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Denby Dale Viaduct

January 01, 1970

Denby Dale Viaduct is a grade II listed railway viaduct in Denby Dale, West Yorkshire, England. The curving viaduct carries the Penistone line over the Dearne valley in Denby Dale. The viaduct is constructed of stone, but the first viaduct to carry the line in that location was made of wood, being replaced by the current structure in 1880. The abutments of the former viaduct are easily discernible against the western side of the present viaduct.

Denby Dale Viaduct
Denby Dale viaduct in 2008
Coordinates53°34′12″N 1°39′40″W / 53.570°N 1.661°W / 53.570; -1.661
OS grid referenceSE225081
CarriesPenistone line
CrossesDearne Valley
LocaleDenby Dale, West Yorkshire, England
OwnerNetwork Rail
Characteristics
Total length15 chains (990 ft; 300 m)[note 1]
Height112 feet (34 m)
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks1 (built for 2)
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
History
ArchitectJohn Hawkshaw
Construction start20 September 1877
Construction end20 September 1879
Opened1880
ReplacesDenby Dale Viaduct (wooden)
Statistics
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated15 August 1985
Reference no.1313339
Location

History edit

The Huddersfield and Sheffield Junction Railway, connecting Huddersfield with Penistone, was opened to traffic in 1850. Originally, all viaducts on the line were supposed to be constructed of stone, and whilst some were, such as Lockwood Viaduct further north, others such as Denby Dale were hastily designed and constructed from wood due to a stone-masons strike, which had inflated the price of building a viaduct in this material due to the shortage of skilled labour.[1] The timber viaduct was 1,070-foot (330 m) long, consisting of fifty-five spans each around 16-foot (4.9 m) in length. The greatest height from the rails to ground was 108 feet (33 m), with the viaduct reaching an average height of 76 feet (23 m).[2] However, this first viaduct collapsed during a gale in January 1847,[3] with a local newspaper reporting that "27 out of the 50 perpendicular supports were blown down [and] such was the distance that they had to fall, the strongest timbers were broken into splinters and matchwood."[4] A replacement timber viaduct was erected on the site between 1848 and 1849, with the railway opening to traffic in 1850.[5]

Robert Stephenson inspected the wooden bridges and viaducts on the line in 1851, and declared them safe (stating that had had an "entire conviction of their perfect safety.."),[6] however, Denby Dale Viaduct was reported as being unsafe by 1869, and a replacement viaduct was not constructed until 13 years later.[7] Improvements and repairs were undertaken after the 1869 report, and in 1874, an appointed inspector tested the viaduct by running four engines coupled together (each weighing 40 tonnes (44 tons)) across it, and checking for vibrations.[8][note 2] The inspector's report detailed that

In a work of this description, there ought never to be any question of actual failure under passing trains, but there should be an ample margin of strength as between the loads which it is required to sustain, and its ultimate strength, and no portions of it ought to be allowed to remain in the advanced condition of decay which was observable in certain timbers. I am far from wishing to create any unnecessary alarm, but I should not be doing my duty if I did not state, as a result of my examination, that in the present condition of the viaduct, a reasonable and sufficient margin of safety has not in my opinion been preserved.[5]

The timber viaduct was taken down in 1884, four years after the stone replacement viaduct opened.[10] The architect and engineer for both viaducts was John Hawkshaw, who by the time of the 1880 viaduct, was acting as a consulting engineer.[11] The decision to switch from stone to timber in the 1840s was a last minute one, which, according to Hawkshaw's obituary paid off well, as it prevented a delay in the line's completion. The revenue earned from the outset, and the lack of compensatory tariffs paid out for a delayed line, meant that the new stone viaduct could be paid for from these receipts.[12] However, some criticism was levelled at the company (the L&YR) in that the new viaduct was built over an old coal mine, and a letter from the town clerk of Denby Dale stated that some of the old workings had been filled up, but not all.[13] The stone abutments of the original trestle viaduct can be seen from the present viaduct, just west of each end.[14]

