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{{Short description|Railway viaduct in Yorkshire, England}} |
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{{Use British English|date=May 2024}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}} |
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{{Infobox bridge |
{{Infobox bridge |
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| name = Huddersfield Viaduct |
| name = Huddersfield Viaduct |
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| image = File:Huddersfield Railway Viaduct.jpg |
| image = File:Huddersfield Railway Viaduct.jpg |
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| alt = A stone viaduct with a road in the foreground, and businesses occupying the arches of the viaduct |
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| caption = |
| caption = Huddersfield Viaduct |
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| coordinates = {{Coord|53.653|-1.781|display=inline, title}} |
| coordinates = {{Coord|53.653|-1.781|display=inline, title}} |
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| os_grid_reference = SE145173 |
| os_grid_reference = SE145173 |
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| owner = [[Network Rail]] |
| owner = [[Network Rail]] |
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| length = {{convert|663|yard}} |
| length = {{convert|663|yard}} |
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| width = |
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| height = {{convert|53|ft}} (Maximum) |
| height = {{convert|53|ft}} (Maximum) |
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| number_spans = 47 |
| number_spans = 47 |
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| num_track = 2 (4 by 2030s){{#tag:ref|Date given is for completion of the [[Transpennine Route Upgrade]]. Sections of work around Huddersfield may be finished and implemented earlier than the projected timeline for the full line upgrade.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Johnston |first1=Howard |title=£3.9bn for trans-Pennine route after HS2 cancellation |magazine=Rail Magazine |date=13 December 2023 |issue=998 |page=6 |publisher=Bauer Media |location=Peterborough |issn=0953-4563}}</ref>|name=Dates|group=note}} |
| num_track = 2 (4 by 2030s){{#tag:ref|Date given is for completion of the [[Transpennine Route Upgrade]]. Sections of work around Huddersfield may be finished and implemented earlier than the projected timeline for the full line upgrade.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Johnston |first1=Howard |title=£3.9bn for trans-Pennine route after HS2 cancellation |magazine=Rail Magazine |date=13 December 2023 |issue=998 |page=6 |publisher=Bauer Media |location=Peterborough |issn=0953-4563}}</ref>|name=Dates|group=note}} |
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| track_gauge = |
| track_gauge = {{Track gauge|sg|allk=on}} |
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| electrification = Overhead catenary (2030s) |
| electrification = Overhead catenary (2030s) |
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| cost = £49,000 (1847) |
| cost = £49,000 (1847) |
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| begin = 10 October 1845 |
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| rebuilt = 1883 |
| rebuilt = 1883 |
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|embedded={{infobox designation list |
|embedded={{infobox designation list |
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'''Huddersfield Viaduct''' (or '''Hillhouse Viaduct''')<ref name="OSN">{{cite book |last1=Biddle |first1=Gordon |last2=Nock |first2=O. S. |title=The railway heritage of Britain: 150 years of railway architecture and engineering |date=1983 |publisher=M. Joseph |location=London |isbn=0718123557 |page=35}}</ref> is a railway bridge to the north-east of {{rws|Huddersfield}} railway station in West Yorkshire, England. The viaduct carries the |
'''Huddersfield Viaduct''' (or '''Hillhouse Viaduct''')<ref name="OSN">{{cite book |last1=Biddle |first1=Gordon |last2=Nock |first2=O. S. |title=The railway heritage of Britain: 150 years of railway architecture and engineering |date=1983 |publisher=M. Joseph |location=London |isbn=0718123557 |page=35}}</ref> is a railway bridge to the north-east of {{rws|Huddersfield}} railway station in [[West Yorkshire]], England. The viaduct carries the [[Huddersfield Line]] connecting Huddersfield with {{rws|Dewsbury}}, {{rws|Leeds}}, and {{rws|York}} eastwards, and [[Manchester]] and [[Liverpool]] westwards. The viaduct was built to carry two lines, but was widened in the 1880s to take four tracks, and then reduced to two tracks in 1970. Huddersfield Viaduct is less well-known than other viaducts in the Kirklees area as they are higher, but Huddersfield Viaduct is the longest in the [[Kirklees]] district. |
