# Latchford Railway Viaduct. 28th April 2009



## Bignickb (Apr 28, 2009)

The Latchford Railway Viaduct linked the Stockport to Warrington line over the Manchester Ship Canal! It is 250 feet long and weighs over 1200 tonnes!
It was first opened in July 1893 and closed to passengers in 1962 but carried freight right up to 1985.
The original lines are still there, as are some of the short sections that linked it to the main network. They are severed by a few metres in order to allow high fences to segregate it from the public – or people like us! 
Unlike the Cadishead bridge – I managed to get onto this one but was a bit freaked by the thin sheets of rusting metal that you had to walk on. Of course I clocked this when I was halfway across but gingerly made my way back.

Another great feat of Victorian engineering that wasn’t closed due to wear and tear after nearly a century of use, but merely made redundant by modern track routes.

Apologies for the quality, but it was very dull and night was beginning to fall.

The bridge in all it’s glory.






The Barrier! I didn’t get to the other end due to lack of light.





A corroded sign.





End of the line!





Looking down through a hole in the deck. Long way down!





Me!


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## shatters (Apr 28, 2009)

How nice is that

Brilliant

Phil


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## smiffy (Apr 29, 2009)

Thats grand old bridge there mate.......and one big lump of scrap iron too!......
.......Any efforts at / or chances of..... it getting a preservation order ???? ..
....Doubtful I guess?........


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## Black Shuck (Apr 29, 2009)

Wow that is some bridge, you have certainly got more guts than I have.


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## Labb (Apr 29, 2009)

Wow. Really great pictures.


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## night crawler (Apr 29, 2009)

Nice bridge, wonder how long before some on edecides it has to go due to the corrosion.


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## jonney (Apr 29, 2009)

Great piece of engineering gone to waste. Beechin has a lot to answer for.


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## Foxylady (Apr 30, 2009)

Fabulous bridge. Well done for getting up there, BigNick...those are some cracking shots.


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## Black Shuck (Apr 30, 2009)

Foxylady said:


> Fabulous bridge. Well done for getting up there, BigNick...those are some cracking shots.



Yeah its a brilliant bridge that one Foxy. Would you have the guts to get up on that one then?


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## Foxylady (Apr 30, 2009)

Black Shuck said:


> Yeah its a brilliant bridge that one Foxy. Would you have the guts to get up on that one then?



Not after seeing the ground below through the corrosion! That gave me curling toes!


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## Black Shuck (Apr 30, 2009)

Foxylady said:


> Not after seeing the ground below through the corrosion! That gave me curling toes!



Yes I would not fancy getting on that and then seeing a big ol hoel like that. I would need a new pair of trousers.


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## tigger2 (Apr 30, 2009)

A young lad fell from up there a few years ago - survived. Can't remember the details though they might be on the Warrington Guardian archive site. Surname was Clark.


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## plumjam (May 6, 2009)

jonney said:


> Great piece of engineering gone to waste. Beechin has a lot to answer for.



Dr Richard may have a lot to answer for but in this case it was probably Henry Ford, in as much
that it was the explosion of car use in the 1960's that made this route inviable. Commuters from
Lymm, Thelwall, Grappenhall, and Latchford turned to their newly acquired personal transport.
The poor use of the Altrincham-Warrington bus service is continued testament to this.

The route was still in intermittent use for away-day passengers from the smoke of south
Manchester to the north Wales coast until the late '60's. The rail-line nearer to Warrington is
still used as a siding for access to Fiddler's Ferry coal-fired power station.

My understanding is that the bridge in question would be just too expensive to demolish.


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