Besses O' Th' Barn concrete wall

[buryblackpud]

The georererenced maps on the national libary of scotland show a bridge over what is now "bury old road" at that location as far back as ~1900.

Side by side georeferenced maps viewer - Map images - National Library of Scotland

nice maps..useful. I lived on balmoral ave, this was not built as far back as the 1900 map, but I clearly remember walking over the fields, quicker than using the bridge that was there. I used to go with my gran to the bakers shop, opp a black and white pub. COACH & HORSES.
I distinctly remember that concrete slab going in !! we moved house due to the upcoming motorway noise.
my gran still lived just down from the bridge on bury old rd, 505, so seeing trams as well as lots more traffic was a shock !!

old os map of whitefield and besses dated 1907.. mcr whitefield and radcliffe train line ( L & Y R ),shows the walking route I would take, THATCH LEACH LANE, UNDER THE BRIDGE, TO BURY OLD ROAD, TURN LEFT, FOLLOW BURY OLD RD BACK UNDER THE BRIDGE, THIS WAS ALSO A TRAMWAY, SHOP ON MY LEFT, PUB ON RIGHT.
from whitefield goods yard, to the coach & horses pub, the track is all on embankment.

 

[buryblackpud]

What was there before the motorway was built? Was there a shorter bridge, or was the track on an embankment?

it was on an embankment...they had to remove 000s of tons to make way for that eyesore, I mean bridge !

 

[snowball]

it was on an embankment...they had to remove 000s of tons to make way for that eyesore, I mean bridge !

Yes but there was also a bridge over Bury Old Road. Some people in the thread seemed to be suggesting there was no bridge. I don't know how they imagined the line got across the road.

 

[buryblackpud]

Yes but there was also a bridge over Bury Old Road. Some people in the thread seemed to be suggesting there was no bridge. I don't know how they imagined the line got across the road.

bury old rd was at ground level.
the original tram line was on a parallel embankment..that was higher than bury old rd, which then went over bury old rd on a bridge.
the motorway later went under b o r, causing a bridge. so yes, you are right.