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As part of the [[Transpennine Route Upgrade]] (TRU), the viaduct will again have four lines along the whole {{convert|663|yard}}, and will additionally be electrified with a 25 kV overhead catenary by |
As part of the [[Transpennine Route Upgrade]] (TRU), the viaduct will again have four lines along the whole {{convert|663|yard}}, and will additionally be electrified with a 25 kV [[overhead catenary]] by the 2030s. |
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== History == |
== History == |
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The first railway in the area was the Manchester |
The first railway in the area was the [[Manchester and Leeds Railway]] (M&L) which passed Huddersfield {{convert|3.25|mi}} to the north. Initially, the operators of that line were reluctant to provide a route into Huddersfield from the north, but in the face of opposing railway companies submitting bills through Parliament, the M&L optioned their own scheme which would have taken a route along the valley floor, thus making any station a dead-end as it could not rise up to the height needed to exit the valley to the south or west.{{sfn|Joy|1984|p=138}}{{sfn|Fisher|1997|p=9}} A joint scheme between the M&L and the [[Huddersfield and Manchester Railway]], proposed the alternative elevated route and built Huddersfield Viaduct to a length of {{convert|663|yard}},{{#tag:ref|According to trackmaps, the viaduct extends for {{convert|29|chain}}.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kelman |first1=Leanne |title=Railway Track Diagrams Book 2: Eastern |date=2020 |publisher=Trackmaps |location=Frome |isbn=978-1-9996271-3-3 |edition=5|at=37A}}</ref>|name=Chainage|group=note}} with 47 spans, 45 of which are masonry spans, whilst two have iron decks over major roads beneath the viaduct.{{sfn|Joy|1984|p=138}}<ref name="OSN"/> Forty-three of the spans are square on to the roads they cross, but four are set at oblique angles.{{sfn|Fisher|1997|p=15}} Most of the arched spans are {{convert|30|ft}} across, although one of the skewed bridge sections measures {{convert|57|ft}} across.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Biddle |first1=Gordon |title=Britain's historic railway buildings: an Oxford gazetteer of structures and sites |date=2003 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=0198662475 |page=443}}</ref> Whilst it is debated who was the engineer on the project, it was either Thomas Nicholson or A. S. Jee, who both worked on bridges and viaducts on the line between Stalybridge and Heaton Lodge Junction.{{sfn|NRHV|2021|p=17}}{{#tag:ref|Historic England state it was possibly Nicholson, whilst Biddle and Marshall state it was Jee.|name=Engineer|group=note}} Marshall states that Jee was the engineer, being appointed in July 1845, with Nowell & Hattersley being the contractors who started work on 10 October 1845.{{sfn|Marshall|1969|pp=222–223}} |
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The viaduct was opened up to traffic in August 1847 with only a single line connecting Huddersfield with Heaton Lodge Junction on the Manchester and Leeds line through the Calder Valley.{{sfn|Joy|1984|pp=138–139}} Construction of the viaduct started in 1845, but it was delayed in opening as it had to be re-profiled due to there had being some error in achieving the correct gradients, and the entire track had to be taken up and replaced as the contractors had used the wrong size of sleeper despite |
The viaduct was opened up to traffic in August 1847 with only a single line connecting Huddersfield with [[Heaton Lodge Junction]] on the Manchester and Leeds line through the [[Calderdale|Calder Valley]].{{sfn|Joy|1984|pp=138–139}} Construction of the viaduct started in 1845, but it was delayed in opening as it had to be re-profiled due to there had being some error in achieving the correct gradients, and the entire track had to be taken up and replaced as the contractors had used the wrong size of sleeper despite it being stipulated quite clearly in the contract.{{sfn|NRHV|2021|p=5}}{{sfn|Marshall|1969|p=223}} The gradient out of the station was 1-105, which was thought to be dangerous, so the gradient was re-profiled to 1-in-350 by raising the end of the viaduct.{{sfn|Marshall|1969|p=224}} This added an extra £1,000, ({{Inflation|UK|1,000|1847|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-3}}) on the existing cost of building the viaduct, which brought the total spent on the venture to £49,000 ({{Inflation|UK|49,000|1847|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-3}}).{{sfn|Joy|1984|p=138}}{{sfn|Marshall|1969|p=223}} |
