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GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line
GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton
Bordesley Viaduct: gwrbg2487
View showing the northern elevation of the viaduct with a
Prairie tank on the down main line with a north bound freight, striding across
the workshops of Birmingham into the city centre. The Bordesley viaduct was
built entirely of brickwork with 60 main arches of an average span of 37 feet.
The viaduct is 2,900 feet long, with a maximum height of 70 feet, where it
passes over the River Rea. There is a rise of 18 feet 6 inches over the length.
Built between 1849 and 1852 it originally carried two mixed gauge tracks, but
between 1911 and 16th November 1913 the viaduct was more than doubled in width
so it could accommodate five standard gauge tracks. A total of 10 million
bricks were used during the widening. The main up and down lines used the
original viaduct, while the relief up and down tracks and an up goods line were
laid on the extension.
Robert Ferris
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