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PHOTO
GALLERY GROUP 40
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Above: An
LNWR gradient post on the former Clydach Gorge line, more commonly
known as the 'Heads of the Valleys' line. West of Abergavenny,
between Llanfoist and Brynmawr, 8 miles of this extravagantly
engineered route now form a new railway path and cycle trail – arguably
one of the finest rail trails anywhere in the British Isles.
Grid reference SO 244140. November 2008. (Tim Hewett)
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Above: Looking
west (uphill), passing through rare beech woods at grid reference
SO 226125. It is a long way down to the right, about 300ft.
in fact, although the trees hide it. A small viaduct crosses
a gully in
the distance. Apart from the most dramatic section about half
a mile ahead, the entire
route has this excellent tarmac surface.. November 2008. (Tim Hewett) |
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Above: A
superb panorama of the Heads of the Valleys Line taken from
the old tramroad (now a public road) on the other side of the
gorge.
Just hover over the picture to see an annotated
version which highlights the modern railway
path, built from a combination of old railway and tramway; the
latter being used used to avoid going through the railway's upper
tunnels. (The railway and tramway share roughly the same course
for much
of their length.) The tramway section includes
a footbridge
over a section where the trackbed
has collapsed down the hillside, while further
on it is a public highway. One of the tunnels on the railway
is still open, but
you will need a torch due to the curve. If you
forget one, then you'll
have to feel your way along the walls – there
really is no light no matter how long you wait for your eyes
to adjust. In
the photographer's view, the section below
the cliff (highlighted in red ) is railway path building at its
boldest. 'How they
managed to
get
the steels in place to support the footbridge is a mystery – I
suspect they took cues from the builders of Stonehenge – and
that they even bothered trying deserves applause.' November
2008. (Tim Hewett) |
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Above: This
is the section where the old tramroad traverses the cliff, with
the aforementioned footbridge in the foreground. November 2008.
(Tim Hewett) |
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Above: A
wider shot showing the scale of the railway in the gorge,
again taken from the level tramroad high up on the other side.
As with
the
previous picture, hover over the image to see the course of the
old railway. November 2008. (Tim Hewett) |
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Above: We
are now at the end of the level tramroad on the other side
of the gorge,
looking back across the gorge's mouth. You can see the line of
the trackbed cutting across the hillside opposite just below
the line of the pylons, passing just below the white house on
the right..
Once again, hover over the image to see the course of the old railway.
November 2008. (Tim Hewett) |
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Above: Okehampton
station, Devon, after arrival of a Dartmoor Railway train from
Meldon. The carriage on the left started life as part of a 4CEP
electric unit on the Kent coast lines out of Victoria. The station
shares
similarities with Swanage and has been restored similarly
as
an outpost of
the
Southern
Railway.
Dartmoor Railway services currently link Okehampton with Sampford
Courtenay to the east and Meldon to the west, but are planned
to go through to Yeoford on the Exeter-Barnstaple line before
the end of the year. The station is also the start of the scenic
Granite Way to Lydford – just turn left out of the station
building, walk down the station approach, cross the
road and you can't miss it. July 2009. (Ron Strutt) |
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Above: The
view to the east from the little known Lake Viaduct, which is
situated on the Granite Way near the village of the same name,
a mile
or
so north of Bridestowe station – now privately
owned and not accessible to the public. Lake Viaduct crosses
a steep-sided wooded valley, which makes it difficult to photograph,
so this view possibly makes a more satisfying
composition than one of the partially obscured, stone-faced viaduct.
(If you wish to see the viaduct, just hover over the picture.)
The white specks on the hillside are sheep, which are the only
inhabitants
hereabouts.
July 2009.
(Ron Strutt) |
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