Bridge TJC1 - 1 Over The Chesterfield Canal - Tapton, UK
Posted by: dtrebilc
N 53° 15.250 W 001° 25.183
30U E 605425 N 5901710
his railway bridge carries trains between Chesterfield and Dronfield over the Chesterfield Canal.
Waymark Code: WM13NCE
Location: East Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/14/2021
Views: 2
"The canal was built to link Chesterfield, Worksop and Retford to the Trent and so gain access to more trade. Local Anston Stone was transported by the canal to the river Trent for the building of the new Houses of Parliament. During the 19th century the canal was a commercial success due to local coal. However, mining caused subsidence in the Norwood Tunnel, severing the top end of the canal.
The Chesterfield Canal runs from the river Trent at West Stockwith to Chesterfield. The Canal is 45.5 miles (73.3 km) long and has 65 locks, but only the section from West Stockwith the eastern end of Norwood Tunnel is currently navigable. This navigable section is 31.6 miles (50.9 km) long and has 46 locks.
At the isolated western end of the canal, five miles and five locks have been restored. The new Staveley Town Basin opened in 2012. There are slipways at Tapton Lock in Chesterfield and Staveley Town Basin. There is also a craning pad at the basin. This leaves nine miles to be restored. There are detailed plans for the entire stretch, prepared by the Chesterfield Canal Partnership."
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The bridge
This bridge was built in 1870 for an extension to the North Midland Railway. The original line opened its line from Derby to Rotherham (Masbrough) and Leeds in 1840.
In 1870 the Midland Railway opened a diversion through Dronfield and Sheffield, which became known to railwaymen as the "New Road", as opposed to the "Old Road". It followed a route which, in 1840, would have been uneconomic to build and difficult to work.
These days East Midlands Railways operate trains over the bridge.