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When I was a child the railway bridge on Brooklyn Road was blocked off to traffic, it crossed the line from Basford North to Bulwell Common, we used to walk that way to visit Vernon Park, we always went via Brooklyn Road and returned via Vernon Road and Highbury Road. Does anyone know when and why the road was blocked off?

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What years are we talking of? not a road I was familiar with till late 1970's/80's onwards but I do recall Park Lane Bridge being closed to road traffic for what seemed years (or was it just one way?) never expected it to change back, but it did, can only assume some weakness found then lately rectified and maybe Brooklyn Rd similar? A restriction has been put on Church St Bridge over the MR route in Old Basford, if still there it's over 12 years! The road was one way to begin with but assume they did not want overtaking on the actual spans so increasing the weight on them? however it did puzzle me when did put about 3 tons of permanent kerb stones and wood on it to prevent it!

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I am talking about late 40's through the 50's & 60's. Possibly the bridge was removed and the embankment extended when the railway closed.

I remember the trollies coming over Church Street Bridge.

Brian

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Nearly but not quite, its comming from Bulwell, interesting though it is a war time 4 wheeler not the usual 8 wheeler. I remember a Notts and Derby blue trolley coming over the bridge.

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Said garage was in 1973 owned/rented by Bob Churchill, I remember having a clutch fitted there in a Vauxhall Viva HA, on the land behind (site of a former gasometer) he had a breaker's yard, (not to be confused with Smithy's higher up the bridge which was in land that was the original end of Vernon Road, the route veering to the right where it crossed Nottingham Road running uphill left of the railway to a tee junction at side of the bridge. Going further off topic that park in pic 1 used to be immaculately maintained as a "rest garden", had a shelter with seats in, when Yeoman's Army Store on Mansfield Rd was robbed and shop assistant murdered the till tray from the shop was dumped in the bushes there, looked as if thrown over the wall

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Back to the original topic - I can only remember the Park Lane bridge having posts across the road on either side of the bridge.

Here's a photo with Park Lane bridge to the right of the building and Brooklyn Road bridge to the left, obviously after the tracks had been removed.

BasfordNorth.jpg

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The Park Lane bridge looks as if it had been rebuilt at some time, It might have been widened when the lines to Bagthorpe Junction were built. It was originally much older than that. The Brooklyn Road bridge would be around 1897 when the GCR was built. But why was it broken? It wasn't really very old.

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"Why was it broken?" could have been foundation or mining problems? I know alot of bridges were modernised replaced etc but that was mainly road width problems however there were loads that weren't (and still are) and it shows just how strongly built they were, some over 150 years ago from a time when the heaviest load they had to bear was a horse drawn cart! sorry (again) if going off topic but anybody know anything re the Ilkeston Rd bridge over the MR at Radford? if you look at northern side of it there looks to be supports or something of an earlier structure? my first thoughts were an earlier bridge but maybe part of station entrance?

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my first thoughts were an earlier bridge but maybe part of station entrance?

I think that is possibly the answer. The road bridge at that point was modernised/enlarged in the 1930s, so maybe what you are seeing is a combination of old and new. Like THIS

If you haven't tried it, search Pic the Past with "Radford Station" and you'll see quite a few like the one above

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Re Radford Station, Yes it's me being a thicko, it was obvious when I saw those pictures, those "supports" I mentioned are the original bridge walls which continued north of the bridge to hold up the station booking office/entrance etc

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