Shap Summit refers to three different route summits in close proximity, of the A6 road, M6 motorway and the highest point of the West Coast Main Line railway in England, near to the Cumbria village of Shap in North West England, crossing the hills of the Lake District.
The route summit of the A6 road at Shap ( 54°27′18″N2°41′28″W / 54.4550°N 2.6910°W ) is approximately 1,350 feet (410 m) above sea level. Until 1970, when the nearby M6 motorway was completed, it was one of the major routes between England and Scotland. The route was often hazardous in poor weather, and often became impassable in winter during snowfall. [1] [2]
The nearby summit of the M6 motorway ( 54°30′06″N2°38′42″W / 54.5017°N 2.6450°W ) is 1,037 feet (316 m) above sea level, and was at the time of its opening in 1970, the highest stretch of the UK motorway network, [3] it held this record for just 58 days however, as it was soon superseded by a stretch of the M62 motorway across the Pennines, which rose to a summit of 372 metres (1,220 ft). [4]
The summit of the West Coast Main Line (WCML) ( 54°29′44″N2°39′59″W / 54.4955°N 2.6665°W ) is 916 feet (279 m) above sea level. It is the highest point of the WCML in England, although Beattock Summit in Scotland is the highest summit of the line, at 1,016 feet (310 m). The actual summit is in a cutting, a short distance south of the former Shap railway station. There are some sidings at the crest of the summit serving Shap granite quarry. The northbound climb has a 5.5 miles (8.9 km) ascent beginning at Tebay, with gradients of up to 1 in 75 (1 foot of rising or falling gradient for every 75 feet of distance). The southbound climb beginning at Penrith is longer, around 12 miles (19 km) but with gentler gradients of up to 1 in 125. [5]
The line was opened in 1846 as part of the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, engineered by Joseph Locke after much debate over the best routing of the line. In the days of steam locomotives, the steep gradients of the climb meant that bank engines based at Tebay were often required to assist trains up the incline. The line was electrified by British Rail in 1974. [5] . Modern diesel and electric traction has little difficulty in making the climb, although some heavy freight trains and railtours using vintage rolling stock occasionally require double heading.
In 2004 the Tebay rail accident occurred, when an unbraked wagon being used by track maintenance workers ran away downhill from Shap Summit, killing four railway workers at nearby Tebay. [6] Another incident occurred in 2010 when a freight train climbing the northbound incline to the summit, came to a halt and then rolled backwards uncontrollably for 2.2 miles (3.5 km), reaching a speed of 51 miles per hour (82 km/h), until the driver was able to bring it to a stop before it caused any damage. The inquiry found that driver fatigue was the cause of the incident. [7]
The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over 230 miles (370 km) from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 and the western end of the A14 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby before heading north-west. It passes Coventry, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Preston, Lancaster and Carlisle before terminating at Junction 45 near Gretna. Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74(M) which continues to Glasgow as the M74. Its busiest sections are between junctions 4 and 10a in the West Midlands, and junctions 16 to 19 in Cheshire; these sections have now been converted to smart motorways.
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest mixed-traffic railway routes in Europe, carrying a mixture of intercity rail, regional rail, commuter rail and rail freight traffic. The core route of the WCML runs from London to Glasgow for 400 miles (644 km) and was opened from 1837 to 1881. With additional lines deviating to Northampton, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh, this totals a route mileage of 700 miles (1,127 km). The Glasgow–Edinburgh via Carstairs line connects the WCML to Edinburgh. However, the main London–Edinburgh route is the East Coast Main Line. Several sections of the WCML form part of the suburban railway systems in London, Coventry, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, with many more smaller commuter stations, as well as providing links to more rural towns.
The A66 is a major road in Northern England, which in part follows the course of the Roman road from Scotch Corner to Penrith. It runs from east of Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire to Workington in Cumbria. The road has been progressively improved with dual carriageway sections, but with stretches of single carriageway road. The road is set to be completely dualled between Scotch Corner and Penrith, with a £1.3 billion scheme being announced in March 2024.
The River Lune is a river 53 miles (85 km) in length in Cumbria and Lancashire, England.
The Eden Valley Railway (EVR) was a railway in Cumbria, England. It ran between Clifton Junction near Penrith and Kirkby Stephen via Appleby-in-Westmorland.
Longsleddale is a valley and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. It includes the hamlet of Sadgill. The parish has a population of 73. As the population taken at the 2011 Census was less than 100, details are maintained in the civil parish of Whitwell and Selside.
The Liverpool, St Helens and South Lancashire Railway, was formed in 1889, but no services ran until 1895 and then only freight. Passenger services did not start until 1900. It incorporated the St Helens and Wigan Junction Railway. It was taken over by the Great Central Railway in 1906.
Orton is a village and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness district, in the ceremonial county of Cumbria, England. It lies 15 miles (24 km) south of Penrith, 8 miles (13 km) from Appleby-in-Westmorland and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the M6 motorway. The village is in the upper Lune Valley, at the foot of Orton Scar in the Orton Fells. The Lake District is nearby. The parish includes a wide area outside the village, and had a population of 594 in 2001, decreasing to 588 at the 2011 Census. Until 1974 it was in Westmorland, from 1974 to 2023 it was in Eden district.
Shap is a village and civil parish located among fells and isolated dales in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England. The village is in the historic county of Westmorland. The parish had a population of 1,221 in 2001, increasing slightly to 1,264 at the 2011 Census.
Beattock Summit is the highest point of the West Coast Main Line (WCML) railway and of the A74(M) motorway as they cross between Dumfries and Galloway and South Lanarkshire in south west Scotland.
Tebay is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England, within the historic borders of Westmorland. It lies in the upper Lune Valley, at the head of the Lune Gorge. The parish had a population of 728 in the 2001 census, increasing to 776 at the Census 2011.
The A685 is a road in Cumbria, England, that runs 28 miles (45 km) from Kendal to Brough.
Borrow Beck is a stream running through Cumbria, England on the eastern edge of the English Lake District. The area previously formed part of the traditional county of Westmorland.
Scout Green is a hamlet and small area of farm land near the village of Tebay in Cumbria, England.
The South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway (SD&LUR) built a railway line linking the Stockton and Darlington Railway near Bishop Auckland with the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway at Tebay, via Barnard Castle, Stainmore Summit and Kirkby Stephen. The line opened in 1861 and became known as the Stainmore Line.
Barras railway station was situated on the South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway between Barnard Castle and Kirkby Stephen East.
Tebay railway station was situated on the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway (L&CR) between Lancaster and Penrith. It served the village of Tebay, Cumbria, England. The station opened in 1846, and closed on 1 July 1968.
The Tebay rail accident occurred when four railway workers working on the West Coast Main Line were killed by a runaway wagon near Tebay, Cumbria, England in the early hours of 15 February 2004.
The Freight Route Utilisation Strategy is a Route Utilisation Strategy in the United Kingdom, published by Network Rail in March 2007. It is one of only two which have the perspective of the network as whole. It was included in a map published by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) as established in May 2007. As with other RUSs, the Freight RUS took into account a number of responses to a Draft for Consultation, including those from the ORR.
The Limestone Link is a waymarked footpath in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England, connecting Arnside and Kirkby Lonsdale, a distance of 13 miles (21 km).
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