The discovery of coal around Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire in the 1950s prompted the establishment of a colliery there. This was served by a 2¾-mile branch diverging from the Nottingham-Grantham line, accessed via two chords. Built by British Rail, it opened in 1960, two years before the colliery.

Most of the traffic headed west, via Colwick, to the power station at Radcliffe-on-Soar. This prompted closure of the east-facing chord in May 1976, having been last used three years earlier. The pit was shut in 1993 and the branch went with it.

The west chord was almost entirely built on a reinforced concrete viaduct of 360 yards in length, carrying its single track at a height of 30 feet and curving on a challenging radius of 11 chains. Comprising 36 spans, it northern end is built alongside the operational viaduct opened in 1850 by the Ambergate Nottingham Boston & Eastern Junction Railway. Here, its first nine piers are solid; thereafter they comprise two columns, tapering inwards. On top of them is a transverse beam that supports the spans on either side. The parapet is formed of a low wall with handrails.

In 2006, Network Rail notified stakeholders that it intended to recover the assets of the branch which resulted in the track being lifted from the structure in 2012. This coincided with an announcement by Nottinghamshire County Council that it intended to acquire four former colliery branches, including Cotgrave’s, with a view to opening a series of foot/cycle paths.

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