Settle & Carlisle- The Postwar Years

There are few more spectacular railway lines 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, 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 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, the Settle & Carlisle survived and this much-loved line is now regarded as one of the most scenic railways in the country. This book is a pictorial tribute to the men and machines that operated this classic main line.