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Bridge 42

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Bridge 42
A skew view of a bridge consisting of one large arch over low water, with buildings in the background
Bridge 42
Coordinates54°26′08″N 0°43′30″W / 54.43543°N 0.72494°W / 54.43543; -0.72494
OS grid referenceNZ 828 051
CarriesNorth Yorkshire Moors Railway
CrossesMurk Esk
LocaleGrosmont, North Yorkshire, England
Other nameRailway bridge across the Murk Esk
Characteristics
No. of spans1
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks2
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
History
DesignerJohn Cass Birkinshaw
Opened1847
Location
Map
Interactive map of Bridge 42
References
[1][2]

Bridge 42 is a railway bridge that straddles the Murk Esk in Grosmont, North Yorkshire, England. The double-track bridge was opened in 1847[i] to replace an earlier single-track bridge which is located just to the east. Both bridges are still in use, and are owned and operated by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR), with Bridge 42 supporting over 10,000 train movements per year, leading to it being called the "..hardest working structure" on the railway.

History

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The bridge is a replacement for the original single-track Whitby & Pickering horse-drawn railway bridge which is situated immediately upstream (eastwards).[4] The older structure measures 54 feet (16 m) in length and is a metal suspension bridge, whereas the newer bridge is a single-arch made of stone.[5] Bridge 42 was opened in 1847 by the York & North Midland Railway (Y&NMR), however, a track was still extant on the old bridge to serve a goods warehouse which was located behind platform 4 in Grosmont station.[1] The bridge crosses the Murk Esk and it was used continually from 1847 onwards until the line closed in 1965.[6][7] It was re-opened as part of a heritage railway in 1973, and now sees around 10,000 train movements per year, being named by the NYMR as their "hardest working structure".[8][9] The number of train movements is greater than at other points of the line as the locomotive depot at Grosmont is over the bridge from the station.[10]

The building of the railway revealed iron ore deposits in the area which were exploited for some time, but the North Eastern Railway (successors to the York & North Midland Railway) declined to buy the rights to any iron ore deposits apart from those underneath the bridge over the river Murk Esk at Grosmont, which they acquired in 1875.[11] The bridge, which was grade II listed in 1989, is described by Historic England as "Semicircular arch of radiating voussoirs with moulded corniced keystone, between pairs of square-section buttress piers. Plain band surmounted by cornice, corbelled over piers, and plain parapet with chamfered coping [with] piers [that] rise through parapet and have shallow pyramidal caps."[12] The keystone also has a scrolled motif inlaid upon it.[13] Although it is not definite, it is believed that the bridge was designed by John Cass Birkinshaw.[14][15]

In 2024, an inspection revealed defects in the stone and brick arch masonry, prompting the NYMR to launch an appeal for funds to repair the structure.[16] It was estimated in 2026 that £800,000 would be needed to repair the structure.[17] The bridge has been propped up temporarily to allow the NYMR to run a service during 2026, with repairs intended to be undertaken over the winter of 2026/2027.[18]

The bridge carries two bi-directional lines with Grosmont station to the north 5 chains (330 ft; 100 m) away, and Grosmont Tunnel to the west, 4 chains (260 ft; 80 m) away (distances are measured from Rillington Junction as the zero point).[19]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ The date of opening is disputed with some sources stating 1846. According to Bairstow, the York & North Midland Railway (Y&NMR) did not run steam trains to Whitby until June 1847.[3]

References

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  1. 1 2 Fawcett, Bill (May 2026). "Grosmont's original Murk Esk railway bridge and its transformation". North Eastern Express. 65 (262). North Eastern Railway Association: 36. ISSN 0962-8746.
  2. ↑ Historic England. "North York Moors Railway Footbridge Across the Murk Esk (Grade II) (1174643)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 August 2026. Bridge replaced the original horse tramway bridge which became obsolete with the construction by the York and North Midland Railway Company of the adjacent steam railway bridge c.1847.
  3. ↑ Bairstow, Martin (2008). Railways around Whitby: Scarborough - Whitby - Saltburn, Malton - Goathland - Whitby, Esk Valley, Forge Valley and Gilling lines. Leeds: Martin Bairstow. p. 17. ISBN 978-1-871944-34-1.
  4. ↑ Fawcett, Bill (May 2026). "Grosmont's original Murk Esk railway bridge and its transformation". North Eastern Express. 65 (262). North Eastern Railway Association: 40. ISSN 0962-8746.
  5. ↑ Rennison, R. W. (1996). Civil engineering heritage; Northern England. London: Thomas Telford. p. 140. ISBN 0727725181.
  6. ↑ Strangeway, Laura (26 February 2026). "Bridge 42 repairs vital to keep Whitby connected". The Scarborough News. p. 21. ISSN 0250-5150.
  7. ↑ Bairstow, Martin (2008). Railways around Whitby: Scarborough - Whitby - Saltburn, Malton - Goathland - Whitby, Esk Valley, Forge Valley and Gilling lines. Leeds: Martin Bairstow. p. 111. ISBN 978-1-871944-34-1.
  8. ↑ "Bridge 42 Appeal – keep our railway connected | NYMNP". www.northyorkmoors.org.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  9. ↑ Coyle, Hayley (3 May 2026). "North Yorkshire Moors Railway confirm reopening date for bridge". BBC News. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  10. ↑ Wood, Alexandra (25 January 2026). "Charity launches urgent appeal for funds to repair vital bridge on North Yorkshire Moors Railway". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 6 August 2026. The Grade II listed structure which connects Goathland and Grosmont village handles all locomotives entering and leaving Grosmont depot, with around 10,000 locomotive or train movements each year.
  11. ↑ Benham, Philip (2008). An illustrated history of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Hersham: OPC. p. 21. ISBN 9780860936220.
  12. ↑ Historic England. "North York Moors Railway Bridge Across the Murk Esk (Grade II) (1295689)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  13. ↑ Biddle, Gordon (2003). Britain's historic railway buildings: an Oxford gazetteer of structures and sites. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 412. ISBN 0198662475.
  14. ↑ "Recording Our Shared Industrial Heritage". www.industrialhistoryonline.co.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  15. ↑ Pevsner, Nikolaus (2023) [1966]. Grenville, Jane (ed.). The buildings of England; Yorkshire, the North Riding. London: Yale University Press. p. 303. ISBN 978-0-300-25903-2.
  16. ↑ Milner, Chris (August 2026). "NYMR bridge appeal tops £335,000". Rail Express. No. 363. Horncastle: Mortons Media Group. p. 11. ISSN 1362-234X.
  17. ↑ Fewster, Louise (4 August 2026). "Thrill-seekers help protect heritage rail bridge in Grosmont". BBC News. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  18. ↑ Teale, Steve (7 August 2026). "Leap of failt to raise cash for rail bridge". The Yorkshire Post. p. 12. ISSN 0140-0460.
  19. ↑ Kelman, Leanne (2020). Railway track diagrams book 2; Eastern (5 ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. 48D. ISBN 978-1-9996271-3-3.
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