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Initially the west end of the viaduct (that nearest the railway station) had two lines, which widened to accommodate four lines. However, in 1883, the entire structure was widened to take five lines between Huddersfield and the yards and depot at Hillhouse, using stone quarried from Springwood Cutting (west of Huddersfield station) when the lines there were also being widened to four tracks.{{sfn|Bairstow|1984|p=15}}{{sfn|NRHV|2021|p=17}} |
Initially the west end of the viaduct (that nearest the railway station) had two lines, which widened to accommodate four lines. However, in 1883, the entire structure was widened to take five lines between Huddersfield and the yards and depot at Hillhouse, using stone which had been quarried from Springwood Cutting (west of Huddersfield station) when the lines there were also being widened to four tracks.{{sfn|Bairstow|1984|p=15}}{{sfn|NRHV|2021|p=17}} The cost of widening the viaduct was £50,000 ({{Inflation|UK|50,000|1883|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-3}}).<ref>{{cite news |title=The Hull, Barnsley & West Riding Junction railway bill |work=Huddersfield Weekly Examiner |issue=5,120 |date=27 May 1882 |page=8|oclc=751654221|quote=Mr Stephenson, chief engineer of the London & North-Western Railway Company, said that he had examined the plans of the proposed line, and found that they would interfere seriously with his company's plans [for widening].}}</ref> During the widening process, other schemes were also implemented, including changing the arched span over John William Street to an iron span without the arched sides for full headway, the removal of goods sidings to the yard at Hillhouse, and the "...discontinuance of any buildings under the arches of the Huddersfield Viaduct south of Bradford Road....".<ref>{{cite book |title=Report from the joint select committee of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, on railway companies amalgamation : together with the proceedings of the Committee, minutes of evidence, and appendix |date=1872 |publisher=HMSO |location=London |page=623|oclc=602071920}}</ref> The span over Bradford road was widened using an iron deck on either side of the stone viaduct. When seen from ground level, the original two-track width stone arch is visible, encased in iron spans at the top.{{sfn|NRHV|2021|p=20}} A reduction in traffic between Heaton Lodge Junction and Huddersfield resulted in the tracks between the two points being reduced from four down to two in 1970.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Flowers |first1=Andy |title=Junctions in profile: Heaton Lodge |magazine=Today's Railways |date=August 2023 |issue=258 |publisher=Platform 5 |location=Sheffield |issn=1475-9713|page=30}}</ref> |
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The viaduct also had a signal box (Huddersfield No. 2 Signal Box), which was about {{convert|100|yard}} east of the station.<ref>{{cite web |title=Accident Returns: Extract for the Accident at Huddersfield on 21st April 1905 :: The Railways Archive |url=https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=2223 |website=railwaysarchive.co.uk |access-date=1 May 2024 |page=52}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Huddersfield Viaduct Signal Box - Huddersfield Exposed: Exploring the History of the Huddersfield Area |url=https://huddersfield.exposed/wiki/Huddersfield_Viaduct_Signal_Box |website=huddersfield.exposed |access-date=1 May 2024}}</ref> The viaduct crosses over several roads, the Huddersfield Ring Road, the A641 Bradford Road, and numerous minor roads, but also historically bridged several tram lines and the level road-running industrial line to Huddersfield gas works.{{sfn|Bairstow|1984|p=33}} |
