Wylam Railway Bridge

The bridge was originally built for the Scotswood, Newburn and Wylam Railway, to connect the North Wylam Loop with the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway. manufactured the ironwork. The bridge cost £16,000 to build and was opened to rail traffic on 6 October 1876. A model of the bridge can be seen at the nearby Wylam Railway Museum.

The bridge's design came about because there was a need to avoid having piers in the river bed, because their construction would have disrupted shallow mine workings underneath. This single span () is constructed of three ribs each connected with diagonal braces to prevent cross strain and distortion caused by the wind. The track is suspended from these ribs by 19 girders forming 20 bays each wide. Another notable design consideration is the height of the track above water-level. During the great flood of 1771, the Tyne rose to above its normal summer levels. This led to the destruction of most of the bridges along the River Tyne, including those at Hexham and the old Tyne Bridge at…