THE UNTOLD story of 'the railway that never was' will be the subject of a talk at the County Record office in Northallerton later this month.

The popular series of lunchtime talks is returning after its summer break, and the ill-fated Swaledale railway will be the subject of the first event.

Keith Sweetmore will talk about attempts to bring a rail connection to Swaledale, drawing together for the first time evidence from scattered sources to reveal a fascinating and untold story, and answering questions like "Where would the line have run?" "What would it have looked like?" and "Could it have changed the economic fortunes of Swaledale, after the decline of lead mining?"

Mr Sweetmore will also look at the reasons attempts to build the railway failed, and suggest possibilities for future research.

The one-hour event is on Friday, September 29 at 12.30pm at the County Record Office in Malpas Road, Northallerton. Admission costs £2 per person to cover the cost of refreshments.