89-707: The Settle–Carlisle line (also known as the Settle and Carlisle (S&C)) is a 73-mile-long (117 km) main railway line in northern England. The route, which crosses the remote, scenic regions of the Yorkshire Dales and the North Pennines , runs between Settle Junction , on the Leeds–Morecambe line , and Carlisle , near the English-Scottish borders . The historic line was constructed in
178-452: A century. The service carried more than 5,500 passengers during its three days of operation. In March 2017, work on the piled wall and trackbed at Eden Brows was completed and the work site was handed back to Network Rail, allowing the infrastructure operator to recommission and test the track and signalling system over the affected section ahead of the reopening date. On 31 March 2017 LNER Class A3 Pacific No. 60103 Flying Scotsman operated
267-437: A day, every day except Friday, this fully refurbished HST 125, features five, all first class coaches and offers travellers an alternative method of enjoying the route. Statesman Rail also run occasional services with restored Class 47 diesels and Pullman coaches. In July 2015 it was announced that the stone quarries at Arcow and Dry Rigg would be reconnected to the line via north facing points. Stone from both of these quarries
356-560: A man but a steam shovel ." Being a navvy labourer became a cultural experience unto its own during the 19th century. Most accounts chronicling the life of a navvy worker come from local newspapers portraying navvies as drunk and unruly men, but fail to provide any mention that families were formed and raised despite the navvy's travelling demands. The navvies working on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway were paid daily and their pay reputedly went on ale , leaving little for food. When
445-611: A mobile-device software app for those who wish to explore the relevant areas. In this primarily agricultural area, tourism has become an important contributor to the economy. In 2016, there were 3.8 million visits to the Yorkshire Dales National Park including 0.48 million who stayed at least one night. The park authority estimates that this contributed £252 million to the economy and provided 3,583 full-time equivalent jobs. The wider Yorkshire Dales area received 9.7 million visitors who contributed £644 million to
534-498: A newsletter and charity work. The construction tycoon Sir Samuel Morton Peto encouraged religious services for his workforce, as well as providing some social services to the navvy populations. Many of the navvies employed to build the railways in England during the early part of the 19th century lived in squalid temporary accommodations referred to as " shanty towns ." Due in part to constructing through rural areas, and, in part,
623-673: A process referred to as closure by stealth . Publicity over British Rail's tactics succeeded in a huge increase in traffic. Journeys per year were 93,000 in 1983 when the campaign began, rising to 450,000 by 1989. As late as August 1988, the British Rail Board posted notices stating they had appointed Lazard Brothers to 'advise on the sale of the Settle–Carlisle line'. On 11 April 1989, the Secretary of State for Transport , Paul Channon , announced that consent for closure of
712-599: A programme that was broadcast on 1 February 2009. The line opened for goods traffic in August 1875 with the first passenger trains starting in April 1876. The cost of the line was £3.6 million (equivalent to £430 million in 2023) – 50 per cent above the estimate and a colossal sum for the time. For some time the Midland dominated the market for London-Glasgow traffic, providing more daytime trains than its rival. In 1923
801-637: A riot broke out between the two nationalities in one navvy shanty town, causing local magistrates to arrest 12 individuals. Though, this is not necessarily indicative of relations between the English and Irish in all navvy gangs. Over time, housing arrangements progressed positively, with the structures being built with more care, and even attached land being offered for use so navvies and their families could grow their own food. In addition to their nomadic living arrangements, navvies confronted varying degrees of dangerous work environments that depended both on
890-609: A series of valleys, or dales , in the Pennines , an upland range in England. They are mostly located in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire , but extend into Cumbria and Lancashire ; they are entirely within the historic boundaries of Yorkshire . The majority of the dales are within the Yorkshire Dales National Park , created in 1954. The exception is the area around Nidderdale , which forms
979-444: A special trip to Carlisle and back to celebrate the full opening to traffic. Passenger services are usually operated by Class 158 Diesel Multiple Units , although Class 156 units can also be used (on the seasonal DalesRail trains from Preston and Blackpool). Class 150 units have also begun to appear occasionally (as substitutes for the booked 158s) since a batch of the units were transferred to Northern Rail from London Midland in