The viaduct also had a signal box (Huddersfield No. 2 Signal Box), which was about {{convert|100|yard}} east of the station.<ref>{{cite web |title=Accident Returns: Extract for the Accident at Huddersfield on 21st April 1905 :: The Railways Archive |url=https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=2223 |website=railwaysarchive.co.uk |access-date=1 May 2024 |page=52}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Huddersfield Viaduct Signal Box - Huddersfield Exposed: Exploring the History of the Huddersfield Area |url=https://huddersfield.exposed/wiki/Huddersfield_Viaduct_Signal_Box |website=huddersfield.exposed |access-date=1 May 2024}}</ref> The viaduct crosses over several roads, the Huddersfield Ring Road, the A641 Bradford Road, and numerous minor roads, but also historically bridged several tram lines and the level road-running industrial line to Huddersfield gas works.{{sfn|Bairstow|1984|p=33}} In the Kirklees area, Huddersfield Viaduct is less well-known than some of the other railway viaducts (such as Crimble, Golcar, [[Denby Dale Viaduct|Denby Dale]], Slaithwaite, [[Lockwood Viaduct|Lockwood]] and Penistone), as they are significantly higher, but Huddersfield Viaduct is the longest.{{sfn|NRHV|2021|p=24}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Minter |first1=Gordon |last2=Minter |first2=Enid |title=Discovering Old Huddersfield part three |date=1998 |isbn=0-9524747-5-1 |page=6}}</ref> The maximum height that the viaduct reaches is {{convert|53|ft}} with the tallest arches being at the northern end of the viaduct in Hillhouse. The land falls away from south to north undulating as it does so, so the shallowest arch is that nearest the station in Huddersfield, but the height of the structure varies along its course.<ref name="OSN"/>{{sfn|NRHV|2021|p=18}} |
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The viaduct had a new bridge deck built upon it during an engineering blockade over the Easter bank holiday weekend of 2024, in preparation |
The viaduct had a new bridge deck built upon it during an engineering blockade over the Easter bank holiday weekend of 2024, in preparation for the lines on the viaduct being expanded from two lines to four as part of the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU).<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Hakimian |first1=Rob |title=Network Rail gears up for £90M of engineering works over Easter bank holiday weekend |url=https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/network-rail-gears-up-for-90m-of-engineering-works-over-easter-bank-holiday-weekend-28-03-2024/ |access-date=1 May 2024 |magazine=New Civil Engineer |date=28 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Disruption to Huddersfield rail services over Easter weekend |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj56v634zqno |access-date=1 May 2024 |work=BBC News |date=29 March 2024}}</ref> Other works on the viaduct as part of the TRU will include extending the platforms at Huddersfield onto the viaduct, the replacement of corroded wrought iron decks with concrete supports, and the overhead line equipment (OLE), which will be supported by masts fixed to the outside of the viaduct between spans 1 and 33, thereafter, the OLE will be fixed onto the deck of the viaduct.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Haigh |first1=Philip |title=Network Rail's vision for major changes at Huddersfield |magazine=Rail Magazine |date=21 April 2021 |issue=929 |page=31 |publisher=Bauer Media |location=Peterborough |issn=0953-4563}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lavigueur |first1=Nick |title=Major changes are revealed in £1bn rail plans |work=Huddersfield Daily Examiner |date=14 March 2020 |pages=18–19|issn=0962-1644}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Spans are counted from the station towards the North-East direction, so the span over John William Street at the station end of the viaduct is span number 1, and then each span increases in number until number 47 which is at Hillhouse.{{sfn|NRHV|2021|p=52}}|name=Spans|group=note}} Five lines will run onto the viaduct direct from the station, and these will combine into four tracks by span 17, all along the rest of the viaduct north-eastwards.{{sfn|NRHV|2021|p=7}} From the west side of the viaduct to the east side, the lines will be ''Down Slow, Up slow, Down Fast,'' and ''Up Fast.''<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Haigh |first1=Philip |title=Trans-Pennine Transformative |magazine=Rail Magazine |date=16 November 2022 |issue=970 |page=39|publisher=Bauer Media |location=Peterborough |issn=0953-4563}}</ref> |
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The viaduct was grade II listed in 1978 and also forms part of Huddersfield Town Conservation area at the south-western end of the viaduct.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Huddersfield Railway Viaduct |num=1223531 |grade=II|access-date=4 May 2024 }}</ref>{{sfn|NRHV|2021|p=28}} |
The viaduct was [[grade II listed]] in 1978 and also forms part of Huddersfield Town Conservation area at the south-western end of the viaduct.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Huddersfield Railway Viaduct |num=1223531 |grade=II|access-date=4 May 2024 }}</ref>{{sfn|NRHV|2021|p=28}} |
