Settle & Carlisle

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There are few more spectacular railways lines in England than the route from Skipton to Carlisle through Settle and Appleby – but in fact it was a route that was nearly never built. Had the London & North Western and Midland railways been able to agree the use of the existing line through Sedbergh, the glorious Settle & Carlisle line would never have been constructed.

The ambition of the Midland Railway, however, meant that the creation of the line through the harsh Pennine countryside became an imperative and, in conjunction with the North British, a new Anglo-Scottish route was completed.

Following Grouping and Nationalisation, the Settle & Carlisle line became increasingly threatened, particularly after the associated ex-North British route to Edinburgh via Hawick closed in 1969. Threatened with closure on several occasions over the years, the Settle & Carlisle survived and this much loved line is now justly regarded as one of the most scenic railways in the country. Featuring previously unseen or extremely rare photographs taken in the 30 or so years after the end of World War 2, Settle & Carlisle: The Postwar Years is a mainly pictorial tribute to the men and machines that operated over this classic main line