NINETEEN SIXTY FOUR – PART 105
S & C (2) – Ribblehead Viaduct
Michael L. Roach
In Part 104 I recalled my first rail trip over the Settle and Carlisle line from Skipton to Carlisle, and showed some photos taken that day and further days that week in August 1982. We were on a 16-night holiday touring Northern England staying in guest houses at various places like Skipton, Carlisle, Berwick-on-Tweed, Richmond, Chester and Llanidloes (Wales). The day after our rail trip we said farewell to Skipton and travelled along the route of the S&C stopping at several places: Hellifield, Settle, Ribblehead Viaduct, Dent Head Viaduct, Dent Station, Garsdale and Ais Gill to see a railtour pass.
Ribblehead Viaduct is the single most recognisable landmark in the whole of the 72-mile length of the S&C, even to those who have never been there. It is a truly magnificent structure: 24 arches in 4 groups of 6 with 3 king-piers between the groups to prevent any possible chance of the whole viaduct collapsing in the event of trouble. There are taller viaducts on the line than the 104 feet of Ribblehead , but none are longer at 1,320 feet (400 metres). It took up to 2,300 men to build the viaduct over a 5-year period between July 1870 and July 1875. The first freight train passed over Ribblehead on 3 August 1875, and it is now listed Grade II*.
It would have needed enormous quantities of materials to build the Ribblehead Viaduct. Large quantities of timber to build the temporary huts to house the workers (and their families); coal to keep them warm in winter; drinking water and beer; daily supplies of food; lime for the mortar; masses of timber for centring the arches and the scaffolding. It was quite lucky in a way that there was a turnpike road just a quarter of a mile from the south end of the viaduct, with the nearest existing railway station being about six miles away down that turnpike road at Ingleton. Ingleton Station was at the end of the Midland's Branch from Clapham (Yorkshire) which was on the line from Skipton to Morecambe and Heysham. The Midland Station at Ingleton was a short distance southwest of the town centre. Further away west of the town centre, across two rivers, was another railway station belonging to the LNWR on the opposite side of a valley. The two termini were joined by rail track across an 11-arch viaduct which still stands trackless today. It is a measure of the difficult and strained relationship between the LNWR and the Midland that the two railways could not agree on a joint station and running rights for the Midland over LNWR tracks to Low Gill and the WCML to Scotland. Ingleton had a quarry and lime kilns producing lime for making mortar.
The Midland Railway had tentacles going out in all directions from the centre of England, but I could only find three places where it reached the coast of Britain and that was over jointly owned lines and through running rights. The three ports were: Swansea, Heysham and Kings Lynn. During Victorian times much, if not most, of Britain's appetite for softwood would have been satisfied by imports from the countries around the Baltic Sea. There were dozens if not hundreds of small ports and harbours in Britain importing timber but mostly in small quantities for local consumption. Kings Lynn would have been in a different league for two reasons – it was one of the largest and nearest ports to Europe and The Baltic and it was a Member of the Hanseatic League. The Midland Railway had long been associated with the forerunners of The Midland and Great Northern Railway (formed 1893) and thus had control over its own wagons carrying timber from the outskirts of Kings Lynn all the way to Ingleton, some 180 miles away. From Ingleton Station to Ribblehead transport of supplies would have been mostly by horse-and-cart but while the line was being built the firms of Charles Burrell and John Fowler (of Leeds) were just starting to produce steam road locomotives which may have got a look-in if a water supply could be obtained as water was needed in large quantities for mixing mortar and for drinking, washing etc. But this paragraph is only considering the Ribblehead area – there were another 34 viaducts and tunnels also needing large quantities of materials, with some being very remote. Luckily from Kirkby Stephen to Carlisle (41 miles) there were a number of existing North Eastern and LNWR stations to bring in materials.
Our last five nights in the north were spent in the delightful North Yorkshire market town of Richmond. The cobbled market square is huge and has been holding markets for more than 900 years. The town has a lot of character, and the former railway station survives as a cultural centre. Richmond gave its name to the Lancaster and Richmond Turnpike Trust (58 miles apart) although the eastern end is actually 3 miles further on giving a total length of 61 miles. Most turnpike trusts were much shorter than 61 miles e.g. Penryn to Redruth eight miles. Much of both ends of the turnpike road has been bypassed by newer routes but we picked up the route at Bainbridge or Hawes. As we approached Ribblehead Viaduct the sun was shining which demanded a stop for a distant view of the viaduct from the B6255. It would be another 12 years before we would be this far north again.
