When Ruswarp added his paw print to the petitions, it really was a case that every man and his dog wanted to keep the Settle & Carlisle open. It seemed that only BR wanted this spectacular stretch of railway to close.
British Rail's reasoning was that the huge number of tunnels and viaducts were expensive to maintain. In fact, the S&C had become a bit of a millstone around its neck. BR, however, was not the only railway company to think this way. Nearly 120 years earlier, the Midland Railway had even tried to get out of having to build the line in the first place.
The concept behind the S&C was to give the Midland a direct link to Scotland. The Settle & Carlisle Railway Bill received Royal Assent on July 16 1866. Less than three years later, on April
