The Stainmore Railway and Belah Viaduct

[@normandunford5747]

The state of the roads nowadays are completely unacceptable. The line should be re - opened ASAP.

[@johndrew3202]

I think that might be a little difficult nowadays with the A66 taking track alignment and new viaducts/bridges needed. But hey, see which party would support that idea, it would be spectacular.

[@ericsmallwood2009]

Neil - rubbish! The line closed when coking coal east to west, and iron ore west to east, stopped being economically impractical. There was nothing wrong with Belagh because good management of trains in iffy weather was always paramount.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

Belah was in need of significant rebuilding due to metal fatigue and corrosion of the steel and iron work. The lick of paint it got a couple of years before closure was mere cosmetic treatment. Due to its age and a lack of proper maintenance during WW2 a weight restriction was in place after the war prohibiting double heading of trains across both Belah and Deepdale viaducts, so hardly nothingbwrong with the viaduct.

[@anthonyrobinson9678]

There's a ton of images of double headed trains in the 1950s. The Railway over Stainmore Pass by Chris Rowley is a good resource.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

The spindly Belah viaduct was the line biggest Achilles' heal.

[@tonynewton2250]

What rubbish! The viaduct lasted 103 years, never contributed to traffic stoppage, and was in such good shape at the end that it took far more time and effort to demolish it than it did to build it. Some Achilles' heel, that!

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

@@tonynewton2250post-WW2 it was in serious need of strengthening, which lead to operating restrictions in regard to the double heading of freight trains. This is the fate of all metal structures that undergo cyclic loadings.