Discover 150 years of Settle-Carlisle history at Appleby Heritage Open Weekend
Visitors to Appleby can step back through 150 years of railway history this September with a special Settle Carlisle 150 exhibition at Appleby Tourist Information Centre.
The free exhibition is open until Wednesday 30 September and will be part of Appleby’s Heritage Open Weekend on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, giving residents and visitors another reason to explore the town and its history.
The exhibition celebrates 150 years since the first passenger services travelled over the Settle-Carlisle Railway on 1 May 1876 – a milestone being marked throughout 2026 with events and activities along the route.
Featuring archive photographs from across the decades, the exhibition tells the story not only of one of Britain’s great railway lines, but of the people and communities who have lived, worked and travelled along it.
Karen Morley-Chesworth, Community Rail Officer for the Settle Carlisle Railway Development Company, said: “We have some wonderful photographs showing the Settle-Carlisle Railway and the people and communities connected with it over the years, but sometimes a photograph raises as many questions as it answers.
“We would love people to come along and tell us what they know. You may recognise a family member, friend or former railway worker, or remember one of the events featured. By sharing those memories in our visitor book, you can help us add another piece to the story of the line.
“The Settle-Carlisle Railway has always been about much more than trains. For 150 years it has connected people, places and communities, and we want this exhibition to celebrate those personal stories as well as the remarkable railway itself.
“Heritage Open Weekend is the perfect opportunity to come and have a look – and if you can’t make it that weekend, the exhibition remains open until 30 September. Admission is completely free.”
The Settle Carlisle Railway Development Company would like to thank the Settle-Carlisle Railway Trust for providing archive images of the line for the exhibition.
Visitors are being asked to help fill in some of the gaps in the railway’s history. If you recognise someone in one of the photographs, know the story behind an event featured in the exhibition, or have your own memories connected with the railway, you can leave information in the visitor book.
As well as the photographic exhibition, visitors can see a replica of the Station Master’s House and spend time browsing scrapbooks containing photographs, cuttings and memories associated with the railway.
The exhibition is particularly fitting in 2026. The Settle-Carlisle is celebrating the 150th anniversary of passenger services, while the year also marks 40 years since eight intermediate stations on the line reopened to passengers in 1986.
The anniversary programme has included heritage, community and railway events throughout the year.
Today, the 72-mile route continues to connect communities through the Yorkshire Dales and Eden Valley and is celebrated for its Victorian railway engineering, historic stations and spectacular landscape. Regular services run daily between Carlisle and Leeds along the line as part of the Northern network.
Whether you are a railway enthusiast, interested in local history, have family connections with the line, or simply want to find out more about the railway on Appleby’s doorstep, everyone is welcome to come along and help celebrate 150 years of the Settle-Carlisle Railway.
