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PHOTO
GALLERY GROUP 12
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Above:
The
rails still remain in place at Hellandbridge in Cornwall, where
freight trains used to run between the houses on their way to and
from the china clay dries at Wenfordbridge. This was a popular spot
for railway photographers to catch Beattie Well Tanks or GWR Pannier
Tanks in action, although Class 08 diesel shunters were the norm
by the time the line closed in the late 1970s. March 2005. (Kevin
Arnold)
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Above:
Wadebridge station is now the John Betjeman Centre, reflecting
the former poet laureate's great love of this part of Cornwall, as
hinted at by this extract from 'Summoned by Bells', his autobiography
in verse: 'On Wadebridge Station, what a breath of sea / Scented the
Camel Valley! Cornish air, / Soft Cornish rains, and silence after
steam ...' March 2005. (Kevin Arnold) |
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Above:
The
railway path that follows the Camel Valley between Wadebridge and
Padstow is one of the most scenic to be found anywhere in the country.
About a mile before Padstow, the old line crosses Little Petherick
Creek by this three-span girder bridge, which once rumbled to passing
Drummond T9s, perhaps hauling the Padstow section of the Atlantic
Coast Express. Nowadays, the route is extremely popular with walkers
and cyclists. The obeslisk just visible atop Dennis Hill (upper left)
was erected by the people of Padstow to celebrate one of Queen Victoria's
jubilees. March 2005. (Kevin Arnold) |
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Above:
The girder bridge over Little Petherick Creek, photographed across
the mudflats at low tide. From a scene such as this, it would be easy
to imagine that trains still ran, but all services were withdrawn
in January 1967. The branch was listed for closure under the Beeching
proposals but hung on only to be closed by Barbara Castle, the then
Labour government's Minister of State for Transport. March 2005. (Kevin
Arnold) |
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Above:
Padstow station survives to this day, serving a variety of purposes
including meeting chamber for the local town council and excise office
for the nearby harbour. However, the white-lined platform edge is
now securely fenced off, and the signs for 'Coach Bays' declare the
supremacy of road transport in this picturesque Cornish fishing town.
March 2005. (Kevin Arnold) |
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Above:
When
exploring the remains of the Longmoor Military Railway, our photographer
passed through the Army's Longmoor Camp, where he found a section
of embankment, complete with track and a short train. It was not clear
whether this was a memorial to the extensive military railway that
was once based here, or a 'prop' for military exercises. The fact
that the train was not shot to pieces suggests the former! October
2004. (Tim Grose) |
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Left:
North of Heathfield in East Sussex, most of the former
railway from Polegate to Eridge is privately owned. However,
in March 2005, the club's Chairman, Richard Martin, arranged
a visit to surviving sections of the line, with the landowners'
permission. This is all that remains of the signal which once
protected Redgate Mill Junction, where the branch joined the
main line from Brighton to Tunbridge Wells via Lewes, Uckfield
and Groombridge. As can be seen, silver birch now predominates.
March 2005. (Kevin Arnold) |
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