Construction on the present day Denby Dale Viaduct started on 20 September 1877, with the contractors using over 100,000 tonnes (110,000 tons) of stone.[15] It was opened to traffic in 1880, and is 112 feet (34 m) high above the valley,[14][16] 15 chains (990 ft; 300 m) long with 21 arches, each with a 40-foot (12 m) span.[17][18] There are sixteen piers and six abutments, and each pier of the viaduct is 11 feet (3.4 m) wide at the bottom, tapering to 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) at the top.[19] The contractors for building the viaduct were a local firm, Naylors, who tendered a cost of £27,650, (equivalent to £3,288,000 in 2023) and estimated a time of two and half years. The viaduct was finished early, but at a significant loss to the contractors.[16] The viaduct is 150 yards (140 m) south of Denby Dale railway station, and is a grade II listed structure.[5][20][21]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Chains is the measurement used by the railway engineers in the 19th century, and still in use today on Network Rail.
  2. ^ The four engines were from the London and North Western Railway. The first test involved driving the engines all together, and then placing them funnel to funnel on the two lines and sending them across in pairs at the same time. Repairs had costed £1,000, (equivalent to £117,000 in 2023).[9]

References edit

  1. ^ Bill, Nicholas A. (2016). "Timber bridge construction on British and Irish railways, 1840-1870: the scale of construction and factors influencing material selection". Construction History. 31 (1). Ascot: Construction History Society: 90. ISSN 0267-7768. OCLC 606579523.
  2. ^ Manby, Charles, ed. (1855). Minutes of Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers 14. London: Institution of Civil Engineers. p. 505. OCLC 65274315.
  3. ^ Thomas, Peter (2007). Along the Penistone Line. Stroud: Sutton. p. 7. ISBN 978-0750946193.
  4. ^ Bairstow 1993, p. 21.
  5. ^ a b c "Captain Tyler's report on the Denby Dale Viaduct". Huddersfield Chronicle. No. 2101. Column F. 2 May 1874. p. 8. OCLC 1064471280.
  6. ^ Joy, David (1984). South and West Yorkshire : (the industrial West Riding) (2 ed.). Newton Abbot: David St John Thomas. p. 145. ISBN 0-946537-11-9.
  7. ^ Bill, Nicholas (February 2014). "The safety record of timber railway bridges in the UK: 1840–1870". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering History and Heritage. 167 (1): 40. doi:10.1680/ehah.13.00015.
  8. ^ "Board of trade inspection of the Denby Dale Viaduct". Huddersfield Chronicle. No. 2088. Column F. 17 April 1874. p. 2. OCLC 1064471280.
  9. ^ "Board of trade inspection of the Denby Dale Viaduct". Huddersfield Chronicle. No. 2089. Column F. 18 April 1874. p. 2. OCLC 1064471280.
  10. ^ Bairstow 1993, p. 45.
  11. ^ Bailey, M; Chrimes, M, eds. (2002). A biographical dictionary of civil engineers in Great Britain and Ireland. London: Thomas Telford. pp. 382–381. ISBN 978-0-7277-3504-1.
  12. ^ "Obituary. Sir John Hawkshaw, 1811-1891". Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers. 106 (1891): 324. 1 January 1891. doi:10.1680/imotp.1891.20265.
  13. ^ "Scraps and hints". Huddersfield Chronicle. No. 4531. Column A. 10 February 1882. p. 3. OCLC 1064471280.
  14. ^ a b Bairstow 1993, p. 6.
  15. ^ "Denby Dale new stone viaduct". Huddersfield Chronicle. No. 3781. Column E. 17 September 1879. p. 3. OCLC 1064471280.
  16. ^ a b Heath 2001, p. 152.
  17. ^ Kelman, Leanne (2020). Railway track diagrams, books 2 - eastern (5 ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. 34C. ISBN 978-1-9996271-3-3.
  18. ^ "Denby Dale stone viaduct". The Sheffield Independent. No. 7799. Column A. 18 September 1879. p. 2.
  19. ^ "Denby Dale new stone viaduct". Huddersfield Chronicle. No. 3784. Column E. 20 September 1879. p. 3. OCLC 1064471280.
  20. ^ Bairstow 1993, pp. 10, 44.
  21. ^ Historic England. "Denby Dale Railway Viaduct (Grade II) (1313339)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 December 2022.

