The Settle-Carlisle Railway E-Book

Paul Salveson

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

The line from Settle to Carlisle is one of the world's great rail journeys. It carves its way through the magnificent landscape of the Yorkshire Dales - where it becomes the highest main line in England - descending to Cumbria's lush green Eden Valley with its view of the Pennines and Lakeland fells. But the story of the line is even more enthralling. From its earliest history the line fostered controversy: it probably should never have been built, arising only from a political dispute between two of the largest and most powerful railway companies in the 1860s. Its construction, through some of the most wild and inhospitable terrain in England, was a herculean task. Tragic accidents affected those who built, worked and travelled the line. After surviving the Breeching cuts of the 1960s, the line faced almost certain closure in the 1980s, only to be saved by an expected last-minute reprieve. This book describes the history behind the inception and creation of the line; the challenges of constructing the 72-mile railway and its seventeen viaducts and fourteen tunnels; threat of closure in the mid-1980s and the campaign to save it, and finally, the line today and its future.

Leseprobe

THE

Settle–Carlisle Railway

THE

Settle–Carlisle Railway

PAUL SALVESON

First published in 2019 by The Crowood Press Ltd Ramsbury, Marlborough Wiltshire SN8 2HR

[email protected]

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2019

© Paul Salveson 2019

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978 1 78500 638 8

Contents

Dedication and Acknowledgements

Foreword

Map of the line: Settle Junction–Carlisle

Introduction

Chapter 1:A Journey from Leeds to Carlisle

Chapter 2:An Impossible Dream?

Chapter 3:Operating England’s Highest Main Line: 1875–1989

Chapter 4:The Creation of a Railway Community

Chapter 5:Death and Disaster

Chapter 6:Working the Settle–Carlisle: a Young Goods Guard in the 1970s

Chapter 7:A Line Under Threat: 1963–1989

Chapter 8:Renaissance

Chapter 9:The Settle–Carlisle Line in the Twenty-First Century

Chapter 10:Settle–Carlisle People

Conclusion: Personal Hopes and Dreams

Bibliographical Essay: A Much Written About Railway

Index

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this book to all those who fought, in the face of ‘conventional wisdom’, to oppose the closure of this magnificent railway and who have continued to support its renaissance.

Paul Salveson Bolton, April 2019

Acknowledgements

I am particularly grateful for the tremendous help given by members of the Friends of the Settle–Carlisle Line (FoSCL), the Settle–Carlisle Railway Development Company, the Settle and Carlisle Railway Trust (SCRT)and the Cumbrian Railways Association (CRA). Special thanks must go to Mark Rand, Richard Watts, Martin Bairstow, Bryan Gray and David Joy for taking the time to comment; and particularly to the archivists of The Settle-Carlisle Railway Trust and The Cumbrian Railways Association.

I am also deeply grateful for the assistance I have received from Nigel Mussett, Martin Pearson, Edward Album, Bob Swallow, Paul Kampen, Tony Freschini, Douglas Hodgins, Ruth Annison, Andrew Rosthorn, Harvey Scowcroft, Steven Leyland, Drew Haley, Ken Harper, Gordon Allen, Geoff Weaver, Vernon Sidlow, Dick Fearn, Marion Armstrong, Martin Bairstow, Brian Eaton and Solomon Ng.

I would stress that any errors in the book are entirely my own responsibility.

Foreword

As a teenager, living in London, the Settle and Carlisle line was a long way away, but already seemed familiar. The two terrible accidents, high in the hills, described compellingly by L.T.C. Rolt in Red for Danger, made the railway and the terrain it went through feel very familiar; and North of Leeds by Peter Baughan was similarly evocative of the railway, the story of its building, and the countryside it traversed. Then came the end of steam in 1968, and the ‘Fifteen Guinea Special’; I persuaded my parents to buy me a ticket, and on a memorable day, I first saw the whole line from British Rail’s last steam train.

I’d think it would be impossible for anyone with any sense of romance not to regard the line with affection, if also respect. It probably should never have been built, but for competition between Victorian railway companies, and when it was, it was an expensive and deadly job, across wild and inhospitable countryside. It was hard to run (and still is), because even though steam and unfitted freights have gone, the remoteness and the weather still conspire to make operations and maintenance costly and challenging. But also, the line is an incredible survivor: it nearly closed, having been run down for years by British Railways, perennially short of money and resource to keep it going, and only saved by luck, political chance, a huge community effort, and by a little official subterfuge.

