![Carvedras Viaduct](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Carvedras_Viaduct.jpg)
The
Cornwall Railway
The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, England, built in the second half of the nineteenth century. It was constantly beset with shortage of capital for the construction, and was eventu ...
company constructed a railway line between
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
and
Truro
Truro (; kw, Truru) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its ...
in the United Kingdom, opening in 1859, and extended it to
Falmouth in 1863. The topography of Cornwall is such that the route, which is generally east–west, cuts across numerous deep river valleys that generally run north–south. At the time of construction of the line, money was in short supply due to the collapse in confidence following the
railway mania
Railway Mania was an instance of a stock market bubble in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the 1840s. It followed a common pattern: as the price of railway shares increased, speculators invested more money, which further incre ...
, and the company sought ways of reducing expenditure.
On the advice of the Victorian railway engineer
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history," "one of the 19th-century engineering giants," and "one ...
, they constructed the river crossings in the form of wooden viaducts, 42 in total, consisting of timber deck spans supported by fans of timber bracing built on
masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...
piers. This unusual method of construction substantially reduced the first cost of construction compared to an all-masonry structure, but at the cost of more expensive maintenance.
Replacement of the timber viaducts by all-masonry structures began in the 1870s but a few remained in service until the 1930s.
History
The
Cornwall Railway
The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, England, built in the second half of the nineteenth century. It was constantly beset with shortage of capital for the construction, and was eventu ...
linked
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
with
Falmouth. The section from Plymouth to was opened on 4 May 1859, and the remainder to Falmouth on 24 August 1863. Although the line had been designed by Brunel, this was after his death and the construction under the supervision of
R P Brereton. It was built as a
single-track broad gauge
A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways.
Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...
line.
The of railway crossed 45 rivers and deep valleys. Of these 43 were spanned by viaducts of various types built partly or entirely from timber. Workshops were established at where timber could arrive on barges to be preserved and cut to size. The offcuts from the timbers used for the viaducts and track were then used for the construction of the railway's buildings.
The choice of timber was made to keep initial costs down, but Brunel had warned that this meant more expensive maintenance—running to £10,000 annually. Replacement of the viaducts started in 1875 but led to a dispute in 1884 between the Cornwall Railway and the
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
which was leasing the line. The lease precluded the
conversion
Conversion or convert may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman''
* "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series
* "The Conversion" ...
of the line to
standard gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
, and the Cornwall Railway refused to pay for the widening of the viaducts during rebuilding sufficient to accommodate a
double line of standard gauge tracks. Following the amalgamation of the two companies on 1 July 1889 all the remaining viaducts on the main line to Truro were replaced. Most were either rebuilt in situ or by a replacement viaduct built immediately alongside, and in the latter case many of the original piers still remain today.
Between Saltash and St Germans, a deviation line was built in 1908, eliminating the wooden viaducts on by-passed section of line. Those on the Falmouth branch were all replaced between 1923 and 1934.
Constructional features
The distinctive timber viaducts were constructed using
yellow pine
In ecology and forestry, yellow pine refers to a number of conifer species that tend to grow in similar plant communities and yield similar strong wood. In the Western United States, yellow pine refers to Jeffrey pine or ponderosa pine. In the S ...
which was preserved by
Kyanising
John Howard Kyan (27 November 1774 – 5 January 1850) was the inventor of the 'kyanising' process for preserving wood. He was the son of John Howard Kyan of Mount Howard and Ballymurtagh, County Wexford, and was born in Dublin on 27 November 1 ...
(using
chloride of mercury), or sometimes by Burnettising (using
chloride of zinc, a process patented by
William Burnett
Sir William Burnett, KCB, FRS (16 January 1779 – 16 February 1861) was a British physician who served as Physician-General of the Royal Navy.
Early life
Burnett was born in Montrose, Scotland on 16 January 1779 and attended Montrose Gramm ...
) in the workshops at Lostwithiel. The various timbers were seated in
cast iron
Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...
chairs, and
wrought iron
Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...
was used for parts of the bridge which would be in tension, such as
tie rod
A tie rod or tie bar (also known as a hanger rod if vertical) is a slender structural unit used as a tie and (in most applications) capable of carrying tensile loads only.
It is any rod or bar-shaped structural member designed to prevent the separa ...
s between spans. Five distinct types of viaduct were built to suit local conditions at each site. Peter John Margary, the Cornwall Railway engineer from 1868 to 1891, classified them as classes A to E.
