Usual diesel operators over the line     Steam and Diesel Charter Trains    Survey trains     Diverted trains

Usual operators

Northern Rail

Daily passenger services on the Settle-Carlisle are mostly operated by Northern Rail's Class 156 and Class 158 diesel multiple units.  The line is part of the National Rail network. Here, one of Northern's class 156s is pictured crossing Ribblehead Viaduct  (copyright JP Buckley). Northern Rail also operate Dales Rail services from Blackpool and Preston to Carlisle on Summer Sundays.  A variety of liveries can be seen, including ex-Northern Spirit as shown, plain dark blue, Central Trains Green, silver, West Yorkshire Metro red and silver, ex-First North Western and the new Northern Rail liveries.  Northern have recently rebranded one of the 156s to be the Settle-Carlisle's very own vinyled train.  This specially liveried train will be running on routes throughout the Northern Rail network  - click here for more information.

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Freightliner operate coal trains over the line using modern Class 66 locomotives and bogie hopper wagons. The trains convey coal from Scotland - and coal imported via Scottish ports - to Aire Valley power stations. A Class 66 in the distinctive green and yellow livery of Freightliner is pictured here crossing Ribblehead Viaduct with northbound empty wagons, with the distinctive flat top of Ingleborough in the background.  (copyright JP Buckley)

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EWS operate coal, engineering and charter trains over the line. Its coal trains are a mixture of modern bogie hoppers in EWS's maroon livery and older 2-axle Merry-Go-Round wagons. Another key EWS traffic is gypsum, and a Class 60 is pictured below hauling a loaded Gypsum working north through Dent station. Gypsum was the first traffic to return to the line after its reprieve from closure. BR had systematically diverted freight away from the line. Now the line is busy with freight traffic during the day and some night-time services run as well.

      

Top Left - Class 66 on china clay train, diverted from the West Coast Main Line, north of Garsdale crossing the A684.  19th November 2005. (copyright JP Buckley)

Top Right - Class 66 on coal train, heading southbound onto Dandry Mire Viaduct. 19th November 2005 (copyright JP Buckley)

Middle - Class 60014 on a southbound empty gypsum train, at Wharton Dykes above Kirkby Stephen on 6 June 2007. (copyright Darren Burton)

Left - Class 60 on a loaded Gypsum train passing north through Dent station - the highest mainline station in England at 1150ft above sea level.  19th November 2005 (copyright JP Buckley)

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GB Railfreight started operating over the line in summer 2002 with a temporary contract to transport gypsum from Hull Docks to Kirkby Thore.  This has now expanded into daily services bringing Gypsum from power stations.  A northbound loaded working is seen approaching Kirkby Stephen (copyright Darren Burton). Gypsum is now transported by EWS and by GB Railfreight to the British Gypsum works at Kirkby Thore, north of Appleby. It is a by-product of the desulphurisation of the fumes and has been imported in some cases. The gypsum traffic was the first railfreight to return to the line after the proposal to close the Settle-Carlisle line was defeated.
 

We do not have access to the freight timetable and cannot provide details of when services will run.

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Steam and Diesel Charter Trains

Steam and diesel charter services occasionally operate over the line, although they do not normally stop at local stations. We have provided a guide to the expected services on our charters page.  The majority of these trains start and end their journey in other parts of the country and do not call at local stations.

      

Above Left - 60800 Green Arrow passes through Settle station.  (copyright JP Buckley)

Above Right - 6201 Princess Elizabeth passes through Settle station.  (copyright JP Buckley)

Below Left - 45157 The Glasgow Highlander arrives into Carlisle station.  (copyright JP Buckley)

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Survey Trains

Railtrack/Balfour Beatty video survey train visits Settle-Carlisle
July 29 2002 saw the visit of this special survey train, a former Western Region diesel railcar converted to digitally record all aspects of Railtrack's network. Each end of the unit has several cameras which are digitally synchronised with GPS (Global Positioning System) to allow surveyors and managers access to any point on the line without even leaving their office. The unit is pictured here at Hellifield before its northbound run to Settle and Carlisle. The driver's eye view is of the approaches to Horton-in-Ribblesdale station. For more information on this journey, please see the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line's new magazine, and for further technical information please see the October 2002 issue of the Railway Magazine.  Both photographs (copyright JP Buckley).

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Diverted trains

Virgin Voyagers and Pendolinos are familar visitors to the line now, with the West Coast Main Line being closed for upgrade works on certain weekends.  Voyagers are able to run using their own power, whereas the electric Pendolinos require a diesel loco to haul them - known as the "Thunderbirds"!  These locos are class 57s and are a conversion from a class 47 with a new GM diesel engine.

   

Left - Virgin Thunderbird 57307 "Lady Penelope" hauls a Pendolino set through Settle on 4th March 2006.  (copyright JP Buckley)

Right - Two Virgin Voyagers cross Ribblehead Viaduct on 4th March 2006. (copyright JP Buckley)