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#17327835351081068-457: A special visitor centre. The line is an important diversionary route from the electrified West Coast Main Line during engineering works. However, as the line is not electrified, electric trains such as Pendolinos need to be hauled by diesel locomotives (typically a Class 57 Thunderbird ) along the diversion section. In April 2014, the 25th anniversary of the line's reprieve was celebrated by
1157-549: A stream. The 14-year-old Ruswarp was nearby, having stayed by his master's body for 11 weeks in winter weather; he was so weak that he had to be carried down the mountain. His veterinary fees were paid by the RSPCA , who awarded him their Animal Medallion and collar for 'vigilance' and Animal Plaque for 'intelligence and courage'. He died shortly after Nuttall's funeral. Anglo-Scottish expresses have not been fully restored. The former regional franchisee Arriva Trains Northern initiated
1246-649: A twice daily Leeds–Glasgow Central service in 1999 (calling at Settle, Appleby, Carlisle, Lockerbie and Motherwell). The service was withdrawn at the behest of the Strategic Rail Authority in 2003, and there remains no link from Yorkshire or the East Midlands to Glasgow over the line. The link from Lancashire operates on Sundays during the summer months for the benefit of ramblers under the DalesRail brand. In recent years, due to congestion on
1335-735: Is a walking trail entirely within the area which takes in its three highest mountains: Ingleborough (723 m (2,372 ft)), Whernside (736 m (2,415 ft)), and Pen-y-ghent (694 m (2,277 ft)). The extensive cave systems are a major area for caving in the UK. The word dale , like dell , is derived from the Old English word dæl . It has cognates in the Nordic / Germanic words for valley ( dal , tal ), and occurs in valley names across Yorkshire and Northern England. Usage here may have been reinforced by Nordic languages during
1424-402: Is at Aisgill , north of Garsdale . To keep the gradients to less than 1 in 100 (1%), a requirement for fast running using steam traction, huge engineering works were required. Even so, the terrain imposed a 16-mile (26 km) climb from Settle to Blea Moor, almost all of it at 1 in 100, and known to enginemen as "the long drag". The line required 14 tunnels and 22 viaducts ; the most notable
1513-487: Is clear that closure of the line was planned as early as the late 1960s. Such closure is referred to in paragraph 40 of the official report into the accident involving two goods trains between Horton-in-Ribblesdale and Selside on 30 October 1968, by Lt. Colonel I.K.A. McNaughton: "... Even if the Settle and Carlisle line were planned to form part of the long term railway network of the country, it would still come fairly low in
1602-483: Is closed, but the major structures, Low Gill and Ingleton viaducts, remain. It was a well-engineered line suitable for express passenger running, but its potential was never realised due to the rivalry between the companies. The Midland board decided that the only solution was a separate route to Scotland. Surveying began in 1865, and in June 1866, Parliamentary approval was given to the Midland's bill, for which Samuel Carter
1691-438: Is in demand for road building due to its high Polished Stone Value (PSV) and would be taken out of the Yorkshire Dales National Park by freight train instead of lorries. The work was undertaken during the last quarter of 2015 with the link opening to traffic in 2016. Plans are also in place to reconnect the neighbouring Horton Quarry , via relaid sidings immediately south of Horton-in-Ribblesdale station, which were last used in
1780-471: Is the 24-arch Ribblehead Viaduct which is 104 ft (32 m) high and 440 yards (402 m) long. The swampy ground meant that the piers had to be sunk 25 ft (8 m) below the peat and set in concrete in order to provide a suitable foundation. Soon after crossing the viaduct, the line enters Blea Moor tunnel, 2,629 yd (2,404 m) long and 500 ft (152 m) below the moor, before emerging onto Dent Head Viaduct . The summit at Aisgill
1869-427: Is the highest point reached by main-line trains in England. The tunnel at Lazonby was constructed at the request of a local vicar as he did not want the railway to run past the vicarage. Water troughs were laid between the tracks at Garsdale, enabling steam engines to take water without losing speed. The remains of the navvies' camp at Rise Hill Tunnel were investigated by Channel 4 's Time Team in 2008, for
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#17327835351081958-593: The Discover England websites, for example, were using the tagline "Discover 'All Creatures Great and Small' in Yorkshire". The dales are U- and V-shaped valleys, the former enlarged and shaped by glaciers , mainly in the most recent Devensian ice age . The underlying rock is mainly Carboniferous Limestone , which results in a large areas of karst topography, in places overlain with shale and sandstone and topped with Millstone Grit , although to
