Almond Valley Viaduct Explained

Almond Valley Viaduct should not be confused with Almondell Viaduct.

The Almond Valley Viaduct is a large Victorian railway viaduct on the boundary between West Lothian and Edinburgh in Scotland.[1] [2] The viaduct is long and has 36 masonry arches, making it one of the longest viaducts in Scotland.[1] It is Category A Listed.

History

The viaduct was designed by the engineer John Miller[3] 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. It is known simply as "The Arches" locally.

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.[1]

As it is situated between Broxburn (in West Lothian) and Newbridge / Ratho (on the periperhy of the City of Edinburgh council area, the viaduct is sometimes known by those names;[4] however, there is another immediately to the west which carries the same railway lines over the A89 road and Brox Burn,[5] 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[6] (to add to the potential confusion, the Broxburn Viaduct is considered by some to be part of the Almond Valley Viaduct,[4] 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.

See also

External links

55.9346°N -3.4229°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: A Victorian Vision – the Almond Valley Viaduct. Konect, West Lothian. 14 January 2024.
  2. Book: Hogg, Chris . Patrick . Lynn . Scottish Railway Icons: Central Belt to the Borders . Amberley Publishing Limited . 2015-10-15 . 978-1-4456-2115-9.
  3. Web site: Making Tracks. West Lothian Council. 14 January 2024.
  4. https://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst19089.html Almond Valley Viaduct (Ratho Viaduct)
  5. https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/200339300-broxburn-viaduct-kirkliston-kirkliston Broxburn Viaduct, Kirkliston
  6. https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/200363657-birdsmill-viaduct-kirkliston-edinburgh Birdsmill Viaduct, Kirkliston