Description

A poster advertising Britain's Scenic Railways, in particular the Settle to Carlisle Line. The poster depicts a misty landscape of rolling hills and trees, set against a soft sunset sky. Overlayed in white text on top of the image is a poem, which asks the viewer various questions about their experiences of rail travel, including 'When were you last transported high into the air to gaze down from majestic viaducts?' and 'When did you last take the train from Settle to Carlisle?'

Curatorial note:

I chose to display this poster in the exhibition 'Go as you Please', highlighting disabled peoples experiences of rail travel. It spoke to this rambling poetic thought that rail travel can conjure up as we move through the landscape, but it also highlighted the different types of scenery we can experience from a train, which we might not be able to experience otherwise because of limitations caused by our disabilities. On of our community participants spoke on this subject, telling me: "I can see random and remote, beautiful and surreal places that I would never be able to get to without the railway and I get to experience those places. It’s not always easy in my wheelchair, but it’s worth it. And it really surprises people when I turn up at these kinds of places, I quite like doing that and surprising those people.” - Amy Thraves-Connor, Curating for Change Fellow at the National Railway Museum