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Description

This double track swing bridge crosses the Forth and Clyde Canal between the upper and lower basins at Bowling. A signal box was mounted above the running lines to the immediate west of the bridge. The pivot of the bridge was just to the east of the box and the bridge's east end swung north. The bridge was moved hydraulically. It carried the 1896 Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway. The engineer was Crouch and Hogg and contractor Robert McAlpine and Sons. The railway closed around 1964/5 and the bridge was fixed in position.

Either end of the swing bridge was approached by railway viaducts, the arches being used for a variety of purposes. Working from east to west the line crossed;
- three arches
- bridge over roadway
- three arches (third crossing roadway to south side of basin)
- swing bridge over canal
- seven arches
- girder bridge crossing access road (to north side of basin) and railway
- girder bridge over the A814, Dumbarton Road

Building the viaduct required alterations to the canal. The canal was realigned to the north and lock 38 relocated further east along with a new eastern (or upper) basin. With the canal and railway both owned by the Caledonian Railway there would be little objection to this.

The signal box closed in 1964/5 with the line. The bridge no longer swings today.

Immediately to the south of the swing bridge was a second railway swing bridge which carried the goods line from Bowling Harbour Signal Box to Bowling Harbour. This second bridge no longer exists. Just to the north east is a fine bascule bridge carrying the access road to the southern part of Bowling Canal Basin. (It is suggested that there was a lock (perhaps a stop lock) under the main swing bridge, however this is probably the remains of the smaller swing bridge or a confusion with the original lock 38 which was on a different, ie pre-swing bridge, alignment of the canal just to the south).

Just to the west the line crossed over the former Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway. This portion of the viaduct was fenced off to protect the open railway. After main years of being inaccessible the bridges have been renovated to carry a walkway from east of the canal basins to the footpath running west to Dumbarton, the succession of bridges being compared to the New York High Line.

Local

One of the arches is home to Magic Cycles .

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