A BOOK detailing newspaper reports of the building of the Settle-Carlisle has been published.

The New Railway to Scotland has been written by Essex-born David Occomore and published by Hayloft Publishing.

Mr Occomore, a former telephone engineer working in London, scoured old newspaper reports to build a picture of how the line was built and the result is a detailed account of the work of the navvies and engineers at that time.

He said: "I come from the Epping Forrest area of north west Essex where I published several local history books. I then moved to Cambridgeshire where I edited local history books for two local history groups. I also self published a history of the railways around Cambridge and Newmarket using old newspaper accounts.

"Seven years ago I moved to Cumbria near the Settle-Carlisle Railway and started to research the building and early operation of the line.

"The New Railway to Scotland is the result of six years' research using the same format I used in Cambridgeshire that is fairly unique, especially for railway books.

"The book was published at the end of March which has been unfortunate as it was at the height of the lockdown."

A foreword from Hayloft Publishers said: "The Settle-Carlisle Railway was without doubt an enormous civil engineering project for Victorian engineers. The very terrain that this railway crossed ensured that there would be bridges, tunnels, and viaducts every few miles.

"A New Railway to Scotland is the first major collection that has been put together, of contemporary accounts from local and national newspapers written at the time describing the Settle to Carlisle Railway during its construction. The articles include many of the dangers and accidents that happened to the work force. There is a description of the route during building plus the opening and subsequent operation.

"This book forms an almost monthly diary of events covering the period from 1865 to 1908."

It covers 202 pages and includes 62 black and white photographs.

Copies, priced £15, can be obtained from www.hayloft.eu

The website includes book reviews as well ad ordering details.