Top tips for rail photograph: Class 60s on the Rylstone branch
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Chris Gee
Chris Gee describes the best spots to photograph Class 60s at work on the picturesque Rylstone branch near Skipton, North Yorkshire.
LOCATION 2, LOW LAITHE: Look out for a small parking area by an occupation crossing on the left-hand side in trees as you drive north along the B6265 towards Rylstone. Cross the railway at the crossing (which itself offers a nice telephoto shot of southbound trains) into the field and head south for a view of trains heading to the quarry, or head north into the next field for photos of trains heading towards Skipton (boots are recommended as it can become muddy after rain). No. 60087 Ingleborough is captured with a 70mm lens descending past the barn at Low Laithe on the approach to Scale House crossing with 6D31, the loaded 18.20 Rylstone to Hull Dairycoates on June 24, 2024.
All photographs by Chris Gee
The freight-only line between Skipton and Tarmac’s Swinden Quarry, more commonly known as the Rylstone branch, runs through an especially scenic part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park – which makes it great for railway photography throughout the seasons, and even more so since Class 60 ‘Tugs’ returned as the principal motive power in spring 2024.
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Weekdays are the best to visit, as weekend workings are infrequent and less predictable. The most reliable trains for daylight photography are 6D25/08.50 Rylstone to Hull Dairycoates; 6D37/12.27 Rylstone to Leeds Hunslet; 6D50/10.24 Hull Dairycoates to Rylstone; and 6D31/18.20 Rylstone to Hull Dairycoates. Most other trains operate during the hours of darkness, even in the summer months, although for early risers the 6D89/04.05 Leeds Hunslet to Rylstone or 6D90/05.50 Leeds Hunslet to Rylstone can arrive in daylight hours.
The other trains listed on Realtime Trains rarely run, but RTT does indicate each morning which trains are ‘activated’ and give a loco allocation. As a general rule, however, if 6D50 has gone into the quarry, it will come out as 6D31; if 6D89/90 has gone in, it will come out as 6D37; and if 6D84/85 has gone in, it will come out as 6D25. Bear in mind though that general rules can be broken.
Trains often leave Rylstone early, so it is best to be in place at your chosen spot a good 30-40 minutes before departure time. However, RTT is again helpful by reliably showing when a train has left the quarry, and most places along the route has a strong phone signal.
Trains heading to Rylstone are much more predictable, as you can watch their inbound journey and see when the route has been set from the Down Shipley Slow (when signal L4042 clears for the branch) on map sites such as Open Train Times.
I usually combine my railway photography with my other passion of hill walking with our spaniels, so some of the shots involve a bit of a hike – but there are plenty of locations easily accessible and close to where you can get with a car. There is also a great little bus service (No. 72) from Skipton railway station to Grassington, which gives an alternative to using the car to access many of the villages and locations described.
LOCATION 1, BRACKENLEY LANE: Park just east of the rail-over-road bridge near Embsay, with parking for a couple of cars. This shot is for quarry-bound traffic and is taken from the lane. You can stand safely away from passing cars on this quiet back lane, but it is best in winter and spring before lineside grasses have grown too high. No. 60095 Whernside is taken with a 275mm lens as it hauls 6D75, the 11.41 Hunslet to Rylstone (which ran in the same schedule on the branch as 6D50 from Hull Dairycoates) through the reverse curves on the approach to Brackenley Lane. Taken on February 3, 2024, this was the first GBRf ‘60’ to return to the branch ahead of the main influx later that spring. LOCATION 3, SCALE HOUSE: Park considerately at the entrance to Scale House Woodland on the east side of the B6265 – do not park on the busy B6265. Cross the road and head through a gateway into the adjacent field (or you can also take the shot from the gateway). You can comfortably combine this shot with location 11 at Cracoe and have ample time to get here ahead of the train. Seen through a 70mm lens passing the roofless Low Laithe barn on the opposite side to location 2, No. 60087 Ingleborough works 6D25, the 08.50 Rylstone to Hull Dairycoates, on July 17, 2024.LOCATION 4, CLINT’S ROCK: There is a gateway where you can just about park your car off the B6265 and look down to the reverse curves around Clint’s Rock. Alternatively, you can walk up the road from the parking