GB Railfreight, Heidelberg Materials UK and the Settle and Carlisle Railway Trust joined forces at Horton quarry to commemorate 150 years of freight on the Settle and Carlisle line. At the reopened Horton quarry rail link, GBRf named locomotive 66791 “Settle & Carlisle 150”, before it departed across the iconic Ribblehead Viaduct en route to Doncaster.
There is plenty to celebrate on the British railway network, but the “S&C” has a special place in the heart of British culture. The route was won at tragically high sacrifice, but images of the line are as recognisable as any icons of the United Kingdom. The event over the August public holiday weekend underscored the line’s enduring role in moving industrial and agricultural outputs from the North West to the economic heartlands of the South East, a role it has fulfilled since Britain’s railway boom in the 19th century.
Honouring a freight legacy
The naming of GBRf locomotive 66791 “Settle & Carlisle 150” was a highlight of the celebrations. The engine is among the fleet deployed on the route to carry aggregates on the line, which includes routing over the majestic Ribblehead Viaduct (pictured).
GBRf clients, Heidelberg Materials, played a role in the celebrations, not least for recently having restored the rail link at their Horton Quarry. Their strategy underlines the shift towards sustainable logistics in aggregate supply, and a modern use for the Settle & Carlisle. That use was unforeseen at the line’s centenary, when closure was threatened.
Building a railway against the odds
The Settle and Carlisle line sprang from the embattled ambitions of the Midland Railway, stymied in its access to Scotland by the rival nineteenth-century operator LNWR. Faced with competition and unreliable arrangements, the Midland pushed through challenging terrain to construct a 72-mile main-line railway, opening to goods in August 1875 and to passengers in April 1876.
The challenging terrain required 14 tunnels and 20 viaducts, of which the imposing Ribblehead Viaduct is the most recognisable. The line was built by hand by thousands of navvies (“navigators” – so named for their earlier role in building the canals of Britain). Ribblehead Viaduct spans 400m across Batty Moss. It was built at great human cost, and today it is a nationally protected historic structure.
Cross-border functional freight relay
Far from closure, the line is integral to the national network. Aside from a scheduled passenger service and a raft of freight paths, the Settle and Carlisle line is a critical relief route for the West Coast Main Line. A campaign exists in Scotland to re-establish a sister line – the Waverley Route – which would extend that alternative route availability effectively from Leeds to Edinburgh. “Like rail freight, the Settle and Carlisle line has played a key role in driving the economy,” said John Smith, the Chief Executive of GBRf. “The line isn’t just heritage—it’s an active, functional relay in Britain’s freight network.”
“The Settle-Carlisle line is one of the world’s great railway journeys,” said Bryan Gray, Chairman of the Settle and Carlisle Railway Trust, a voluntary body that preserves the historic elements of the line alongside its operational commitments. “It also supports the many communities along the line and has been an important freight line. We are delighted that freight traffic is increasing, and the naming of a freight locomotive is a fitting tribute to those who built the line and have kept traffic moving for 150 years.”