Does the UK have a "premier" main line?

[MichaelTrains]

Settle to Carlisle. The end.

 

[johntea]

I only occassionally use it but the Hope Valley line actually makes me get off my phone and look out of the window on a (rare) blue sky day!

 

[wilbers]

Settle to Carlisle. The end.

Can start in the middle too! Apart from once when I started at Appleby I've always begun at Langwathby (heading southwards).

 

[6Gman]

The "Harry Potter steam train railway" line as most of the media seems obsessed with calling the West Highlands Line (did you know they filmed Harry Potter there)

I did hear a vague rumour ...

It's a line I adore but really don't fancy doing it ever again.

 

[wayne2440]

Nottingham and Sheffield are definitely major population centres with Derby and Leicester also fairly relevant.

And the Metropolis of course which is a fairly big City too.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I'm not sure Cross Country counts as a standalone rounte, given that it just piggy-backs on other routes

The Midland Railway was essentially a 3-legged affair based on Derby - to Birmingham/Bristol, Leeds/Carlisle and (built to London much later) Leicester/St Pancras.

The "WCML" opened from London in 1838, while the "ECML" (GN) only opened its main route to York in 1852.
The first railway route to Newcastle in 1841 was from Euston via Rugby to Derby, Rotherham and York.

 

[Magrar]

VERY subtly!

Huh. I was assuming that on a railway forum there's a huge difference between "mainline railway" and "railway line". I guess not.