A Bridge Too Far...

[CitroJim]

During my bike ride today...

A rather fine bridge (or technically, is it a tunnel?) burrowing under a high embankment on the quadruple track West Coast Mainline - hence the length...

It's on a very remote, lonely and poorly maintained single track road that only ever sees traffic when I'm trying to photograph the bridge

[NewcastleFalcon]

Snap

In spite of the line being disused, the bridge carries it's ID code, I will have to find my reference site!

Falcon original 22/03/2023

Falcon original 22/03/2023

Falcon original 22/03/2023

Neil

[CitroJim]

That's a nice one Neil Some rather lovely masonry... It always strikes me how the engineers who built a lot of the railway infrastructure attended to both function and form to create some very good looking long-lasting structures.

Many of todays structures seem to be neither, sadly

[NewcastleFalcon]

The dressed stone and the brick arch absolutely top quality
-------------------------

This is the Chapter and Verse of Railway Codes. Engineers line References and Asset codes.

This particular section....Bridges
http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/bridges/bridges0.shtm

The East Coast Mainline in Northumberland is described by Engineers Line Reference ECM7. At Alnmouth a Branch line from Alnmouth to Alnwick was reference ACK, and on from Alnwick to Cornhill reference AKC...hence the reference on that bridge. Looks like an asset number of 68 being a sequential number referring to the various structures along the line.

Cant quite make out the number on your bridge Jim which will be on the plaque like this one from a bridge at Acklington on the East Coast Mainline.



Neil

[CitroJim]

That's awesome Neil, a great reference work I can now identify 'my' bridge today as Bridge 199 on the WCML Euston to Rugby

[NewcastleFalcon]

That's awesome Neil, a great reference work I can now identify 'my' bridge today as Bridge 199 on the WCML Euston to Rugby

That saves me the job Jim! Was just about to delve. Looks like the reference on the plate is LEC1/199 (LEC being London Euston to Crewe) and the description from the list is

58m 13ch Bridge Hartwell to Grafton Underline Bridge | Brick (Arch) 199

58 miles and 13 chains from London Euston!

Neil

[CitroJim]

I love how the railways still use chains as a unit of measurement

There's 80 of them to the mile and there's 100 links to the chain. There's also 4 rods to the chain too...

A chain is 22 yards (66 feet) and 8 chains make a furlong. I believe racecourses are still measured in furlongs...

[NewcastleFalcon]

I love how the railways still use chains as a unit of measurement

There's 80 of them to the mile and there's 100 links to the chain. There's also 4 rods to the chain too...

A chain is 22 yards (66 feet) and 8 chains make a furlong. I believe racecourses are still measured in furlongs...

Like the old measurements too! There's more..

Originally, an acre was understood as a selion of land sized at forty perches (660 ft, or 1 furlong) long and four perches (66 ft) wide; this may have also been understood as an approximation of the amount of land a yoke of oxen could plough in one day (a furlong being "a furrow long").

A selion is a medieval open strip of land or a small field used for growing crops, usually owned by or rented to peasants. A selion of land was typically one furlong (660 ft) long and one chain (66 ft) wide, so one acre in area.

Neil

[CitroJim]

Measurement units with character and a rich history The metric system has nothing on imperial

[NewcastleFalcon]

According to Disused Stations the Weigh cabin and associated Weighbridge were removed from Glanton Station on the Alnwick to Cornhill line (where my pic of AKC 68 Bridge is), and reconstructed to form the entrance to the goods yard at the specimen N.E.R. Station at Beamish Museum. If so then this is it...


Town railway weighbridge, Beamish Museum, 29 July 2011
Ashley Dace / Rowley Station Weighbridge

Neil

[CitroJim]

Gosh, that's a great reconstruction Looks like it's been there for ever... I really want to visit Beamish but alas, I'm very unlikely to be able to do the journey nowadays

I can just recall a very similar one, building and all, in our local railway station yard from when I was a kid... Despite the station closing the weighbridge continued in use for many years after by a large animal feed depot in the yard.

When I first saw the building I did a double take thinking it was the one from my old hometown... Maybe they were built to a standard pattern?

[mickthemaverick]

I intend to visit Beamish, Steve and Neil in the summer Jim, you are very welcome to join me if you can tolerate the journey in the passenger seat?

[CitroJim]

I intend to visit Beamish, Steve and Neil in the summer Jim, you are very welcome to join me if you can tolerate the journey in the passenger seat?

With you in the driver's seat Mick, no problem at all! I'd be delighted to

[mickthemaverick]

Excellent, then we must have a lunch to discuss that!

[CitroJim]

Excellent, then we must have a lunch to discuss that!

Perfect