Surprisingly, perhaps, no corners were cut. The work took longer than planned and finished way over budget, but the result was a defiant, durable railroad through the Dales. Neat little stations with pitched roofs and fresh paintwork appeared along its length, including Dent, which at 350m above sea level was – and still is – the highest stop in England. Meanwhile, features such as the handsome Ribblehead Viaduct – a 24-arch colossus which, for sheer architectural chutzpah, rivals Scotland"s limelight-hogging Glenfinnan Viaduct – turned the whole thing into a spectacle as much as a service line.