Elland Railway Viaduct on Calder and Hebble Navigation – Elland, UK - Stone Bridges on Waymarking.com

The bridge itself was built to carry the Brighouse to Halifax railway line for the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway. At this point it is crossing the Calder and Hebble Navigation. It is bridge number 15 on the navigation.

It has a single arch that crosses both the canal and tow path. From the look of the underside of the bridge it has been widened at some point after its initial construction as there is a distinct change in the arch. This can also be seen on one side of the bridge where the arch is made of brickwork, however above this the parapet is still made of stone.

These days the bridge carries Northern Rail trains and the line is called the Caldervale Line because much of the route follows the River Calder valley. The train company’s franchise is due for renewal in April 2014.

To the east of the bridge is Brighouse railway station. To the west of the bridge the line splits into two and the next station to the north is Halifax railway station, whereas to the west is Sowerby Bridge railway station.

The Calder and Hebble Navigation completed in 1770 consisted of artificial improvements to the River Calder and River Hebble to allow canal boats use what used to be un-navigable rivers.

It ran for 21 miles from the Aire and Calder Navigation at Wakefield to Sowerby Bridge, was one of the first navigable waterways into the Pennines. It was an extension westwards of the Aire and Calder Navigation.

Work began in 1758 to make the River Calder navigable above Wakefield. The navigation to Sowerby Bridge was completed in 1770, including a short branch to Dewsbury.

Physical Location (city, county, etc.): Elland, Yorkshire Road, Highway, Street, etc.: Caldervale Railway Line Water or other terrain spanned: Calder and Hebble Navigation Construction Date: 1/1/1852 Architect/Builder: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/12/2015 hulletteers visited it