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== Accidents == |
== Accidents == |
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*21 April 1905, an LNWR empty coaching stock train ran through red lights and onto the same track as an approaching L&YR train from Bradford, two people died.{{sfn|Fisher|1997|p=31}} |
*21 April 1905, an LNWR empty coaching stock train ran through red lights and onto the same track as an approaching L&YR train from Bradford, two people died.{{sfn|Fisher|1997|p=31}} |
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*6 November 1989, two trains collided head-on at the western end of the viaduct. Twenty-eight people were injured.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=A. |title=Railway accident at Huddersfield |date=1993 |publisher=HMSO |location=London |isbn=0-7176-0650-3 |page=iii}}</ref> |
*6 November 1989, two trains collided head-on at the western end of the viaduct. Twenty-eight people were injured.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=A. |title=Railway accident at Huddersfield |date=1993 |publisher=HMSO |location=London |isbn=0-7176-0650-3 |page=iii}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
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== Notes == |
== Notes == |
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*{{cite report|title=The Network Rail (Huddersfield to Westtown (Dewsbury) Improvements) Order Huddersfield Viaduct (MVL3/92) – Heritage Assessment|date=March 2021|publisher=Network Rail|website=sacuksprodnrdigital0001.blob.core.windows.net |url=https://sacuksprodnrdigital0001.blob.core.windows.net/twao-huddersfield-westtown/Listed%20Building%20Consents/Application%20No.2%20-%20Huddersfield%20Viaduct/02%20NR18%20Heritage%20Assessment.pdf|access-date=3 May 2024|ref={{harvid|NRHV|2021}} }} |
*{{cite report|title=The Network Rail (Huddersfield to Westtown (Dewsbury) Improvements) Order Huddersfield Viaduct (MVL3/92) – Heritage Assessment|date=March 2021|publisher=Network Rail|website=sacuksprodnrdigital0001.blob.core.windows.net |url=https://sacuksprodnrdigital0001.blob.core.windows.net/twao-huddersfield-westtown/Listed%20Building%20Consents/Application%20No.2%20-%20Huddersfield%20Viaduct/02%20NR18%20Heritage%20Assessment.pdf|access-date=3 May 2024|ref={{harvid|NRHV|2021}} }} |
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== External links == |
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{{commons category|Huddersfield Viaduct}} |
{{commons category|Huddersfield Viaduct}} |
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*[[Huddersfield line]] |
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*[[Transpennine Route Upgrade]] |
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*Huddersfield line RDT |
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{{Viaducts in Yorkshire}} |
{{Viaducts in Yorkshire}} |
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[[Category:Grade II listed buildings in West Yorkshire]] |
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[[Category:Railway viaducts in West Yorkshire]] |
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[[Category:Bridges completed in 1847]] |
Revision as of 19:28, 4 June 2024
Huddersfield Viaduct | |
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![]() Huddersfield Viaduct | |
Coordinates | 53°39′11″N 1°46′52″W / 53.653°N 1.781°W |
OS grid reference | SE145173 |
Carries | Huddersfield line |
Other name(s) | Hillhouse Viaduct |
Owner | Network Rail |
Characteristics | |
Total length | 663 yards (606 m) |
Height | 53 feet (16 m) (Maximum) |
No. of spans | 47 |
Rail characteristics | |
No. of tracks | 2 (4 by 2030s)[note 1] |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Electrified | Overhead catenary (2030s) |
History | |
Construction start | 10 October 1845 |
Construction cost | £49,000 (1847) |
Opened | 3 August 1847 |
Rebuilt | 1883 |
Statistics | |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Designated | 28 September 1978 |
Reference no. | 1223531 |
Location | |
![]() |
Huddersfield Viaduct (or Hillhouse Viaduct)[2] is a railway bridge to the north-east of Huddersfield railway station in West Yorkshire, England. The viaduct carries the Huddersfield Line connecting Huddersfield with Dewsbury, Leeds, and York eastwards, and Manchester and Liverpool westwards. The viaduct was built to carry two lines, but was widened in the 1880s to take four tracks, and then reduced to two tracks in 1970. Huddersfield Viaduct is less well-known than other viaducts in the Kirklees area as they are higher, but Huddersfield Viaduct is the longest in the Kirklees district.
