Leeds to Morecambe Line

The railway Leeds - Morecambe is a railway line that runs from Leeds via Skipton and Lancaster to Morecambe in the North of England. The trunk is used by trains of the Northern Rail and belongs historically to the Midland Railway. The track is on the section between Leeds City Station and Skipton - equipped as Airedale Line and known with a 25 kV overhead line.

Sections and their history

Airedale Line

The first section between Leeds City Station and Shipley was opened by the Leeds and Bradford Railway on 1 July 1846. The Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway led the route further to Skipton.

Skipton - Settle

This section of the known as "Little " North Western Railway railway company was released on 30 July 1849 to Clapham and on 1 June 1850 and to Lancaster for traffic. This section had to branches:

• The Yorkshire Dales Railway as a connection from Skipton to Ilkey Line of 30 July 1902 to 22 September 1930.
• A continuation of the Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway after Colne and thus connect to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway to Preston.

Settle Junction - Lancaster

The original route to Lancaster had a turn-off to Ingleton in Clapham. This made it possible to drive over Sedbergh to Low Gill and meet there on the London and North Western Railway. The line was taken between 1861 and Ingleton Lancaster by Lancaster and Carlisle Railway in operation. On the stretch of the passenger traffic on 1 February 1954, set in 1966 it was fully closed. This section served as a diversion at faults on the main route from Settle to Lancaster.

In Wennington there was until 1966 a connection to the Furness and Midland Joint Railway. This allowed to ride on the North Western Railway / Midland Railway on Lancaster Green Ayre to Morecambe.

Track utilization

The railway in its present form there until January 1966. Up to this time the trains were separated in Wennington and shunted wagons to / from Leeds there. The Beeching Report had referred to this process as unsatisfactory and so passengers on the Furness Line today must change to Carnforth.

The route was used until 1986 to freight trains with ammonium from Teesside to a now disused factory in ICI Heysham and bitumen from Ellesmere Port to bring Skipton. From the Railway Museum Carnforth operate occasionally by steam locomotives hauled trains on the track. The track is now traveled only by passenger trains.