a004b blea moor

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The Settle - Carlisle Railway
Blea Moor
		Ribblehead Viaduct OS grid reference SD 763791 A last view across Batty Moss to the viaduct with the flat topped Ingleborough (723m high) in the background. Blea Moor is to the right of the picture. The signalman at Blea Moor has to park his car beneath the viaduct and walk a mile or so to get to the signalbox - not so nice in the depths of winter!
After the viaduct is crossed, Blea Moor Sidings are reached. Passing loops were installed here during the Second World War in order to cope with the extra heavy traffic. When the line over the viaduct was singled in 1984, the down loop and cripple siding were taken out of use and the brick water tower was demolished. During the initial track re-laying programme of November 1999, the aforementioned loop and siding were completely isolated, shattering the hopes of enthusiasts for full re-instatement and double tracking of the viaduct itself.
	Blea Moor 28/07/00 6.45 p.m. The up Gypsum empties returning from Kirkby Thore works headed by General Motors 66091 waits in the refuge loop for a southbound Northern Spirit passenger service to pass. The bridge just out of sight in front of the locomotive was widened when the passing loops were installed. Under the bridge, the stone facing of the original structure can be seen behind the concrete extension sections.
After Blea Moor Sidings comes Force Gilll aquaduct and then Blea Moor Tunnel. This 2, 629 yard long and 500 feet deep tunnel marks the point at which the line leaves the watershed of the Ribble.
		The bridge at the south end of the up loop 01/08/01 The concrete extension to the bridge which was undertaken in 1941 when the lie-by sidings were extended into passing loops, can clearly be seen interfacing to the original bridge.
		Blea Moor Sidings 01/08/00 The 7.11 p.m. 2 car Northern Spirit sprinter heads north in the evening sun.
		Semaphore signals controlling the up loop at Blea Moor June 1999 A delightful pair of signals which control the up loop.
		Blea Moor Tunnel 1st August 2001 OS grid reference SD 762819 The 7.11 sprinter from Ribblehead heads north and passes the corresponding working which is due at Ribblehead Station at 7.20 p.m. The spoil heaps from the 10 feet diameter ventilation shafts can be seen on the skyline. There are three open ventilation shafts, the deepest being nearly 500 feet deep.
		Force Gill Aquaduct June 2000 OS grid reference SD 817761 This aquaduct was built by the Midland railway to carry the waters from Force Gill into Dale Beck across the line below the southern entrance to Blea Moor Tunnel. The aquaduct has recently been extensively refurbished by Railtrack. A concrete channel was originally planned but after an appropriate uproar, this sympathetic reconstruction was done.
		Blea Moor Tunnel Portal OS grid reference SD 762819 The date stone over the tunnel portal - 1874.
		Blea Moor tunnel air shafts 25th July 2001 SD768828 There were a total of seven individual shafts sunk along the line of the tunnel. Tunneling was started from the bottom of each shaft , so including the two entrances, there were a total of 16 working faces in operation. Inclined tramways took materials up to the shafts, each of which had its own winding engine.
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