But now its future is assured. Since 1968, I’ve made several trips along the railway, but none more enjoyable than on the train hauled by Flying Scotsman in March 2017 that reopened the line after Network Rail spent £30m or so restoring the railway after the Eden Brows collapse. If that had happened even fifteen years earlier it would have been the end, but the railway in Britain has turned a corner, and a line like the Settle and Carlisle is valued for the contribution to the economy of the area it goes through, for tourism and because connectivity brings growth, jobs and houses across Britain.

Paul’s text is important because it describes all this, but it also focuses on people – the people who built it, operated and maintained it, and fought for it when it was under threat. Too many railway books deal only with facts and figures when there are heroes to be found, engineers and builders to admire (and grieve over, given the huge loss of life in construction), and drivers, firemen, guards and signallers to hear stories from.

It’s a real pleasure to be asked to write a foreword to this compelling description and story of the line, written by someone with intimate knowledge and real enthusiasm for it. I read the text from cover to cover in one sitting; many of you will too. And then, of course, you have to travel on the line – for the first time, or again. Whenever you go, whatever the season, this text will help you enjoy one of the magnificent railway journeys of the world.

Sir Peter Hendy CBE, Chairman, Network Rail

Map of the route.NIGEL MUSSETT

Introduction

Why another book on the Settle–Carlisle Line? It’s almost certainly the most written-about railway in Britain, if not the world. The first book wholly dedicated to the line was Houghton and Foster’s excellent work, The Story of the Settle–Carlisle Line, published in 1948. Many more have followed, including Peter Baughan’s monumental work The Midland Railway North of Leeds, published in 1966. Others have covered different aspects of the line’s operation, architecture and motive power. Each has its own particular merit, reflecting the deep affection that this line inspires.

I do have one claim to originality. As far as I’m aware, I’m the only person to have written a history of the line who actually worked on it. I was a guard at Blackburn depot in the 1970s and one of my regular turns was working freight trains to Carlisle ‘over the Midland’, as we still called it then. This experience gave me both a great love for the line and an insider’s view of it. I describe my experiences in Chapter 6.

This book attempts several things. First of all, to provide an accessible overview of the line’s history aimed at the intelligent general reader, bringing the story up to date. The railway enthusiast market is already very well catered for, but hopefully it will be of interest to them. Secondly, I wanted to bring in a strong ‘social’ element, highlighting the importance of the people who worked on the line, those who travelled on it and the men and women who fought so hard to save it.

The power of steam: A BR 9F heavy freight loco blasts away from Blea Moor with a Widnes to Long Meg freight, 9 April 1966.

A powerful view of Midland Compound 41103 piloting LMS Royal Scot 46133 (the ‘Green Howards’) on the southbound Thames–Clyde Express passing Garsdale. The 20A shed plate denotes that 41103 was a Leeds (Holbeck) loco, as was 46133. 9 September 1953.J. W. HAGUE, COURTESY DAVID BEEKEN

I’ve peppered the book with quotes from a group of railwaymen who used to work over the line. In 1994, when I was working at Leeds University Adult Education Department, I ran an ‘oral history’ class for retired railway workers – ‘Railwaymen Remember’. The group was led by Charlie Wallace, one of the most remarkable railwaymen I’ve ever been privileged to meet. His stories, and those of his colleagues like Fred North, Ron Stead, Harry Lewin and several others, would make a great book in their own right. I’ve only been able to use a few of their recollections here.

One dark feature of the line’s history is the huge human cost of its building; not only the lives of construction workers but also those of their wives and children, who fell victim to disease caused by insanitary living conditions.

The line’s fortunes have ebbed and flowed, perhaps the nadir being reached in the mid-1980s when even the most optimistic person would have been forgiven for thinking that the line was doomed to close. That this didn’t happen was down to ‘people power’ – the highly effective mass campaign to resist the closure, which was crowned with success in 1989. Many of those campaigners have continued their work, positively promoting the line. A further blow came recently, in 2016, when a serious landslip led to the line’s closure for over a year. If that had happened in the 1960s there is little doubt that the line would never have re-opened. The fact that it did is testament to the commitment that the line has within the railway industry and Government.

The line can look forward to a very positive future, playing an expanding role in passenger and freight, as well supporting sustainable tourism and rural development. That’s something its original promoters would have welcomed and embraced.