Sources edit

  • Bairstow, Martin (1993) [1985]. The Huddersfield & Sheffield Junction Railway : the Penistone Line (2 ed.). Halifax: The author. ISBN 1-871944-08-2.
  • Heath, Chris (2001). Denby & district (2 ed.). Barnsley: Wharncliffe Books. ISBN 1903425115.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Denby Dale Viaduct.
  • Mapping from 1903 - use the slider on the bottom left to toggle with modern day satellite imagery. The old abutments of the timber viaduct are clearly discernible
  • Image of both viaducts together, with the timber viaduct being dismantled

January 01, 1970
denby, dale, viaduct, grade, listed, railway, viaduct, denby, dale, west, yorkshire, england, curving, viaduct, carries, penistone, line, over, dearne, valley, denby, dale, viaduct, constructed, stone, first, viaduct, carry, line, that, location, made, wood, b. Denby Dale Viaduct is a grade II listed railway viaduct in Denby Dale West Yorkshire England The curving viaduct carries the Penistone line over the Dearne valley in Denby Dale The viaduct is constructed of stone but the first viaduct to carry the line in that location was made of wood being replaced by the current structure in 1880 The abutments of the former viaduct are easily discernible against the western side of the present viaduct Denby Dale ViaductDenby Dale viaduct in 2008Coordinates53 34 12 N 1 39 40 W 53 570 N 1 661 W 53 570 1 661OS grid referenceSE225081CarriesPenistone lineCrossesDearne ValleyLocaleDenby Dale West Yorkshire EnglandOwnerNetwork RailCharacteristicsTotal length15 chains 990 ft 300 m note 1 Height112 feet 34 m Rail characteristicsNo of tracks1 built for 2 Track gauge4 ft 8 1 2 in 1 435 mm standard gaugeHistoryArchitectJohn HawkshawConstruction start20 September 1877Construction end20 September 1879Opened1880ReplacesDenby Dale Viaduct wooden StatisticsListed Building Grade IIDesignated15 August 1985Reference no 1313339Location Contents 1 History 2 See also 3 Notes 4 References 4 1 Sources 5 External linksHistory editThe Huddersfield and Sheffield Junction Railway connecting Huddersfield with Penistone was opened to traffic in 1850 Originally all viaducts on the line were supposed to be constructed of stone and whilst some were such as Lockwood Viaduct further north others such as Denby Dale were hastily designed and constructed from wood due to a stone masons strike which had inflated the price of building a viaduct in this material due to the shortage of skilled labour 1 The timber viaduct was 1 070 foot 330 m long consisting of fifty five spans each around 16 foot 4 9 m in length The greatest height from the rails to ground was 108 feet 33 m with the viaduct reaching an average height of 76 feet 23 m 2 However this first viaduct collapsed during a gale in January 1847 3 with a local newspaper reporting that 27 out of the 50 perpendicular supports were blown down and such was the distance that they had to fall the strongest timbers were broken into splinters and matchwood 4 A replacement timber viaduct was erected on the site between 1848 and 1849 with the railway opening to traffic in 1850 5 Robert Stephenson inspected the wooden bridges and viaducts on the line in 1851 and declared them safe stating that had had an entire conviction of their perfect safety 6 however Denby Dale Viaduct was reported as being unsafe by 1869 and a replacement viaduct was not constructed until 13 years later 7 Improvements and repairs were undertaken after the 1869 report and in 1874 an appointed inspector tested the viaduct by running four engines coupled together each weighing 40 tonnes 44 tons across it and checking for vibrations 8 note 2 The inspector s report detailed thatIn a work of this description there ought never to be any question of actual failure under passing trains but there should be an ample margin of strength as between the loads which it is required to sustain and its ultimate strength and no portions of it ought to be allowed to remain in the advanced condition of decay which was observable in certain timbers I am far from wishing to create any unnecessary alarm but I should not be doing my duty if I did not state as a result of my examination that in the present condition of the viaduct a reasonable and sufficient margin of safety has not in my opinion been preserved 5 The timber viaduct was taken down in 1884 four years after the stone replacement viaduct opened 10 The architect and engineer for both viaducts was John Hawkshaw who by the time of the 1880 viaduct was acting as a consulting engineer 11 The decision to switch from stone to timber in the 1840s was a last minute one which according to Hawkshaw s obituary paid off well as it prevented a delay in the line s completion The revenue earned from the outset and the lack of compensatory