Scotswood Railway Bridge


Scotswood Railway Bridge is a pipeline bridge and former railway bridge crossing the River Tyne in North East England. It previously carried the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway between and stations.

History

The first railway bridge across the River Tyne at this location was a timber bridge completed in 1839. This was destroyed by fire caused by hot ash from a passing train in 1860. A wooden replacement opened in 1861 which was then replaced by a temporary single-track bridge in 1865.
The fourth bridge on the site was opened in 1871 and cost £20,000 to build. It is a six-span wrought-iron hog-back bridge on five cast-iron cylinder piers. It was set at an angle to the river so that trains could approach the bridge at speed, as there was no sharp curve onto the bridge. It required strengthening in 1943. It was taken out of use permanently on 4 October 1982, when the trains on the Tyne Valley Line were re-routed across the King Edward VII Bridge and through Dunston.
The bridge is still used to carry water and gas mains over the river, but the railway tracks have been removed.