Railway accommodation bridge at NZ 225 311

The railway accommodation bridge, built in 1885 for the Spennymoor Branch of the North Eastern Railway Company, is made of snecked sandstone, primarily rock-faced with ashlar dressings, and features a red brick arch.

The bridge has a single segmental arch that is 4.32 meters wide, spans 7.9 meters, and rises 4.72 meters at the crown. It is situated between abutments that extend from the sides of a cutting, with the eastern side being slightly higher, causing the bridge deck to slope gently towards the west. Although designed to accommodate a dual track, only a single track was ever laid.

The masonry is predominantly rock-faced with margins on the abutment quoins, parapet end piers, and the elevations of the voussoirs. The inner faces of the parapets and the soffits of the voussoirs are finely tooled and margined. The arch rings originate from skewback stones positioned above impost bands, and the individual voussoirs feature stepped ends that fit directly into the spandrels.

A near-horizontal string course at deck level distinguishes the parapets from the spandrels, which are topped with coping stones that have a gently sloping upper surface angled outward to facilitate rainwater drainage. The parapets end in rectangular piers that project slightly forward on the elevations and are capped with ashlar pyramids. Both the impost bands and string coursing are made of ashlar and include a smooth, concave lower moulding that rises to a square middle and an angled third section. All coping stones and end caps are also based on a similar concave moulding.