This is a fun railway! Look out for Mickey Mouse tucked inside an alcove on one of the stations along the line. The cheeky mouse used to be located at Dent, but moved further south….

CHAPTER 1

A Journey from Leeds to Carlisle

Passengers waiting at Leeds station for the Carlisle train, operated by Northern, often look a bit ‘different’ from the usual commuters coming into work, or businesspeople on their way to London. A lot of them will be geared up for a long walk in the hills; others will be carrying picnic hampers. This is, at least for some, a fun railway. Many people use it for enjoyment – and the journey is a very big part of their day out. Get a good seat and enjoy the trip.

Departure from Leeds could involve running parallel with something a bit bigger – possibly an LNER service for London or a TransPennine Express heading for Manchester. Routes to Normanton, then Bradford and Wakefield split about a mile outside the station, to the left. The Harrogate line diverges to the right about a mile further on. The Leeds–Liverpool Canal runs alongside the line most of the way to beyond Gargrave and is frequently visible from the train.

The famous Flying Scotsman prepares to leave Leeds for Carlisle on a railtour in the early 1980s.

Sketch of the line.SETTLE–CARLISLE RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT COMPANY

This section of the route, known as the Aire Valley Line, was electrified in 1995 and local services to Ilkley, Bradford (Forster Square) and Skipton are operated by modern Class 333 electric trains. We remain ‘under the wires’ as far as Skipton, passing Kirkstall Abbey on the right, followed by the new station at Kirkstall Forge which opened in June 2016. This section of line, as far as Shipley, dates back to as early as 1846.

The Ilkley line peels off to the right at Apperley Junction and we pass another new station – Apperley Bridge – which re-opened in 2015, before entering Thackley Tunnel after crossing the River Aire. Beyond the north end of the tunnel the line from Guiseley trails in on the right. Before entering Shipley you may catch sight of the former Great Northern station, now the offices for a scrapyard, on your left. This was the start of the prosaically named ‘Idle Branch’ with its far-famed Idle Working Men’s Club. You can buy the T-shirt.

Shipley is our first stop, using the relatively new platforms on the ‘east’ curve. It’s one of the busiest stations on the line and is fully staffed. The line to Bradford (Forster Square) heads away to the west and the station now forms a complete triangle, with Bradford–Skipton services using the north-west side. It also has a station café, which is an added attraction to this pretty and well-used station. The buildings are classic Midland Railway and very well preserved, helped by the Railway Heritage Trust. Investment by West Yorkshire Combined Authority (Metro) has seen construction of an accessible footbridge, booking office improvements and traditionally styled waiting rooms on the ‘curve’ platforms.

Waiting for the ‘right away’ from Leeds (Wellington) station: Holbeck Royal Scot 46113 Cameronian at the head of the Thames–Clyde Express, 11 May 1959.J. C. W. HALLIDAY

A BR Deltic passes Kirkstall, in the Leeds suburbs, on a railtour bound for Carlisle in 1981.

LMS Jubilee Kolhapur on the morning relief St Pancras–Glasgow emerges from Thackley Tunnel between Leeds and Shipley, 22 July 1967.VERNON SIDLOW

An LMS Fairburn Tank leaves Shipley for Bradford on a portion of the St Pancras Express, 22 July 1967.

BR Britannia 70016 Ariel heads the summer Saturday afternoon relief St Pancras–Edinburgh round Shipley Curve on 22 July 1967. Platforms were provided in two stages, the first being completed in 1979 and the second in 1992.VERNON SIDLOW

Shipley station booking hall has been superbly restored and hosts an excellent café.

Bradford Forster Square: an LMS Fairburn Tank shunts parcels vans in the sidings. March 1967.

An LMS 4MT 2-6-0 shunts Crossley’s scrapyard, Shipley, in June 1967.

Bradford has always been an integral part of the Midland’s service to Carlisle and the Lancashire coast, so it is worth making a brief diversion to Bradford and re-starting our journey from there. Forster Square station, once a real gem, is now much reduced. It was cut back from its original site by BR in the 1970s and the number of platforms reduced to four. Access is either by a lift from street level or down a cobbled access, which looks fine in the daytime but is less than attractive at night. The saving grace of Forster Square is the surviving Midland Hotel, finely restored and a good place for either a quick bar snack or a more relaxed meal in the dining room. It’s the sort of place you might have expected to bump into JB Priestley. While you’re there, make sure you explore the back entrance of the hotel with its superb tiled walls and railway posters. It’s easy to miss.

