News

As of 31st March, the line is fully open again.  A normal timetable is in operation.  On Friday 31st March, people flocked to the lineside to see Flying Scotsman travel from Keighley to Carlisle and back. 

The 0550 from Carlisle was the first train southbound and was packed with people wanting to take part in a historic occasion, not to mention all the media recording the event.

And the trains were packed throughout the day, a sure sign of the importance of the line to local people. 

Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, who are running a special charter hauled by Flying Scotsman from Oxenhope in the Worth Valley to Carlisle and back on Friday 31st March, have finally been able to release the planned timings.  See http://kwvr.co.uk/kwvr-news-items/flying-scotsman-timings/

Ribblehead Visitor Centre tearoom will be open from 31st March, a day earlier than usual because of Flying Scotsman. 

The Exhibition at the Centre is being refurbished, it is planned that it will reopen in May.  We'll publicise it when the date is known.

There will be several special events on Friday 31st March to celebrate the full reopening of the Settle-Carlisle Line. 

Keighley and Worth Valley Railway are organising a special excursion hauled by Flying Scotsman from Keighley to Carlisle and return.  This train is already fully booked.  Timings have still not been announced but keep an eye on http://kwvr.co.uk/flyingscotsman/ 

The producers of two of our DVDs, Creative Imagineers Ltd, have secured transmissions on one of the Sky channels for both A Journey on The Settle Carlisle Railway and The Saving of The Settle-Carlisle Railway.

The channel is taking more than 15 hours of programming from them, with multiple transmissions over the three year period of the contract. Hopefully, the programmes will provide a small reminder that this spectacular railway is a wonderful day out, and help to reinvigorate it after the re-opening.
 

Based on feedback from a FoSCL member, most of the reserved seats for the Tornado hauled trains on 14, 15 & 16 February are now booked.  He writes:

February 14th, 15th and 16th on the Settle Carlisle railway.

Twelve Northern services will be steam-hauled, seven-carriage trains. They will pass over the ‘roof of England’ behind Britain’s newest steam locomotive, Tornado. The world-famous line carves its way through the spectacular scenery of Cumbria’s Eden Valley, the Yorkshire Dales and crosses the majestic Ribblehead viaduct.

There is a very big Valentine's Week treat in store on February 14, 15 and 16 on the world famous Settle-Carlisle railway.

On those three days a total of twelve scheduled Northern services will be replaced by eight coach steam hauled trains.   Four trains each day will traverse the line over the 'roof of England' hauled by Britain's newest steam locomotive Tornado.

Settle & Carlisle Re-opening Special

The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway is delighted to announce the running of a commemorative railtour from Oxenhope to Carlisle on 31st March behind ‘Flying Scotsman’, in conjunction with Northern, Network Rail and Friends of the Settle & Carlisle. The train, which will be operated by West Coast Railways, will form part of the re-opening celebrations of the Settle & Carlisle line which is scheduled to re-open on this day.

The 4th annual ride2stride festival will take place between 25th April and 1st May 2017

ride2stride is a festival of walks, talks and music along the fabulous Settle-Carlisle railway line.

It's a week long celebration of the wonderful landscape and culture of the western Dales and Eden Valley.

Martin Pearson's ground-breaking new book on the history and saving of the Settle-Carlisle Line is available for delivery, including dociuments never before published.  Order now for Christmas!

The Building and Saving of a Great Railway A Line of Critical Decisions
by Martin Pearson with a Foreword by Michael Portillo  Paperback     £13 inc P+P

Please note: there has been a delay at the printers of Martin Pearson's new book, The Settle-Carlisle Railway 1850-1990, which means that we have not yet been able to fulfill the many orders that we have had.  We hope to start sending them out during the week beginning 28 November.

Railways have an enormous impact on our lives. A recent BBC programme claimed that railways made a bigger impact than the Internet. So it is important to record the story of our railways. That is why we are creating an archive of material about the Settle Carlisle Line. We have recently moved all our archives, and collection of small objects, to our own room at The Folly in Settle. We plan to put as much material as possible on-line. To discover what is already on-line visit http://www.settle-carlisle.co.uk/heritage/

Fancy a little trip across the Yorkshire Dales by bus?  'All aboard: The country bus' is a real time 2 hour journey from Richmond to Ingleton using the Northern Dalesman bus filmed earlier this year and due to be broadcast on BBC4 at 8pm on Bank Holiday Monday 29th August.

The Northern Dalesman is a service often used by FoSCL Guided Walks on Sundays.  The bus meets the 09.00 train from Leeds at Ribblehead and takes walkers to Hawes or over the Buttertubs Pass into Swaledale.

The first of the season’s three Jericho Walks was a great success, thanks to everyone that helped make it a success. 
 

Following the successful 'slow TV' episodes featuring canal journeys and sled rides BBC4 has commissioned a third programme which will feature the 'Northern Dalesman' bus service from Richmond in N Yorkshire to Ingleton.  River valleys, ancient meadows, agricultural pastures and ancient mining villages and the 19th century Ribbleshead viaduct are all part of the scenery.

Not so much a news item as a reminder that we regularly lead guided geology walks from the stations along the Settle-Carlisle Line.  And if you'd like to read a great explanation of the geology all along the line, see http://www.see.leeds.ac.uk/misc/scienceandtourism/Final%20copy%20leaflets/9388-Settle-Carlisle%20Booklet3.pdf 

From Sunday 15 May 2016, a Settle Carlisle Line Day Ranger ticket will be available.  This will reduce the cost of travel for many journeys on the Settle Carlisle line.

The offer is being introduced to encourage people to travel on the world-famous railway, which remains open while essential repairs are carried out between Appleby and Carlisle in Cumbria.

Recently screened historical drama ‘Jericho’ has encouraged many viewers to find out more about the real history of the Navvy site at Ribblehead in the stunningly beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

This summer, call in at Ribblehead Visitor Centre and see you yourself how the famous viaduct was built.

http://sandctrust.org.uk/Jericho/ for more information.

THE REAL JERICHO EXPERIENCE