StoneRoad2013's photos with the keyword: 28thOct2024

That's a LOT of water ! No wonder we could hear it thundering, as we approached ... As a means of protecting the piers from scour in spate conditions like these, the area under the bridge is paved [concreted] over and the drop over the weir is "cushioned" by some large lumps of rock. Note that the viaduct crosses at an angle, hence the "corner" in the over the far side ...

Looking at the river, the level is quite high and the noise was something else. Note the life ring - that weir has a wicked undertow in conditions like these, and the water is cascading onto some sizable rocks.

View along the footpath route across the top of the Alston Arches - I didn't measure the gap, so I'm now wondering if those gutters are marking the route of the rails that once went here ? Glad to see that there is a water resistant surface up here ...

View from the Arches, upstream along the River South Tyne. There's quite a flow, as seen from the south bank earlier. The white structure [see : NOTE] in the image is actually the Environment Agency's monitoring station for the river / flow level. [EA was formerly the National River Authority]

The Transport Trust have awarded the Alston Arches a red plaque to mark the site's designation as a "Transport Heritage Site"

Commemorating the viaduct's history, restoration by the North Pennines Heritage Trust and a new life as a footpath route.

Somewhat worse for wear / the weather is this interpretation board - the historic images make it most informative ...

I believe this buffer stop marks the extent of the coal drop / siding behind what is now Kilfrost [aka Albion Works]. {It faces west, towards Haltwhistle Station, and part of the route appears to have been excavated away} Note : I have been told that the Varnish Works - a little further east from here - was also served by a siding from Haltwhistle Station, but that route is not obvious "on the ground" ... Ignoring the 2ft line that served the quarries on Hadrian's Wall with a route alongside the Haltwhistle Burn.

To my surprise, the camera managed to capture the details of this artwork of the Alston Arches, which I didn't really see so well by eyesight.