The Blackpool Belle Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Part of the
Chorley Challenge - a cache in every Chorley
village!
Heapey
Heapey Parish extends from the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in the
north to Anglezarke reservoir in the south and from the eastern
edge of Knowley in the west to Heapey Moor in the east. It is a
rural parish between the settlements of White Coppice, Wheelton and
Heapey Chase.
Heapey and Trains
On the Chorley to Blackburn line, Heapey Station was often busy
with both passenger and goods traffic. It was a popular dismounting
point with ramblers making their way to White Coppice and the moors
close by. Goods trains took produce from the farms, and also the
mills at Wheelton and Withnell Fold. There was also two large
factories in Heapey, namely the Royal Ordnance and Heapey Bleach
Works. Both had their own line into the factories. See
here for info about suspected storage of
railway engines at the ROF.
The line was closed in the late 1960's as a result of Dr Beeching
and his cuts to the British rail network. The station buildings on
the Chorley bound line (i.e. the left side platform in the picture
above) survive today and have had extensions added to them. The
remaining buildings have been demolished. The station is now a
private residence, and a kennels/cattery.
The Blackpool Belle
A famous song by the Houghton Weavers - a favourite of Chorley
pub-goers! I wonder if the Blackpool Belle ever went down this
line?
Oh! The Blackpool Belle was a get-away train that went from
Northern Station,
What a beautiful sight on a Saturday night, bound for the
'luminations.
No mothers and dads, just girls and lads, young and
fancy-free
Out for the laughs on the Golden Mile at Blackpool by the
sea.
CHORUS: I remember very well
All the happy gang aboard the Blackpool Belle.
I remember them pals of mine
When I ride the Blackpool Line,
And the songs we sang together on the Blackpool Belle.
Little Piggy Greenfield he was there. He thought he was mighty
slick.
He bought a hat on the Golden Mile. The hat said "Kiss me
quick".
Piggy was a lad for all the girls, but he drank too much
beer.
He made a pass at a Liverpool lass and she pushed him off the
pier.
CHORUS
Ice-cream Sally could never settle down. She lived for her
Knickerbocker Glories,
Till she clicked with a bloke who said he was broke, but she loved
his ice-cream stories.
She took it all in with a smile and a grin. She fell for Sailor
Jack.
They went for a trip to the Isle of Man and never did come
back.
CHORUS
Now the Blackpool Belle has a thousand tales if they could all be
told.
Many of these I will recall as I am growing old.
They were happy days and I miss the times as we pulled the curtains
down,
And the passion wagon would steam back home as we would go to
town.
CHORUS
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Oruvaq fgbar jnyy.