Storyline: 50 years later
April 2018
As mentioned in our Cumbria post, we enjoyed a trip on this minimum gauge (15”, 914mm) railway. Here’s some more information on this delightful railroad.
The line, which operates from Ravenglass, a village at the confluence of three river mouths just as they enter the Irish Sea, climbing 210feet / 64 metres to Dalegarth For Boot some 7 miles/11km up the Esk Valley (Dale).
The privately-owned railway owns 18 locomotives, 9 of which are steam-powered. At the time of our trip, there were 5 steam-powered and 3 diesel or petrol-powered locomotives actually in service. Hauling us up the valley was the railway’s most recent acquisition, the blue-liveried “Whillan Beck” named for the stream (beck) that flows under the line at Dalegarth. The “Whillan Beck” was built in 1929 and formerly served in Spain; it went into service here just a month before our trip. There are nine stations in all, with several of the intermediate stops being used on request only.
The line was originally built in 1875 to transport ore from inland iron mines to the main railway at Ravenglass. Passenger capabilities were added a year later to meet local demand, but the railway closed due to financial difficulties less than 40 years later in 1913. Two years after that, and having been converted to its current gauge, the line reopened, and despite periodic financial challenges has become a major tourist attraction, carrying 120,000 passengers a year.
Our trip began late in the morning of a grey day, with low clouds threatening to release their burdens over us. We bought our tickets, and since there were 20 minutes before departure, we popped into the station café for hot drinks and a scone. As we were picking up our orders, we heard the train arriving and hustled outside to welcome it. How small it was, looking almost toylike, the engineer dwarfing the cab, seemingly ‘on it’ rather than ‘in it’.
We watched as the locomotive was eased onto the turntable at the end of the track, then as the engineer dismounted, leaned against the tender and pushed the locomotive around to face the other track. Off went the locomotive to be shunted to the other end of the train, ready to haul us up the valley.
We strolled along the length of the train: there were about nine carriages of three types. Seating in all was benches, wide enough for two adults. We played Goldilocks and chose between “baby carriage”, completely open to the elements, “mommy carriage”, which adds a roof but no windows and doors, and “daddy carriage”, fully enclosed. We wanted to experience the open air even if it was a bit chilly and that it looked like it would rain, so we opted for the middle ground “mommy carriage”. We were wearing raincoats, so figured we were relatively safe. It turned out that we indeed were – relatively safe that is.
It started to drizzle as we eased out of the station. A couple of dogs lying alongside the tracks lazily thumped their tails in salute as we passed.
We wound our way up the springtime countryside, passing through mossy wooded areas, fields of budding flowers and drystone wall-enclosed meadows, farmhouses scattered here and there. Around every curve in the track there were small flocks of sheep, newborn lambs frolicking around them.
The drizzle became rain, blowing almost horizontally at times, and pouring off the roof in streams. We were too busy snapping pictures and enjoying the scenery to care.
The railway is mostly single-track, and opposing-direction trains are scheduled to pass each other at the few places where additional tracks are laid. We were passed by two trains: steam-powered “Northern Rock”, and the less romantic diesel-powered locomotive, “Lady Wakefield”.
After forty minutes or so, we arrived at Dalegarth, a bit windblown and rain-spattered. For those seeking a little comfort from the elements, or souvenirs of the experience, The Fellbites Café and the Scafell Gift Shop are located here. There’s lots more to see and experience that we couldn’t take advantage of, including day hikes from Dalegarth or from intermediate stops.
Looking back over 50 years since I was last here, the trip hasn’t changed, but the facilities at both ends have been modernized and expanded to handle the bigger in-season crowds that flock to the Lake District each summer. It had been a delightful trip and one that I would happily enjoy again, perhaps later in the spring with the trees and shrubs in leaf, or autumn after the crowds thinned out from the summer craziness.
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