THE Delph Donkey anniversary brought back memories of the train’s final journey for Independent reader Denise Fraser.
A former Uppermill librarian, Denise even has a souvenir from her last journey 65 years ago.
She told us: “I was 14 years old and had been to a dance at Oldham Town Hall.
“My friend and I caught the last Donkey home. We stayed on the train all the way to Delph station.
“On the way back, the guard let us cut the buttons off his uniform jacket. I still have mine.
“The train stopped at Moorgate Halt and I got off. My friend got off in Lees.
“When I was at Hulme Grammar School we used to catch the Donkey a lot.
“Going through Grotton tunnel some boys used to take the light bulbs out and we were plunged into pitch black.”
When I was around 9/11years old myself and Edward Buckley used to go to Greenfield Station train spotting.when it was home time we used to help stoke the Delph donkey train whilst the train took on water,the driver would then give us a ride on the footplate to Moorgate halt ,we would cross the line,Eddie would go down on to high street and then up to Shaws hamlet home,I would go on the platform towards greenfield and drop down through some gardens to my home (20oldham road),we did this several times a week