* Class A: The majority of viaducts were constructed on stone
piers Piers may refer to:
* Pier, a raised structure over a body of water
* Pier (architecture), an architectural support
* Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name)
* Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...
that rose to about below track level. From the tops of these radiated three fans of timber
strut
A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension.
Human anatomy
Part of the functionality o ...
s to support the
beams beneath the track; one fan on each side and the third beneath the centre of the track. The struts radiated at around 55, 75, 105 and 125 degrees from horizontal (resulting in a \\// form), although there were some slight variations. This gave piers spaced at about centres.
* Class B: A stronger support was given to St Pinnock, Largin, and Ponsanooth viaducts by replacing the central set of fan struts with a pair. These joined the outer fans at the top of the pier and met each other at the top, giving a W form when viewed across the width of the piers.
* Class C: The soft ground of the tidal valleys at Weston Mill, Forder, Wivelscombe, and Nottar required a lighter structure. This was achieved by dispensing with the stone piers and replacing them with vertical timber
trestles
ATLAS-I (Air Force Weapons Lab Transmission-Line Aircraft Simulator), better known as Trestle, was a unique electromagnetic pulse (EMP) generation and testing apparatus built between 1972 and 1980 during the Cold War at Sandia National Labora ...
built on top of timber
piles
Hemorrhoids (or haemorrhoids), also known as piles, are vascular structures in the anal canal. In their normal state, they are cushions that help with stool control. They become a disease when swollen or inflamed; the unqualified term ''hemo ...
driven into the mud. There were no fans supporting the track, instead timber
truss
A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure.
In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...
es were built directly on top of the timber trestles.
* Class D: Coombe (by Saltash) and Moorswater viaducts had only two fans on each pier – one on each side – but the bottoms of these were joined by laminated timber beams between each set of fans, which created a continuous beam along the length of the viaduct above the top of the masonry piers.
* Class E: The shallowest valleys at Grove, Draw Wood, and Probus were crossed by simple trestles of three parallel fans with two struts each in a V shape.
Brunel's designs allowed any defective timber to be withdrawn and replaced. The first decay usually occurred at the bottom of legs where they were seated in the cast iron chairs, and around bolt holes. The other area with significant decay was generally underneath the decking that carried the track and
ballast
Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship, ...
. After
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
it became difficult to obtain the preferred yellow pine and other timber with shorter life was used instead, although by this time only the viaducts on the Falmouth branch remained in use.
Special gangs of men worked together on the viaduct maintenance. To reach timbers below the deck they worked from
manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
ropes. It was possible to work on the viaduct without closing the viaduct to trains, but a temporary speed restriction was enforced until the replacement was properly in place. The actual movement of the larger timbers was carried out on a Sunday when there were few trains operating.
Viaducts from Plymouth to St Germans
Stonehouse Pool
![Stonehouse Pool Viaduct dwarf pier](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Stonehouse_Pool_Viaduct_dwarf_pier.jpg)
''Milepost 247.25 on original Millbay to Devonport line between Five Fields Lane (now North Road West) and Stuart Road, south of station. ()''
The only double track viaduct on the line, it was a Class A viaduct but with five fans of struts on each of the dwarf piers. It was high and long on 5 dwarf piers. Rebuilt with iron girders on brick piers in 1908.
The land below the viaduct was the head of a tidal creek but is now drained and forms a park. In 1876 a new Cornwall Loop between
Plymouth North Road station and the Cornwall Railway was opened,
built on a viaduct alongside the Stonehouse Pool Viaduct. Millbay station and its connecting lines (on which Stonehouse Pool Viaduct was located) were closed in 1964; the girders have since been removed and a steel work of art has been erected in its place.
Keyham
''Milepost 248.75, north of Devonport. ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 6 piers. It was rebuilt using iron girders in 1900 which were again replaced with steel in 1937.
[R J Woodfin, ''The Cornwall Railway to its Centenary in 1959'', Bradford Barton, Truro, 1972]
Weston Mill
![Weston Mill Viaduct northern arch and remains](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Weston_Mill_Viaduct_northern_arch_and_remains.jpg)
''Milepost 249.5, north of Devonport, above Weston Mill Creek. station was opened at the southern end in 1900. ()''
A Class C viaduct high and long on 29 trestles. It was replaced by a steel structure in 1903.
Royal Albert Bridge
![Royal albert bridge hist](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Royal_albert_bridge_hist.jpg)
''Milepost 252, immediately east of station. ()''
This was the largest metal bridge on the route when it opened. A wrought iron bridge (including two main spans of ); it stands clear of high water.
