A lot of effort was put into building this bridge for a very insignificant lane.
Looking north, Horsmonden Tunnel is just around the bend. You can see the line
is climbing in this photograph but the ascent was only about 1 in 117.
The micro climate in that deep cutting must have been interesting in itself - look at all the ferns!
Looking south this time, here the line began the first descent of it's southern journey, shortly after Horsmonden Tunnel. Horsmonden Station platform and buildings would come into view just around the next bend.
Hello Laurence
A few weeks ago I promised you to look out what I had on bridge 1473 a.k.a 'Sandy Lane' 'Back Lane' - or just 'Three arch bridge' as in the SE&CR list of bridges.
I attach all I can find and I'm afraid the quality is a bit iffy. If only those with track passes such as Denis Cullum or J. J. Smith had captured an H or C class steaming through the cutting there!
Nos. 1 and 2 were taken by the chap who lent me his negs back in 1963 for me to make (not very good!) contact prints in my bedroom using my dad's ex-RAF equipment and out-of-date Kodak Velox paper - times were hard then and pocket money sparse! No. 3 was taken by me using my dad's plastic 120 camera when I walked the line as far as Horsmonden with my cousin in tow, as mentioned in the book.
I suspect 1 & 2 are probably the only surviving photos of the bridge which is still there as you know (I expect parapets have gone?) and buried beneath all that soil and rubbish. I wonder if in the far future it will ever see daylight again?
Kind regards
Brian
BTW all is going well with BML2 (despite media reports on the negative and very out of date recent study).
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From what I can gather Brian seems to have been fascinated with railways all his life and has written a number of very comprehensive volumes on old railways (see link below). He has also been active within a group who have been campaigning for years to re-open part of the old Uckfield - Lewis line closed in 1969 to allow access to London from Brighton via a quicker route. To their credit they have nearly succeeded.
http://www.brianhartsrailways.com/books.html
http://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/campaign-for-a-new-railway-line-is-gathering-pace-1-7063527
