By the 1950s and beyond, it became steadily clearer that the exercise of each person's freedom imposes costs on others through congestion, noise, pollution, ugliness and danger, as well as having indirect effects by encouraging urban sprawl.
When Liverpool and Manchester United met on Sunday, no precaution was spared to ensure there would be none of the ugliness seen in past meetings, not least because it was bound to be an emotional afternoon.
Though the history of the line is intertwined with the ugliness of colonial exploitation and the bygone era of big-game hunting, passengers on the Lunatic Express sought the same kicks that safari-goers in Kenya look to experience today.