6th January 2001

After Langwathby, the closed station of Little Salkeld, which closed in 1970, is passed.

Little Salkeld Viaduct , or Dodd's Mill Viaduct as it was once known, crosses Briggle Beck with 7 arches and is 134 yards long and 60 ft. high. 

The station at Little Salkeld closed on the 4th May 1970 and at that time had been unstaffed fro three years. The signal box had closed earlier, on 6th July 1964.

After Little Salkeld are the Long Meg Sidings and Long Meg Sidings signal box.

The sidings at Long Meg are now out of use but the nearby mine formerly sent out large amounts of Anhydrite by rail to supply the chemical industry on Merseyside. The oroginal connection to the Long Meg Plaster and Mineral Co. Ltd. was installed in 1896. 

The original Midland railway pattern signal box was taken out of use on 23rd may 1915. the sidings remained controlled by a lever frame until the modern pattern of box was installed on the 3rd of July 1955.

The prehistoric stone circle of "Long Meg and her daughters" is less than a mile from the line nearby and dates from the palaeolithic period.

"Long Meg" is a single upright stone, the "daughters" being the other stones which make up the circle.

It is now a scheduled ancient monument.

The River Eden is crossed once again, this time by the by the 7 arch Eden Lacy viaduct.

The centre spans stand in the River eden and must have been cleverly engineered in order to resist 100 years of erosion by the river.

6th January 2001

To the South of Lazonby tunnel is the Lazonby Sand Hole from which large quantities of sand were extracted for use on the railway. The siding serving the quarry was removed in 1963.

6th January 2001

After the 99 yard Lazonby comes the station. It became an unstaffed halt in 1963 and was closed in 1970, fortunately now re-opened and a source of commuter traffic for Carlisle.

The station premises and the old goods yard are now occupied by the bakers "Bells of Lazonby" who make some pretty good bread products which you can buy in the shop across the road from the station.

6/01/2001

 The Eden Gorge follows soon after Lazonby and is cut into the characteristic red Permian sandstone, which is allied to the sandstone which forms St. Bees Head on the West Cumbrian coast. The faamous Nunnery Walks stretch through the woods on the east bank of the river.