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Railway Bridges

Railway Bridges

 

These three concrete railway bridges sit side by side over the Glenville Road, each at a different height and gradient. Dated 1931, 1932 and 1933, they were designed by an engineering team led by W K Wallace, chief engineer for the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company.They were built by a workforce from the local unemployment labour exchange.

 

Wallace was also responsible for the nearby concrete viaducts which, along with the bridges, forms part of the Bleach Green railway line.

 

The complex belongs to 'one of the most significant examples of modern railway architecture in the British Isles.'

 

The bridges carry the line from Belfast to Larne; the double line between Belfast and Antrim; and the line from Larne to Belfast.

 

The Antrim line operated until 1978 when trains were redirected through Lisburn and Crumlin. It reopened in 2001.

 

Take the M5/A2 (Whiteabbey/Carrickfergus). On entering Whiteabbey, turn left at the traffic lights for Glenville Road Industrial Estate (war memorial on the shore-side). Follow the Glenville Road for about a mile and pass under the 3 railway bridges.

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© Newtownabbey Borough Council 2008