Menu
  PHOTO GALLERY GROUP 12
 
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
 

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)
 
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)
 
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)
 
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 From a scene such as this, it would be easy to imagine that trains still ran, but all services were withdrawn in January 1967.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)
 
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)
 
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)
 
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)