GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Bordesley Station: gwrbg1329

View of the 355 yards long Duddeston Viaduct originally built to connect the GWR's B&OJR line to the LNWR's Curzon Street station. As stated elsewhere, the GWR fell victim to the LNWR's politicking which meant that whilst the LNWR stopped the GWR gaining access to their station, the LNWR still demanded the viaduct be built even though they knew it would never be used. The Viaduct was therefore used as a head shunt for trains using the goods shed which was located to the right of the photographer and facing the Paddington to Snow Hill route.

Adrian Vaughan writes, 'To be more accurate - Captain Mark Huish of the Grand Junction Railway lured the GWR with promises of a route through to Liverpool over his Grand Junction Railway (GJR). This was merely a ploy on Huish's part to force the hand of the London & Birmingham Railway (L&BR). Huish wanted an amalgamation of the GJR and L&BR and the L&BR was reluctant but they eventually caved in to Huish's threat of allowing the GWR a passage northwards and agreed to amalgamate with the GJR to form the London & North Western Railway. Once he had that agreement Huish repudiated his promise to the GWR but still demanded that the Act of Parliament provision of building the viaduct was kept.

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