Coombe by Saltash
''Milepost 251.5, west of Saltash station. ()''
A Class D viaduct high and long on 9 trestles. It was replaced by a stone viaduct on 19 October 1894. Because it crossed a deep, muddy tidal inlet, Brunel constructed this viaduct on timber piles and used timber trestles instead of stone piers. These were made from four groups of four timber baulks, each group raking inwards towards the top of the trestle.
Forder
''Milepost 252.25, west of Saltash. ()''
A Class C viaduct high and long on 16 trestles. It was demolished after the line was diverted to a more inland alignment on 19 May 1908.
Wivelscombe
''Milepost 253.5, west of Saltash. ()''
A Class C viaduct high and long on 4 trestles consisting solely of two uprights each plus a
cross brace
In construction, cross bracing is a system utilized to reinforce building structures in which diagonal supports intersect. Cross bracing is usually seen with two diagonal supports placed in an X-shaped manner. Under lateral force (such as wind or ...
. It was demolished after the line was diverted to a more inland alignment on 19 May 1908.
Grove
''Milepost 255.0, east of . ()''
A Class E viaduct high and long on two dwarf piers. The fans consisted of two raking struts on either side of the track, tied beneath the track by cross braces, and a central pair of struts which were joined at the top as an inverted V; from the side this gave a \, / fan. It was demolished after the line was diverted to a more inland alignment on 19 May 1908.
A fatal accident occurred here just two days after the opening of the railway. On 6 May 1859 the engine of the 7.25 p.m. train from Plymouth was approaching St Germans when it left the rails, hit the parapet of the viaduct and fell into the mud below, landing upside down. Two of the coaches also ended up in the creek. The driver, fireman, and one guard were killed. A second guard, Richard Paddon, was given a reward of five pounds for his part in keeping the remainder of the train on the viaduct and helping to rescue the survivors. At the inquest held on 10 May 1859, the Permanent Way Inspector, the Traffic Superintendent, and Mr Brereton, Brunel's Chief Engineer, were all unable to account for the derailment, and the jury verdict was ''accidental death''.
[The Times newspaper, London, 11 May 1859, ''The Cornwall Railway Accident'']
Nottar
''Milepost 255.25, across the
River Lynher
The River Lynher ( kw, Linar) (or St Germans River downstream from its confluence with the Tiddy) flows through east Cornwall, England, and enters the River Tamar at the Hamoaze, which in turn flows into Plymouth Sound.
Navigation
The normal ...
east of . ()''
A Class C viaduct high and long on 27 trestles. It was demolished after the line was diverted to a more inland alignment on 19 May 1908.
St Germans
''Milepost 256.0, across the
east of St Germans. ()''
This timber viaduct was not included in Margary's classification system as it was not a fan viaduct. Instead it was a timber
truss
A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure.
In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...
on 16 timber trestles, creating a viaduct high and long. Piles were driven into the mud and the trestles built on top from four groups of four timber baulks, each group raking inwards towards the top of the trestle. Where the piers were on the river bank the trestles rested on low masonry plinths. It was not possible to remove individual timbers from the trestles, unlike the fan viaducts which were designed with piecemeal maintenance in mind. It was demolished after the line was diverted to a new alignment on 19 May 1908.
Viaducts from St Germans to Liskeard
Tresulgan
''Milepost 261.0, east of . ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 8 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 26 March 1899.
Coldrennick
''Milepost 261.5, immediately east of Menheniot station. ()''
![Field and viaduct near Menheniot (geograph 4163183)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Field_and_viaduct_near_Menheniot_%28geograph_4163183%29.jpg)
A Class A viaduct high and long on 16 piers. The piers were raised in brick and new iron girders replaced the timber, the work being completed on 23 January 1898. The piers were further strengthened in 1933 by encasing them in stone.
The Times newspaper reported that it "is stated to be 134ft. high and is the highest of the whole series of bridges by which the
ornwallrailway is carried".
[The Times Newspaper, London, 10 February 1897, ''Serious Viaduct Accident'']
''Note: the original typography is maintained in the above quotation and in the quotations below.''
An accident occurred on 9 February 1897 during the reconstruction while a gang of 17 workmen were working below the viaduct superstructure on a platform that collapsed, throwing 12 of the men to their deaths. They were working in the seventh span; cross-girders had been installed and they were positioning a longitudinal wrought iron rail-bearer, moving it by hand with one end supported on the viaduct pier. The rail-bearer was 20 feet long. The "platform" they were working on, spanning that gap, was supported by a second-hand timber beam formerly used as a main structural member in one of the other spans; it had several notches cut out (for its former use) and there was decay at the slenderest point. The supervising engineer said a chain should have been used to support the centre, to take part of the load of the men and the rail-bearer.
