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The Two Tunnels Greenway in Bath. These photographs continue our coverage of the new multi-use trail opened along the Somerset & Dorset Railway between Bath (Lower Bristol Road) and Midford. It is one mightily engineered railway path! In passing, we are pleased to report that the local authorities are currently looking at creating a link, in Bath, between the Bristol to Bath Railway Path and the Two Tunnels Greenway; at the Bath end, they pass within 400-500 yards of each other, so a safe link between the two is the obvious next step.

Above: Heading north from Devonshire Tunnel, the first major engineering feature is this three arch viaduct which links Maple Grove and Chantry Mead Road. Note the number of users udner the bridge. At the time this photograph was taken, the new route has been open throughout for barely an hour. 6th April 2013. (Jeff Vinter)

 
Above: A view of the replacement bridge installed over Monksdale Road. This is the smaller of the two new bridges in suburban Bath: it was constructed as a single span and thus could be craned into position fairly easily. The original railway bridge was a tiny thing which spanned a narrow gap in the railway embankment; it was removed in the 1970s in connection with local road improvements. 6th April 2013. (Jeff Vinter)
 
Above: The photograph immediately above this one has the effect of foreshortening the new bridge, whereas this image gives a clear impression of its size. The railway embankments to the left and right originally jutted into the road, allowing the S&D to span the gap with a very small bridge. (Bear in mind that the company was almost out of capital by the time it got this far north.) The improvements made by the local authority in the 1970s are clearly visible in the partial removal and re-grading of the embankments, which had the unfortunate effect of encouraging an increase in traffic speed. 6th April 2013. (Jeff Vinter)
 
Above: This is the larger of the two new bridges in Bath, crossing the busy Millmead Road. It was quite a logistical problem to install it because it had to be manufactured in two sections, which were then joined together on site before the whole thing could be lowered into position by crane. Jeff Vinter. (6th April 2013)
 
Above: This photograph of Millmead Road bridge gives a better idea of its size. As can be seen, the contractors (Hydrock) carried out a lot of landcsaping here, which will 'green' this scene in years to come – albeit at the loss of this impressive view. 6th April 2013. (Jeff Vinter)
 
Above: A pleasing side-effect of the installation of these new bridges is that trail users can enjoy the kind of views that railway passengers had from their carriage windows in years gone by. This is the view north from the Millmead Road bridge: Bath's famous Royal Crescent can be seen clearly in the distance – look about one-third down from the top. 8th June 2013. (Jeff Vinter)
 
Above: The railway path currently deposits trail users on the Lower Bristol Road in Bath, just west of the Royal Oak public house. The S&D's line continued on the north side of the Lower Bristol Road to Bath Green Park, and it is worth walking into the city on the north side of this road to trace its remains. Sections of embankment and some bridge abutments survive, but recently this Stothert & Pitt steam crane – manufactured at the company's nearby factory – has been installed, complete with a short panel of track. Stothert & Pitt was sold to Robert Maxwell's Hollis Group in 1986, but did not survive the collapse of this failed tycoon's business empire. The company re-located from Bath to Bristol in summer 2008, by which time all manufacturing operations had ceased in favour of consultancy work. 6th April 2013. (Jeff Vinter)
 
Above: What the driver saw. (Well, almost.) This is the modern day equivalent of the engine driver's view approaching Bath Green Park station. Sainsbury's were instrumental in reviving the site, which was ruinous for decades after the railway's closure in 1966. However, soon the site is to be re-developed again. Sainsbury's are off: they are moving their supermartket into the nearby Homebase premises, and the station area is to be re-developed for small retail units – which is what has happened inside the trainshed already, to good effect. 6th April 2013. (Jeff Vinter)