The Aire and Calder Navigation
The Aire and Calder Navigation is a river and canal system of the River Aire and the River Calder in the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England.
This stretch of the Navigation is the Goole to Castleford section on the River Aire and the bridge is just to the east of Bulholme Lock.
Garforth To Castleford Railway
"The Castleford–Garforth line was a single-track railway line in West Yorkshire, England, connecting Castleford with Garforth east of Leeds. the route was developed to allow coal to be transported from the area, though a passenger service was operated between 1878 and 1951. Initially promoted by Leeds, Castleford and Pontefract Junction Railway, it was taken over by the North Eastern Railway before the line was completed.
The line left the route of the York and North Midland Railway at Castleford East Junction, turning north and crossing Wheldon Road on a plate girder bridge. Curving north-west, it crossed the River Aire east of its junction with the Aire and Calder Navigation on Castleford Viaduct, a long iron bridge. After a level crossing with Ings Lane and passing under Barnsdale Road, it reached Ledston, east of the A656 near Allerton Bywater, with a connection to Allerton Bywater colliery. The line continued along the northern edge of Allerton Bywater. Bowers was situated about one mile northwest of Ledston station, Kippax another three quarters of a mile further, near today's Berry Lane east of Great Preston. From there, the line continued north for about 2 miles (3 km), passed under the A63 road, and curved in a wide S-bend towards the tracks of the Leeds and Selby Railway, crossing Ninelands Lane and joining the main line in a trailing junction immediately east of Garforth station.
From a junction north of Bowers, a branch of the line led west towards an opencast mine which is now the place of St Aidan's country park. It served several collieries in the area between Swillington, Astley, and Allerton Bywater.
The length of the line between Castleford East Junction and Garforth was 6.3 miles (10.1 km). Trains between Castleford station and Garforth covered a distance of approximately 7 miles (11 km).
The major structure of the line is the 840-foot-long (260 m) Castleford Viaduct over the River Aire. It has a bow string centre section with two long plate girder approach spans, supported by sets of tubular steel piers (nine on the southern side, ten on the northern). Due to corrosion, it is in poor condition."
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The line was purchased in 1983 by the West Yorkshire County Council and resurfaced to form a 'rails to trails' recreational path, the Lines Way between Garforth and Allerton Bywater.
This bridge is beyond the end of the Linesway and access to the top of the bridge is not accessible to the public though a public footpath passes under the girder section.