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Sections of Line : Blea Moor to Garsdale Blea Moor to Garsdale Blea Moor Tunnel North » Dent Head Viaduct » Arten Gill Viaduct » Dent Station » Garsdale |
BLEA MOOR TUNNEL NORTH | |
Traveller's tale . . .
Finally the darkness of Blea Moor Tunnel gives way to glorious sunshine (if you're lucky) and we head towards Dent Head Viaduct and one of the most beautiful parts of the line - Dentdale |
DENT HEAD VIADUCT | ||
Traveller's tale . . .
Over Dent Head Viaduct and the sprawling splendour of Dentdale stretches to the left as far as the eye can see. In glorious sunshine there cannot be a more aesthetic portrait of England's green and pleasant land. |
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Mouthwaterring trivia . . .
Dent Head Viaduct is one of the most impressive structures on the line. It is some 100 feet high and 1,150 feet above sea level and was built out of blue limestone. Like most viaducts on the line it took five years to build from 1870-1875. |
VIDEO ...
We've added a nice little video. It depicts 60013 on empty gypsum containers and is 5.7MB in size. |
GARSDALE | ||
Traveller's tale . . .
After leaving Dent we curve to the right and enter Rise Hill Tunnel at 1,213 yards in length and on exit the River Clough joins us on our left as we pass over the former water troughs, at 1,670 feet they were the highest not just in Britain but in the entire world! By definition this stretch of track is on the level. There was only one junction on the Settle & Carlisle line and it is here at Garsdale, it is now sadly a former junction, but may become a junction again one day! |
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Mouthwaterring trivia . . .
The station at Garsdale was originally named "Hawes Junction" but in 1900 it changed its name to "Hawes Junction and Garsdale" to reflect more its actual location. In 1932 it became just "Garsdale". The branch to Hawes sadly closed in 1959 but may re-open again one day if the efforts of the Wensleydale Railway come to fruition. |
Local tittle-tattle ...
Passenger services to Hawes, down the branch six miles away, ended in March 1959 (a few months before I was born) and the through route all the way to Northallerton closed. The trackbed is relatively untouched since closure and many of the civil engineering structures are still in situ so you never know, one day a train may travel once more all the way through Wensleydale. |
VIDEO ...
We've added two nice little videos. The first depicts Freightliner 66545 on northbound coal empties. The second is EWS 66153 on southbound empty gypsum containers. |