Viaducts

[Whiskery Ron]

I am not sure how to ask this question because I only have vague references to go on,however here goes. Between 1947 & 1950 my job sent me all over the country & I was driving from London to Edinburgh on the then A1 Great North Road, somewhere on this route (I told you it was vague) I came upon a magnificent Viaduct which blew me away, I have no idea where this was & I've been looking for it for a number of years. To describe it , it was very high & very long stretching across a wide valley it had very distinct features in that there was a bridge running through one of the arches & also a river through another one of the arches . If any of this rings a bell with anyone please answer & make an old man happy,cheers Ron.

[mushroom25]

I don't know if this is the one you're thinking of, but it's pretty impressive nonetheless....
http://www.hertsheritage.org.uk/transport/digs well.htm

[Whiskery Ron]

Thanks mushroom 25 I've looked at pics of Digswell but can see no evidence of another bridge or river crossing underneath it.Ron.

[heathfield]

I've travelled that route many times, and can't think of a bridge that fits your description.
The most famed viaduct on the A1 is the railway bridge at Berwick. (See here).
The A1 crosses the middle one of the three, and gives you a good view.

[Whiskery Ron]

Hi heathfield, no it's not Berwick. it's not much to go on but the A1 did not actually traverse the viaduct, I can vaguely remember coming upon it as I drove round a bend somewhere in the countryside it lay to my left across a valley ( no houses at that time).Ron.

[logic]

Hi,
I know this may not be much help, but i started driving that same route from sixty eight till eighty five, obviously a long time after you, but even then a lot of places had been bypassed, with dual carriageways and the A1m, what i'm trying to say is, if you could find the dates of the A1 diversions you could maybe take a look around the areas where it no longer runs,
now, maybe you could solve something for me, i remember many years ago, on the A1 way past Doncaster, there was a long downhill stretch to a small roundabout, and you took the third exit if you were going north, in effect it was a right angle turn, but I cant for the life of me remember the name of the place, and no one will believe me, maybe you can remember,
cheers, pete.

[JK2]

http://www.nvt.org.uk/

Try this link Ron - maybe it's on here

[sddsddean]

logic - to answer you, I'd go for the old Wetherby by pass before they put in the dual c'way bit that cut the corner. The r'about is by the hotel in the middle of the map.
http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?client= public&X=440000.414603877&Y=447500.210039134&w idth=700&height=400&gride=440390.414603877&gri dn=448209.210039134&srec=0&coordsys=gb&db=free gaz&addr1=&addr2=&addr3=&pc=&advanced=&local=& localinfosel=&kw=&inmap=&table=&ovtype=&keepic on=true&zm=0&scale=50000&multimap.x=381&multim ap.y=186

[heathfield]

Yep. Third exit , Wetherby by-pass roundabout. Remember it well.

[logic]

Hey that's brill thanx a lot. pete,

[Whiskery Ron]

logic, thanks for your suggestion re viaduct. I'm glad to see that you've been helped , see how 1 thing leads to another, isn't this Answerbank great.Ron.

[logic]

yes ron, not many of us old truckers left, to be quite honest I don't ever recall seeing a viaduct on that route, but as i say, by the time I was travellling that way it could have been bypassed, are you sure you never left the main carriageway to make a delivery, to some out of the way place, ?during the sixties I was delivering coal and smokeless fuel from nottinghamshire and derbyshire collieries all over the southern areas, and picking up pig iron return loads and taking it to foundries up north, so i did get off the main road quite a bit, but you have got me wondering now, if ever you find it I'd love to know,
cheers,

[garybfsl]

Ron

The following is where the A1 deviates from its original route. It might be worth checking current and old O/S maps to see if you can spot a viaduct in these areas:

"riginally ran through Barnet now A1000; bypassed by A1M; original line near Doncaster ran through Retford-Ranskill-Doncaster - changed when A1M built. In North Yorkshire left present route at Boroughbridge, along what's now an unclassified road, then Dishforth airbase, then up the A167 to Darlington. In Newcastle ran through centre of city."

[Whiskery Ron]

garybfsl. Thanks . I'll check all that out.Ron.

[Whiskery Ron]

logic, thanks again mate, as you say,not many of us old truckers left now.I used to drive for Pickfords (removals) & was all over the counntry,I saw many viaducts ,but the one I am trying to trace was a real beaut, I know that it was around 1950 & somewhere on the old A1, I can remember being in the country all fields etc & I came round a bend & there it was,on my left & it was huge,with a bridge running through it & also a river.It's been driving me up the wall over the years trying to find it, maybe now with all the help from ABers I may yet find it,if I do I'll let you know,Ron.

[JK2]

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1499577785054 033179xSTjiF

http://www.graeme-peacock.com/imagedetails.asp ?id=1355

[nonaguru]

Could what you remember be the Harringworth Viaduct which
lies to the left of the A1 not far west of Peterborough.

[Whiskery Ron]

nonaguru. Thanks for your contribution, I've looked at as many photo's as I can get & The Harringworth Viaduct is one of the best I've seen, but I'm afraid it's not the one, cheers, Ron.

[dot.hawkes]

My great great Grandfather built a huge viaduct at Ripponden, I believe it is called Ripponden Arches but it is to the right as you drive east on the M62. It does stretch across the valley though.

[Dassie]

It's a long shot but there used to be a railway line from Bedford to Sandy that crossed a viaduct into Sandy near the A1 ( line closed and long gone ) but it might well have been near Peterborough where the Nene Valley Railway used to run next to the A1. Today only a portion of this railway runs to the east of the A1 as a preserved steam railway.

Was it anything like the current viaduct that crosses the M25 near Amersham.