The inquest statements throw an interesting light on the working methods of the day:
Samuel Stephens, railway labourer, Liskeard, said he had been employed on Coldrenick-viaduct since the summer. The scaffolding which fell had been erected some weeks. At the time of the accident there were 13 men actually bearing on the platform which collapsed. There were about 17 men taking part in the work of removing the girder. As the girder was pushed forward more men came to the front bearing on the span which collapsed. When the men in front had the girder on their shoulders the weight on the platform would be increased. He and 12 other men were carrying the girder on their shoulders, one end being supported by the pier of the viaduct. Just as the other end of the girder was approaching a cross-girder on which it was intended to rest it the staging suddenly collapsed and 12 of the gang fell into the valley beneath.
P. C. Ball said he had examined the spar which gave way. It was 22ft. long and 8in. by 6in. in size, but pieces had been cut out of it. At one place there was an indentation 9in. by 4in. wide. At another place 2ft. away was another cut 30in. long and 2in. or 3in. wide. Another indentation was 48in. long. The break was in about the centre of the cut. The beam was reduced here to 5½in. thick, and just at this point there was a flaw in the span, the wood being decayed.
The jury after a long consultation found that the death of the 12 men was due to the fall of the platform that negligence was shown by the foreman Blewett in not causing chains to be used in constructing the platform, and also by the ganger Pearse in selecting defective timber for constructing the platform. They also found that Blewett and Pearse feloniously caused the death of the men.[''The Times'', London, 11 February 1897, ''The Serious Viaduct Accident'']
Trevido
''Milepost 262.5, west of Menheniot. ()''
![Menheniot Viaduct](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Menheniot_Viaduct.jpg)
A Class A viaduct high and long on 7 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 14 September 1898.
An accident happened on 15 November 1897 during this reconstruction work. A rope gave way while five men were hoisting a wooden beam up onto the new viaduct. One of them let go of his rope too soon, as a result the beam swung free and knocked two of the gang to their deaths.
Cartuther
''Milepost 264.0, east of . ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 6 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 8 January 1882.
Bolitho
![Bolitho Viaduct - FGW 43164 rear of up train](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Bolitho_Viaduct_-_FGW_43164_rear_of_up_train.JPG)
''Milepost 264.25, east of . ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 8 piers. It was rebuilt as a stone viaduct in 1882.
Liskeard
''Milepost 264.5, at the east end of Liskeard station. () Since 25 February 1901 the
Looe branch line has passed beneath this viaduct.''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 11 piers. It was rebuilt by raising the brick piers and replacing the timber with iron girders in 1894. These girders were renewed in steel in 1929.
Viaducts from Liskeard to Bodmin Road
Moorswater
![Moorswater Viaduct](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Moorswater_Viaduct.jpg)
''Milepost 265.5, west of Liskeard. ()''
A Class D viaduct high and long on 14 buttressed piers. John Binding, in his study of ''Brunel's Cornish Viaducts'', thought that ''Moorswater, by virtue of its size and location, was surely the most spectacular.''
In 1855 two of the piers then under construction collapsed. Brunel inspected them and rebuilt them the following year to his original design. In 1867 about of one pier was dismantled and rebuilt. Instead of the usual metal tie rods between the tops of the piers, this viaduct was fitted with timber ties; vertical timber baulks were fitted at the corners of some piers.
![Moorswater vdt 1905](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Moorswater_vdt_1905.jpg)
It was replaced by a new eight-arch stone viaduct with cast iron parapets on 25 February 1881. During this work H.G. Cole, the resident engineer, was killed when a steam crane fell over. Six of the old piers still stand alongside the new viaduct, but the weakest piers were taken down before they collapsed.
[ The new viaduct and the remaining piers of the original structure were listed Grade II* on 26 November 1985.
]
The line that runs below this viaduct is the Liskeard and Looe Railway
The Liskeard and Looe Railway was a railway originally built between Moorswater, in the valley west of Liskeard, and Looe, in Cornwall, England, UK, and later extended to Liskeard station on the Cornish Main Line railway. The first section w ...