2047-729: The Thames–Clyde Express from London to Glasgow Central via Leicester , lasted until 1975. Night sleepers from London to Glasgow continued until 1976. After that a residual service from Glasgow – cut back at Nottingham (three trains each way) – survived until May 1982. During the 1970s, the S&;C suffered from a lack of investment, and most freight traffic was diverted onto the electrified West Coast Main Line . The condition of many viaducts and tunnels deteriorated due to lack of investment. DalesRail began operating services to closed stations on summer weekends in 1974. These were promoted by
2136-611: The Thames–Clyde Express travelling via the S&C took almost nine hours from London to Glasgow – over the West Coast Main Line the journey length was 7 hours 20 minutes. In 1963, the Beeching Report into the restructuring of British Rail recommended the withdrawal of all passenger services from the line. Some smaller stations had closed in the 1950s. Although the Beeching recommendations were shelved, it
2225-511: The Trip Advisor site include Aysgarth Falls , Malham Cove (scenic walking areas), Ingleborough (hiking trails) and Ribblehead Viaduct . The DalesBus service provides service in the Dales on certain days in summer, "including the Yorkshire Dales National Park and Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty". In summer, these buses supplement the other services operating year-round in
2314-550: The Washburn Valley whose tributary streams and rivers feed into the larger valleys, and Barbondale , Dentdale , Deepdale and Garsdale which feed west to the River Lune . The characteristic scenery of the Dales is green upland pastures separated by dry-stone walls and grazed by sheep and cattle. A survey carried out in 1988 estimated that there were just over 4,971 miles (8,000 km) of dry-stone walling in
2403-674: The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority to encourage ramblers. In the early 1980s, the S&C was carrying only a handful of trains per day, and British Rail decided the cost of renewing the viaducts and tunnels would be prohibitively expensive, given the small amount of traffic carried on the line. In June 1981 a protest group, the Friends of the Settle–Carlisle Line (FoSCL), held its inaugural meeting at Settle Town Hall and campaigned against
2492-591: The 1840s, but were not considered cost effective until much later in the 19th century, especially in Britain and Europe where experienced labourers were easily obtained and comparatively cheap. Elsewhere, for example in the United States and Canada, where labour was more scarce and expensive, machines were used. In the States the machine tradition became so strong that "[...] the word navvy is understood to mean not
2581-709: The 1870s and has several notable tunnels and viaducts such as the imposing Ribblehead . The line is managed by Network Rail . All passenger services are operated by Northern apart from temporary diverted services (due to closures of the West Coast Main Line ) and are part of the National Rail network. Stations serve towns such as Settle in North Yorkshire, Appleby-in-Westmorland in Cumbria and small rural communities along its route. In
2670-433: The 1980s, British Rail planned to close the Settle–Carlisle line. This prompted a campaign to save the line by rail groups, enthusiasts, local authorities and residents along the route. In 1989, the UK government announced the line would be saved from closure. Since then, passenger numbers have grown steadily to 1.2 million in 2012. Eight formerly closed stations have been reopened and several quarries have been reconnected to
2759-810: The Dales (even though it is a dale, is in Yorkshire, and its upper reaches are as scenic and rural as many further north). Additionally, although the National Park includes the Howgill Fells and Orton Fells, they are not usually considered part of the Dales. Most of the larger southern dales – Ribblesdale, Malhamdale and Airedale, Wharfedale and Nidderdale – run roughly parallel from north to south. The more northerly dales – Wensleydale and Swaledale – run generally from west to east. There are many other smaller or lesser-known dales such as Arkengarthdale , Bishopdale , Clapdale, Coverdale , Kingsdale , Littondale , Langstrothdale , Raydale Waldendale and
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2848-668: The Dales. Tourism in the region declined because of restrictions implemented in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and into 2021. Later in 2021, the volume of visits was expected to increase as a result of the 2020 TV series All Creatures Great and Small , largely filmed within the Dales. The first series aired in the UK in September 2020 and in the US in early 2021. One source stated that visits to Yorkshire websites had increased significantly by late September 2020. By early 2021,
