West Coast Railways

21/05/2026

What to do in York?
You will get 4 hours to explore the historical city of York.
Visit the Shambles, one of York's most famous landmarks and one of the best-preserved medieval shopping streets in Europe. With its cobbled streets and overhanging buildings, it is believed to have been the inspiration behind Diagon Alley from the movie adaptation of the Harry Potter series.

York minister – one of the world’s most magnificent cathedrals.

National Railway Museum where you can explore the past, present and future of the railways.

And so much more..

An SSE ticket gives you a full afternoon to explore York before the return run.
Five dates this summer. From £53 return.

westcoastrailways.co.uk/scarborough-spa-express

19/05/2026

4 weeks today, 17th June the first Scarborough Spa Express of 2026 leaves Carnforth.

Carnforth, Skipton, Keighley, Shipley, Woodlesford (Leeds), Church Fenton, York.

To York or Scarborough - steam the whole way.

A few seats remaining - From £53 return. Bookings open now.

westcoastrailways.co.uk/scarborough-spa-express

The Scarborough Spa Express - Steam Train - Departing from Carnforth, Skipton, Keighley, Woodlesford (Leeds) and York or from Lancaster, Preston, Blackburn, Brighouse, Wakefield, Castleford and York.

18/05/2026

In the Spotlight – LMS Royal Scot Class 6115 Scots Guardsman

LMS Royal Scot Class 6115 Scots Guardsman is a preserved British 4-6-0 steam locomotive, originally built in 1927 by the North British Locomotive Company. In 1928, the locomotive was named Scots Guardsman in honour of the Scots Guards. Following the nationalisation of Britain’s railways in 1948, it was renumbered 46115 by British Railways.

In 2008, the locomotive was purchased and fully restored to operational condition by West Coast Railways. Its return to the main line was marked on 16 August 2008, when it hauled its first railtour, The Settle–Carlisle Venturer, from Hellifield to Carlisle.

On 20 June 2012, Scots Guardsman took part in the 2012 Summer Olympics Torch Relay, carrying the Olympic Torch from York to Thirsk. During the event, soldiers from the 1st Battalion Scots Guards stood proudly in their traditional red tunics alongside their famous namesake locomotive.

Today, 46115 Scots Guardsman remains a popular and much-loved locomotive on Britain’s heritage railways. Over the years, it has become a regular performer, over the years, on The Dalesman excursions along the renowned Settle–Carlisle line, delighting railway enthusiasts and passengers alike.

Photo: Scots Guards Soldiers Standing Beside the Scots Guardsman Steam Train
Source: ARMY

16/05/2026

A heritage steam excursion isn't a journey you do alone. It's a story you make with someone: a parent, a partner, a child, a grandparent.

Who would you take? Tag them below.

(And if you've already got tickets, tell us where you're going.)

14/05/2026

By car, the Dales pass at 40mph and you miss most of it.

By steam, you sit at the window and time stretches. You see the Three Peaks rise. You cross Ribblehead slowly enough to count the arches. You smell coal smoke and damp moorland through an open carriage.

This is the Yorkshire Dales the way Victorian travellers first saw them. And the way they still look best.

The Dalesman runs eight dates this summer.

12/05/2026

The Settle to Carlisle line turns 150 this year.

The Dalesman returns to mark it. Eight steam-hauled journeys across 73 miles of the Yorkshire Dales and the Eden Valley. Vintage 1950s carriages. Two hours in Carlisle. The Ribblehead Viaduct.

FROM YORK (Tuesdays):
7 July | 21 July | 11 August | 25 August | 15 September

FROM CHESTER (Thursdays):
11 June | 6 August | 10 September

From £98 per person.

Lonely Planet Top 10 most scenic railway in Europe. TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice 2025.

Bookings now open: westcoastrailways.co.uk/dalesman

11/05/2026

Seventy two miles. Twenty viaducts. Fourteen tunnels. A line that very nearly closed in 1989, saved by the people who refused to lose it.

The Settle to Carlisle is the spine of The Dalesman, our steam excursion through the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. Past Ribblehead Viaduct (24 stone arches, 104ft above the moor), through Blea Moor tunnel, beside the rivers Eden and Lune.

Victorian engineering, Pennine drama, and the smell of coal smoke on the wind. There is no other journey like it in England.

150 years old this year. The Dalesman runs eight dates from June.

westcoastrailways.co.uk/dalesman

Main Website West Coast Railways - trips throughout the UK, including the Jacobite from Fort William to Mallaig, the Scarborough Spa Express steam trips, the Dalesman Steam Trips and trips by luxury train. - Online Booking Now Available

11/05/2026

Is this the most scenic railway in England?
Celecbrating 150 years of the Settle to Carlisle Railway.

57 likes, 6 comments. "Is this the most scenic railway in the world? | BBC News"

09/05/2026

The Scarborough Spa Express
Departing from - Carnforth, Skipton, Keighley, Shipley, Woodlesford (Leeds), Church Fenton, York. Or down the Lancashire route from Lancaster, Preston, Blackburn, Brighouse, Wakefield Kirkgate, Castleford.

Which is your nearest? Tell us in the comments. We'll see you on the platform this summer.

07/05/2026

What's waiting in Scarborough?

South Bay's spa town charm: promenade, ice cream, the Grand Hotel. Fish and chips overlooking the harbour. North Bay and Peasholm Park. Anne Bronte's grave at St Mary's. The Stephen Joseph Theatre, Alan Ayckbourn's home.

An SSE ticket gives you a full afternoon to explore before the return run. The journey there is half the holiday.

Five dates this summer. From £53 return.
westcoastrailways.co.uk/scarborough-spa-express

05/05/2026

Six weeks today, the first Scarborough Spa Express of 2026 leaves Carnforth.

Skipton, Keighley, Shipley, Woodlesford (Leeds), Church Fenton, York. The Yorkshire coast by lunch, home by dinner, steam the whole way.

From £53 return. Bookings open now.

westcoastrailways.co.uk/scarborough-spa-express