RAILSCOT | Gaunless Bridge

Bridge

Gaunless Bridge (1825-1969)

Opened on the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

This bridge was near West Auckland on the Shildon to Witton Park Colliery portion of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

This was the first iron bridge to be built for a railway.

The West Auckland to Shildon portion closed in 1858, with the opening of the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway in 1856, but a short portion of the line was retained over the bridge. The bridge was replaced in 1901, not being designed for locomotives, and the short portion extended to the Brusselton Colliery, becoming the Brusselton Branch. This closed before 1930 and was cut back again, removed probably with closure of the main line in 1969.

The original bridge was stored at the Brusselton Colliery until 1925 when it was reassembled at the National Railway Museum [York].

21/08/2023	Iron railway bridge that changed the world to return home to Durham [The Guardian]
01/03/2023	Grant awarded for repairs to bridge abutments [RAIL]

Nearby stations West Auckland Bishop Auckland West Bishop Auckland Evenwood [1st] Evenwood [2nd] Bishop Auckland [NER] Witton Park for Escomb Southchurch Etherley and Witton Park [1st] Tunnel Junction [Shildon] Shildon [1st] Shildon Lands Coundon Wear Valley Junction	West Auckland Goods West Auckland Colliery Ramshaw Colliery Spring Gardens Junction Brusselton Incline Fieldon Bridge Junction Brusselton Tower Drift Copy Crooks Colliery Etherley North Incline Brusselton Colliery West Durham Wallsend Colliery Etherley Dene Randolph Colliery Bishop Auckland West Junction Phoenix Pit
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.