Doe Lea Viaduct

Doe Lea Viaduct
Coordinates	53°13′37″N1°18′35″W / 53.22694°N 1.30972°W / 53.22694; -1.30972 (Doe Lea Viaduct)
Carries	Ex-Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway
Crosses	Midland Railway's Doe Lea Branch
Locale	Carr Vale, Derbyshire
Official name	Bolsover Viaduct
Characteristics
Design	8 brick arches [1]
Total length	370 feet (110 m)
Width	Twin Standard Gauge Rail
Height	70 feet (21 m)
History
Opened	February 1897
Closed	December 1951
Location

Doe Lea Viaduct is a former railway viaduct near Carr Vale, Bolsover, Derbyshire, England.

v t e Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway
Legend
Chesterfield (Market Place) Boythorpe Viaduct over MR Brampton Branch and Boythorpe Railway   Horns Bridge over Midland Main Line GCR Chesterfield Loop River Rother Duckmanton Tunnel Great Central Main Line Arkwright Town Arkwright Town Jct (1907) River Doe Lea Doe Lea Viaduct over MR Doe Lea Branch Bolsover South Bolsover Tunnel Scarcliffe Summit MML to St Pancras Sheffield Midland Attercliffe Road (MR) Rotherham Masborough West Tinsley (SDR) Catcliffe (SDR) Rotherham Masborough Treeton (MR) Woodhouse Mill (MR) Beighton (GCR) Beighton Junction Killamarsh West (MR) Beighton (GCR) Upperthorpe and Killamarsh Spinkhill Spinkhill Tunnel Clowne South Summit Markland Grips Viaduct Creswell and Welbeck Shirebrook North (Originally Langwith Junction) Langwith Junction shed Shirebrook South GNR to Nottingham Victoria (1901) Shirebrook West MR (now Robin Hood Line) Nottingham Midland to Worksop Warsop Clipstone Colliery Sidings Mansfield Railway to Nottingham Victoria (from 1917) Edwinstowe Ollerton Boughton Tuxford Central Tuxford Works Tuxford shed Dukeries Junction GNR (now ECML) Kings Cross to Retford Fledborough Fledborough Viaduct over River Trent Clifton-on-Trent Doddington and Harby Skellingthorpe GN&GEJR to Saxilby Pyewipe Junction Lincoln to Peterborough

Location

The viaduct was originally, formally known as Bolsover Viaduct ^[2] and is often referred to as Carr Vale Viaduct. It was a substantial, double track structure carrying the LD&ECR's Chesterfield Market Place to Lincoln Central main line over the Midland Railway's Pleasley to Staveley Doe Lea Branch a short distance south of the latter's Bolsover Castle station. ^[3] The River Doe Lea passed through a culvert under the viaduct's western approach embankment.

The structure was also situated near Bolsover's "Model Village" at the bottom of Bolsover Hill. ^[4]

History

The viaduct, which consisted of eight ^{[5] [6]} brick arches, ^[7] was opened to goods traffic in February 1897, ^[8] with passenger traffic following from 8 March. ^[9]

The section between Chesterfield and Langwith Junction (by then renamed Shirebrook North), was closed to passenger traffic by British Railways in December 1951, due to the unsafe condition of Bolsover Tunnel ^[10] and concerns over the safety of Doe Lea Viaduct, both of which were affected by colliery subsidence. Bolsover South and Scarcliffe were closed completely. Track lifting from Markham Junction, over the viaduct and on to Shirebrook North commenced immediately.

The viaduct itself was demolished on 24 August 1952 by the army using explosives. ^{[11] [12]} This was filmed and the film later used in a commercial war film, becoming a bridge in war torn France. ^[13]

The viaduct was approached by substantial embankments from both ends. That from the eastern end was removed some years ago, but that from the western, Chesterfield, end is readily accessible as part of the Peter Fidler Reserve ^[14] and can be walked westwards for about 300 yards from the reserve's Point 11.

Modern access

The Doe Lea Branch is now the "Stockley Trail" ^[15] public bridleway from near Glapwell to near the location of Bolsover Castle Station. Anyone walking from the A632 end to Carr Vale Flash ^[16] nature reserve or beyond would walk under the viaduct, had it still been in existence.

References

Notes

1. Doe Lea Viaduct via PictureThePast
2. Cupit & Taylor 1984, p. 46.
3. Howard Anderson 1973, pp. 157, 162.
4. Booth 2013, p. 20.
5. Ludlam 2013, p. 141.
6. DVD 2005, 31-32 minutes from the start, stills.
7. Haigh 1994, p. 106.
8. Ludlam 2013, p. 139.
9. Cupit & Taylor 1984, p. 16.
10. Cupit & Taylor 1984, p. 39.
11. Goode 1983, p. 18.
12. Photos and articles about the viaduct Old Miner
13. Haigh 1985, p. 38.
14. Peter Fidler Reserve, Carr Vale: via derbyshirewildlifetrust
15. Doe Lea Branch via Derbyshire: Stockley Trail
16. Carr Vale Flash via derbyshirewildlifetrust

Sources

• Booth, Chris (2013). The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway A pictorial view of the "Dukeries Route" and branches. Blurb. ISBN   978-1-78155-660-3. 06715029.
• Cupit, Jack; Taylor, W. (1984) [1966]. The Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway. Oakwood Library of Railway History (2nd ed.). Headington: Oakwood Press. ISBN   978-0-85361-302-2. OL19.
• DVD (2005). The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway - Memories of a Lost Route. Chesterfield: Terminus Publications. DVD, stills with commentary, 60 mins.
• Goode, C.T. (1983). Railway Rambles on the Notts. & Derbyshire Border. Kingston upon Hull: C. T. Goode. ISBN   978-0-9508239-2-8.
• Haigh, Bernard (1985). Bolsover Remembered. Bernard Haigh. OCLC   504569461.
• Haigh, Bernard (1994). The Old Photographs Series: Around Bolsover. Chalford: Chalford Publishing Co. Ltd. ISBN   978-0-7524-0021-1.
• Howard Anderson, P. (1973). Forgotten Railways: The East Midlands. Newton Abbott: David and Charles. ISBN   978-0-7153-6094-1.
• Ludlam, A.J. (March 2013). Kennedy, Rex (ed.). "The Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway". Steam Days. 283. Bournemouth: Redgauntlet 1993 Publications. ISSN   0269-0020.

Further Material

• Dow, George (1965). Great Central, Volume Three: Fay Sets the Pace, 1900–1922. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN   978-0-7110-0263-0. OCLC   500447049.

External links

• Doe Lea Viaduct: old O.S. map npemaps
• The viaduct on many old maps National Library of Scotland
• Bolsover railway structures Signalboxes
• The viaduct seen from the air in 1952 Britain From Above (free login needed to zoom)