This page presents a selection of contemporary accounts relating to the construction of the Hawes branch between 1869 and 1878.
They have been extracted from “How they built the Settle-Carlisle railway” by W.R. Mitchell (published by Castleberg in 1989, reprinted in 2001) and the extracts are reproduced here with the kind permission of Dr Mitchell. The extracts are presented as they were written in the original sources, which means there are variations in the spelling of place names and in punctuation. The numbers at the beginning of each extract were not part of the original text: they have been added to aid cross-referencing.
The Foreword and Introduction page explains how these extracts were obtained and provides a key to the abbreviations used.
Contract No. 5 (the Hawes branch)
5.1: This branch line is 5¾ miles in length and will be a single line. . . Mr. Story is the resident engineer and Mr. Crossley the head engineer . . .The cutting at the junction is finished, and for two miles from the terminus at Hawes the line is railed off. Two cuttings on the Hawes side are finished and three more cuttings are commenced. A road approach from Hawes to Moorcock and two occupation bridges and several culverts are finished, and a girder bridge is nearly finished.
Hawes Junction with the Midland is at Garsdale Head, where considerable works are to be erected. The platform walls were in progress and a number of cottages were being built. The works, when completed, will form a small village. There will be over twenty houses and an engine shed, besides a number of sidings for the exchange of traffic. It is reported that a large reservoir will be made to supply the engines and other places with water. L.G. (1875)
5.2: A smallpox hospital has been built at Appersett for the men working in the North Riding District. L.G. (1872)
Series Links
The other pages in the series "How they built the Settle-Carlisle railway" can be accessed via the following links:
- A - Foreword and Introduction
- B - Preamble
- C - Contract 1
- D - Contract 2
- E - Contract 3
- F - Contract 4
- G - Contract 5 (this page)
- H - Postscript