As part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), the viaduct will again have four lines along the whole 663 yards (606 m), and will additionally be electrified with a 25 kV overhead catenary by the 2030s.
History
The first railway in the area was the Manchester and Leeds Railway (M&L) which passed Huddersfield 3.25 miles (5.23 km) to the north. Initially, the operators of that line were reluctant to provide a route into Huddersfield from the north, but in the face of opposing railway companies submitting bills through Parliament, the M&L optioned their own scheme which would have taken a route along the valley floor, thus making any station a dead-end as it could not rise up to the height needed to exit the valley to the south or west.[3][4] A joint scheme between the M&L and the Huddersfield and Manchester Railway, proposed the alternative elevated route and built Huddersfield Viaduct to a length of 663 yards (606 m),[note 2] with 47 spans, 45 of which are masonry spans, whilst two have iron decks over major roads beneath the viaduct.[3][2] Forty-three of the spans are square on to the roads they cross, but four are set at oblique angles.[6] Most of the arched spans are 30 feet (9.1 m) across, although one of the skewed bridge sections measures 57 feet (17 m) across.[7] Whilst it is debated who was the engineer on the project, it was either Thomas Nicholson or A. S. Jee, who both worked on bridges and viaducts on the line between Stalybridge and Heaton Lodge Junction.[8][note 3] Marshall states that Jee was the engineer, being appointed in July 1845, with Nowell & Hattersley being the contractors who started work on 10 October 1845.[9]
The viaduct was opened up to traffic in August 1847 with only a single line connecting Huddersfield with Heaton Lodge Junction on the Manchester and Leeds line through the Calder Valley.[10] Construction of the viaduct started in 1845, but it was delayed in opening as it had to be re-profiled due to there had being some error in achieving the correct gradients, and the entire track had to be taken up and replaced as the contractors had used the wrong size of sleeper despite it being stipulated quite clearly in the contract.[11][12] The gradient out of the station was 1-105, which was thought to be dangerous, so the gradient was re-profiled to 1-in-350 by raising the end of the viaduct.[13] This added an extra £1,000, (equivalent to £115,000 in 2023) on the existing cost of building the viaduct, which brought the total spent on the venture to £49,000 (equivalent to £5,656,000 in 2023).[3][12]
Initially the west end of the viaduct (that nearest the railway station) had two lines, which widened to accommodate four lines. However, in 1883, the entire structure was widened to take five lines between Huddersfield and the yards and depot at Hillhouse, using stone which had been quarried from Springwood Cutting (west of Huddersfield station) when the lines there were also being widened to four tracks.[14][8] The cost of widening the viaduct was £50,000 (equivalent to £6,361,000 in 2023).[15] During the widening process, other schemes were also implemented, including changing the arched span over John William Street to an iron span without the arched sides for full headway, the removal of goods sidings to the yard at Hillhouse, and the "...discontinuance of any buildings under the arches of the Huddersfield Viaduct south of Bradford Road....".[16] The span over Bradford road was widened using an iron deck on either side of the stone viaduct. When seen from ground level, the original two-track width stone arch is visible, encased in iron spans at the top.[17] A reduction in traffic between Heaton Lodge Junction and Huddersfield resulted in the tracks between the two points being reduced from four down to two in 1970.[18]
