Castlefield North Viaduct, or simply 'Castlefield Viaduct' (bridge ref. MAJ/289) as it's formally known by the Historical Railways Estate, is an eight-span Victorian railway viaduct built in 1893. The viaduct is also sometimes both officially and unofficially referred to as the Great Northern Viaduct, due to its former connection with the Great Northern Warehouse.
Three tracks once ran across the viaduct, carrying heavy rail traffic in and out of Central station (now Manchester Central convention complex) in a bid to ease congestion on the adjacent Cornbrook Viaduct (c.1876).
The viaduct cost £250,000 to build (around £20.5 million today) but further costs were to mount over time - particularly in recent years - due to steel corrosion. The viaduct currently costs around £30 million a year just to maintain.
The viaduct in its entirety spanned around three quarters of a mile but only around half a mile of that remains today, including sections beyond the east and west bridge abutments. The main steel lattice girder section of the viaduct which is the only section nowadays considered part of it (and which is covered in this report) is less than a quarter of a mile long (336 metres/0.21 miles, to be precise).
Following the closure of Central station in 1969, the viaduct fell into disuse and the tracks were later dismantled. The viaduct has been left derelict ever since, with vegetation occasionally cleared by contractors (initially in 2009) to prevent structural damage. In 2010, a de-scaling operation (with some painting) was undertaken to help prevent corrosion, and further works were carried out in 2012/13 to remove other potentially hazardous debris and dangerously corroded drainage troughs and pipes.
In 2012, the BBC reported plans to transform the viaduct into 'Viaduct Park', Manchester's answer to New York's 'High Line', yet the viaduct sadly remains in a dilapidated state. Pics:
East side
In-between east and west sides
West side
Ta for looking
Three tracks once ran across the viaduct, carrying heavy rail traffic in and out of Central station (now Manchester Central convention complex) in a bid to ease congestion on the adjacent Cornbrook Viaduct (c.1876).
The viaduct cost £250,000 to build (around £20.5 million today) but further costs were to mount over time - particularly in recent years - due to steel corrosion. The viaduct currently costs around £30 million a year just to maintain.
The viaduct in its entirety spanned around three quarters of a mile but only around half a mile of that remains today, including sections beyond the east and west bridge abutments. The main steel lattice girder section of the viaduct which is the only section nowadays considered part of it (and which is covered in this report) is less than a quarter of a mile long (336 metres/0.21 miles, to be precise).
Following the closure of Central station in 1969, the viaduct fell into disuse and the tracks were later dismantled. The viaduct has been left derelict ever since, with vegetation occasionally cleared by contractors (initially in 2009) to prevent structural damage. In 2010, a de-scaling operation (with some painting) was undertaken to help prevent corrosion, and further works were carried out in 2012/13 to remove other potentially hazardous debris and dangerously corroded drainage troughs and pipes.
In 2012, the BBC reported plans to transform the viaduct into 'Viaduct Park', Manchester's answer to New York's 'High Line', yet the viaduct sadly remains in a dilapidated state. Pics:
East side
In-between east and west sides
West side
Ta for looking
♥
