AN important milestone in the history of the Settle Carlisle line was celebrated at the weekend.

A host of special events marked the 10th anniversary of the announcement in 1989 that the line had been saved from closure.

The historic decision marked a milestone for the Friends of the Settle Carlisle Line, a group formed in 1981 to help save the scenic railway.

The Friends were founded by campaigners David Burton and the late Graham Nuttal, whose determination proved vital in securing the line's future.

"They could see British Rail, as it was in those days, was grooming the line for closure by running down services and taking freight trains away," said the Friends' Pete Shaw.

"The closure notice was issued in 1983 and the Friends had two years, thanks to those two people, to build up an embryo organisation so when the formal proposal was announced we were already in gear."

Mr Burton, who lives at Colne, joined Saturday's celebrations and described it as a "great day".

It was while he was working as a volunteer on the Yorkshire Dales National Park Dales Rail trains that Graham Nuttal, a regular traveller with his dog, Ruswarp, spurred them into action. The pair foresaw the threat to the line and in June 1981 organised a meeting in Settle Town Hall. From that meeting they signed up some 30 members and events snowballed from there.

"I always knew there was hope," said Mr Burton. "We always said the line had a future and we stuck to our guns."

The group now has some 3,000 members nationwide who continue to support the railway today. Their aim now is to promote and develop the line to ensure its future is secure.

"We work closely with Railtrack and train operating companies Northern Spirit and North Western Trains and we welcome freight train development from EWS (English, Welsh and Scottish)," continued Mr Shaw. "Each year we put eight or nine thousand pounds into promotional work, helping to produce line guides and timetables, and producing a colour leaflet for 'browser' books in hotel rooms."

To mark the anniversary, the Friends ran a diesel locomotive-hauled train from Leeds to Carlise on Saturday. Over 400 people made the journey and watched as the EWS class 47 locomotive was officially named "Ribblehead Viaduct" at Settle Station.

The naming ceremony was performed by Randy Henke, operations director for the EWS freight company, who congratulated the Friends on their efforts over the years. He also presented the Friends' chairman, Brian Sutcliffe, with a replica nameplate for display.

Continuing its journey, the train crossed the magnificent Ribblehead Viaduct, renovated in the early 1990s at a cost of £1.7 million. The Friends, along with many other local and national organisations, have contributed large amounts of money towards this and other projects.

On the same day, a Steam Fair took place in Settle Market Place, attracting a large number of visitors to see three traction engines, a gallopers fairground ride, shooting gallery and a Gavioli organ, whilst a vintage bus offered rides up to Ribblehead to view the viaduct.

Then, on Sunday, the actual anniversary of the announcement, a huge fireworks display was held in Settle.

"The first events marking 10 years since the line was saved from closure were a great success, with people coming from far and wide to participate, and we hope the remaining events are equally well attended," said Mr Shaw. "The interest shown demonstrates just how people continue to enjoy this famous railway line."

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