The viaduct also had a signal box (Huddersfield No. 2 Signal Box), which was about 100 yards (91 m) east of the station.[19][20] The viaduct crosses over several roads, the Huddersfield Ring Road, the A641 Bradford Road, and numerous minor roads, but also historically bridged several tram lines and the level road-running industrial line to Huddersfield gas works.[21] In the Kirklees area, Huddersfield Viaduct is less well-known than some of the other railway viaducts (such as Crimble, Golcar, Denby Dale, Slaithwaite, Lockwood and Penistone), as they are significantly higher, but Huddersfield Viaduct is the longest.[22][23] The maximum height that the viaduct reaches is 53 feet (16 m) with the tallest arches being at the northern end of the viaduct in Hillhouse. The land falls away from south to north undulating as it does so, so the shallowest arch is that nearest the station in Huddersfield, but the height of the structure varies along its course.[2][24]
The viaduct had a new bridge deck built upon it during an engineering blockade over the Easter bank holiday weekend of 2024, in preparation for the lines on the viaduct being expanded from two lines to four as part of the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU).[25][26] Other works on the viaduct as part of the TRU will include extending the platforms at Huddersfield onto the viaduct, the replacement of corroded wrought iron decks with concrete supports, and the overhead line equipment (OLE), which will be supported by masts fixed to the outside of the viaduct between spans 1 and 33, thereafter, the OLE will be fixed onto the deck of the viaduct.[27][28][note 4] Five lines will run onto the viaduct direct from the station, and these will combine into four tracks by span 17, all along the rest of the viaduct north-eastwards.[30] From the west side of the viaduct to the east side, the lines will be Down Slow, Up slow, Down Fast, and Up Fast.[31]
The viaduct was grade II listed in 1978 and also forms part of Huddersfield Town Conservation area at the south-western end of the viaduct.[32][33]
Accidents
- 20 August 1865, the coupling broke on some empty coaches at Lockwood, and they ran downhill through Huddersfield being wrecked on the one of the parapets of the viaduct.[34]
- 21 April 1905, an LNWR empty coaching stock train ran through red lights and onto the same track as an approaching L&YR train from Bradford, two people died.[35]
- 6 November 1989, two trains collided head-on at the western end of the viaduct. Twenty-eight people were injured.[36]
See also
Notes
- ^ Date given is for completion of the Transpennine Route Upgrade. Sections of work around Huddersfield may be finished and implemented earlier than the projected timeline for the full line upgrade.[1]
- ^ According to trackmaps, the viaduct extends for 29 chains (1,900 ft; 580 m).[5]
- ^ Historic England state it was possibly Nicholson, whilst Biddle and Marshall state it was Jee.
- ^ Spans are counted from the station towards the North-East direction, so the span over John William Street at the station end of the viaduct is span number 1, and then each span increases in number until number 47 which is at Hillhouse.[29]
References
- ^ Johnston, Howard (13 December 2023). "£3.9bn for trans-Pennine route after HS2 cancellation". Rail Magazine. No. 998. Peterborough: Bauer Media. p. 6. ISSN 0953-4563.
- ^ a b c Biddle, Gordon; Nock, O. S. (1983). The railway heritage of Britain: 150 years of railway architecture and engineering. London: M. Joseph. p. 35. ISBN 0718123557.
- ^ a b c Joy 1984, p. 138.
- ^ Fisher 1997, p. 9.
- ^ Kelman, Leanne (2020). Railway Track Diagrams Book 2: Eastern (5 ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. 37A. ISBN 978-1-9996271-3-3.
