News

Visitors to the Dales may have wondered at the plaques dedicated to the memory of railway navvies in the parish churches of Holy Ascension in Settle and St Leonards in Chapel-le-Dale.  They mark the men that died in accidents during the building of the railway between Settle and Dent in 1869 and 1876.  These deaths raise intriguing questions about the men who made the ultimate sacrifice during the building of the railway.  The number of deaths is an appalling statistic, and every one of them was someone’s son and possibly a husband and father.

PLANS by the Friends of the Settle Carlisle Line (FoSCL)to become a member of Government backed Community Rail have been given the support of Craven District Council.

Members of the council’s Policy Committee were told membership of the Community Rail Partnership could provide access to additional funding and support, as well as formal recognition as a consultative body for the planning and delivery of rail services.

Community Rail is a government-supported programme which enables community involvement in the planning and delivery of rail services in a local area.

A reduced train timetable for essential journeys during lockdown will be introduced on many @northernassist routes from Monday 18th January, see https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/travel/timetables.  On weekdays the Settle-Carlisle service will be reduced from 8 trains each way to 4.  We're supportive of this, you can't justify any more than 4 trains each way when there are so few people travelling at the moment..

There has been a joint submission from the chairmen of the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line, the Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company and the Settle & Carlisle Railway Trust to the Government's "Union Connectivity Review"..  Below is the text of the summary..

('the map is based on UK ATOC rail map showing relevant lines).

We've received a message from Giggleswick Railway Circle, together with a great photo of a Class 37 on the Bentham Line: 

Greetings,

Who would have thought it? Last year at this time we were looking forward with 20-20 vision to an exciting new year. Hopefully that is all behind us now with vaccines on the way.
 
May I wish you  a very much brighter 2021.

The Railway Circle will be back as soon as it is safe for us all to do so, and I'm looking forward to seeing you then.

An updated timetable came into force from 14th December 2020.  We're now back to our normal pre-COVID service.  Let's just hope that in the New Year we'll be able to promote rail travel again.

For full details see the attached timetable.

The Upper Wensleydale Railway Association (UWR) is pleased to announce that its scheme for reinstating the railway to Hawes, North Yorkshire, has been included in the second round of applications to the Department for Transport’s Ideas Fund for Restoring Your Railway[1]. The fund is designed to help selected applicants to “fund transport and economic studies and create a business case” via awards of 75% of agreed development costs up to £50,000, with the remaining 25% met by the applicant.

The Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line have purchased Dent Station, comprising the main station building and the immediately surrounding area.  This adds another station on the Settle-Carlisle Line to those already in the family and owned by the S&C Trust’s Property Company, Ribblehead, Horton-in-Ribblesdale and Kirkby Stephen.  Dent is the highest mainline station in England.

*A message from Northern Trains regarding the annual Winter Offer for Dales Railcard holders: 

“Firstly, thank you for your continued support over the years of Northern and specifically the annual winter offer for Dales Rail Card and West Yorkshire Metro card holders.

For five days, from Saturday 24 until Wednesday 28 October 2020, the Settle and Carlisle line between Settle Junction and Kirby Stephen will be closed.
Network Rail will be replacing two underbridges, Banks and Forsters, which are located along the route between Settle and Blea Moor.
In addition, Network Rail will also be competing the final stages of the major refurbishment on the Grade 2 listed Ribblehead Viaduct, which started in the Spring.

Regrettably we have been forced by the COVID-19 regulations to close Settle Signal Box to visitors until further notice.  It is a small enclosed space and there is no way that people can visit and remain socially distanced from our volunteers who would normally be present.  We hope that announcing this on the web site will avoid disappointment for anyone visiting Settle and hoping to be able to view the Box.  

As soon as we are allowed to reopen we shall let people know on the web site and via social media.  

Dent Station, England’s highest mainline railway station building - standing at 1,200 ft above sea level, has been purchased by the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line.

As from 14th December we've been back to our pre-COVID normal timetable.  Let's just hope that we'll soon be able to promote rail travel again.

For full details see the attached timetable document.    

We are pleased to announce that the Friends’ shops at both Settle and Appleby stations are open again on most days. Our usual ranges of books, DVDs, bespoke gifts and much more is on sale. We would ask you to pay by card if at all possible (Settle) and of course wear face protection in line with government advice. Our volunteers are all equipped with the necessary protection and hand sanitiser is available too.

New timetable from today 6th July. Early morning commuter services are back, bus into Carlisle (better than nowt) and train Settle-Leeds.  Following evidence of demand by key workers from Appleby and Settle, FoSCL worked closely with Northern Trains to get these services put in. We’ll keep pressing for further improvements.

After the emergency timetable which saw us down to 4 trains a day in each direction, and no early morning trains into Leeds or Carlisle from the Settle-Carlisle line which meant that our key workers couldn't get into work, we are very gradually seeing an improvement.  FoSCL has been working closely with Northern Trains towards reinstatement of our early morning trains, and from 22nd June a temporary bus service has been running into Carlisle from Kirkby Stephen calling at all intermediate stations. As a bonus Northern have put on a return bus from Carlisle at 1745.

We are delighted to say that The Ribblehead Visitor Centre will open on Saturday 4th July. We will open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am until 4pm initially. We hope to extend the days we open later.

We have some outside seating but there is plenty of space outdoors  and glorious views We will have take away drinks and snacks in the cafe together with souvenirs, books etc from our shop.

The Exhibition will also be open but visitors will need to ensure they comply with social distancing guidelines.

It is hoped that a reinstated junction with the existing  Leeds – Settle – Carlisle railway line at Garsdale (see photo) will allow ‘through’ trains to run from Hawes via Garsdale Junction, past the Yorkshire Three Peaks to Settle, then onwards through Hellifield and Clitheroe into Lancashire for Preston and Greater Manchester.

The Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line are producing regular emergency newsletters to be emailed out to members during the current emergency.  If you received the first one, you are a member and we have a valid email address which you have kindly provided.  If you are a FoSCL member but haven't received the newsletter, and would like to in future, please use the Contact Us form to tell us your email address.  We look forward to hearing from you.  

It's now clear that no events in the Settle-Carlisle corridor will take place until at least July.  

This of course includes the Cumbria Easter Vehicle Rally and the Appleby Horse Fair which normally takes place in June.

The Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line AGM, which was scheduled for 18th May, is postponed indefinitely.  Members will be kept informed via the S&C Journal once we can get this printed - our printers are however now closed until further notice.