Ken's 2019 All Lines Rail Rover
Day 4 - Tuesday 30th July 2019

Have I mentioned that I very rarely experience delays and cancellations on my trips? And that this trip seems different? I sat on Leeds platform 1 for many minutes. My train was on the display, but with no platform allocated. The estimated departure screen remained fixed at the booked 11:18 until after that time, when the train status changed to delayed.

Eventually, an update. It was to leave from platform 11. I trudged over the footbridge all the way to near enough the far side of the station. There were a few passengers there, but no sign of a train. There was, though, in a nearby platform, a very smart rake of maroon carriages with veteran class 57 diesel locos growling and smoking away at each end; clearly a charter train. I was envious of the comfortable seats I knew they’d be enjoying.

But then a train pulled into platform 11. The cab door opened to allow a pair of fitters to clamber from the platform into the train. This did not look good. The train was due out some time ago and only now are some men getting on board to resolve whatever has been ailing the thing. They wandered about, opening covers, staring at this that and, because they were fitters, thumping things from time to time. Then, after a particularly effective thump, they looked hopeful. Something was about to happen.

It started to look good on the platform, too. The hazard warning lights on the side of the train shone their amber shine. Most regular passengers know that the most common reason for these lights to come on is that the doors have been released. So, half of the platform walked to the train and pressed the door open buttons. All that happened was that the doors on the other side of the train opened. They closed again, then opened and closed a few more times before satisfying the fitters to the point that they jumped off, fetching the train a couple of sound clouts as preventative maintenance. The driver then opened our set of doors, and we took our seats.

There were no further delays and we were heading west about fourteen minutes after we were supposed to. The object of this journey was to travel on the line between Settle and Carnforth. I’ve ridden on the spectacular line to Carlisle, but the route to Carnforth is its little sister: almost as beautiful, a bit shorter, and with fewer admirers. Had I wanted to learn more about this route I could have looked it up. Luckily I didn’t need to, because a man in the seat behind me knew everything there is to know. He struck up conversation with the train manager. The latter didn’t have much to do as stops were infrequent, so Nigel, as I expect he was named, was able to give the hapless Northern Trains employee the full benefit of his very extensive knowledge.

The first thing I learned from Nigel was that the charter train I’d seen at Leeds was travelling up the line to Carlisle. Many charters go this way to experience the Pennines at their best. He also pointed out as we stopped at Skipton that the charter was in the loop on our left, presumably to let us, a scheduled service and not a plaything of rich Americans, overtake.

I know the first few miles of the line from Leeds fairly well from visiting my daughter when she was living up there. The line is far from boring almost from the outset, passing Kirkstall Abbey in the Leeds suburbs, Saltaire with its magnificent factories and cottages built by Titus Salt, and an impressive flight of locks on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Bingley. For those interested in railways we passed what I believe to be the only triangular station with platforms on all three sides, although as Nigel explained some of the platforms are quite recent. Trains wishing to call at Shipley, an important junction linking lines from Leeds and Bradford, used to have to stop beyond the station and then be propelled into the platform, reversing direction when it was time to leave.

Some time after Skipton we stopped at Hellifield where a large steam engine was waiting to be backed onto the charter when it arrived, to take it on to Carlisle. I can’t remember what engine it was but its name was redolent of Empire. Was it that splendid Gresley A4 The Union of South Africa, or Osprey as it used to be known? I really can’t remember. Probably not, as I seem to remember an Indian connection. Naturally, my source was Nigel.

There’s a trailing junction at Hellifield where we met a line from Blackburn. I must add that to my visit-another-day list.

After Settle we branched off the Carlisle line to forge our own path towards Carnforth. I learned from Nigel that he was a member of the friends of this line, the Bentham Line. 

According to Community Rail Lancashire

The Bentham Line (Leeds to Lancaster & Morecambe) often referred to as the ‘Little North Western’ is a gem of a line but it is often eclipsed by its more well known neighbour the Settle Carlisle line. Crossing three rivers the Lune, Wenning and Ribble, the line is very picturesque with excellent views to the Dales, Ingleborough and towards the Forest of Bowland AONB.

And it is rather special. It is, like its big sister, traditionally signalled, although this is sparse. Nigel pointed out that it contains Britain’s longest signal block, at 23 miles. Trains can take 45 minutes to pass though it. A basic feature of traditional (and not so traditional) signalling is that only one train may be in a block at a time, so you don’t need to be a signalling and telecoms engineer to work out that the capacity of this line is limited.

As we travelled past hills and rivers Nigel explained the work of the the organisation he belongs to. I’m not sure which one – the community rail partnership, the friends of Bentham Station, or another, but they do sterling work, as do many such organisations around the rail system. They raise funds, maintain station buildings and gardens, publicise the line and perform other roles helping to keep the line’s subsidies within reason. Most are volunteers, of course. I forgive Nigel his excessive loquacity. If it’s due to pride in his organisation or love of the line then he’s earned the right to be a little over-enthusiastic.

Leaving the hills we reached Carnforth, passing over the West Coast Main line to access the platforms. Just before we reached it a steam engine passed on the other line, running light, or perhaps hauling a support coach. Off to join another charter? More likely just a test run from Carnforth.

Carnforth is, of course, where Brief Encounter was filmed. The station fell onto hard times after that, with the main lines being diverted to the east of the station, leaving Carnforth just an oversized local station on a pair of rural branch lines. But now the station’s been done up and the tea room restored to its condition in the film, but without the 1950s prices. More excellent work by mainly voluntary non-railway interests.

There’s still at least one semaphore signal at Carnforth, but we were to leave the Edwardian period behind as we moved onto the West Coast Main Line for the short hop to Lancaster. Leaving Carnforth we passed West Coast Railway’s extensive sidings. There was a short-lived museum here called Steamtown. I don’t know why it closed but I’d like to visit the site now. It must be the largest collection of preserved steam and diesel engines in the country, together with a large number of British Rail mark 1 and 2 carriages. West Coast Railway is the company that operates many of the country’s heritage and charter services. They’ve had run-ins with the regulators for astonishingly poor safety management, and were involved in what could have been a very serious incident in 2015 when one of their steam trains, with a deliberately disabled automatic warning system, ran past red signals through a junction that carries frequent trains running at 125 mph.

My train was supposed to continue to Morecambe, on the coast, but Nigel had predicted correctly that it would be cancelled beyond Lancaster so that it could depart back to Leeds on time. I was getting off at Lancaster in any case, and we’d arrived at a platform used by trains heading south. Had the train been continuing to Morecambe it would have quickly reversed. As it was it just sat there, blocking one of the main line platforms.