Appleford Railway Bridge

Appleford Railway Bridge
Appleford Railway Bridge
Coordinates51°38′38″N 1°14′25″W / 51.6439°N 1.2404°W / 51.6439; -1.2404
CarriesCherwell Valley Line
CrossesRiver Thames
LocaleOxfordshire
Maintained byNetwork Rail
Characteristics
DesignBow and string
MaterialIron
Height13 feet (4.0 m)
History
Opened1844
Location

Appleford Railway Bridge carries the Cherwell Valley Line from Didcot to Oxford across the River Thames near the village of Appleford-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. It crosses the Thames on the reach between Clifton Lock and Culham Lock.

Originally, a timber bridge was built at the approximate location of the present bridge; by December 1843, it was reportedly under construction, and was completed during the following year. By the 1850s, it has been replaced by a more substantial bridge principally composed of wrought iron so that heavier trains could be run along the line. A third bridge was completed in 1927, which was built out of steel; it is this structure that is presently used as of the 2010s.