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A review for validation, and the addition of traceable cross-references to information sources is currently in progress (July 2003) |
| Key events in the history of the line |
| Year | Date | Event | Validation Source(s) |
| 1846 | Dec 15th | The Lancaster to Carlisle railway opens to Carlisle | Dates of openings of the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, in 'The Midland Railway North of Leeds', P.E.Baughan. p. 83. Also, there is a description of the line and the opening ceremony in The Illustrated London News, December 26th 1846 |
| 1849 | 30th July | Skipton to Ingleton line opened | "The Midland Railway, A Chronology", J.Gough 1989 Page 176 North Western Railway |
| 1850 | 1st June | Clapham to Bentham opened | "The Midland Railway, A Chronology", J.Gogth 1989 Page 178 North Western Railway |
| 1850 | 2nd May | Bentham to Wennington opened | "The Midland Railway, A Chronology", J.Gough 1989 Page 178 North Western Railway |
| 1850 | 17th Nov | Wennington to Lancaster green Ayre opened | "The Midland Railway, A Chronology", J.Gough 1989Page 176 North Western Railway Dates of openings of the North Western Railway are also given in 'The Midland Railway North of Leeds', P.E.Baughan. p. 429.Tthe line had actually opened in several stages but the date for full through working is given here. |
| 1848 | 2nd Oct | The Skipton to Colne line is opened throughout. | "The Midland Railway, A Chronology", J.Gough 1989 Page 174 North Western Railway |
| 1861 | ~ | NER Darlington – Barnard Castle – Tebay line is opened. | |
| 1866 | July 16th | The MR (Settle-Carlisle) Bill becomes an Act of Parliament. | Seven other Acts were passed authorising additional powers and deviations. See "The MidlandRrailway, A Chronology", J.Gough 1989 Page 182 Settle and Carlisle Line |
| 1868 | October 1st | The Midland Railway opens St.Pancras station as its London terminus | |
| 1869 | November | The first sod of the Settle-Carlisle railway is cut near Anley, Settle. | |
| 1871 | May | Smallpox breaks out in the Settle-Carlisle construction camps. | Reported in the Craven Pioneer, Saturday May 13th, 1871 |
| 1871 | ~ | C.S.Sharland, who surveyed the line of the S and C route dies of Tuberculosis in Torquay, Devon. | |
| 1873 | ~ | The Hoffman Kiln at Stainforth Quarry is completed. | A description of the Craven Lime Works development is contained in 'Limestone Industries of the Yorkshire Dales', by D.Johnson, p. 89. |
| 1875 | August 2nd | The Settle-Carlisle Railway is opened for freight traffic. | |
| 1876 | May 1st | The new Skipton station is opened in its present position. | Reported in the Craven Pioneer, April 29th, 1976. |
| 1876 | Jan 25th | General Custer dies fighting the Sioux Indians at the Little Bighorn in America. | |
| 1876 | May 1st | The Settle - Carlisle line opens for passenger traffic. Also see 1876 timetable | Reported in the Craven Pioneer, May 1st 1876 |
| 1876 | December 4th | Ribblehead Station is opened. | Opened as Batty Green, altered to Ribblehead 1.5.1877 "The Midland Railway, A Chronology", J.Gough 1989 Page 183 Settle and Carlisle Railway |
| 1877 | November | Settle Junction Station is opened. | Reported in the Craven Pioneer, October 7th 1876. |
| 1878 | June 1st | Traffic commences from Hawes to Northallerton (NER). Garsdale - Hawes opens to traffic. | Reported in the Craven Pioneer, June 1st 1878. |
| 1878 | October 1st | The Hawes - Garsdale Junction section opens for passenger traffic. | Reported in the Craven Pioneer, October 5th, 1878.. |
| 1880 | June 1st | The Chatburn-Hellifield extension is opened. | |
| 1896 | ~ | The Gypsum works at Long Meg near Langwathby, is "opened". | According to Ian Tyler, in "Gypsum in Cumbria" published in 2000, underground operations started at the Long Meg site in 1895, all previous extraction having been carried out by quarrying. In1896 a single track siding was laid from the S and C line to the mill building. |
| 1906 | December 24th | The St.Pancras - Glasgow sleeper hits 2 light engines returning northwards near Garsdale. | Described in The Railway Magazine, May 2000. Page 25 onwards. |
| 1907 | 22nd October | Garsdale water troughs are opened at a cost of £4,396 | "The Midland Railway, A Chronology", J.Gough 1989 Page 184 Settle and Carlisle Railway |