2937-462: The Enquiry of 1846, which eventually led to the need for the formation of and evaluation by a Select Committee on Railway Labourers 1846. The natural tension between locals and outsiders sometimes bred distrust of the navvies. Occasionally, this strain between the two would result in violence such as riots, or death. One such instance occurred at Sampford Peverell in 1811. John Chave, a local who
3026-634: The Irish were only about 30% of the navvies. By 1818, high wages in North America attracted many Irish workers to become a major part of the workforce on the construction of the Erie Canal in New York State and similar projects. Navvies also participated in building canals in Britain, and by the 20th century, they were the predominant workforce. The construction of canals in Britain
3115-520: The Midland and the LNWR were both merged into the new London, Midland and Scottish Railway . In the new company, the disadvantages of the Midland's route were clear – its steeper gradients and greater length meant it could not compete on speed from London to Glasgow, especially as Midland route trains had to make more stops to serve major cities in the Midlands and Yorkshire. The Midland had long competed on
3204-422: The Midlands and Yorkshire to Scotland. There was outrage over the closure plan: critics pointed out that this was a main line, not a small branch railway. The campaign uncovered evidence that British Rail had mounted a dirty tricks campaign against the line, exaggerating the cost of repairs (£6 million for Ribblehead Viaduct alone) and diverting traffic away from the line in order to justify its closure plans,
3293-425: The Settle and Carlisle line has proved to be popular with charter train operating companies like West Coast Railways , which operate excursion trains using steam locomotives . Classes of LMS locomotive that have run over the line vary from express to mixed traffic, such as Black Fives , Jubilees , Coronations , Princess Royals and even goods engines like the 8Fs . Non-LMS engines that would never have worked on
3382-596: The West Coast Main Line, much rail-freight traffic is using the S&C once again. Gypsum is transported from Hull Docks and Drax Power Station to the British Gypsum plasterboard factory at Kirkby Thore , and coal was carried to power stations in Yorkshire and Fife from the Hunterston coal terminal until 2016. Major engineering work was needed to upgrade the line to the standards required for such heavy freight traffic and additional investment made to reduce
3471-771: The Yorkshire Dales. Many upland areas consist of heather moorland, used for grouse shooting from 12 August (the Glorious Twelfth ). Much of the rural area is used for agriculture, with residents living in small villages and hamlets or in farmsteads. Miles of dry-stone walls and much of the traditional architecture have remained, including some field barns, though many are no longer in active use. Breeding of sheep and rearing of cattle remain common. To supplement their incomes, many farmers have diversified, with some providing accommodations for tourists. A number of agricultural shows are held each year. Lead mining
3560-560: The appearance of the Dales, through the creation of pastures and meadows for livestock grazing and moorland for red grouse shooting. Dry stone walls and field barns are characteristic of the valley floors, particularly Wensleydale and Swaledale in the north. Wensleydale cheese is a particularly famous product from the region. The dales are popular for hiking, and are crossed by the Dales Way , Pennine Way , and Coast to Coast long-distance footpaths . The Yorkshire Three Peaks
3649-534: The autumn of 2011. Class 153 single-car units were also been used on the line up until 2021, but are no longer in service with the operator. The line is featured in Microsoft Train Simulator , which depicts the line as it was in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, and in modern-day for Dovetail Games ' Train Simulator. Trainz Railway Simulator has a Settle & Carlisle package modelled on
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3738-490: The company petitioned Parliament to abandon the scheme it had earlier fought for. However Parliament, under pressure from other railways which would benefit from the scheme that would cost them nothing, refused, and construction commenced in November that year. The line was built by over 6,000 navvies , most of them Irish, who worked in remote locations, enduring harsh weather conditions. Large camps were established to house
3827-580: The dales their characteristic 'stepped' appearance. Most of the dales contain rivers, and the area contains seven primary catchments : the Swale , Ure , Wharfe , Aire , Nidd , Ribble , and Lune . There are several notable cave systems in the area, including the longest system in the United Kingdom, the Three Counties . Agriculture and other land management has significantly affected
