Settle & Carlisle: The Remarkable Resilience of the People’s Railway with a foreword by Michael Palin

Stan Abbott revisits the story behind the long, but ultimately successful, battle to save the spectacular railway from Settle to Carlisle. The line British Rail itself once dubbed “England’s greatest historic scenic route” and then set about closing. The victory was a historic one; it was the first time a campaign by pressure groups and local authorities had scored a victory against the dogmatic reign of “Thatcherism”. Now, it is a timely reminder that the collective will of ordinary people can indeed prevail.Settle & Carlisle takes a crystal ball to the state of our railways and explores their place in our collective future. Three-plus decades since the original reprieve, the entrenched attitudes in government and civil service about the costs of public infrastructure beyond our nation’s capital have only become more contentious. But one thing remains: The People’s Railway is saved by the commitment of its users and supporters.