Bradford is a bustling multi-cultural city; the city centre has had a lot of investment and Millennium Square facing the town hall is a great place to watch the world go by. If you’ve more time, the National Science and Media Museum is a great place to visit, but why not stay longer and enjoy a curry in one of the city’s many Asian restaurants?

A modern-day scene at Shipley. A class 333 train electric calls at the station, on a service from Leeds to Skipton, using the new platforms. June 2018.MARTIN BAIRSTOW

Leaving Bradford behind, there’s no trace of the former Manningham loco shed on the right but look out for the imposing Manningham Mills to the left, the scene of a prolonged strike in 1890–1 which led to the formation of the Independent Labour Party, forerunner of today’s Labour Party. The one intermediate stop before Shipley is Frizinghall, well used by children from the Bradford Grammar School (whose old boys include railway historian Martin Bairstow). Look out for the scrapyard on the left and you’ll see a couple of derelict diesel shunters, which once shuffled around Crossley Evans’ yard.

The train eases round to the left to enter Shipley station on its way towards Skipton. But let’s change here, have a coffee in the station café, admire the fine Midland Railway booking hall with its students’ art work and be careful not to cause trouble – the British Transport Police have an office in one of the station buildings. Then there’s the option to head across to Platform 2, through the busy car park. But look out for an unusual feature on a station: a site of special scientific interest. The SSSI is for a butterfly meadow and is protected against all invaders, including some who wanted to remove it so the car park could be extended. This section of the line, as far as Skipton, opened in stages during 1847.

We pass the magnificent Salt’s Mill on our right just before Saltaire. The mills and surrounding village were built by the Victorian philanthropist Titus Salt. Today they’re home to the David Hockney Gallery and a range of shops and eating places. Saltaire is a World Heritage Site (acknowledged on the station signs) and it’s a fascinating place to visit.

We emerge from Bingley Tunnel; train drivers once had to treat this with great care owing to the ‘dip’ through the station which could cause a goods train to uncouple through a ‘snatch’. Today, most trains stop at this busy and attractive station, located in the centre of town. A local ‘station friends’ group has been busy developing new station garden areas at the station, reviving an old railway tradition. Look out for the famous Bingley five-rise locks on the right as we head north, and the impressive Damart mills, before passing Crossflatts station as our train gathers speed.

Keighley is the next stop: the junction for what is now The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway. The line is one of preservation’s great success stories and re-opened in 1968. Only a few people of vision, like the town’s MP the late Bob Cryer, could have imagined what it would become and its importance for the local economy. If you’re lucky you might catch a glimpse of steam. A former Midland Railway signalbox controls access to the railway and you’ll catch sight of it on the left as we leave. To the right is the new Keighley College building, which has been a real boon for the line, with students making good use of the train to get to and from college. Keighley is a classic West Riding wool town and Cliff Castle, within walking distance of the station, is well worth exploring.

We pass the busy commuter station of Steeton and Silsden (the ‘Metro’ boundary) followed by more rural Cononley before approaching Skipton. The line passes under the former Ilkley and Grassington branch. The Ilkley branch diverged from the Grassington (Swinden Quarry) branch at Embsay Junction as far as Rylstone; only a few yards of lifted track separates it from the Embsay Steam Railway. The branch to Rylstone sees frequent freight traffic, typically two or three a day, taking aggregates from Swinden Quarry to locations across the North of England.

Skipton station has retained much of its ‘Midland’ flavour and the main building is looking the best it has been for a long time. The booking office area is spacious with staff available throughout most of the operating day. The station café – Café Express – is a must. Not only does it do the best coffee in town, it’s run by the Settle–Carlisle Railway Development Company (produce a copy of this book and they might give you a free brew!). Skipton has a small train crew depot, with Northern drivers and conductors working as far north as Carlisle, south to Leeds and west to Morecambe.

When I was a young driver my father – a Holbeck driver in the ’30s – advised me the best way to tackle the dip. ‘Keep the buggers goin’!’ he said. He insisted that the best plan was to keep steam on hard after slowing down before Bingley. I tried it out and we went storming through Bingley Tunnel, only to find we were signalled into the loop, with a 20mph speed restriction at the points. We hit them at something more like double that. We held the rails but I was a bit angry with my dad and told him so. He repeated his opinion, adding that I must have been a bit soft to worry about coming off the road. There wasn’t any ‘snatch’ was there?’

