Music trains
Regular evening music trains run on the Penistone Line, usually on specific Mondays. Dates for 2010 are Mondays 26 April, 17 May, 7 June, 5 July, 2 August and 20 December. These use the 1918 Huddersfield and 2041 Sheffield return trains. Contact the Penistone Line Partnership for details.
The annual summer music trains between Skipton and Ribblehead on the Settle - Carlisle line will run on Saturdays 8 May, 12 June and 10 July 2010. These use the 1919 Leeds - Ribblehead train extended to Blea Moor and the 2100 Ribblehead - Skipton train, retimed to depart at 2110, which will be extended through to Leeds arrive 2218 calling Shipley at 2205. The 2148 Skipton - Leeds train retimed to 2201 will provide a connection to other stations. Bookings must be made in advance through Northern Rail or at www.settle-carlisle.co.uk
Guided walks
The Penistone Line Partnership organises regular guided walks from the line. Walks in 2010 are Saturdays 20 March, 3 and 17 April 2010.
The Friends of the Settle Carlisle Line has a busy programme of guided walks from the S & C and Morecambe lines throughout the year.
There are guided walks from the Skipton - Morecambe line planned for Saturdays 20, 27 March, 24 April, 1 May 2010. See www.communityraillancashire.co.uk/publicity
The Friends of DalesRail also organises regular walks from West Yorkshire using rail services (see http://www.friendsofdalesrail.org/ ).
'Listen on the Line'
Northern Rail and FoSCL have developed what is believed to be a unique venture for railways in this country with the Settle - Carlisle railway a trailblazer in new technology. There is now an MP3 audio guide for the journey between Settle and Carlisle in both directions, which has been written by Richard Morris of the Friends and recorded by BBC Radio 4 presenter Mark Holdstock. The MP3 files can be downloaded free of charge. (Select the 'Audio Guides' tab).
Refreshments on Settle-Carlisle
A reminder that the Settle Carlisle Railway Development Company operates a refreshment trolley service on the Settle - Carlisle route on certain trains. Focussing on local food, a range of cakes and biscuits made by Country Fare in Mallerstang, a farm within sight of the line, is offered. A wide range of hot and cold drinks is available including filter coffee, tea and hot chocolate. The SCRDC in partnership with Northern, also runs the cafe at Skipton station, Cafe Express. It is open during the daytime on weekdays and Saturdays from early morning, providing passengers with high quality refreshments, locally made produce and FairTrade drinks.
Penistone Line Rail Ale
Summer Wine Brewery based at Honley have produced a regular beer called Penistone Line RAIL ALE 3.8%. The beer pumpclip features a Northern Class 158 unit going over Penistone viaduct. The beer is available on most music trains and at various pubs along the line plus further afield. Each pub displays posters featuring the Summer Wine Brewery, a description of the beer taste/ flavour and brief paragraph about The Penistone Line Partnership and what they do.
Kirkby Stephen station
(courtesy of SCRDC and FOSCL)
New residential caretakers have moved in to Kirkby Stephen station for the Settle & Carlisle Railway Trust. Imagerail, providing graphic design and photographic services to the rail industry, now operates from the Midland Railway room on Kirkby Stephen station and part of the room has also been opened up as a shop selling light refreshments (including home-baked cookies and flapjacks), prints and railwayana.
Winter opening hours are flexible at this stage, but will normally be 0920 - 1720 Mondays to Wednesdays and Fridays, and 1420 - 1720 Saturdays. The shop will open longer at weekends when special trains are passing through Kirkby Stephen, and by arrangement at any time for parties of walkers - when tasty home-made soup will also be on the menu. Imagerail can be contacted on 01768 800208 or enquiries@imagerail.com.
The new caretakers are keen to see Kirkby Stephen station develop as more of a centre for the community, and have already produced a station-specific times, fares and access information sheet (downloadable from www.imagerail.com), and worked with the Upper Eden Community partnership to produce a poster showing how passengers arriving at the station can walk or take the bus down to the town.
A long-term goal was to have a fully-specified automatic weather station, as at Ribblehead, but thanks to the generous support of FoSCL this has been delivered already.
Have a look at www.mylocalweather.org.uk/kirkbystephen to see how much better or not the weather is at Kirkby Stephen compared to Ribblehead. The facility is especially useful for those planning a walk or photographic trip in the area, and to local residents of course.