3916-420: The damaged embankment to be inspected and stabilised. Problems had first been reported in mid-December 2015, but repairs were carried out and services resumed on 22 December. Single-line working was in place for several days over the northbound line while the remedial work continued and an emergency timetable was in operation. Further ground movement at the site (due to the base of the embankment being eroded by
4005-453: The deteriorating tunnels and viaducts. In 2009, a statue of the border collie Ruswarp (pronounced Russup) was sited on the platform of the refurbished Garsdale railway station . The commemorative sculpture, funded by public subscription, was made by sculptor Joel Walker and cast in bronze . It celebrates the saving of the railway line which was coordinated by the Friends of the Settle to Carlisle Line, whose first secretary, Graham Nuttall,
4094-471: The drainage system. Repair work was completed in April 2021 at a cost of around £2.1 million. The line was blocked once again in October 2022, when the rear half of a northbound Clitheroe to Carlisle Yard freight train derailed as it was leaving the line at Petteril Bridge Junction, on the outskirts of Carlisle on Wednesday 19 October. Five of the fourteen tank wagons in the consist left the rails, damaging
4183-438: The early 1980s. The winter of 2015–16 saw services over the route repeatedly disrupted by flooding and a serious landslip north of Armathwaite . Storm Desmond saw the line closed for several days at the beginning of December by flooding at several different locations, while the landslip at Eden Brows near Armathwaite resulted in the closure of the southbound line between Cumwhinton and Culgaith from 29 January 2016 to allow
4272-516: The economy. Visitors are often attracted by the hiking trails, including some that lead to waterfalls and picturesque villages and small towns. These include Kirkby Lonsdale (just outside the area), Hawes , Appletreewick , Masham , Clapham , Long Preston and Malham . The 73-mile-long (117 km) Settle–Carlisle line railway, operated by Network Rail , runs through the National Park using tunnels and viaducts, including Ribblehead. The top-rated attractions according to travellers using
4361-553: The end, while LMS Princess Coronation Class 6229 Duchess of Hamilton (in un-streamlined form) was seen at the start and towards the end. In March 2016 a fifty-minute colour documentary "The Long Drag", made in 1962-3 was released for free viewing on the British Film Institute website. Download coordinates as: 54°31′01″N 2°27′22″W / 54.517°N 2.456°W / 54.517; -2.456 Yorkshire Dales The Yorkshire Dales are
4450-464: The expansion-minded Midland Railway company was locked in dispute with the rival London and North Western Railway (LNWR) over access rights to the latter's tracks to Scotland. The Midland's access to Scotland was via the "Little North Western" route to Ingleton . The Ingleton branch line from Ingleton to Low Gill , where it joined the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway , was under the control of
4539-418: The extra comfort it provided for its passengers but this advantage was lost in the merged company. After nationalisation in 1948, the pace of rundown quickened. It was regarded as a duplicate line, and control over the through London-Glasgow route was split over several regions which made it hard to plan popular through services. Mining subsidence affected speeds through the East Midlands and Yorkshire. In 1962,
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#17327835351084628-558: The initials LMR stamped upon them. This reduced the problems of drunken navvies and eliminated the local farm labourers freeloading from the food caravans. Tokens and a description of their use can be found in the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester . In the mid-1800s some efforts were made by evangelical Anglicans led by Elizabeth Garnett to administer to the perceived religious needs of navvy settlements, with preaching,
4717-405: The length of signal sections. In July 2009, work to stabilise a length of embankment near Kirkby Thore and remove a long-standing permanent speed restriction was undertaken. As of 2013, the line has experienced an upturn in fortunes. Eight formerly closed stations have reopened and in 2012 1.2 million passenger journeys were recorded compared with just 90,000 in 1983. Ribblehead station features
4806-510: The line and the associated Blackburn-Hellifield line would be refused. This was on the basis that, firstly, trial repairs to one span of the Ribblehead Viaduct had shown that it would be cheaper to repair the whole structure than had previously been anticipated and, secondly, the increased ridership of the line. British Rail estimated that revenue on the line was 40% higher than in 1988-89. Subsequently, British Rail started to repair