Retired driver Fred North, speaking to author, 1994

A preserved ‘Austerity’ freight engine departs from Keighley for Oxenhope.

Preserved LMS 46229 Duchess of Hamilton heads through the Aire Valley on a railtour.

One of the most celebrated railtours in the 1970s was the pairing of LNWR Hardwicke and Midland Compound number 1000. The tour ran from York to Carnforth. Here they are at Snaygill on 24 April 1976, on the approach to Skipton.

Celebrity Jubilee 45562 Alberta at Skipton, surrounded by a couple of more shabby-looking LMS Black 5s. 12 August 1967.VERNON SIDLOW

Skipton station in the early 1980s, before electrification.

The former Ilkley platforms are still in situ and, who knows, one day the Embsay Steam Railway may operate passenger trains into Skipton. On the right, north of the station, are the sidings for the electric multiple unit fleet – the Class 333 EMUs – which stable overnight ready for commuter services into Leeds and Bradford. Of more interest to the older railway enthusiast is the former steam shed (the code in latter days was 10G) on the left, now in industrial use. It is accessed along ‘Engine Shed Lane’. The railway beyond Skipton opened in 1849 as part of the ‘North Western Railway’ to Lancaster, leaving the newer Carlisle line (opened in 1876) at Settle Junction.

Skipton itself is a thriving market town, and Skipton Castle is the jewel in the crown of the town’s attractions. The canal wharf has been well restored with many good pubs and cafés in the area.

Leaving Skipton, the closed line to Colne curves away to the left and the trackbed is clearly visible. Trains may once again run through from Leeds via Skipton to East Lancashire and Blackpool, if campaign group SELRAP (Skipton–East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership) gets its way. I hope so. Gargrave is the next stop, with the former ‘North Western’ station house in private occupation. Facilities are basic but the station serves a charming village and the Dalesman Café’s egg and chips are strongly recommended; they have a good juke box with late ’60s hits too.

We cross the Leeds–Liverpool Canal for the last time and continue climbing past the former station at Bell Busk, closed in 1959 and once a popular railhead for walkers heading to Malham. The gradient then falls towards Hellifield, allowing non-stop trains to develop a good speed before hitting the ‘Long Drag’ after Settle Junction. Immediately south of the station the former Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&Y) line from Blackburn trails in. The route beyond Clitheroe is used for diversions and the summer ‘DalesRail’ trains. Cement once again goes by rail from Ribble Cement, with the sidings controlled by Horrocksford Junction (Clitheroe) signalbox. Hellifield developed as a strong railway community, with both the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and the Midland having loco sheds and large teams of workers. Many of the houses in which they lived still survive, including Midland Terrace on Station Road.

In my days as a guard at Blackburn in the mid-1970s, Hellifield was a regular train crew relieving point for long-distance freights from the south and west heading for Carlisle (see Chapter 6). One particular job involved signing on at 23:36 to work the Brewery Sidings–Carlisle as far as Hellifield, where we were relieved by ‘Carlisle men’, always a friendly lot. We then had a six-hour ‘short rest’ at Hellifield, making good use of the old waiting room’s benches before the southbound Class 40-hauled freight appeared. It was easy to imagine ghostly figures appearing outside on the platform, as in the Arthur Askey film The Ghost Train, set at a remote Cornish junction, although the scariest thing at this lonely rural junction was the snoring from some of the drivers.

BR Clan Pacific 72008 Clan Stewart hauls a summer Saturday extra through Gargrave in July 1963. Only ten of these locos were built, for lighter passenger work.PETER SUNDERLAND

Two Class 37 locos on a coal train head north through Bell Busk, c.1984.

A general view of Long Preston with passengers waiting for the northbound local train headed by LMS Black 5 45209.PETER E. BAUGHAN

The Midland Railway’s ‘Wyvern’ crest is integrated into the ironwork on the station canopy, together with ‘MR’ lettering.

The ornate Midland Railway ironwork at Hellifield, restored with help from the Railway Heritage Trust.

