© Geoff’s Rail Diaries 2011 I made the journey up to the Settle and Carlisle a number of times during the 1980s, usually to photograph the steam specials in operation. This page illustrates two such trips - when 46229 "Duchess of Hamilton" was in action, northbound one Saturday and southbound the following Saturday. The photographs start at our first northbound location - near Gargrave, where the line crosses the river Aire and the Leeds - Liverpool canal (the pictures were taken from the canal aqueduct over the river). We then move on to the old favourite at Ribblehead, and finish at Garsdale Head, where the weather was deteriorating somewhat. A week later, we started near Langwathby, moved south to Ais Gill (where the driver shut off steam, quite deliberately, it seemed, to spoil the photographers' pleasure - opening up again a few yards further on), then a downhill "grab" at Helwith Bridge, before a final shot as the train left Hellifield in the gathering gloom.