11th October 2022 “The Settle & Carlisle in the 80s and 90s” by Stewart Jolly
On Tuesday October 11th we were delighted to welcome Bristol Branch member Stewart Jolly for an evening of scenic splendour on the famous Settle and Carlisle Line.
Stewart began by recognising the crucial role played by the Friends of the Settle and Carlisle Line who fought to save the line through the darkest days of 1980s British Rail and, following its reprieve on 11th April 1989, were instrumental in developing the line into the success it is today. The talk itself then comprised two sections: firstly, the emphasis was on the geography and structures of the line from Settle Junction to Armathwaite and secondly, the traffic and traction on the line.
The geography was illustrated by following the course of the Ribble valley North from Settle, with Pen-y-Ghent on its Eastern side, to Ribblehead and the famous 24-arch viaduct. The signal box and loops at Blea Moor were seen, enabling run-round of trains from Ribblehead (and latterly Arcow) quarry, as well as controlling the single line section over the viaduct. Following the 2,629 yard Blea Moor Tunnel, Stewart showed some impressive images of the line running through Dentdale, being effectively notched out of the Eastern side of the Dale, over Dent Head and Arten Gill viaducts to the exposed Dent station. In the finest Midland tradition, the station was built some way from the settlement of the same name – 4.5 miles in this case! Rise Hill Tunnel then takes the line into Garsdale, after which it swings past the end of Wensleydale to reach its summit at Ais Gill (1,169 feet), following below the breathtaking Mallerstang Edge into Kirkby Stephen. North of here the scenery becomes more pastoral as the line follows Eden Valley down towards Carlisle.
Stewart illustrated the traffic flows on the line through his own digitised photographs, mostly colour, though his first trip in Summer 1982 was with a single camera and black and white film. These early 80s photographs included the final days of Class 40s on wagonload traffic over the line, until the withdrawal of through freight traffic by BR in 1983. The period from 1983 to 1984 was the nadir of operations with just two daily passenger workings between Leeds and Carlisle, plus a trip working to Appleby in the North and ballast workings from Ribblehead at the South, all of which were illustrated.
The change in fortunes of the line began in Summer 1984 with the introduction of a third train, worked most often by a Metro-Cammell or BRCW Calder Valley diesel unit. Further changes came with the re-opening of many of the local stations in July 1986 and the somewhat surprising introduction of Class 47-hauled ten-coach formations of Mark 1 stock in 1987. These gave way to early Mark 2 stock in 1989 and then to shorter, four and five coach Class 31-hauled formations in 1990. These in turn gave way to Class 156/158 Sprinter operation in 1992 which has remained largely unchanged to the present day.
The use of the line as a diversionary route was clearly captured in Stewart’s talk, with Class 47s and a few other less-common classes hauling diverted Cross Country and West Coast Mark 3 stock, as was the gradual re-introduction of freight traffic onto the line, beginning with the Drax to Kirkby Thore gypsum working. As ever, the S&C weather played its unique part in the evening, with everything from full sun to complete blizzard conditions – sometimes within the space of half an hour.
The narrative presented by Stewart was extremely informative, stimulating much interaction with members throughout the evening, who greatly appreciated the depth of content and photographic excellence in this very enjoyable evening.