Monkwearmouth Railway Bridge

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Monkwearmouth Railway Bridge
Hawks, Crawshay and Sons
Fabrication byJohn Waddell & Sons
Opened1879 (1879)
Location
Map

Monkwearmouth Railway Bridge (officially Monkwearmouth Bridge, also called Wearmouth Railway Bridge or Sunderland Railway Bridge) is a

Sunderland and Monkwearmouth. The bridge lies adjacent to and upstream of the Wearmouth Road Bridge
.

Originally built as part of the Monkwearmouth Junction Line, it provided the first direct railway link between Newcastle and Sunderland. The bridge is now used by Tyne and Wear Metro and Durham Coast Line services.

History and design

The bridge as built (from The Engineer, 1880). The 1857 reconstruction of the 1796 Wearmouth Bridge is to the rear

The bridge was built as part of the infrastructure for the

Durham and Sunderland Railway.[1][2]

The bridge was designed by

John Waddell was contractor for the stonework.[1][2] At the time of its construction it was claimed to be the largest hogsback iron bridge in the world.[3]

The structure was grade II listed in 1978,[3] planning consent was required for alterations to the structure circa 2000 for works relating to Metro construction: for the installation of overhead line electrification;[4] and for the construction of a station (St Peter's Metro station), constructed on the northern approach viaduct of the bridge.[5] In 2007 the bridge underwent repairs and strengthening, including the installation of 45 new transverse beams.[6]

Use

The bridge and railway allowed trains to run directly from Newcastle to Hartlepool, by creating a through line from Newcastle to Sunderland.[1][3]

Since 2002, the bridge has also carried the Tyne and Wear Metro. It is part of the modern (2012) Durham Coast Line.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c Tomlinson, W.W. (1915), The North Eastern Railway; its rise and development, Andrew Reid and Company, Newcastle; Longmans, Green and Company, London, p. 685
  2. ^
    ISBN 07277-2518-1
  3. ^ a b c Historic England. "MONKWEARMOUTH RAILWAY BRIDGE OVER RIVER WEAR WITH VIADUCT TO NORTH (1207051)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  4. ^ Sources:
  5. doi:10.1680/imuen.1999.31757
    .
  6. ^ Sources:
  7. ^ "SUNDERLAND RAILWAY BRIDGE", www.bridgesonthetyne.co.uk, retrieved 11 October 2012

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Monkwearmouth Railway Bridge.


Next bridge upstream River Wear Next bridge downstream
Vaux Bridge Monkwearmouth Railway Bridge
Grid reference NZ396573
 A1018  and UK traffic sign identifying a cycle route 1 
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monkwearmouth_Railway_Bridge&oldid=1178241925"