About SideTracked Caches
This cache belongs to the SideTracked series. It is not designed to take you to a magical place with a breath taking view. It's a distraction for the weary traveller, but anyone else can go and find it too. More Information can be found on the SideTracked Series website at www.sidetrackedseries.info https://www.sidetrackedseries.info
Appleby Station is one of the four major stations on the Settle to Carlisle line, the others being Settle, Carlisle (both of these somewhat obviously) and Kirkby Stephen. Originally it was known as Appleby West, with the nearby Appleby East located nearby on the now defunct Eden Valley line to Penrith. It was renamed simply as Appleby after the closure of Appleby East in the early 1950s.
The station is constructed using the ‘large’ type design and built with bricks, unusual for the Settle-Carlisle where most buildings have used stone. The platforms are the longest on the line at 200 yards, built originally for the purposes of the Anglo-Scottish expresses. Both the main station building on the Northbound platform and the brick waiting room on the Southbound platform, along with the cast iron footbridge are Grade II listed structures. The water tower and pump at the end of the southern platform are maintained to service the many steam specials which run over the exceedingly beautiful line to Settle, which in turn provided the core of the old Midland Railway main line to Scotland.
After perhaps browsing the Tourist Information and railway memorabilia in the Booking Hall, take a walk along the footpath past the old heritage centre towards the housing estate