Caption:

I had been watching this train for some time since

it had rounded the bluff across the valley having passed through Dent station heading south. Finally, it revealed itself as a Brush Type 2 Class 31 heading a bogie bolster on which was mounted a trestle carrying a large sheet of steel plate. It was very unusual to see a 31 on the Settle and Carlisle line and the fact that it was travelling so slowly showed that this must have been a special out-of-gauge freight running under Control orders, for instance ready to be looped or recessed whenever necessary to allow normal traffic to pass in either direction.