The Citadel and Sheep

This weekend we witnessed the amazing spectacle of a double-headed (two engines) steam train charging through Settle with The Citadel train - a re-creation of the run of the 'last' steam train in Britain in 1968 from Manchester to Carlisle and return, headed by two Black 5s.

Forty years on it happened again, defiantly showing that steam is not dead.   Here is the train passing Arcow Quarry, now rail re-connected.


https://twitter.com/i/status/1193578679940657152


What  intrigued me was the reaction of the sheep in the fields - fleeing for their lives from the fire breathing  steam monsters.  They would not have batted an eyelid once of course so commonplace the sound.

All was peace in The dales until 2001 when foot-and-mouth disease broke out in sheep and cattle.  Settle was particularly affected.   We moved to Settle just after that national crisis.  Our new home The Folly had been used for emergency accommodation for vets  brought in to diagnose and deal with the situation.  News bulletins were dominated with images of vast funeral pyres for infected animals - disastrous politics and doubtful treatment.

How joyful it is is to see sheep flourishing in The Dales today, even if frightened by steam trains.

Both were once threatened with extinction.