tariffs paid out for a delayed line meant that the new stone viaduct could be paid for from these receipts 12 However some criticism was levelled at the company the L amp YR in that the new viaduct was built over an old coal mine and a letter from the town clerk of Denby Dale stated that some of the old workings had been filled up but not all 13 The stone abutments of the original trestle viaduct can be seen from the present viaduct just west of each end 14 Construction on the present day Denby Dale Viaduct started on 20 September 1877 with the contractors using over 100 000 tonnes 110 000 tons of stone 15 It was opened to traffic in 1880 and is 112 feet 34 m high above the valley 14 16 15 chains 990 ft 300 m long with 21 arches each with a 40 foot 12 m span 17 18 There are sixteen piers and six abutments and each pier of the viaduct is 11 feet 3 4 m wide at the bottom tapering to 6 feet 6 inches 1 98 m at the top 19 The contractors for building the viaduct were a local firm Naylors who tendered a cost of 27 650 equivalent to 3 288 000 in 2023 and estimated a time of two and half years The viaduct was finished early but at a significant loss to the contractors 16 The viaduct is 150 yards 140 m south of Denby Dale railway station and is a grade II listed structure 5 20 21 See also editListed buildings in Denby Dale Lockwood Viaduct another viaduct on the same lineNotes edit Chains is the measurement used by the railway engineers in the 19th century and still in use today on Network Rail The four engines were from the London and North Western Railway The first test involved driving the engines all together and then placing them funnel to funnel on the two lines and sending them across in pairs at the same time Repairs had costed 1 000 equivalent to 117 000 in 2023 9 References edit Bill Nicholas A 2016 Timber bridge construction on British and Irish railways 1840 1870 the scale of construction and factors influencing material selection Construction History 31 1 Ascot Construction History Society 90 ISSN 0267 7768 OCLC 606579523 Manby Charles ed 1855 Minutes of Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers 14 London Institution of Civil Engineers p 505 OCLC 65274315 Thomas Peter 2007 Along the Penistone Line Stroud Sutton p 7 ISBN 978 0750946193 Bairstow 1993 p 21 a b c Captain Tyler s report on the Denby Dale Viaduct Huddersfield Chronicle No 2101 Column F 2 May 1874 p 8 OCLC 1064471280 Joy David 1984 South and West Yorkshire the industrial West Riding 2 ed Newton Abbot David St John Thomas p 145 ISBN 0 946537 11 9 Bill Nicholas February 2014 The safety record of timber railway bridges in the UK 1840 1870 Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers Engineering History and Heritage 167 1 40 doi 10 1680 ehah 13 00015 Board of trade inspection of the Denby Dale Viaduct Huddersfield Chronicle No 2088 Column F 17 April 1874 p 2 OCLC 1064471280 Board of trade inspection of the Denby Dale Viaduct Huddersfield Chronicle No 2089 Column F 18 April 1874 p 2 OCLC 1064471280 Bairstow 1993 p 45 Bailey M Chrimes M eds 2002 A biographical dictionary of civil engineers in Great Britain and Ireland London Thomas Telford pp 382 381 ISBN 978 0 7277 3504 1 Obituary Sir John Hawkshaw 1811 1891 Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers 106 1891 324 1 January 1891 doi 10 1680 imotp 1891 20265 Scraps and hints Huddersfield Chronicle No 4531 Column A 10 February 1882 p 3 OCLC 1064471280 a b Bairstow 1993 p 6 Denby Dale new stone viaduct Huddersfield Chronicle No 3781 Column E 17 September 1879 p 3 OCLC 1064471280 a b Heath 2001 p 152 Kelman Leanne 2020 Railway track diagrams books 2 eastern 5 ed Frome Trackmaps 34C ISBN 978 1 9996271 3 3 Denby Dale stone viaduct The Sheffield Independent No 7799 Column A 18 September 1879 p 2 Denby Dale new stone viaduct Huddersfield Chronicle No 3784 Column E 20 September 1879 p 3 OCLC 1064471280 Bairstow 1993 pp 10 44 Historic England Denby Dale Railway Viaduct Grade II 1313339 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 6 December 2022 Sources edit Bairstow Martin 1993 1985 The Huddersfield amp Sheffield Junction Railway the Penistone Line 2 ed Halifax The author ISBN 1 871944 08 2 Heath Chris 2001 Denby amp district 2 ed Barnsley Wharncliffe Books ISBN 1903425115 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Denby Dale Viaduct Mapping from 1903 use the slider on the bottom left to toggle with modern day satellite imagery The old abutments of the timber viaduct are clearly discernible Image of both viaducts together with the timber viaduct being dismantled Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Denby Dale Viaduct amp oldid 1128747116, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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