| 1907 | June 16th | Selside signal box is opened | Midland Railway Way and Works Committee Minute No.22118 |
| 1910 | December 24th | Railway accident at Lunds, express hits two light engines, 12 fatalities | |
| 1913 | September 2nd | 2 expresses collide at Ais Gill – 18 fatalities | Article in The Railway Magazine May 2000 |
| 1913 | September 14th | The new signal box at Settle Junction is opened | |
| 1914 | Midland Railway system mileages are recalculated from a new origin at St.Pancras station, London | ||
| 1918 | January 10th | The 8.50 am St.Pancras - Glasgow express is derailed by a landslip in a cutting 3/4 miles north of Little Salkeld station. | Discussed in The Railway Magazine,' The Why and the Wherefore' April 1961. See also 1933 accident, on July 10th. |
| 1923 | Settle Junction south signal box is closed. together with the connection from the down sidings. | ||
| 1923 | January 1st | The railways are amalgamated into the “big four”, LMS, LNER,SR,GWR | Grouping was authorised in the Railways Act 1921, which came into force on 1st January 1923. Ref. 'Oxford Companion to British Railway History', p 123 |
| 1930 | March 6th | Railway Accident at Waste Bank, a passenger train hauled by Claughton 4-6-0 N0. 5971 Croxteth runs into a ballast train headed by 0-6-0 No.4009. 2 fatalities resulted. | |
| 1933 | July 10th | The 12.44 pm Carlisle - St.Pancras express collides with a goods train engaged in shunting operations near to Waste Bank tunnel. | Discussed in The Railway Magazine,' The Why and the Wherefore' April 1961 |
| 1931 | ~ | The dairy at Appleby is built – is connected by rail to the S and C | |
| 1941 | ~ | The refuge loops and new Blea Moor Signal box open for traffic | |
| 1942 | February 1st | Scotby Station is closed | Source: 'Scotby', in 'Stations and Structures of the Settle Carlisle Railway', Anderson and Fox |
| 1942 | Ribblehead quarry is opened | ||
| 1948 | January 1st | The railways of Great Britain are nationalised, British Railways is created. | Source: 1947 Transport Act, HMSO. See also p338 in the 'Oxford Companion to British Railway History'. |
| 1952 | June 2nd | Ormside station is closed | |
| 1952 | April 7th | Cotehill station is closed | |
| 1954 | February 1st | The Ingleton branch is closed to passenger traffic. | |
| 1954 | April 26th | Hawes - Northallerton passenger services are withdrawn.See closure notice. | Source: British Railways official Closure Notice |
| 1956 | July 7th | Crosby Garrett Station is closed | |
| 1956 | November 5th | Cumwhinton station is closed | |
| 1957 | February 24th | Cumwhinton signal box is closed | "The Midland Railway, A Chronology", J.Gough 1989 Page 186 Settle and Carlisle Railway |
| 1959 | May 4th | Bell Busk station is closed | Reported in the Craven Herald, Friday May 8th 1959. |
| 1959 | March 14th | 12.46 p.m. Last train from Bradford Forster Square to Hawes, Saturday March 14th, hauled by 42492 Stanier 2 cylinder 2-6-4 Tank engine. | Reported in the Craven Herald, Friday 20th March 1959. |
| 1959 | March 16th | Garsdale - Hawes passenger services are withdrawn | Reported in the Craven Herald, Friday 20th March 1959. |
| 1960 | ~ | Settle Junction signal box frame is replaced by a 1943 pattern frame | |
| 1960 | January 21st | The 9.05 pm train from Glasgow to St.Pancras collides with a goods train north of Settle station. Five persons are killed, nine injured. | Reported in the Craven Herald, Friday January 22nd, February 5th, 1960; Also reported in Trains Illustrated, Page 648, November 1960. |
| 1960 | June 19th | The Ingleton - Low Gill line is closed as a diversionary route | |
| 1961 | September 8th | The 3.05 Stourton - Durran Hill freight is derailed and partially demolishes the signal box at Stainforth sidings. | Reported in The Railway Observer (RCTS), No. 392, October 1961. |
| 1962 | September 10th | The Hellifield – Blackburn passenger service is withdrawn. | Letter in the Railway Magazine, 'Why and Wherefore', May 1989, p.331 |
| 1963 | ~ | Lazonby sand sidings are removed | |
| 1964 | May 6th | Goods facilities are withdrawn from Dent station. | Table in the 'Midland Railway North of Leeds', P.E. Baughan, p 460 |
| 1964 | September 28th | Goods facilities are withdrawn from Kirkby Stephen West station. | Table in the 'Midland Railway North of Leeds', P.E. Baughan, p 460 |
