Places

Places.

Ribblehead Viaduct.

We went on a ride out to the Ribblehead Viaduct to try and photograph it in a different way than the thousands that have photographed it before us. Unfortunatley the weather wasn't very good it was very cold and rainy, keeping the lens free from rain drops was a problem but I think I got one or two ok shots.

We also checked out Chapel-le-Dale where the viaduct builders and there family that met their demise whilst working and living in makeshift shanty towns on the moors where buried. 

Lead in.

Ribblehead Viaduct.

Taylor Made Photography.

Shot at f/16, ISO-100, 1.6sec with a 50mm prime lens total focal length 75mm, cloudy white balance.

Curvature.

Ribblehead Viaduct.

Taylor Made Photography.

Shot at f/16, ISO-100, 1/5sec with a 50mm prime lens total focal length 75mm cloudy white balance.

Upper Cut.

Ribblehead Viaduct.

Taylor Made Photography.

Shot at f/16, ISO-100, 1/8sec with a 50mm prime lens total focal length 75mm, cloudy white balance.

In the eyes of the Lord.

Chapel-le-Dale.

Taylor Made Photography.

Shot at f/1.4, 1/15sec, ISO-100 50mm prime lens total focal length 75mm.

The Graveyard Shift.

Chapel-le-Dale.

Taylor Made Photography.

Shot at f/14, 1/3sec, ISO-100 with a 50mm prime lens total focal length 75mm.

Ribblehead Viaduct is a railway viaduct across the valley of the River Ribble at Ribblehead, in North Yorkshire, England, 28 miles (45 km) north-west of Skipton and 26 miles (42 km) south-east of Kendal. The viaduct is a Grade II* listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It is also known as Batty Moss railway viaduct, for the land it traverses.

History

It was designed by the engineer John Sydney Crossley. The first stone was laid on 12 October 1870 and the last in 1874. One thousand Navvies building the viaduct established shanty towns on the moors for themselves and their families. They named the towns after victories of the Crimean War, sarcastically for posh districts of London, and Biblical names. There were smallpox epidemics and deaths from industrial accidents. One hundred navvies were killed during the construction of the viaduct. There are 200 burials of men, women, and children in just the graveyard at Chapel-le-Dale dating from the construction. The church has a special memorial to the railway workers.

In 1964, several brand new Humber cars being carried on a freight train that was crossing the viaduct were blown off the wagons they were being carried upon and landed on the ground by the viaduct.

Location

Ribblehead Viaduct is the longest and most famous viaduct on the Settle-Carlisle Railway. Ribblehead railway station is located less than half a mile to the south of the viaduct. Just to the north of it is the Blea Moor Tunnel, the longest tunnel on the Settle-Carlisle Line. It is located near the foot of the mountain of Whernside. The viaduct is curved, and so may be seen by passengers on the train.

The Settle-Carlisle line is one of three north-south main lines; along with the West Coast Main Line through Penrith and the East Coast Main Line via Newcastle. British Rail attempted to close the line in the 1980s, citing the reason that the viaduct was unsafe and would be expensive to repair. A partial solution was to single the line across the viaduct in 1985, preventing two trains from crossing simultaneously. The closure proposals generated tremendous protest and were eventually retracted. The viaduct, along with the rest of the line, was repaired and maintained and there are no longer any plans to close it.

Two taller viaducts on the route are Smardale viaduct at 131 feet (40 m) high and near to Crosby Garrett, and Arten Gill at 117 feet (36 m).