SwissChris Railways Introduction

Swiss Chris Railways

BONDALE - A HISTORY

Bondale, one of Yorkshire's finest. An East - West valley running from the Vale of York to the Pennines and Lancashire. As it has a gentle slope, it is useful for travellers to cross the country and a few towns have grown up along it. There has been a little bit of industry in the area with a coal mine in Bustdale, a side valley off the main Dale.

In the 19th century, Bondale was not passed by in the rush to put down railways. The gentleness of the gradient, coupled with the coal mine and the need for transport between Lancashire and Yorkshire, soon made the line profitable. This led to other industries like woollen mills opening up and transporting their wares on the railways.

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Bondale Layout Design

The warehouse for Mrs. Andersons Yorkshire Pudding Factory in Leoton. The kit is by Metcalfe Models and was modified by the addition of 8 White L.E.D.s. The poster is a mix of 3 different photos.

A stylised view of the transport links that the Bondale area has with the rest of the U.K.

As can be seen Bondale can be used as a diversionary route between London and Scotland should there be any problems with either the East or West Coast main lines.

The colliery did close fpr a while in the 1960's leading to the attempted closure of the railway line, but enthusists, and local businesses managed to take over the line in its entirety, and when more economical methods of getting the coal out of the ground were found, the mine re-opened. Today, the line is as busy as it ever was, with new companies taking over from the old and still using the the line for the transportation of supplies and products. Amongst these are Mrs. Anderson’s Yorkshire Pudding factory, which supplies first class puddings and Scotch Eggs to the UK, The Bondale Brewery Company, with its Yorkshire Terrier Ale (A tart beer with a bite), and Bondale Transformers Ltd.

There is also a narrow gauge line connecting the village of Jessham and Jessdale Quarry to Bustham

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