Edinburgh And Dalkeith Railway, Arniston Branch, Brewer's Bush Road Overbridges, Bridge No. 20

NT36SW 70 3321 63261

This bridge is clearly shown to be carrying the Cockpen Road over the railway on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Edinburghshire 1854, sheet 13) and on the 2nd edition of the OS 6-inch map (Edinburghshire 1895, sheet viiiSE) and carrying it over the dismantled railway on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1991) and on the OS Basic Scale raster map (ND).

Information from RCAHMS (MD) 2 August 2001.

The course of the early railway was utilised by the North British Railway Company in the construction of the Edinburgh to Hawick Branch Railway, later The Waverley Line.

Information from RCAHMS

NT36SW 70 33210 63261

This double bridge is situated 233m NW of the crossroads on the A7 trunk road. It spans both the Waverley Line and the former sidings for Newtongrange Colliery.

The W span is a skew arched bridge over the main line and is constructed of stone whilst that over the colliery sidings has a wrought iron span with stone and brick abutements. Unusually the underside of the metal bridge are brick jack arches.

The bridges have been damaged at several points, the W parapet has been thrown down to the trackbed and the metal bridge has also had the E end parapet damaged. Other stones in the parapet have been recently loosened.

Map evidence shows that the stone bridge is the older as the 1st Edition of the OS 25-inch map (Edinburgh, 1893-1894) only shows a single span, as does the 1907 2nd Edition and 1914 Revision. However, by the date of the Provisional Edition a second span is depicted at the end of sidings from the Colliery.

Visited by RCAHMS (DE, JM), 13 May 2009