| The
Settle-Carlisle Railway - An introduction to the line
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The most spectacular railway
of all through the Yorkshire Dales is undoubtedly the Settle - Carlisle
(known by generations of railwaymen as the "Long Drag") and was built between
1869 and 1876 by the Midland Railway Company.
Ribblehead Viaduct |
The
line was built to provide the Midland Railway with its own direct route
north towards Scotland and to avoid the attendant difficulties of having
to use the line from Ingleton to Lowgill (near Tebay, Cumbria) which was
owned by its great rival, the L & NWR (London and North Western Railway).
The Settle - Carlisle line was one of the last great railway civil engineering
projects of the Victorian railway age.
The Settle - Carlisle line is 72 miles and 1045 yards long from Settle Junction to Petterill Bridge Junction near Carlisle. It is generally acknowledged as a masterpiece of victorian railway engineering, with huge earthworks, lofty viaducts and lengthy tunnels. After a century of weathering the grand scale of the civil engineering works is in complete harmony with the surrounding hills and dales. |
| However, the Dales Rail
initiative saw the return of weekend DMU stopping services bringing walkers
from Lancashire and this proved to proved to be the turning point. In the
face of exaggerated claims by British Rail regarding the cost of rectification
works on Ribblehead Viaduct, money was found for repairs.
The work was completed at a fraction of the original cost estimates, the condition of the viaduct proving to be much better than originally claimed. The line was then put forward for privatisation but there were no serious takers. During these tribulations, a strong preservation lobby had emerged and after a long and vigorous campaign, the line was reprieved. |
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Blea Moor Signal Box |
During the early 1980's
British Rail laid plans to close the line. The infrastructure was allowed
to run down and only the most essential maintenance was carried out. Freight
traffic was diverted away from the line, the local passenger service was
withdrawn and only the stations of Settle and Appleby remained open. For
a quite a while the future of the line looked bleak.
Strangely, the economics
of the post-privatisation railway scene also helped to reverse the fortunes
of the line and its value as an alternative to the crowded West Coast Main
Line was also recognised. Weekend passenger diversions returned to the
line, much to the delight of enthusiasts.
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| Railtrack, the owners of
the privatised infrastructure, started a programme of track renewal. A
number of high profile derailments and the presence of a multitude of speed
restrictions due to track condition helped to underline the urgent need
for infrastructure renewal and in 1999, the line was closed for the first
of a series of major track renewals.
An "out and back" trip of over 144 miles over the line to Carlisle, passing over the Ribblehead viaduct at over 1000 ft above sea level, can easily be made in a day, leaving enough free time to explore the border town of Carlisle with its historic castle and modern shopping centres. The journey takes approximately one and three quarter hours starting from Settle. Text from "The Settle-Carlisle Railway" CD-ROM |
Wild Boar Fell |
Tickets may be obtained at Settle station or bought on the train if you board from an unmanned station. Northern Rail (formerly Arriva Trains Northern, and before that Northern Spirit, and before that, in BR days, Regional Railways North East) operates the train service.
