Tees railway viaduct

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Western abutment of the dismantled railway bridge across the River Tees Dismantled Railway Pecknall Wood - geograph.org.uk - 10169.jpg
Western abutment of the dismantled railway bridge across the River Tees
The Tees viaduct in circa 1860 from a contemporary photograph Tees Railway Viaduct (SD&LUR).jpg
The Tees viaduct in circa 1860 from a contemporary photograph

The Tees railway viaduct was a railway bridge in the county of Durham, England, which carried the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway over the River Tees west of Barnard Castle.

Contents

History

The bridge was 732 feet (223 m) long and 132 feet (40 m) high. [1] It was built in 1860 and demolished in 1971. It was designed by the railway's engineer Thomas Bouch, who also designed the ill-fated Tay Bridge, [2] which famously collapsed in 1879, ending his career.

The abutments of the old bridge remained after demolition, and there is now a council-approved proposal to build an 870-foot-long (270 m) pedestrian suspension rope bridge in its place. [3] The proposed design is similar to the bridge over the River Ébron in France. If completed, it would be the longest bridge of its type in the United Kingdom. This scheme is now unlikely to happen because of a lack of support from the public and landowners who would be affected.

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The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) was a railway company that operated in north-east England from 1825 to 1863. The world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, its first line connected collieries near Shildon with Darlington and Stockton in County Durham, and was officially opened on 27 September 1825. The movement of coal to ships rapidly became a lucrative business, and the line was soon extended to a new port at Middlesbrough. While coal waggons were hauled by steam locomotives from the start, passengers were carried in coaches drawn by horses until carriages hauled by steam locomotives were introduced in 1833.

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Winston is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England. It is situated approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Barnard Castle, on a crossroads between the A67 and B6274 roads. According to the 2011 UK Census the population was 431, the parish includes the hamlets of Little Newsham and South Cleatlam.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teesdale Way</span> Long-distance walking route in England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baldersdale</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway</span> English railway company

The South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway (SD&LUR) built a railway line linking the Stockton and Darlington Railway near Bishop Auckland with the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway at Tebay, via Barnard Castle, Stainmore Summit and Kirkby Stephen. The line opened in 1861 and became known as the Stainmore Line.

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The Tees Valley Railway was an 8+34-mile (14.1 km) branch railway line that ran between Barnard Castle on the South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway line between Bishop Auckland and Kirkby Stephen East, and Middleton-in-Teesdale via three intermediate stations Cotherstone, Romaldkirk and Mickleton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaunless Viaduct</span> Viaduct in County Durham, England

Gaunless Viaduct, also known as the Lands Viaduct, was a railway viaduct in County Durham. It was designed by Thomas Bouch to carry the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway between Bishop Auckland and Barnard Castle over the River Gaunless at Lands, also crossing the Haggerleases branch of the railway to Butterknowle.

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Swin Bridge is the local name for a skew arch bridge in County Durham. It was built in 1830 for the Haggerleases branch of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, crossing the River Gaunless at Cockfield. It is important as an early example of the masonry arch skew bridge, and the first used to carry a railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hownsgill Viaduct</span>

The Hownsgill Viaduct is a former railway bridge located west of Consett in County Durham, England. It is currently used as a footpath and cycleway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belah Viaduct</span> Railway viaduct in Cumbria, England

The Belah Viaduct was a railway viaduct on the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway, crossing the River Belah, in Cumbria, England, about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the village of Barras and 4 miles (6.4 km) east north east of Kirkby Stephen. It was completed in 1860 and was demolished in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deepdale, County Durham</span>

Deepdale, sometimes spelt Deep Dale, is a side valley of Teesdale in County Durham, England. In its lower reaches, just west of the town of Barnard Castle, the valley is well wooded, and is a nature reserve, known for its bird life and a population of otters. Deepdale Beck, a tributary of the River Tees, runs through the valley. By the beck is the Great Stone, a glacial erratic from Shap in Cumbria, one of the largest erratics in Teesdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yarm Viaduct</span> Railway viaduct over the River Tees in England

Yarm Viaduct is a railway viaduct carrying the railways above the town of Yarm in North Yorkshire, England. It crosses the River Tees which forms the boundary between North Yorkshire and County Durham. The railway runs between Northallerton and Eaglescliffe, and was opened in 1852 as part of the extension of the Leeds Northern Railway to Stockton-on-Tees. The line and viaduct are currently owned and maintained by Network Rail and carries passenger traffic for TransPennine Express and Grand Central train operating companies. It also sees a variety of freight traffic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croft Viaduct</span> Railway bridge in Northern England

Croft Viaduct is a railway bridge carrying the East Coast Main Line between Northallerton and Darlington in Northern England. The viaduct crosses the River Tees, the border between North Yorkshire and County Durham. Although it was an early example of a stone viaduct in the railway system, it is not the first true railway viaduct, however, it was the first railway viaduct in the United Kingdom to have been built with an oblique arch. It was grade II listed in 1988, and had overhead line equipment installed in the early 1990s.

References

  1. Thomas, David St John (1965). A Regional history of the railways of Great Britain. Phoenix House. p. 135.
  2. Hoole, K; Simmons, Jack (1975). Rail 150: the Stockton & Darlington Railway and what followed. Methuen. p. 30. ISBN   0-413-32310-2.
  3. "Barnard Castle footbridge would be 'longest in UK'". BBC News. 16 October 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.

Further reading

54°33′10″N1°56′29″W / 54.5528°N 1.9415°W / 54.5528; -1.9415