Scotswood Railway Bridge
Scotswood Railway Bridge is a pipeline bridge and former railway bridge crossing the River Tyne in North East England. It previously carried the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway between Scotswood and Blaydon stations.
Scotswood Railway Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Scotswood Railway Bridge, on 25 August 2005 | |
| Coordinates | 54.9684°N 1.6935°W |
| OS grid reference | NZ196637 |
| Carries |
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| Crosses | River Tyne |
| Locale | Tyneside |
| Preceded by | Blaydon Bridge |
| Followed by | Scotswood Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Beam bridge, hog-back girders on cylinder piers |
| Material | Wrought iron |
| Pier construction | Cast iron |
| Total length | 212.6 m (698 ft) |
| Width | 7.7 m (25 ft) |
| Longest span | 37.9 m (124 ft) |
| No. of spans | 6 |
| Piers in water | 5 |
| Rail characteristics | |
| No. of tracks | (Formerly) 2 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| History | |
| Construction end | 1871 |
| Construction cost | £20,000 |
| Opened | 1871 |
| Closed | 4 October 1982 |
| Location | |
| |
History
The first railway bridge across the River Tyne at this location was a timber bridge completed in 1839. This was destroyed by fire caused by hot ash from a passing train in 1860. A wooden replacement opened in 1861 which was then replaced by a temporary single-track bridge in 1865.
The fourth bridge on the site was opened in 1871[1] and cost £20,000 to build. It is a six-span wrought-iron hog-back bridge on five cast-iron cylinder piers. It was set at an angle to the river so that trains could approach the bridge at speed, as there was no sharp curve onto the bridge. It required strengthening in 1943.[1] It was taken out of use permanently on 4 October 1982,[2] when the trains on the Tyne Valley Line were re-routed across the King Edward VII Bridge and through Dunston.
The bridge is still used to carry water and gas mains over the river, but the railway tracks have been removed.[1]
References
- "Scotswood Railway Bridge [9 photos] in NZ19676378 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland". Geograph.org.uk. 15 June 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
- Body, Geoffrey (1988). Railways of the Eastern Region Volume 2: Northern operating area. Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 133. ISBN 1-85260-072-1.
- Scotswood Railway Bridge at Structurae
- Scotswood Railway Bridge at Bridges on the Tyne
| Next bridge upstream | River Tyne | Next bridge downstream |
| Blaydon Bridge A1 |
Scotswood Railway Bridge Grid reference NZ196637 |
Scotswood Bridge A695 |
| Next railway bridge upstream | River Tyne | Next railway bridge downstream |
| Wylam Railway Bridge Formerly North Tyne loop, now National Cycle Route 72 |
Scotswood Railway Bridge Grid reference NZ196637 |
King Edward VII Bridge East Coast Main Line |