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Monday 30 Mar 2009

KING OF EMMERDALE CROWNS RAILWAY WALK

Region & Route:

Actor Tom Lister, who plays Carl King in ITV’s ‘Emmerdale’ and lives in Ingleton will officially ‘open’ a day of public walks across Ribblehead Viaduct on the famous Settle – Carlisle railway line this summer. The 24-arch viaduct is a quarter of a mile long, 104 feet high and was completed in 1875 after taking five years to build.

Network Rail has agreed with the Settle and Carlisle Railway Trust to allow 3,000 people to cross the viaduct in organised parties on Sunday 26 July, as this year marks the 20th anniversary of the decision not to close the line.

Jo Kaye, Network Rail’s route director said: “This year is an important anniversary in the history of the line, which is why we have decided to open the viaduct to the public for one last time. Had the line not been saved, rail travellers would have been denied one of the world’s most scenic railway journeys, coal traffic from Scotland to power stations in Yorkshire and the Midlands would have had to use either the east or west coast main lines – both of which are heavily congested – and we wouldn’t have been able to use it as a diversionary route.

“As it is, we are investing heavily in improving the line and stations along it, all of which are looked after and promoted by the Trust, the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line and the Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Co. Ltd.”

Tickets for the walk, which have to be booked in advance, are now on sale at a cost of £15 per person for adults and children aged 14 years and over. Children aged under 14 years, and anyone with impaired mobility, will not be allowed across the viaduct.

Even so, Ruth Evans, organiser on behalf of the Trust says there will be other things to occupy the youngsters: "This special event is going to be a family fun day and we welcome families to come along."

As well as the viaduct walk there will be free guided tours of the former shanty towns on the Ribblehead site, guided walks around the nature reserve, the Ribblehead Visitor Centre, exhibitions and attractions in the station area.

Tickets for the event will be time specific and will be allocated to a particular time slot for crossing the viaduct. Visitors will not be allowed access to the viaduct unsupervised.

Temporary car parks will be set up at Ribblehead and at nearby Horton-in-Ribblesdale from where free shuttle buses are being provided by the Trust.

Further details and a ticket application form are available on the Internet at www.settlecarlisle.co.uk or by sending a stamped, addressed DL or A5 envelope to SCRDC, Railway Station, Clifford Street, Appleby, CA16 6TT.

Proceeds from the walk will be used to support the work of the Settle and Carlisle Railway Trust in maintaining and developing railway buildings along the line.

As a treat for walkers and historians alike, author WR Mitchell will be signing copies of his latest book ‘Thunder in the Mountains:The men who built Ribblehead’ (Great Northern Books) which is a fascinating tale of the lives of the men behind this great feat of engineering The book looks at the heroes of the Ribblehead viaduct, including subcontractor Job Hirst whose vision and determination lead the project for most of its construction until his tragic murder. His sons took over to ensure the job was completed for him. Today, Job Hirst’s grave lies in the nearby churchyard of St Leonard’s, within sight of the imposing viaduct that was his obsession and final undoing.