I will round off this article with details of a delightful 96-page booklet I bought in 2012 in one of the many bookshops in Hay-on-Wye, which cost me just £2. It was written by William R Mitchell who lived at Giggleswick, near Settle and covers the repairs to Ribblehead Viaduct 1990 – 1992 to ensure its structural stability and reprieve the line from closure. In his forward to the booklet the project engineer for the repairs wrote these words: “The Settle-Carlisle railway has an almost indefinable magic – a cocktail mix of fact and folklore, acquired over more than 100 years of operation on the high and remote Pennines. It is one of the best-known and best loved pieces of railway in Britain, if not the world. Not surprisingly, this magic has wrapped itself around the line's most famous viaduct, Ribblehead, which strides across the head of Chapel-le-Dale, buffeted by wind, rain and extremes of temperature.”
Ribblehead Viaduct is the single most recognisable landmark in the whole of the 72-mile length of the S&C, even to those who have never been there. It is a truly magnificent structure: 24 arches in 4 groups of 6 with 3 king-piers between the groups to prevent any possible chance of the whole viaduct collapsing in the event of trouble. There are taller viaducts on the line than the 104 feet of Ribblehead , but none are longer at 1,320 feet (400 metres). It took up to 2,300 men to build the viaduct over a 5-year period between July 1870 and July 1875. The first freight train passed over Ribblehead on 3 August 1875, and it is now listed Grade II*.
It would have needed enormous quantities of materials to build the Ribblehead Viaduct. Large quantities of timber to build the temporary huts to house the workers (and their families); coal to keep them warm in winter; drinking water and beer; daily supplies of food; lime for the mortar; masses of timber for centring the arches and the scaffolding. It was quite lucky in a way that there was a turnpike road just a quarter of a mile from the south end of the viaduct, with the nearest existing railway station being about six miles away down that turnpike road at Ingleton. Ingleton Station was at the end of the Midland's Branch from Clapham (Yorkshire) which was on the line from Skipton to Morecambe and Heysham. The Midland Station at Ingleton was a short distance southwest of the town centre. Further away west of the town centre, across two rivers, was another railway station belonging to the LNWR on the opposite side of a valley. The two termini were joined by rail track across an 11-arch viaduct which still stands trackless today. It is a measure of the difficult and strained relationship between the LNWR and the Midland that the two railways could not agree on a joint station and running rights for the Midland over LNWR tracks to Low Gill and the WCML to Scotland. Ingleton had a quarry and lime kilns producing lime for making mortar.
The Midland Railway had tentacles going out in all directions from the centre of England, but I could only find three places where it reached the coast of Britain and that was over jointly owned lines and through running rights. The three ports were: Swansea, Heysham and Kings Lynn. During Victorian times much, if not most, of Britain's appetite for softwood would have been satisfied by imports from the countries around the Baltic Sea. There were dozens if not hundreds of small ports and harbours in Britain importing timber but mostly in small quantities for local consumption. Kings Lynn would have been in a different league for two reasons – it was one of the largest and nearest ports to Europe and The Baltic and it was a Member of the Hanseatic League. The Midland Railway had long been associated with the forerunners of The Midland and Great Northern Railway (formed 1893) and thus had control over its own wagons carrying timber from the outskirts of Kings Lynn all the way to Ingleton, some 180 miles away. From Ingleton Station to Ribblehead transport of supplies would have been mostly by horse-and-cart but while the line was being built the firms of Charles Burrell and John Fowler (of Leeds) were just starting to produce steam road locomotives which may have got a look-in if a water supply could be obtained as water was needed in large quantities for mixing mortar and for drinking, washing etc. But this paragraph is only considering the Ribblehead area – there were another 34 viaducts and tunnels also needing large quantities of materials, with some being very remote. Luckily from Kirkby Stephen to Carlisle (41 miles) there were a number of existing North Eastern and LNWR stations to bring in materials.
Our last five nights in the north were spent in the delightful North Yorkshire market town of Richmond. The cobbled market square is huge and has been holding markets for more than 900 years. The town has a lot of character, and the former railway station survives as a cultural centre. Richmond gave its name to the Lancaster and Richmond Turnpike Trust (58 miles apart) although the eastern end is actually 3 miles further on giving a total length of 61 miles. Most turnpike trusts were much shorter than 61 miles e.g. Penryn to Redruth eight miles. Much of both ends of the turnpike road has been bypassed by newer routes but we picked up the route at Bainbridge or Hawes. As we approached Ribblehead Viaduct the sun was shining which demanded a stop for a distant view of the viaduct from the B6255. It would be another 12 years before we would be this far north again.
I will round off this article with details of a delightful 96-page booklet I bought in 2012 in one of the many bookshops in Hay-on-Wye, which cost me just £2. It was written by William R Mitchell who lived at Giggleswick, near Settle and covers the repairs to Ribblehead Viaduct 1990 – 1992 to ensure its structural stability and reprieve the line from closure. In his forward to the booklet the project engineer for the repairs wrote these words: “The Settle-Carlisle railway has an almost indefinable magic – a cocktail mix of fact and folklore, acquired over more than 100 years of operation on the high and remote Pennines. It is one of the best-known and best loved pieces of railway in Britain, if not the world. Not surprisingly, this magic has wrapped itself around the line's most famous viaduct, Ribblehead, which strides across the head of Chapel-le-Dale, buffeted by wind, rain and extremes of temperature.”
