This bridge, dating in its current form to the 1960s, carried the now abandoned Bradford Avoiding Line across the six-lane A650. Although it was (re)constructed in the 60s to look like one structure, it's actually a Victorian plate-girder bridge spanning the eastern carriageway (left in the first few shots below), the outer end of which is now supported by the concrete legs, which also support the 1960s steel-and-concrete right hand span. The whole thing being clad in lightweight metal sheeting to make it look like a single 1960s structure.
Note the older structure past the legs.
THe next few shots show a small industrial unit just below the former railway, and the surprisingly pleasant green space just in front of it.
Just up the A650 from the abandoned bridge is another piece of 60s period urban design, a pedestrian underpass. Once seen as the ultimate solution for seperating people and vehicles, and allowing the motor traffic to proceed unhindered, the dream of segregated pedestrian routes soon descended into a vandalised and graffiti-strewn hell of dank, dangerous warrens, a paradise for muggers. Many cities have already erased all trace of such places, Sheffield for example used to boast dozens of them, hardly any now remain. Bradford still has some, though presumably eventually regeneration will sweep them away. In this case though, it'll probably sweep the remains of the avoiding like away too.
Having emerged from the underpass, some detail shots of the "old" half of the bridge.
The 1948 New Popular Edition map shows
a closed station here.
Following the avoiding line west a bit, this is where a branch used to cross Square Street. It's course can be seen in aerial photos, but is then lost under modern industrial development.
The avoiding line crosses Bowling Back Lane
and Hammerton Street
Back in the underpass
a door to Hell itself?
Crossing Barnard Road (and next two images)
Just a few dozen yards down Barnard Road is the t-junction with Usher Street, and the in-use line from Leeds to Bradford Interchange.
Looking down to the Hall Lane bridge
Looking up to the summit and distant Leeds.
The short tunnel in the distance carries the
roundabout (complete with underpasses) on the
A650 just below the avoiding line's bridge.
The cast-iron 19th century trough which
spans the line once carried a mill race
into a factory on the downhill side of the line.
The Usher Street bridge seen from Hall Lane
Walk up Hall Lane for a short distance, and you come to the ruins of a long-abandoned, but modern, power operated level crossing on the avoiding line. Whether by deliberate act or by vandalism, all the inner mechanisms of the barriers have been removed, but the casings, and on the down-hill side, the actual barriers, remain, locked forever pointing skyward in the forlorn hope of being lowered for a train that will never come.
The barriers were worked from Hall Lane signal box and replaced conventional gates on the 10th October 1968. Hall Lane box finally closed on the 5th August 1979, having been out of use since March. - information from John Whitaker
The barrier machines were Godwin Warren electrical, as opposed to the more common hydraulic arrangement. There were two 18' barriers, and two 16' barriers. - information from WZR / John Whitaker
Both tracks appear to still be in place,
the westbound line on the right, mostly
burried under the tarmac, the eastbound line
still clearly visible. It's not clear if this
situation is the result of years of road traffic
having worn away tarmac which originally covered
both tracks, or if the right hand line was abandoned
some time before the left hand one, when the line was
truncated to serve a scrap yard.
The left hand running rail of the eastbound track.
Note how the railhead itself (left) though pitted,
is still intact, while the much lighter tram-guide
(right) has been shattered and worn away by traffic.
Looking down Hall Lane
A zoomed-in view
Just below the abandoned level crossing is this
fairly handsome and substantial house, now offices.
Below the house is a yard full of skips
and a short terrace of three small houses.
From Hall Lane to Bolling Road a footpath
runs via Bailey Street, providing some views.
As well as the avoiding line, there was
also a triangle as the Leeds and Halifax
lines came together. The bricked up arch
visible behind the signal was the start of
the third side of the triangle.
Looking back up towards Hall Lane
The third side emerged here.
The trackbed has been sold for redevelopment.
Towards the Interchange
Bolling Road Bridge
158 on the Halifax line
142 on the Leeds line
Back on Hall Lane, a scrap merchant
with an eye-catching sense of fun.
158 on the Mill Lane bridge
A local landmark pub/function suite
Mill Lane Bridge, with protective beam to
guard against bridge strikes by road vehicles.
Mill Lane Junction signal box, still in use.
There has been some discussion on uk.railway and elsewhere about the perrenial problem of 'bridge strikes', where overheight road vehicles attempt to drive under low bridges, with results that range from the farcical to the downright dangerous. Several of the following shots show a variety of steel and concrete 'guard beams' which have been put in place in Bradford to protect both Victorian and modern railway bridges.
The guard beam is very solidly mounted
Mill Lane bridge, showing scars of old bridge strikes.
The Halifax and Leeds lines come together just
below the Mill Lane bridge, and the bridge itself
is actually two structures combined, with a small
but noticable difference in deck heights, and slightly
different construction methods. This is the higher
Leeds line side, carrying two tracks.
And this is the Halifax side, which used
to carry the junction with a goods yard
and coal drops behind the Mill Lane Junct
signal box, and appears to have been designed
to accomodate a variable track layout, with
lots of beams close together, rather than the
more usual arrangement of mainly supporting
a planned track plan.
Former coal drops behind the signal box.
The lower side of the Mill Lane bridge,
there's a guard beam this side too.
Ex Central Trains 158 at Mill Lane bridge.
The avoiding line crosses Hammerton Street on a stone arch, shown further up the page, however the line from Leeds to the Interchange crosses on this enormous expanse of steelwork, which clearly once carried far more than the remaining two tracks. The New Popular Edition Ordnance Survey map from 1948 shows lots of sidings and industrial lines branching off at this point.
A largeish old mill has just been demolished on Birksland Street, opening up views of both the in-use and abandoned lines which haven't been seen before. In addition, Birksland Street itself is spanned by the Leeds line on a brand new welded steel plate girder bridge, both sides of which are protected by massive concrete guard beams which have clearly been designed in to the structure from the start.
Note that while the Mill Lane guard beams appeared to be only slightly lower than the bridge they were guarding, these concrete ones are a good several inches lower. They also already bear the scars of road vehicle impacts, so clearly they are very necessary here.
The avoiding line crossing Birksland Street.
No risk of bridge strikes here!
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