4895-422: The line during the days of steam include 4468 Mallard , 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe , 5972 Olton Hall , 35018 British India Line , 60103 Flying Scotsman and Britain's newest mainline steam locomotive 60163 Tornado . Between 19 July and 9 September 2021, Rail Charter Services operated The Staycation Express, with the service running between Skipton, Settle, Appleby and Carlisle. Running four times
4984-504: The line under British Railways ownership in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In 1983, Border Television released a film documentary named 'Steam on the Settle & Carlisle'. It featured a trip from Carlisle to Settle on the "Cumbrian Mountain Express" hauled by LNER A4 Sir Nigel Gresley (at the time in its LNER livery and number 4498). SR West Country class City of Wells and SR class LN Lord Nelson also made appearances towards
5073-493: The line's closure even before it was officially announced. In 1984, closure notices were posted at the S&C's remaining stations. However, local authorities and rail enthusiasts joined together and campaigned to save the S&C, pointing out that British Rail was ignoring the S&C's potential for tourism , ignoring the need for a diversionary route to the West Coast main line, and failing to promote through traffic from
5162-405: The line. It remains one of the most popular railway routes in the UK for charter trains and specials. After damage by a landslip, part of the line was closed from February 2016 to March 2017. To celebrate the reopening, the first regular mainline scheduled service in England for nearly half a century ran with a steam engine . The Settle–Carlisle line (S&C) had its origins in railway politics;
5251-428: The local inhabitants of the regions the navvy worked in, when they arrived. In many cases, though, as time passed, the local establishments benefited from navvy business, which strengthened relations, and even forged friendships with an occasional local helping teach reading and writing to some navvies. Many slang terms were used as a method of communication among navvies, which facilitated bonding amongst them, as it
5340-630: The more northern valleys (and only the upper, rural, reaches) are included in the term "The Dales". The Yorkshire Dales are surrounded by the North Pennines and Orton Fells in the north, the Vales of York and Mowbray in the east, the South Pennines in the south, and the Lake District and Howgill Fells to the west. They spread to the north from the market and spa towns of Settle , Skipton , and Harrogate in North Yorkshire, to
5429-479: The navvies negative reputation, two-thirds of the railway construction sites had housing erected specifically for the navvy. Initially, the housing "huts" were constructed quickly and meant to be temporary. As a result, little thought was given to comfort, let alone sanitation, which was actually a prominent issue for everyone during the Victorian era . Shanties "were clearly unhealthy places in which to live, and it
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#17327835351085518-426: The navvies, with many becoming complete townships with post offices and schools. They were named Inkerman, Sebastapol and Jericho. The remains of one camp – Batty Green – where over 2,000 navvies lived and worked, can be seen near Ribblehead. The Midland Railway helped pay for scripture readers to counteract the effect of drunken violence in these isolated communities. A plaque in the church at Chapel-le-Dale records
5607-463: The north and west of the Dent Fault the hills are formed from older Silurian and Ordovician rocks. The underlying limestone in parts of the Dales has extensive cave systems, including the 54-mile-long (87 km) Three Counties System , making it a major area for caving in the UK. There are over 2500 known caves; some are open to the public for tours. Visitors can try caving at one of
5696-721: The official announcement regarding the line in parliament) attended the celebrations. From April 2016, Arriva Rail North Ltd took over all passenger services on the line from the previous operator which was run by Serco & Abellio . As part of the new franchise agreement with the DfT, service improvements were implemented from the May 2018 timetable change with one extra weekday service each way and two extra trains each way on Sundays. Arriva also began work to install digital information screens and ticket machines at each station in early 2019. As from 1 March 2020, passenger services are now operated by
5785-442: The priority list for installation of AWS; this route, however, is planned for closure within the next few years ..." In May 1970 all stations except for Settle and Appleby West were closed, and its passenger service cut to two trains a day in each direction, leaving mostly freight. Few express passenger services continued to operate, The Waverley from London St Pancras to Edinburgh Waverley via Nottingham ended in 1968, while
