The Barnoldswick Railway was an English railway company, that constructed a short branch line to Barnoldswick from a junction on the Midland Railway line from Skipton to Colne. It was opened in 1871, and was worked from the outset by the Midland Railway. It was moderately successful in financial terms, and the company was acquired by the Midland Railway in 1899. Declining usage led to the line being closed to passengers in 1965 and to goods in 1966. Construction and opening Barnoldswick was a small cotton weaving community. Local industry was hampered by poor transport links, although this was mitigated by the opening of a local part of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in the last decade of the eighteenth century. The Midland Railway line from Skipton to Colne opened in 1848, by-passing Barnoldswick, and this emphasised the disadvantage, giving a boost to communities on the line of route. Commitment was raised locally to build a line from the town to make a junction with the Midland Railway at Sough Bridge, near Earby. An authorising Act of Parliament for the Barnoldswick Railway Company was obtained on 12 August 1867 (30 & 31 Vict., clxxxi). The line was in length from the junction at Sough Bridge; the junction was called Barnoldswick Junction. The line was worked by the Midland Railway from its opening on 13 February 1871. by the Midland Railway. Train service In 1895 there were nine trains each way between Barnoldswick and Earby, with four each way on Sundays. By 1910 the service had increased to between 15 and 18 on weekdays, varying by day of the week, and six on Sundays. In 1922 the weekday service was similar, but the Sunday service had fallen to two trains each way. In 1938 there were 26 trains Monday to Friday, with 28 on Saturdays and nine on Sundays. Absorbed by the Midland Railway In March 1898, the Barnoldswick company asked the Midland Railway if it would purchase the line. As it was trouble-free and regularly paid out a reasonable if fluctuating dividend — on June 30, 1897, it was 5 per cent — the Midland agreed and the necessary powers were obtained in 1899. The Midland Railway absorbed the company by Act of 13 July 1899. It was the last company to be acquired by the Midland Railway. Light railway proposed In May, 1904, the Barnoldswick and Gisburn Light Railway