A general view of the north side of Hellifield station in the 1950s. The loco shed is to the left.W. H. FOSTER

The years of transition: BR Peak diesel D14 at Hellifield, with LMS Black 5 44894 in the goods loop at Hellifield.PETER SUNDERLAND

Hellifield (formerly ‘South Junction’) signalbox is still staffed, controlling the section to Settle Junction. All trace of the former Midland steam shed, which after closure in 1963 housed some of the National Railway Museum’s collection of locomotives, has disappeared. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway shed closed decades earlier. This still splendid station, complete with its Midland Railway canopies and their ‘Wyvern’ crests in the ironwork, has a tearoom which serves up a ‘fireman’s breakfast’. The café always seems well used by a mixture of enthusiasts and local residents including a group of young mums who gather for a cuppa after leaving the kids at school. The tearooms host monthly railway slide shows, which are well-attended.

BR 9F 92012 waits in the goods loop at Hellifield before heading north with a heavy freight, 10 August 1967.VERNON SIDLOW

Two LMS Black 5s at Hellifield waiting for the road, 10 August 1967. 45080 is on a Heysham–Leeds parcels train while 44713 heads a freight bound for the Blackburn line.VERNON SIDLOW

Long Preston is a basic station serving another pleasant village community. The post office has been expanded into a café and does excellent food. It’s only a short distance from here to Settle Junction, controlled by a fine Midland Railway signalbox. The original ‘Settle’ station was here, but was relocated to the current site in 1876 when the Carlisle route opened. The tracks to Carnforth fall away from the junction whilst the Settle–Carlisle Line proper continues, hitting a 1-in-100 gradient, which it maintains for the next 12 miles (19 km). We are now on the ‘Long Drag’.

LMS Jubilee 45566 Queensland heads south through Long Preston on a summer Saturday relief in the early 1960s. Note the ancient camping coach on the right.PETER SUNDERLAND

Settle Junction signalbox – the start of the ‘Long Drag’.

Settle station has a great team of ‘adopters’ who look after the gardens and other features.

The ‘new’ 1876 station at Settle is soon reached. It is a very fine example of the Midland Railway’s Settle–Carlisle architecture, one of the two ‘large’ stations on the line (the other being Appleby). It is well looked after by the station staff and volunteers of the Friends of the Settle–Carlisle Line, who run the small shop inside the building. Just behind the station building is the railway’s very own joiner’s shop, also run by FoSCL, to produce signage and station furniture for the line. It is a unique and highly successful venture. Look out for the altitude sign, erected by the enterprising former station master Jim Taylor in the 1960s. He was also responsible for creating the superb gardens, now looked after by volunteers.

The station master’s house is just to the north of the main buildings and now in private ownership. The former water tower on the east side of the station has been imaginatively restored by Mark and Pat Rand and now forms their home, complete with historic vehicles and buildings displayed outside. Tours round the water tower are available to the public during the summer period. Settle itself is a delightful Dales market town with a good supply of shops, pubs and cafés. The best day to visit is Tuesday – market day. The town hall is the base for the Settle–Carlisle Railway Development Company (see Chapter 8), formed after the line’s reprieve, to promote a range of business opportunities along the line. It has proved highly successful, a model for others to follow.

An unusual visitor to the line in the shape of a BR Deltic leaves a pall of diesel fumes as it passes through Settle on a tour in the 1980s.

LMS Jubilee Alberta heads north through Settle on the summer Saturday St Pancras–Glasgow relief Thames–Clyde Express – the 10:17 from Leeds, which it would work as far as Carlisle. 10 August 1967.VERNON SIDLOW

The line continues across two viaducts – Marshfield and Settle – which offer glimpses of the town and parish church. The River Ribble runs parallel to the line, below to the left. A mile further on is the former Stainforth Sidings, which served the Craven Lime Works. Much of this is still visible, including the large Hoffman kilns, which are said to be unique survivors. We pass through Staincliffe Tunnel and then cross two more viaducts – Little Viaduct and the highly photogenic Sheriff Brow. The small community of Helwith Bridge still boasts a pub – The Helwith Bridge Inn – located close to the railway just by Ribble Bridge Viaduct. The pub was an essential part of railwaymen’s route knowledge in the 1970s, after most of the signalboxes had closed. If your train was in trouble the pub was the natural place to call for assistance!

BR 9F 92223 brings the Long Meg–Widnes anhydrite train through Settle, 19 August 1967.VERNON SIDLOW