5874-452: The project was John Crossley from Leicestershire , a veteran of other Midland schemes. The terrain traversed is among the bleakest and wildest in England, and construction was halted for months at a time due to frozen ground, snowdrifts and flooding. One contractor had to give up as a result of underestimating the terrain and the weather – Dent Head has almost four times the rainfall of London. Another long-established partnership dissolved under
5963-412: The publicly run company Northern Trains , who have maintained this level of service. In March 2020, it was discovered that the 144-year-old Ribblehead Viaduct required further major repairs. There were numerous defects to the masonry which had opened up, and pieces of debris had fallen off the edge. Alongside issues with the masonry there were fractures to the arches and piers, together with problems with
6052-443: The rival LNWR. Initially the routes, although physically connected at Ingleton, were not logically connected, as the LNWR and Midland could not agree on sharing the use of Ingleton station . Instead the LNWR terminated its trains at its own station at the end of Ingleton Viaduct, and Midland Railway passengers had to walk about a mile over steep gradients between the two stations in order to change into/from LNWR trains. An agreement
6141-478: The river and the saturated nature of the fill material originally used to construct the embankment) led to the complete closure of the line between Appleby & Carlisle on 9 February 2016, with buses replacing trains over this section. Repairs to the affected section entailed building a 100m-long piled retaining wall and support platform for the track and stabilising the embankment beneath it; work began in July 2016 and
6230-520: The running of a special train from Leeds to Carlisle over the route. This conveyed many of the campaigners who fought to save the line and called at Settle station, where a ceremony was held to commemorate the announcement made on 11 April 1989 that the line would be kept open. Michael Portillo , the Minister of State with responsibility for railways in the Thatcher government of the time (and who made
6319-502: The separate Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . The landscape of the Yorkshire Dales consists of sheltered glacial valleys separated by exposed moorland . The predominant rock is Carboniferous Limestone , which is particularly visible in the south-west in features such as Malham Cove . It is overlain in many areas by the Yoredale Series of alternating weak shales and hard limestones and sandstones, which give
6408-580: The show caves: White Scar Cave, Ingleborough Cave or Stump Cross Caverns near Greenhow. The systems include: 54°16′N 2°05′W / 54.267°N 2.083°W / 54.267; -2.083 Navvy Navvy , a clipping of navigator ( UK ) or navigational engineer ( US ), is particularly applied to describe the manual labourers working on major civil engineering projects and occasionally in North America to refer to mechanical shovels and earth moving machinery. The term
6497-596: The southern boundary in Wharfedale and Airedale . Natural England define the area as most of the Yorkshire Dales National Park with fringes of the Nidderdale AONB , but without the towns listed above apart from Settle. The lower reaches of Airedale and Wharfedale are not usually included in the area, and Calderdale , south of Airedale and in the South Pennines, is not often considered part of
6586-516: The strain: that of William Eckersley and John Bayliss (1826-1900), Bayliss continued the project until its completion in 1877. They were contracted to construct the 23 mi (37 km) section from Kirkby Thore to Petteril Bridge in Carlisle. The line was engineered to express standards throughout – local traffic was secondary, and many stations were miles from the villages they purported to serve. The railway's summit at 1,169 feet (356 m)
6675-463: The terrain, and the locals' reception of them. Due to limited safety protocols, navvies were frequently injured or killed on the job. For each mile of rail laid, there was an average of three work-related deaths, which was even higher when working on sections that required tunnelling. The particularly high incidence of navvy mortality during the construction of the Woodhead Tunnel prompted
6764-523: The time of the Danelaw . Most of the dales are named after their river or stream (e.g., Arkengarthdale , formed by Arkle Beck ). The best-known exception is Wensleydale , which is named after the small village and former market town of Wensley , rather than the River Ure , although an older name for the dale is Yoredale. River valleys all over Yorkshire are called "(name of river)+ dale "—but only
6853-416: The track, signalling equipment and river bridge. The stranded wagons (one of which toppled into the river) were recovered in mid-November using a heavy lift crane, after which the bridge was repaired/reinforced and new track, points and signal cables were installed to replace those damaged in the accident. The line reopened to traffic on schedule on 7 December 2022. Since the privatisation of British Rail .
