All aboard – historic locomotive to pull steam lovers on scenic Yorkshire route

A popular summer steam service across the Settle & Carlisle line, The Waverley has a newly restored addition to its team of historic locomotives this year.

Sporting British Railways maroon livery, Jubilee Class No. 45699 Galatea will haul The Waverley from York, Leeds, Shipley, Keighley and Skipton to Carlisle on a number of dates to be announced shortly.

It is 49 years since Galatea has been seen on our railways as she was withdrawn from service in 1964.

The Waverley attracts thousands passengers each year drawn by the excitement of steam travel and the drama of the Settle and Carlisle journey, perhaps Britain’s most famous rail route.

Nigel Dobbing, managing director of The Railway Touring Company, said: “This 77-year-old locomotive is a welcome addition to our ranks and, combined with our vintage rail coaches, will give passengers a memorable taste of the golden age of rail travel.”

The Waverley stops to allow its locomotive to take on water at Settle Junction, before starting one of Britain’s most arduous climbs, a total of 15 miles mainly at a gradient of one in 100. The route takes in Ribblehead Viaduct, Blea Moor Tunnel, England’s highest railway station at Dent, views of the Three Peaks and a climb to Ais Gill Summit at 1,169ft above sea level.