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20
Aug
Rail employee sings to passengers to mark Knaresborough viaduct anniversary
Passengers travelling between Harrogate and Knaresborough were serenaded this week by a rail employee – to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Knaresborough viaduct.
Paul Mirfin has worked for train company Northern for 23 years and also plays in a band, so he was the natural choice when Northern director Alex Hornby and Harrogate rail enthusiast David Russell were looking for someone to help mark the occasion with music.
Mr Mirfin and a fellow Northern employee at Harrogate railway station.
Mr Mirfin sang and played guitar and harmonica for four return trips between Harrogate and Knaresborough and then played on the concourse at Harrogate station.
He told the Stray Ferret:
With the band, I play a song called This train’s bound for glory, so I changed the words to ‘This train’s bound for Knaresborough’.
There were a lot of smiles, and people filming it with their phones – people seemed to really enjoy it.
The viaduct over the River Nidd in Knaresborough.
The first Knaresborough viaduct was built in 1848, but it fell down, so it was rebuilt, opening on October 1, 1851.
Mr Mirfin, who also works as an artist and has a passion for painting rail infrastructure, said:
A lot of people don’t seem to know about the anniversary, but the viaduct means a lot to most people in Knaresborough.
It’s a special place with an interesting history – when it collapsed, it fell on the mayor, killing him – and I’ve painted it a lot of times.
It’s iconic – it’s supposed to be the most photographed manmade structure in Yorkshire.
Paul Mirfin also plays in the Paul Mirfin Band.
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