- ^ Fisher 1997, p. 15.
- ^ Biddle, Gordon (2003). Britain's historic railway buildings: an Oxford gazetteer of structures and sites. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 443. ISBN 0198662475.
- ^ a b NRHV 2021, p. 17.
- ^ Marshall 1969, pp. 222–223.
- ^ Joy 1984, pp. 138–139.
- ^ NRHV 2021, p. 5.
- ^ a b Marshall 1969, p. 223.
- ^ Marshall 1969, p. 224.
- ^ Bairstow 1984, p. 15.
- ^ "The Hull, Barnsley & West Riding Junction railway bill". Huddersfield Weekly Examiner. No. 5, 120. 27 May 1882. p. 8. OCLC 751654221.
Mr Stephenson, chief engineer of the London & North-Western Railway Company, said that he had examined the plans of the proposed line, and found that they would interfere seriously with his company's plans [for widening].
- ^ Report from the joint select committee of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, on railway companies amalgamation : together with the proceedings of the Committee, minutes of evidence, and appendix. London: HMSO. 1872. p. 623. OCLC 602071920.
- ^ NRHV 2021, p. 20.
- ^ Flowers, Andy (August 2023). "Junctions in profile: Heaton Lodge". Today's Railways. No. 258. Sheffield: Platform 5. p. 30. ISSN 1475-9713.
- ^ "Accident Returns: Extract for the Accident at Huddersfield on 21st April 1905 :: The Railways Archive". railwaysarchive.co.uk. p. 52. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "Huddersfield Viaduct Signal Box - Huddersfield Exposed: Exploring the History of the Huddersfield Area". huddersfield.exposed. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ Bairstow 1984, p. 33.
- ^ NRHV 2021, p. 24.
- ^ Minter, Gordon; Minter, Enid (1998). Discovering Old Huddersfield part three. p. 6. ISBN 0-9524747-5-1.
- ^ NRHV 2021, p. 18.
- ^ Hakimian, Rob (28 March 2024). "Network Rail gears up for £90M of engineering works over Easter bank holiday weekend". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "Disruption to Huddersfield rail services over Easter weekend". BBC News. 29 March 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ Haigh, Philip (21 April 2021). "Network Rail's vision for major changes at Huddersfield". Rail Magazine. No. 929. Peterborough: Bauer Media. p. 31. ISSN 0953-4563.
- ^ Lavigueur, Nick (14 March 2020). "Major changes are revealed in £1bn rail plans". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. pp. 18–19. ISSN 0962-1644.
- ^ NRHV 2021, p. 52.
- ^ NRHV 2021, p. 7.
- ^ Haigh, Philip (16 November 2022). "Trans-Pennine Transformative". Rail Magazine. No. 970. Peterborough: Bauer Media. p. 39. ISSN 0953-4563.
- ^ Historic England. "Huddersfield Railway Viaduct (Grade II) (1223531)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ NRHV 2021, p. 28.
- ^ Joy 1984, p. 147.
- ^ Fisher 1997, p. 31.
- ^ Williams, A. (1993). Railway accident at Huddersfield. London: HMSO. p. iii. ISBN 0-7176-0650-3.
Sources
- Bairstow, Martin (1984). The Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester Railway (the Standedge Line). Pudsey: Bairstow. ISBN 0-90243830-1.
- Fisher, J. N. (1997). The Huddersfield and Kirkburton branch. Oxford: Oakwood. ISBN 0-85361-510-1.
- Joy, David (1984) [1975]. South and West Yorkshire: the industrial West Riding (2 ed.). Newton Abbot: David Charles. ISBN 0946537119.
- Marshall, John (1969). The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway volume 1. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-4352-1.
- The Network Rail (Huddersfield to Westtown (Dewsbury) Improvements) Order Huddersfield Viaduct (MVL3/92) – Heritage Assessment (PDF). sacuksprodnrdigital0001.blob.core.windows.net (Report). Network Rail. March 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2024.