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Out and About with the Yorkshire Area. The photographs on this page were all taken by Richard Lewis from our Yorkshire Area and represent a mini panorama of the year, from snow in winter to the mellow shades of autumn in the Tweed Valley.
Left: Brrr! Here's another reminder of what it was like during the winter of 2009-2010, when temperatures often struggled to get above freezing point. This is one of the twin bores of Thurgoland Tunnel on the former Great Central line from Penistone to Wortley Junction – now part of NCN6, the Trans Pennine Trail. 24 December 2009. (Richard Lewis)
 
Above: Wescoe – a little-known location on the former Cockermouth, Keswick & Penrith Railway – is situated just west of Threlkeld and was passed by westbound trains just a few minutes before they reached the major intermediate station at Keswick. As can be seen, Wescoe boasts both a short tunnel and one of the many bowstring bridges that remain on this section of the line. The old railway is a used as a footpath, but only between Threlkeld and the western side of Keswick – which is rather a shame because the scenery along the whole of this lost railway is fantastic. 16 May 2009. (Richard Lewis)
 
Above: Another view of Wescoe, this time with the bowstring bridge framed by the tunnel portal. Two patient railway ramblers wait for the photographer to get a move on! The view from this tunnel forms a very marked contrast with that shown in the first picture on this page. 16 May 2009. (Richard Lewis)
 
Above: Just occasionally – and for no reason that a layman can discern – the railway engineers of the CKPR would flip over one of their bowstring bridges and place the bow below rather than above the running line. This example is just west of Threlkeld. The river in the foreground is the River Greta, whose serpentine course between Threlkeld and Keswick required 8 bridges in just 4 miles. There were 78 bridges in total between Penrith and Keswick, this being the last section of the line to remain open under British Rail's operation. It finally closed on 6 March 1972, not even being allowed the dignity of a final summer season when traffic levels were always higher. 16 May 2009. (Richard Lewis)
 
Above: Trains have not entirely gone from the Keswick and Threlkeld area, for the Threlkeld Mining Museum (situated to the south east of the old Threlkeld station) has a narrow gauge operation in the area. This photograph makes it obvious why a trip from Penrith to Keswick was such a delight for the railway traveller. Nowadays, those who wish to make the same journey must make do with a bus on the busy A66. 16 May 2009. (Richard Lewis)
 

Above: Here is one of the most unusual viaduct conversions anywhere! As we reported in August 2007, the Hyndburn Greenway starts from Accrington station and crosses nearby Platts Lodge Lake on a causeway built between the surviving five sets of tubular piers. The original railway track, of course, ran over a viaduct that rested on top of these piers. The greenway links Accrington with Baxenden, a distance of about 2½ miles. 31 August 2009. (Richard Lewis)

 
Above: The Talla Railway in Scotland ran southwards alongside the River Tweed for 9 miles from Rachan Junction, east of Broughton station (on the Caledonian Railway's line from Carstairs to Peebles via Symington) to Talla Reservoir, just south of Tweedsmuir. Construction started in 1885, with the line operating from 1897 to 1910 to help build the reservoir. It was lifted in 1912, despite protests from locals that it should be retained for public use. As can be seen from the photograph above, some serious engineering went into the line, and it makes for a wonderful walk through scenic Border country. 19 October 2009. (Richard Lewis)
 
Above: Another scene from the Talla Railway, this time showing the piers of a demolished bridge passing over the trackbed. So what exactly was this bridge used for? Carrying sheep over the line! Although the superstructure has long gone, this must rate as one of the most elaborate and costly livestock crossings of a railway anywhere in the country. 19 October 2009. (Richard Lewis)
 
Above: Amazingly, the Talla Railway's bridge over the River Tweed survives intact. It is situated at Glenrusco, near Tweedsmuir, just before the line swings around Cockiland Hill (seen in the left distance) on its final approach to the dam at the north end of the reservoir. 19 October 2009. (Richard Lewis)
 
Above: A picture of bucolic bliss – a weary railway rambler (who had a very early start to get to this walk) rests beneath a tree with the River Tweed flowing by at the foot of the meadow. The one thing we can say for certain is that this is not the result of a lunchtime session at the Crook Inn, near Tweedsmuir, since that hostelry closed in 2004 or 2005. 19 October 2009. (Richard Lewis)