| 1964 | October 1st | Goods facilities are withdrawn from Dent station. | Table in the 'Midland Railway North of Leeds', P.E. Baughan, p 460 |
| 1964 | November 11th | Goods facilities withdrawn from Lazonby and Kirkoswald station. | Table in the 'Midland Railway North of Leeds', P.E. Baughan, p 460 |
| 1965 | March 1st | Ingleton station closes to goods traffic. | Table in the 'Midland Railway North of Leeds', P.E. Baughan, p 460 |
| 1965 | March 22nd | The Skipton – Ilkley line is closed | |
| 1965 | February 2nd | Goods facilities are withdrawn from Horton station | |
| 1965 | April 21th | Dent Head signal box is closed and demolished | "The Midland Railway, A Chronology", J.Gough 1989 Page 183 Settle and Carlisle Railway |
| 1965 | December 8th | Seven cars blown off a goods train on Ribblehead Viaduct. | Reported in the The Railway Magazine, January 1966 |
| 1967 | January 2nd | All stations except Settle and Appleby become unstaffed halts | |
| 1968 | ~ | The Up siding at Settle Junction is removed | |
| 1968 | August 11th | Last steam hauled train on the Settle-Carlisle line following the BR steam ban, hauled by 70013 Oliver Cromwell | |
| 1969 | January 5th | The last service runs over the Waverley route, a 9.43 am special from Leeds City station. | Source: the Railway Observer (RCTS), 'Farewell to the Waverley Route', March 1969, Vol. 39, No.481 |
| 1969 | August 31st | Mallerstang signal box and sidings are closed | "The Midland Railway, A Chronology", J.Gough 1989 Page 184 Settle and Carlisle Railway |
| 1970 | May 4th | All stations except Settle and Appleby are closed to passenger traffic | |
| 1970 | May 5th | The Skipton – Colne line is closed | Passenger services ended on February 2nd 1970 (See Railway Magazine April 1970 p.217) |
| 1970 | October 12th | Goods facilities are withdrawn from Settle station.(Query re. dates, see item below JR) | |
| 1971 | October 18th | Goods facilities are withdrawn from Appleby station. | |
| 1973 | ~ | Long Meg anhydrite works closes | |
| 1974 | ~ | Ribblehead northbound platform is demolished to make way for a quarry siding | |
| 1975 | ~ | Gates are replaced by barriers at Low House crossing | |
| 1975 | May 3rd | Dales Rail services commence - Some stations are re-opened for Dales Rail Ramblers trains. | |
| 1976 | May 5th | St.Pancras - Glasgow trains are cut back to run from Nottingham to Glasgow. | |
| 1976 | July 16th | Daily passenger services recommence over the Settle - Carlisle line. | |
| 1976 | June 26th | Traffic via the NER line from Appleby to Merrgill Quarry, Kirkby Stephen finishes. | |
| 1979 | May 3rd | The St.Blazey – Carlisle freight derails at Settle Junction. | Reported in the Craven Herald, Friday May 8th, 1979. |
| 1981 | January 28th | Griseburn ballast sidings signal box is closed | |
| 1981 | January 28th | Ais Gill signalbox is closed | |
| 1981 | February | Dent signal box is closed | |
| 1982 | May 16th | The Nottingham – Glasgow expresses are withdrawn. | The last working day of operations was Saturday 15th May; ref. photographic records posted by from P.Cooper, Settle-Carlisle newsgroup June 18th 2003. |
| 1983 | January 15th | Armathwaite Signal Box is closed | |
| 1983 | November 17th | BR publish a Section 56(7) Notice of Withdrawal of Passenger Services, under the Transport Act 1962, for the Settle Junction to Petterill Bridge Junction. | |
| 1984 | May 1st | Settle signal box is closed | |
| 1986 | January 31st | Mineral traffic from Ribblehead quarry ceases. Last train is hauled by locomotive No. 47212 | Referred to in the FOSCL Magazine Nov 2000 |
| 1986 | July 16th | Horton, Garsdale, Langwathby, Armathwaite stations are re-opened for regular passenger traffic | Source: e-mail discussion re: re-openings: Cumbria Railways Association, Chat Line May 30th 2001. N.B. The re-openingdate is given as 29.9.86 in Gough, "The Midland Railway, A Chronology"Page 183 Settle and Carlisle Railway |
| 1987 | February 4th | Eight freight trains return to the line; for the first time in 4 years; diverted due to overhead wire damage on the WCML. | |
| 2004 | December 12th | New Northern Rail Franchise comences. | On 1st July 2004 the Strategic Rail Authority announced that Serco-Ned Railways was the preferred bidder for the franchise. The new franchise takes over from Arriva Trains Northern and First North Western. |