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Northern Navigator

This cab ride programme covers four fascinating sections of route that weave their way through Lancashire and a small part of North Yorkshire. The journey from Carnforth to Manchester Victoria via Clapham, Clitheroe, Blackburn and Bolton is not possible by a normal service train. However, in June 2024 the ‘Glasgow GM’ BLS charity excursion provided the opportunity to cover these routes in one go - along with a few stretches of ‘freight only’ track. The locomotive is GB Railfreight’s 57306. Recently repainted into GBRf livery, this former Virgin ‘Thunderbird’ is usually confined to stock moves.

The journey starts in Carnforth Up & Down Goods Loop and the first leg features the scenic and steeply-graded ‘Little’ North Western route through Bentham and Clapham to Settle Junction. The 26 miles - which have the audio bonus of plenty of jointed track - have no intermediary signals as this stretch of route operates as one long ‘block section’. It is the longest such section on the rail network. After briefly joining the Settle-Carlisle line, the train passes through Long Preston before being routed through Hellifield’s Up Goods Loop. Like Settle Junction, this is another location with plenty of operational semaphore signals. Immediately after setting off from Hellifield, the train takes the Ribble Valley line. The first 14-miles to Clitheroe are ‘freight only‘ with regular passenger services only operating south of Clitheroe. After crossing the impressive Whalley viaduct, there’s the five-mile climb of Langho bank through Wilpshire tunnel. Shortly after that is Daisyfield level crossing with its manually-operated crossing gates and its signal box which dates back to 1873. Immediately after that is Daisyfield Junction and that’s followed by the arrival into Blackburn station where there’s a short break. Next up are the fascinating 13-miles to Bolton which pass through Darwen and Entwistle. With its three single-track sections, there is no booked freight over this route and this journey therefore provides a rare loco-hauled working between Blackburn and Bolton. The final leg of the journey features a fast run through the suburbs of Greater Manchester. Now running ‘under the wires’, the ten miles of route pass through Farnworth, Clifton and Salford Crescent. At Deal Street Junction a maze of trackwork marks the final half-a-mile to Manchester Victoria. As an added bonus, the journey was filmed on what was a rare sunny summers day!

Programme Fact File