The East Lancashire Community Rail Partnership (ELCRP) has just heard that it has been successful in securing a grant from the Designated Community Rail Development Fund (DCRDF).
The £3,000 grant is to support ELCRP’s project to develop some children’s art work at the new diesel train depot being built on the old King Street coal sidings, formerly known as ‘The Wrangling’, close to Blackburn station.
St. Luke & St. Philip’s Primary School the closest school to the new depot have been working with the CRP and local artist Alastair Nicholson to design an illuminated sculpture that will be displayed close to the entrance of the depot. A piece of artwork that reflects the sculpture will be repeated in the waiting room on platform 4 at Blackburn station.
The Wrangling is the site of a former railway freight yard, which latterly became King Street Coal Sidings, and is situated close to Blackburn station. The site is possibly named after an area where wrestling or ‘wrangling’ took place. Network Rail as part of their North West Electrification Programme are converting the stabling and maintenance depot at Blackpool North to service electric trains and are building a brand new diesel depot on the Wrangling site at Blackburn.
The Designated Community Rail Development Fund (DCRDF) is supported by the Department for Transport and the Association of Community Rail Partnerships and is an annual funding stream for community rail lines that have been designated as a part of the government’s Community Rail Strategy.