The following contemporary account relating to the planned construction of the Settle - Carlisle railway appeared on page 5 (column 4) of the October 7th, 1865 edition of the Lancaster Guardian.
New Railway Route to the North.
The Midland Railway Company are at present surveying the country between Settle and Carlisle, with a view to promoting in the ensuing Session of Parliament, a Bill empowering them to make an independent line to the Border City. When, on a former occasion the Midland Company adopted measures to secure to themselves an independent route to the north they were induced to abandon their intention and enter into arrangements with the London and North-Western Company. Those arrangements have not, it appears, proved satisfactory, and the Midland Company have determined to possess, if possible, a line of their own. Starting at Settle, the line, as at present projected, will pass along the valley of the Ribble, and thence along the Vale of the Eden to Kirkby Stephen, in Westmorland, where communication may be made with the Stockton and Darlington by the Eden Valley line. Pursuing the Vale of the Eden the line will enter Cumberland at Culgaith, and having crossed the Eden will follow closely the course of the river to the village of Armathwaite, passing through some of the most picturesque woodland and river scenery in Cumberland, which has hitherto been a terra incognita to the generality of tourists. From Armathwaite the line, will pass on to Scotby on the Newcastle and Carlisle section of the North-Eastern Railway, and thence running parallel with that line for a couple of miles, will enter Citadel station at Carlisle, where it will join the North British line, and with the "Waverley route" form a new route from the south of England to Scotland.
Leeds Mercury.
Acknowledgements
The text quoted above was manually transcribed from a 35mm microfilm copy of the newspaper by Mark R. Harvey during a visit to Lancaster Library on July 10th, 2007.