THE many hills and valleys of the Penistone area posed many problems for railway builders.
The area is dotted with several viaducts, which provided the only way for the railway lines to be constructed from hill to hill. They created magnificent views and landmarks with stone-built arches crossing high above the valleys.
One such viaduct stretching across the valley to Penistone was the one which carried the Penistone to Huddersfield line over the River Don and was built in 1849 by Ingram and Bower.
The stone was dug from the quarry behind Oxspring Wire Mill and was conveyed by a tramway along the riverside.
There are 29 arches, including the road bridge over the A628 leading into Penistone from Hoylandswaine.
On February 2 1916 the second and third arches collapsed in dramatic style.
A Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway tank engine fell with the debris, later to be cut up and removed piecemeal.
There were no injuries reported - the crew seemingly were able to jump free just in time as cracks began to appear.
The line was reopened on August 14 the same year.
Until then, a ‘halt’ station consisting of wooden platforms was built at Hoylandswaine Road Bridge and used during reconstruction.
Steps up to the line can still be seen leading to the temporary station.
