Bridge number 58. The main girders are load bearing troughs that contain the longitudinal timbers that support the track. These are not quite as old but are still a fair age. It would appear that these along with others along the line have been replaced at some time, possibly with girders from other bridges. Each bridge has girders of different construction as well.
As an aside these troughs are the narrowest we have and are barely wide enough to fit the baseplates on the longitudinal timbers, we have had to install the narrowest baseplate possible!
Thank you for the information, I wish I had spent time looking in more detail. I didn't make a connection between the use of rivets and the construction of a trough, but looking again at the photo I can see how it works and how narrow the trough is.
There is another small bridge towards Giggleswick station. Is that of a similar construction ?
I found some information on the Phoenix Foundry. It appears to have taken over by Middleton from another company a couple of years before the girders were caste. The Middleton company supplied castings and rolling stock to the Little North Western. In the 1850's the foundry was taken over by Edmund Sharpe. (See
Lancaster Museum.)
(There is also some information on the development of the railway at
Tatham Railway History .)
