Delph to Rishworth and Rochdale?

[Edwin_m]

This evening I've walked the Delph branch for the first time in several years.  I don't recall noticing before that the overbridge at Measurements was built large enough for double track.  I then came across an interpretation board which confirmed this and said the bridge was added after the line was built, and that there were plans in the 1880s "to extend the branch through the Castleshaw Valley to Rishworth and Rochdale". 

 

I've never heard this before - does anyone know any more details? 

 

I have to say it sounds unlikely to me.  I've heard of plans by the LYR to shorten its indirect Calder Valley route by extending the Rishworth branch across the Pennines, but the Delph branch was owned by the LNWR, the very competitor that created the need for a faster LYR route in the first place.  Even had the two companies come to an agreement, a much shorter route to Rishworth was possible by tunnelling from Marsden instead of under the min ridge from Delph.  And even cheaper just to extend the running powers to Heaton Lodge where the LNWR and LYR routes converged...

 

And Rochdale?  The Castleshaw valley would have been completely the wrong direction - the line would have needed to make a left turn through Delph village and continue up the Tame valley before tunnelling under Grains Bar, or even go into tunnel before reaching Delph station.  This might have made more sense for the LNWR to build a competing line into LYR territory to get at some potentially very lucrative freight traffic.  Oddly enough this is a "might have been" scenario I thought about for a layout many years ago, but thinking more of the Great Central striking northwards from Stalybridge, or even the Midland... 

[Red Devil]

I can honestly say I've never heard that one before and at one time it was very local to me. The Castleshaw bit interests me as there was the railway (tramroad?) that ran up to Castleshaw during the reservoir construction, that was late 1880s early 1990s.

 

As to Rochdale, it again seems strange I wonder if straight up the Tame Valley towards Denshaw and the tunnel through to New Hey?There's certainly no easy routes for all of those 'plans'

[Edwin_m]

This topic is now the top of the Google search for "railway delph rishworth", which suggests there's not a lot of other information out there.  However a mention on the link below makes a bit more sense, if the "main line" had been Rishworth via Castleshaw and New Tame to Royton.  This would have used the Delph branch only between Delph and New Tame (including Measurements Halt).  It would presumably also have created the LYR's cut-off of the Calder Valley route, although heading for Oldham Mumps would appear to make more sense than Royton. 

 

http://saddind.co.uk/history-saddleworth-by-rail-part-2/