Hellifield in the Yorkshire Dales is the starting point for this Cab Ride in a Class 43 HST. We’re travelling from the hills to the coast on the Bentham Line, heading for the seaside resort of Morecambe.
Our route takes us, firstly, to Settle Junction, where the Midland’s historic railway to Carlisle diverges. We turn to head north-west on a line that was initially intended to be what the Settle-Carlisle became – the Midland’s main connection to Scotland. It was a project that would take decades to complete, becoming a victim of financial challenges and railway politics. And by the time a through route was completed, emerging onto the Lancaster & Carlisle Railway’s tracks to the south of Tebay, it was just a little too late to be of any significance. The world had moved on.
As things began to go wrong, George Stephenson suggested the Bentham Line’s builders, the Little North Western Railway, should focus instead on creating revenue by opening a route through to Lancaster. It came into operation in stages, with the final link completed in 1850.
The route we’ll follow was an addition – an 1867 joint venture with the Midland Railway – connecting from Wennington Junction to Carnforth, and onwards to Morecambe. The original line from Wennington to Lancaster closed to passengers in 1966, and shut completely the following year. The route to Carnforth is the only one remaining. There, we join the West Coast Main Line south to Hest Bank Junction, where we leave on the Morecambe branch for the final few miles to our destination.
Our Class 43 is pulling Network Rail’s Plain Line Pattern Recognition Train, scanning the track for faults or signs of wear. This workhorse of the British Rail era was a mainstay of the rail network for decades, and held the speed record for a diesel locomotive.
We’ve a spectacular day for our trip to the seaside, with bright blue skies and wall-to-wall sunshine. Enjoy full, knowledgeable commentary along the way, or turn it off to concentrate on the sounds of the journey. On-screen graphics guide you with signal aspects, permissive speeds and station names, and an animated map illustrates the journey so you’ll know where we’re headed.
