The Stainmore & Eden Valley Railways
109: OPC, 1992. Hardcover. Text in English. 232 pp. Dust jacket has slight rubbing, edge wear.
The Stainmore line was the most spectacular of the trans-Pennine crossings. Memories of the magnificent viaducts at Deepdale, and particularly at Belah, carrying this marvellous railway from the River Tees to the Eden Valley, still remain thirty years after their destruction.
The line between Barnard Castle and Tebay, together with its associated branches, was completed during the 1860s and remained in operation almost at full strength until 1960. Then, the now familiar 'closure by stealth' tactics became painfully evident. The last passenger train ran on 20th January 1962.
The transition from a fully operational complex to a memory took place in an unbelievably short time. In the summer of 1961 thousands of North-Eastern holiday-makers were transported by train in time-honoured fashion over the rooftop of England to Blackpool, enjoying unrivalled views of Westmorland, as their trains rumbled over Belah Viaduct and brushed through the woodlands at Smardale.
Little did those passengers realise that less than one year later most of the track over which they were travelling would be gone and demolition would be well underway. This thirtieth anniversary year of closure is therefore an appropriate time to place on record the history, operation and premature decline of this most splendid of railways. The author, Peter Walton, was fortunate enough to have lived within sight and sound of the Settle to Carlisle line and the Eden Valley branch, from 1953 until 1966. His early passion for railways continues to the present day and he has been active in the campaign for the retention of the Settle to Carlisle line. Fine / Near Fine. Item #6640
ISBN: 9780860933069
Price: $60.00