areas for location 2 or location 3. Taken at 180mm, No. 60087 Ingleborough winds through the reverse curves below Clint’s Rock on July 15, 2024 with 6D25, the 08.50 Rylstone to Hull Dairycoates. There are a number of different angles and options to try here, and with a telephoto lens it can also be used with the later 6D37, the 12.27 Rylstone to Hunslet.LOCATION 5, FLASBY FELL: This is a huge landscape shot from the most northerly of the hills in the Flasby Fell group; it might be called Far Fell or Flasby Moor, but does not have a name on any maps. You can walk in from Flasby village or across Rough Haw from a parking area on Bog Lane just off the B6265. As this is quite the commitment, it is best to choose a clear day in autumn or winter when the forecast is good, and ideally when both 6D37 and 6D50 are running. But you will be rewarded for your effort and can watch and photograph the train as it appears around the corner from the level crossing near Hetton until it disappears from sight around Scale House. Using an 85mm lens, No. 66789 British Rail 1948-1997 is pictured rounding the curve from Rylstone to Clint’s Rock with 6D37, the 12.27 Rylstone to Leeds Hunslet on December 8, 2022. The views include Hetton village and the Wharfedale fell Great Whernside.LOCATION 6, HULL GAP: This location is an enjoyable but long walk from either Flasby or Rylstone to the field just north-east of Hull Gap Plantation, offering a broadside of trains below Clint’s Rock. If 6D37 and 6D50 are running, good advice is to capture 6D37 at Taylor’s Bridge (location 7) and then there is time to walk here for 6D50 via the footpaths from Rylstone. No. 60087 Ingleborough draws 6D50, the 10.24 Hull Dairycoates to Rylstone, along the shelf below Clint’s Rock on July 5, 2024 – taken using a 70mm lens.LOCATION 7, TAYLOR’S BRIDGE: Park near where Raikes Lane goes under the railway in Rylstone village and follow a path/track on the western side of the line south to Park Laithe, where an occupation bridge (Taylor’s Bridge) crosses the line. This is the most popular shot on the line, as it works well for 6D37 at midday and 6D31 on a spring or summer late afternoon. Seen through a 50mm lens, No. 60021 Penyghent hauls 6D31 past Taylor’s Bridge on May 8, 2024.LOCATION 8, MILL LAITHE: Drive from Hetton to Flasby, there is a small parking area on the right about 150 yards before you reach Low Laithe barn (not the same one as locations 2 and 3) on the right-hand side. Park there and a gap in the hedgerow on the opposite side affords views like this with a 70mm lens past Mill Laithe barn of No. 60087 Ingleborough creeping along the shelf below Clint’s Rock with the 6D50, the 10.24 Hull Dairycoates to Rylstone, on July 19, 2024.LOCATION 9, HETTON VILLAGE: The village offers a number of options where parking is easy and you are never far from your car. This image was taken from the Hetton to Flasby Road, where there is a small lay-by big enough for a couple of cars; enter the field via a stile to get the best angle. A similar broadside shot can be had from parking by the chapel in Hetton village and walking down the path opposite. Both locations are best for 6D31, the 18.20 Rylstone to Hull Dairycoates – this train seen with a 75mm lens being hauled below Rylstone Edge by No. 60021 Penyghent towards Taylor’s Bridge on July 8, 2024.LOCATION 10, MOOR LANE: This very much offers a ‘train in the landscape’ shot by parking in Hetton village and walking up Moor Lane (the Dales High Way) to the junction with Cross Lane. It is a dirt and stone track, not generally muddy, but not suitable for motor vehicles. No. 60021 Penyghent is pictured through a 105mm lens threading through Rylstone village with 6D51, the 11.49 Hunslet to Rylstone (in the path of 6D50) on July 8, 2024.LOCATION 11, CRACOE VILLAGE: This is a personal favourite of mine, in part because it is a good place to start a day’s photography on the branch, and because you can park easily, stand by your car to get the shot, then comfortably get ahead of the train to either Clint’s Rock (location 4) or Scale House (location 3). There is comfortable parking on the Cracoe to Hetton road and the best place to park is by a field gate about 300 yards beyond the school car park. The location is suitable for 6D37 when the train leaves the quarry at 12.27, or earlier for 6D25 at 08.50 when the train is slightly backlit. A long lens records the train as it creeps under a farm occupation bridge and over Swinden Lane bridge, or a shorter lens can be used as the train gets closer. This is an 80mm view of No. 60056 Great Gable working away from Cracoe village with 6D25 to Hull Dairycoates on September 19, 2024.
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