Glossop Trades Council's fight to get a railway station for Gamesley hardly got off to a flying start.
Fifty years ago it was asking people who had moved onto the new estate to show the need for one by writing in.
The council was expecting scores of replies and planned to bundle the stack up and send it to British Rail a evidence.
Only it didn’t quite work out as the councillors expected. Only one letter dropped through council secretary Albert Steven’s letterbox.
A clearly disappointed Albert told the Chronicle: “One is less than useless, we must have more support from the public before we can do anything.”
Councillors said 100 per cent support was vital as rail bosses had to be convinced that a station would ‘pay its way’.
Petitions and a public meeting were suggested, but it was decided not to proceed, because if people were not willing to write letters they would be even less likely to turn out to meetings.