. To the south can be seen while to the north is the remains of Moorswater yard, still used by freight trains. Beyond this the Liskeard and Caradon Railway
The Liskeard and Caradon Railway was a mineral railway in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom, which opened in 1844. It was built to carry the ores of copper and tin, and also granite, from their sources on Caradon Hill down to Moorswater for onwar ...
used to rise up onto the hills to serve various granite quarries.
Westwood
''Milepost 269, west of . ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 5 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 14 December 1879. The quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...
to the south of the railway provided stone for both the building and later rebuilding many of the viaducts in Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
.
St Pinnock
''Milepost 269.5, west of Doublebois above the Trago Mills out-of-town shopping complex. ()''
A Class B viaduct high and long on 9 piers. It was rebuilt by raising the piers and replacing the timber with iron girders in 1882. This is the tallest viaduct on the Cornwall Railway. The line was singled over this viaduct on 24 May 1964 to reduce the load on the structure. This was listed Grade II in 1985.
Largin
''Milepost 269.75, west of Doublebois. ()''
A Class B viaduct high and long on 8 piers. It was rebuilt by raising the piers and replacing the timber with iron girders on 16 January 1886. The line was singled over this viaduct on 24 May 1964 to reduce the load on the structure.
West Largin
''Milepost 270.25, west of Doublebois. ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 5 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 26 September 1875. This was listed Grade II in 1985.
Draw Wood
''Milepost 270.5, west of Doublebois. ()''
A Class E viaduct high and long on 17 dwarf piers. It was replaced by an embankment and stone retaining wall in 1875.
Derrycombe
''Milepost 271, west of Doublebois. ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 5 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 8 May 1881.[ The new viaduct and the remaining piers of the original structure were listed Grade II in 1985.
]
Clinnick
''Milepost 271.5, east of Bodmin Road
Bodmin Parkway railway station ( kw, Fordh Bosvena) is on the Cornish Main Line that serves the nearby town of Bodmin and other parts of mid-Cornwall, England. It is situated south-east of the town of Bodmin in the civil parish of St Winnow, ...
. ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 5 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct with an iron parapet on 16 March 1879. The new viaduct and the remaining piers of the original structure were listed Grade II in 1985.
Penadlake
''Milepost 272.25, east of Bodmin Road. ()''
A Class E viaduct high, long on 10 dwarf piers; replaced by a new stone viaduct on 7 October 1877. This was listed Grade II in 1985.
Viaducts from Lostwithiel to Truro
Lostwithiel
''Milepost 277.75, west of across the River Fowey
The River Fowey ( ; kw, Fowi) is a river in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.
It rises at Fowey Well (originally kw, Fenten Fowi, meaning ''spring of the river Fowey'') about north-west of Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor, not far from one of i ...
. ()''
An wrought iron bridge with six timber approach spans. The date of replacement is uncertain.
Milltown
''Milepost 278.5, west of Lostwithiel. ()''
A Class A viaduct high, long on 7 piers; replaced by a new stone viaduct in 1894.
Par
''Milepost 282.25, west of . ()''
A five-arch stone viaduct to carry the line over a tramway, river and canal near Par Harbour
Par Docks is an Imerys-owned harbour in the village of Par, Cornwall, United Kingdom, which was used for the export of china clay from the numerous Imerys sites in the clay-rich region of Mid-Cornwall.
History
Joseph Treffry (born Joseph A ...
. This was the only stone built viaduct on the line when it opened in 1859. It is known locally as the 'Five Arches'.
St Austell
''Milepost 286.75, across the Trenance valley west of .
()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 10 piers. It was built on a curve and crosses the road to Bodmin
Bodmin () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated south-west of Bodmin Moor.
The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character. It is bordere ...
at an angle. The pier next to this road had to be built to an unusual triangular plan to fit this unusual configuration. The viaduct was replaced by a new stone viaduct in 1899. This sprung from the same point at the St Austell end before taking up an adjacent alignment. This meant that the northern half of the new viaduct was built first, the timber structure dismantled, and then the southern side completed.
The viaduct is referred to as Trenance Viaduct on Ordnance Survey maps.
Gover
''Milepost 287.5, west of St Austell. ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 10 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct in 1898. This viaduct and the remaining piers of the original structure were listed Grade II in 1988.
Coombe St Stephens
''Milepost 291.25, east of . ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 11 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 11 July 1886. The surviving piers from Brunel's viaduct were listed Grade II in 1988.
Fal
''Milepost 291.75, east of Grampound Road. ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 8 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 24 August 1884.
