by the hydro's hourse-bus, and later by motor-bus, up until some time after the first world war. The station was opened to goods traffic in 1888, and sidings were provided suitable to this use. A new signal box was opened in 1901, situated at the Ilkley end of the northern platform. Goods traffic ceased on 5 July 1965, and the sidings later removed. Station staff were withdrawn on 7 October 1968, when 'pay-trains' were introduced. The stone station building has subsequently been demolished, and shelter on both platforms is restricted to simple bus-stop type covered areas.
The cache is a 35mm film canister
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Tngrcbfg