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PHOTO
GALLERY GROUP 16
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Above:
The
long missing railway bridge at Peasmarsh, Surrey, which carried
the former LBSCR branch line from Christ's Hospital to Guildford,
was finally replaced in 2006. The new bridge forms part of a westward
extension of the Downs Link, which connects this popular long distance
trail with the towpath of the River Wey Navigation. The new span
features a gentle arc in order to prevent water pooling and accelerating
corrosion. October 2006. (Tim Grose)
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Above:
Meldon Viaduct (west of Okehampton in Devon) has featured in
these pages before, but never from this angle. It is one of only
two wrought
iron viaducts which survives in this country, the other being Bennerley
in Nottinghamshire (see Photo Gallery 15). According to Wikipedia,
the online encyclopedia, it consists of 'six 90 feet long Warren
Truss spans with a total length of 540 feet, 120 feet above the
valley floor'.
It was built for the London & South Western Railway in 1874.
Incidentally, the valley floor, which as can be seen is
now covered in vegetation, used to feature a narrow gauge tramroad
built to convey
granulite. A picture of this little known line appears on page 124
of Walking the Dartmoor Railroads by Eric Hemery, David &
Charles, 1983, ISBN 0-7153-8348-5. March 2006. (Bob Prigg) Update: Meldon
Viaduct now has its own website – click here to
view it. |
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Above:
The
22 mile Cape
Cod Trail in Massachusetts is the result of a project
run by the American Rails-to-Trails
Conservancy. Since its foundation in 1986, the RTC has converted
over 13,500 miles of disused railway trackbed into shared use 'rail
trails', which are estimated to generate about 100 million journeys
per year. One of the first rail trails in the country, the Cape Cod
Trail uses a disused railway to link the towns of Dennis, Harwich,
Brewster, Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet. The trail was re-constructed
between autumn 2005 and spring 2007, which is why it looks rather
pristine and stark in this photograph. The cyclist is member Ivor
Sutton from Somerset. July 2006. (Dean Sutton) |
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Above:
We have been looking for a cheesier smile than Dean Sutton's
amongst the photographs on this website, but have yet to find one!
The Cape
Cod Trail was built on a line originally constructed by the Old
Colony Railroad Company. The trail traverses pines and oaks, and
occasionally skirts a pond or marsh. The website for the local Ocean
Park Inn
continues:
'You'll ride through woodlands, past sparkling lakes, mysterious
kettle ponds and expansive salt marshes. Just off the path, side
trips offer
ocean beaches, fishing piers, country stores, quaint villages, parks,
picnic areas, and restaurants.' July 2006. (Ivor Sutton) |
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Above:
And here is one of the afore-mentioned ocean beaches. Although
Ivor Sutton's pose makes it look as if he is leaning on a concrete
surfboard, in reality this is a post from a broken fence. The beach
certainly looks inviting, and it is tempting to wonder how much business
the railway would generate if it was still running. The line closed
because of the high cost of repairing a major bridge. Does this story
ring any bells with readers in the UK? Would the same rules apply
to a road bridge that required major repairs? July 2006. (Dean Sutton) |
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Above: And
now for something completely different! This is Redgategill Viaduct
on the former Stainmore line from Barnard Castle to Tebay. Also known
as Aitygill Viaduct, this structure is 324ft long and 94ft high, and
stone built with 9 arches. Amazingly, it is privately owned. This
and the next two photographs are reproduced by kind permission of
www.visitcumbria.com.
(Simon Ledingham) |
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Above: Merrygill
Viaduct on the former Stainmore line is now accessible to the public,
as suggested by the finished surface which can be seen here between
the parapets. Merrygill is 366ft long and 78ft high, and like
Redgategill is stone-built with 9 arches. Since early 2005,
this structure has been owned by the Northern Viaduct Trust. Photograph
reproduced by kind permission of www.visitcumbria.com.
(Simon Ledingham) |
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Above: Podgill Viaduct concludes our trio of
engineering marvels from the Stainmore route. This structure is 466ft
long and 84ft high, but, while stone built like the others, it is
somewhat larger with 11 arches. Podgill has been completely renovated
in recent years by the Northern Viaduct Trust and now forms part of
an official walkway. Photograph
reproduced by kind permission of www.visitcumbria.com.
Incidentally, if you follow this link, click on 'Trails' and then
scroll down to the section entitled 'Walks on restored railway lines'
there are some good photographs here from other disused Cumbrian
railways that can now be walked and cycled. (Simon Ledingham) |
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