Probus
''Milepost 295.25, west of (). Probus and Ladock Halt
There are seventeen disused railway stations on the Cornish Main Line between Plymouth in Devon and Penzance in Cornwall, England. The remains of nine of these can be seen from passing trains. While a number of these were closed following the so- ...
was opened a quarter of a mile east of the viaduct site on 1 February 1908. ''
A Class E viaduct high and long on 11 dwarf piers. It was replaced by an embankment in 1871.
Tregarne
''Milepost 296.75, west of Grampound Road. ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 9 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 1 September 1901.[
]
Tregeagle
''Milepost 297, west of Grampound Road and east of Polperro Tunnel. ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 4 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 2 February 1902.
Truro
''Milepost 300, east of . ()''
Sometimes known as Moresk Viaduct, this Class A viaduct is high and long on 20 piers. 14 of these still stand alongside the replacement stone viaduct which was brought into use on 14 February 1904.
Carvedras
''Milepost 300.5, a short distance east of Truro station. ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 15 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 17 August 1902. The new viaduct and the remaining piers of the original structure were listed Grade II on 30 July 1993.
Viaducts from Truro to Falmouth
Penwithers
''Milepost 301.5, west of the junction with the West Cornwall Railway
The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, Great Britain, formed in 1846 to construct a railway between Penzance and Truro. It purchased the existing Hayle Railway, and improved its main line, and built new sections between Pen ...
to . ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 12 piers. It was rebuilt as an embankment in 1926.
Ringwell
''Milepost 304, north of . ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 5 piers. It was rebuilt as an embankment in 1933.
Carnon
''Milepost 304.25, north of Perranwell. ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 11 piers. The soft nature of valley floor meant that some piers had to have a foundation built for them by sinking a temporary caisson and removing the mud within it. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 13 August 1933.
This viaduct crossed Restronguet Creek
Restronguet Creek is a tidal ria in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is a tributary of Carrick Roads, the estuary of the River Fal, and is situated approximately four miles (6.5 km) south of Truro and three miles (5 km) north of ...
and the Redruth and Chasewater Railway
The Redruth and Chasewater Railway, (otherwise called the ''Redruth and Chacewater Railway'' using modern spelling), was an early mineral railway line in Cornwall, England, UK. It opened in 1825 and was built to convey the output from copper mine ...
near its Devoran
Devoran ( kw, Deveryon) is a village in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is southwest of Truro at .Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 204 ''Truro & Falmouth'' Formerly an ecclesiastical parish, Devoran is now in the civil par ...
terminus. This disused railway line now forms part of the Mineral Tramway Trails
The mineral tramways trails are a series of trails located in mid west Cornwall, The trails are as follows:
Current trails
The Coast to Coast trail 17.5 km
From Devoran to Portreath following disused tramways
The Great Flat Lode trail 12 km
A ...
.
Perran
''Milepost 305.75, south of Perranwell. ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 5 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 24 April 1927.
Ponsanooth
''Milepost 307, across the River Kennal
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
north of . ()''
A Class B viaduct high and long on 9 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 7 September 1930. This is the tallest viaduct west of Truro.
Pascoe
''Milepost 307.25, north of Penryn. ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 6 piers. It was replaced by an embankment in 1923.
Penryn
''Milepost 308.75, north of Penryn. ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 5 piers. It was replaced by an embankment in 1923.
Collegewood
''Milepost 309.5, south of Penryn. ()''
A Class A viaduct high and long on 14 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 22 July 1934. This was the longest viaduct west of Truro and the last timber viaduct to be replaced in Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
. The piers of the original viaduct still stand and are listed Grade II.
See also
* List of railway bridges and viaducts in the United Kingdom
This is a list of viaducts and significant bridges of the United Kingdom's railways, past and present.
See also
*List of bridges in the United Kingdom
*List of canal aqueducts in the United Kingdom
*List of lattice girder bridges in the Uni ...
* Angarrack Viaduct
Angarrack railway viaduct crosses the valley of the Angarrack River at Angarrack in west Cornwall, United Kingdom.
Geography
The eleven-arch granite-built viaduct carries the Cornish Main Line railway across the steep-sided valley of the Angar ...
* Penponds Viaduct
References
Further reading
*
*
* R J Woodfin, ''The Cornwall Railway to its Centenary in 1959'', Bradford Barton, Truro, 1972, ; Chapter V gives a detailed analysis.
External links
Remember Falmouth: photograph of Penwithers viaduct
{{Brunel
Bridges by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Railway bridges in Cornwall
Railway viaducts in Cornwall