25158 heads south across the viaduct with a ballast train of 17 wagons on 17 August 1982. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Pier 6 - one of the king piers. Note the Danger Sign and the cracks in some of the stones. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Ribblehead Viaduct from half a mile away on the B6255. The milestone has a cast iron plate typical of the route reading Ingleton 6½ and Lancaster 24 this side, and Richmond 32 miles on the far side. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Ribblehead Viaduct from a quarter mile away, looking north west, on the morning of 27 August 1982. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
The cover of the booklet “Ribblehead Re-born” which is full of sketches, diagrams, photographs and facts.
The back of the booklet is just as interesting.
Many thanks as ever Mike - what a great structure, a real feat of engineering.
For more of Michaels articles, please click here.
For more of Michaels articles, please click here.
New line for North Cornwall?
A press release from North Cornwall MP Ben Maguire:
RAIL PLAN FOR CORNWALL: Exciting progress to share on bringing new rail lines to North Cornwall with the ‘Kernow Connect’ project!
I have asked Cornwall Council to move this vital project forward with a feasibility study, and I’ve also secured a meeting with Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, to put the plans directly in front of the Department for Transport.
The plans outline a fully electrified line from Okehampton to Launceston, then onto Bodmin, before joining an electrified main line West further down into Cornwall. It’s a hugely ambitious project for the whole of Cornwall and the Southwest, with a target date of 2050.
One of my core priorities as North Cornwall’s MP has been transport (bus routes also need significant work!) and I’m determined to see that Cornwall, and the wider South West, finally gets the proper infrastructure investment that other areas have benefited hugely from.
Kernow Connect would provide a massive boost for our connectivity, unlock much-needed growth, and will crucially support a significant increase in freight capacity for the Duchy’s critical minerals industry.
A big step forward but of course there is a huge amount of work to progress this into reality!
RAIL PLAN FOR CORNWALL: Exciting progress to share on bringing new rail lines to North Cornwall with the ‘Kernow Connect’ project!
I have asked Cornwall Council to move this vital project forward with a feasibility study, and I’ve also secured a meeting with Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, to put the plans directly in front of the Department for Transport.
The plans outline a fully electrified line from Okehampton to Launceston, then onto Bodmin, before joining an electrified main line West further down into Cornwall. It’s a hugely ambitious project for the whole of Cornwall and the Southwest, with a target date of 2050.
One of my core priorities as North Cornwall’s MP has been transport (bus routes also need significant work!) and I’m determined to see that Cornwall, and the wider South West, finally gets the proper infrastructure investment that other areas have benefited hugely from.
Kernow Connect would provide a massive boost for our connectivity, unlock much-needed growth, and will crucially support a significant increase in freight capacity for the Duchy’s critical minerals industry.
A big step forward but of course there is a huge amount of work to progress this into reality!
You can sign a petition to show your support for the project by clicking here.
Click image for an enlargement
A very ambitious project indeed! What are your thoughts?
Colourful units at Brea
Mark Lynam
A few colourful units to brighten up a fairly grey morning earlier.
175006 + 175001 working 5Z13 0751 Plymouth to Plymouth via Penzance. 12.05.2026, copyright Mark Lynam.
175006 + 175001 heading towards Redruth. 12.05.2026, copyright Mark Lynam.
Following about 15 minutes later is CrossCountry's newly refurbished voyager 220025 working 1S53 1115 Penzance to Edinburgh, although 220025 went to Plymouth Park Sidings with 220028 (Also refurbished) + 220009 taking the train forward from Plymouth. 12.05.2026, copyright Mark Lynam.
A going-away shot of 220025. 12.05.2026, copyright Mark Lynam.
Many thanks Mark - both units much more photogenic than the usual GWR green.
Golden Ochre
Michael Adams
Lots more great pictures from Roger of 'Westerns',thank you. Here are two pictures taken by Michael Adams at Gloucester on 23 February 2002 showing Western Champion' on a railtour from Paddington. Copyright Michael Adams.
D1015 on the same occasion ready to return to Paddington. Copyright Michael Adams.
Many thanks Michael. D1015 looked super in this livery. Our thanks also to Michael Forward for sending these in.
May 1976
Part 13
Roger Winnen
D1033 Western Trooper on a Brighton Railtour Train at Penzance with the bookstall. 30.05.1976, copyright Roger Winnen.
D1033 Western Trooper backs out. 30.05.1976, copyright Roger Winnen.
Class 47 on the Marsh at Marazion. 30.05.1976, copyright Roger Winnen.
Class 50 at Marazion. 30.05.1976, copyright Roger Winnen.