User:Simply south/Glenesk Bridge, Midlothian

Glenesk Viaduct (Dalkeith)
The Glenesk Viaduct carries the Borders Railway over the River North Esk. It is located between Dalkeith and Sheriffhall, Midlothian, Scotland and is just to the north of Eskbank railway station. The alternative names are the North Esk Viaduct and Glenesk Bridge No. 12.

Characteristics
The bridge is a single span stone arch bridge which carries the railway above the River North Esk. It is 60ft or 18.3m high. Unlike neighbouring Dalhouse Viaduct, it was only built to accommodate a single track railway and is therefore only 17ft wide. The bridge was restored in 1994 and

The bridge was designated as a Category B listed structure in 1971, that of which has significant regional importance without much alteration. However, subsequent research in 1993 found the bridge to be one of the oldest surviving railway bridges in Scotland, dating back as far as 1829, older than the Midlothian Viaduct. It was originally though that this structure was a railway bridge that replaced an older structure but this was found not to be the case and so as a result was reclassified in 1994 as a Category A listed structure, that of which has national significance.

History
When the railway bridge was actually built is disputed. It has been suggested it was either built in 1847 or between 1829 - 1831. . The earlier bridge has been suggested to have been built by an engineer associated with Thomas Telford called James Jardine. It was originally built for the Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway which was later swallowed up by the the Waverley Route. The bridge reopened in 1847. The railway closed in 1969, along with the associated infrastructure as part of the Beeching Report. It wasn't until 1993 or 1994 that the bridge was fully restored and opened as a cycleway and pathway by the Edinburgh Green Belt Trust, with a grant from the Railway Heritage Trust and the Edinburgh Green Belt Way. . This formed the northern section of the Penicuik–Dalkeith Walkway which ran from Dalkeith to Hardengreen. However this closed in

http://canmore.org.uk/site/144954/edinburgh-and-dalkeith-railway-glenesk-bridge-bridge-no-12 http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/borders-rail-works-starts-on-historic-link-1-2786591 http://www.engineering-timelines.com/bibliography/bibliography.asp#CEH%20SLB http://www.maneyonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/0079423614Z.00000000067?journalCode=pma http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/S2_Bills/Waverley%20Railway%20%28Scotland%29%20Bill/Final_ES.pdf http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=1223

Borders Railway
The bridge was closed following a compulsory purchase by Network Rail under the Waverley Railway (Scotland) Act in 2008. However, a legal dispute followed with the Edinburgh Green Belt Trust as the bridge was only purchased for £10,000, which they claimed was only a fraction of what it was truly worth at over £560,000.

On 6th September 2015, after two years of construction, the Borders Railway opened which now uses the bridge.