6942-612: The workers were unfit to work, monies were subtracted from their wages and meal tokens were issued. These tokens could be handed in at meal caravans for a bowl of soup and a portion of bread. At first the token was a slip of paper called a "flimsy" because of its thickness. In today's terms it would be similar to a grade called " bank paper " . As these tokens could be copied by the forgers , the Liverpool and Manchester Railway supplied its contractors with six-sided food tokens that were surrendered for meals. These were cut from brass and had
7031-454: The workers who died, both from disease and from accidents, while building the railway. The death toll is unknown, but 80 people died at Batty Green alone in a smallpox epidemic. A memorial stone was laid in 1997 in the churchyard of St Mary's Church, Mallerstang to commemorate the 25 railway builders and their families who died during the construction of this section of the line, and who were buried there in unmarked graves. The engineer for
7120-541: Was a keen hillwalker ; his dog Ruswarp signed the petition to save the line with his paw print. On 20 January 1990 Graham Nuttall had gone missing. He and Ruswarp had bought day return tickets from Burnley to Llandrindod Wells to go walking in the Welsh Mountains, but they never returned. Searches in the Elan Valley and Rhayader found nothing until on 7 April 1990, a lone walker found Nuttall's body beside
7209-504: Was coined in the late 18th century in Great Britain when numerous canals were being built, which were also sometimes known as "navigations". A study of 19th-century British railway contracts by David Brooke, coinciding with census returns, showed that the great majority of navvies in Britain were English. He also stated that "only the ubiquitous Irish can be regarded as a truly international force in railway construction," but
7298-487: Was common in some areas of the Dales in the 19th century, particularly during 1821 to 1861, and some industrial remains can still be found, such as the Grassington miners' cottages. Certain former mining sites are maintained by Historic England . The Grassington Moor Lead Mining Trail, with its many remaining structures, has received funding from a variety of sources. The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority provides
7387-532: Was completed in March 2017. The line between Appleby and Armathwaite was reopened to traffic on 27 June 2016 on a temporary timetable; the repair project was estimated to cost £23 million. In February 2017, to celebrate the forthcoming reopening of the line on 31 March, scheduled trains drawn by 60163 Tornado ran in February, the first regular mainline scheduled service in England using steam for more than half
7476-412: Was frequently used for a laugh, or as a method of asking for someone to watch your back, while you sneaked a smoke break, or went off for a drink. Much of the terminology appears to be fluid, relying primarily on rhyming with the intended meaning. One example provided by Daniel William Barrett, in his book, Life and Work Among The Navvies , contains the following navvy slang; "'now, Jack, I'm goin' to get
7565-414: Was not uncommon for a navvy community to be overtaken by cholera, dysentery or typhus ." In addition to these unhygienic living conditions, navvies shared housing, some even sleeping on floors. The majority of navvies were Englishmen, with 30% of the group being Irish. While this ratio varied from navvy shanty town to shanty town, sleeping arrangements were segregated. In at least one documented instance,
7654-419: Was reached over station access, enabling the Midland to attach through carriages to LNWR trains at Ingleton. Passengers could continue their journey north without leaving the train. The situation was not ideal, as the LNWR handled the through carriages of its rival with deliberate obstructiveness, for example attaching the coaches to slow goods trains instead of fast passenger workings. The route through Ingleton
7743-457: Was regionally well known for living in a "haunted house," was approached by a group of drunk navvies. The encounter left Chave feeling threatened, so after proceeding home with the navvy group in tow, he used a gun to shoot a warning shot into the crowd, which hit and killed one of the group members causing a riot to ensue. The death was later deemed a justifiable homicide . As newspapers reported on similar conflicts, anticipated tensions grew for
7832-472: Was solicitor. Soon afterwards, the Overend-Gurney banking failure sparked a financial crisis in the UK. Interest rates rose sharply, several railways went bankrupt and the Midland's board, prompted by a shareholders' revolt, began to have second thoughts about a venture whose estimated cost was £2.3 million (equivalent to £270 million in 2023). As a result, in April 1869, with no work started,
7921-622: Was superseded by contracts to construct railway projects from 1830 onward, which developed into the railway manias , and the same term was applied to the workmen employed on building rail tracks , their tunnels , cuttings and embankments . There were 250,000 navvies employed during the apex of British railway expansion efforts. Navvies working on railway projects typically continued to work using hand tools, supplemented with explosives (particularly when tunnelling, and to clear obdurate difficulties). Steam-powered mechanical diggers or excavators (initially called 'steam navvies') were available in
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