Parkhead Viaduct
Encyclopedia
Parkhead Viaduct is a railway viaduct located in Dudley
, West Midlands
, England
. The original viaduct was a wooden structure erected in 1850 to carry the new Stourbridge to Walsall railway
over Parkhead Locks on the Dudley Canal
, near to the southern mouth of the Dudley Tunnel
. The current brick viaduct was built in 1880 and it is believed that the original wooden structure is still encased within its successor.
The last passenger train crossed Parkhead Viaduct in 1964 but it remained open to goods trains until 1993, when the section of the railway between Walsall
and Brierley Hill
was closed. The section of track over Parkhead Viaduct was removed in 1999 due to the construction of a new road bridge over the line approximately 100 yard away, but the structure of the viaduct is still very much intact.
Parkhead Viaduct is a listed structure, so its distinctive arches are to be retained when the overhead deck is replaced during the development of the Wednesbury
to Brierley Hill
extension to the Midland Metro
, which is planned to open in the mid to late 2010s
.
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The original viaduct was a wooden structure erected in 1850 to carry the new Stourbridge to Walsall railway
South Staffordshire Line
The South Staffordshire Line was a railway line that connected Lichfield in Staffordshire, England with Dudley, formerly in Worcestershire. However, it joined the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway's line just north of Dudley Station, where it, in essence, continued to Stourbridge, in...
over Parkhead Locks on the Dudley Canal
Dudley Canal
The Dudley Canal is a canal passing though Dudley in the West Midlands of England. The canal is part of the English and Welsh connected network of navigable inland waterways, and in particular forms part of the popular Stourport Ring narrowboat cruising route....
, near to the southern mouth of the Dudley Tunnel
Dudley Tunnel
Dudley Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Dudley Canal Line No 1, England. At about long, it is now the second longest canal tunnel on the UK canal network today....
. The current brick viaduct was built in 1880 and it is believed that the original wooden structure is still encased within its successor.
The last passenger train crossed Parkhead Viaduct in 1964 but it remained open to goods trains until 1993, when the section of the railway between Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
and Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill is a town and electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England. It is one of the larger Black Country towns with a population of 9,631 and is heavily industrialised, best known for glass and steel manufacturing, although the industry has declined...
was closed. The section of track over Parkhead Viaduct was removed in 1999 due to the construction of a new road bridge over the line approximately 100 yard away, but the structure of the viaduct is still very much intact.
Parkhead Viaduct is a listed structure, so its distinctive arches are to be retained when the overhead deck is replaced during the development of the Wednesbury
Wednesbury
Wednesbury is a market town in England's Black Country, part of the Sandwell metropolitan borough in West Midlands, near the source of the River Tame. Similarly to the word Wednesday, it is pronounced .-Pre-Medieval and Medieval times:...
to Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill is a town and electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England. It is one of the larger Black Country towns with a population of 9,631 and is heavily industrialised, best known for glass and steel manufacturing, although the industry has declined...
extension to the Midland Metro
Midland Metro
The Midland Metro is a light-rail or tram line in the West Midlands of England between the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton via West Bromwich and Wednesbury. It is owned and promoted by Centro, and operated by West Midlands Travel Limited, a subsidiary of the National Express Group , under...
, which is planned to open in the mid to late 2010s
2010s
The 2010s, pronounced "twenty-tens" or "two thousand tens", is the current decade which began on January 1, 2010 and will end on December 31, 2019...
.