Marple Railway Viaduct - Marple, UK - Arch Bridges on Waymarking.com

The Hope Valley Line is a trans-Pennine railway line in England linking Sheffield with Manchester. The last part of the route was completed in 1894, 100 years after the nearby Peak Forest canal was constructed.

The line was built by the Midland Railway. There are in fact a number of lines on this route, and this section was built by the Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee as part of the Midland Railway's drive to reach Manchester with its line from London via Ambergate and Millers Dale. In 1875 a more direct route was built through Bredbury and it is this route that is carried by this bridge.

The line is currently operated by Network Rail and the bridge carries diesel powered trains between Manchester and Marple. link

The stone arches of the viaduct carry the railway line over the River Goyt and at the south east end the arches join onto a steel girder span which carries the line over the Peak Forest canal. The canal also crosses the River Goyt and provides a good viewing platform to see the viaduct. A footpath at the western end of the viaduct drops down to river level and passes under both the canal aqueduct and the railway viaduct and leads to Watermeeting Lane.

The River Goyt "The Goyt rises on the moors of Axe Edge, near the River Dane and the Cat and Fiddle Inn. The area is known as the Upper Goyt Valley. The old Cat and Fiddle Road from Buxton to Macclesfield crosses the river just as it turns northwards to flow down its well-known valley. The river then flows under Derbyshire Bridge, which was the old boundary between Derbyshire and Cheshire. Later it reaches an old packhorse bridge that was moved when Errwood reservoir was built in the 1960s (see photo below). Further downstream there is another reservoir, the Fernilee reservoir. The original line of the Cromford and High Peak Railway can be seen near this point.

The Goyt then passes through Taxal and Horwich End where it is joined by the Todd Brook. Thereafter it passes through Whaley Bridge, New Mills (where it is joined by the River Sett) and Marple Bridge. Having been joined by the River Etherow, the Goyt joins the River Tame at Stockport, forming the River Mersey." link

The bridge is a Historic England Grade II Listed Building.
"Railway Viaduct. 1863. MS & LR Railway Company. Snecked rock-faced stone with repairs in engineering brick and one span in wrought iron girder. 12 stone arches and 1 wrought iron span which pass over a road, the Peak Forest Canal and the River Goyt 38m below. Semi-circular arches on plain square piers which taper towards the top. Rock-faced corbel table and coping to parapet wall. The wrought iron span is skew and has a turtle back parapet." link

What type of traffic does this bridge support?: Railroad What kind of gap does this bridge cross?: River Goyt Date constructed: 1863 Is the bridge still in service for its original purpose?: Yes Name of road or trail the bridge services: Hope Valley Location: Marple, Cheshire Length of bridge: Not listed Height of bridge: Not listed

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