Almond Valley Viaduct
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Almond Valley Viaduct | |
|---|---|
 The viaduct viewed from afar | |
| Coordinates | 55°56′05″N 3°25′22″W / 55.9346°N 3.4229°W |
| Carries | Glasgow-Edinburgh via Falkirk line |
| Crosses | River Almond |
| Preceded by | Birdsmill Viaduct |
| Followed by | New Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 622 metres (2,041 ft) |
| Height | 18 metres (59 ft) |
| No. of spans | 36 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1842 |
Listed Building – Category A | |
| Official name | Almond Valley Viaduct |
| Designated | 22 February 1971 |
| Reference no. | LB7428 |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Almond Valley Viaduct | |
The Almond Valley Viaduct is a large Victorian railway viaduct on the boundary between West Lothian and Edinburgh in Scotland.[1][2][3] The viaduct is 622 metres (2,041 ft) long and has 36 masonry arches, making it one of the longest viaducts in Scotland.[2][1] It is Category A Listed.[4]
The viaduct was designed by the engineer John Miller[5] and constructed by John Gibb. It opened in 1842 to carry the newly completed Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway (today the Glasgow-Edinburgh via Falkirk line) over the River Almond.[1] It is known simply as "The Arches" locally.[6]
The viaduct was designed so the railway was kept as level as possible with a planned maximum gradient of 1 in 880, ensuring the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway was the most level main line in the UK at the time.[2]
As it is situated between Broxburn (in West Lothian) and Newbridge / Ratho (on the periphery of the City of Edinburgh council area, the viaduct is sometimes known by those names;[6] however, there is another Broxburn Viaduct immediately to the west which carries the same railway lines over the A89 road and Brox Burn,[7] and another viaduct over the Almond on the approach to Newbridge / Ratho a short distance to the south, carrying the North Clyde Line railway, which is more commonly known as Birdsmill Viaduct[8] (to add to the potential confusion, the Broxburn Viaduct is considered by some to be part of the Almond Valley Viaduct,[6] and the properties lending their name to Birdsmill Viaduct are accessed from a road of that name which leads off the A89 under the Broxburn Viaduct). Both of these bridges are also listed structures.
