Peak Forest Tramway Stone Bridge – Buxworth, UK - Arch Bridges on Waymarking.com

The tramway used gravity to bring the trucks down from the quarries. Horses were then used to pull the empty wagons back up again. Near to the quarries there was a particularly steep section of track and at this point the wagons were connected to steel chains. The chains had a dual purpose, slowing the loaded wagons going downhill and pulling the empty wagons up the final section to the quarries.

The tramway opened before the invention of steam trains, but was so well suited to the steep gradients in the location it was only in 1925 that modern road traffic and trains caused a loss of business that forced the closure of both the tramway and the canal and they were allowed to become derelict. However in the 1960s and 1970s leisure boating became popular and many canals were renovated and re-opened for leisure purposes.

Most of the Peak Forest Canal reopened 1974 and at that time terminated at Whaley Bridge. The remainder of the canal and the basin was reopened in 1999. However a major leak from the canal needed further renovation and it didn’t fully re-open until 2003. This short section of the tramway has also been converted into a walking trail.

The tramway operated on multiple levels. The lowest levels connected directly to the canal wharves, but there were also elevated sections that took the limestone to be processed by the lime kilns.

This skewed stone bridge carries an elevated section of the tramway over a pack horse route that connected Macclesfield and Glossop and was used to transport silk made at Macclesfield. The last page of this leaflet about the tramway has an illustration showing what the bridge might have looked like when in operation.

What type of traffic does this bridge support?: There is a short overgrown path on the bridge, but is not used. What kind of gap does this bridge cross?: Originally a pack horse trail, but now is the entrance road to community allotment gardens. Date constructed: 1796 Is the bridge still in service for its original purpose?: No Name of road or trail the bridge services: Peak Forest Tramway Location: Buxworth Derbyshire SK23 7NE Length of bridge: Not listed Height of bridge: Not listed

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