Almond Valley Viaduct

Almond Valley Viaduct
The viaduct viewed from afar
Coordinates55°56′05″N 3°25′22″W / 55.9346°N 3.4229°W / 55.9346; -3.4229
CarriesGlasgow-Edinburgh via Falkirk line
CrossesRiver Almond
Preceded by
Birdsmill Viaduct
Followed by
New Bridge
Characteristics
Total length622 metres (2,041 ft)
Height18 metres (59 ft)
No. of spans36
History
Opened1842
Listed Building – Category A
Official name
Almond Valley Viaduct
Designated22 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]

History

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.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Historic Environment Scotland. "Kirkliston, Almond Valley Viaduct (Site no. NT17SW 70)". Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "A Victorian Vision – the Almond Valley Viaduct". Konect, West Lothian. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  3. ↑ Hogg, Chris; Patrick, Lynn (15 October 2015). Scottish Railway Icons: Central Belt to the Borders. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-2115-9.
  4. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "RAILWAY VIADUCT, ALMOND VALLEY (Category A Listed Building LB7428)". Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  5. ↑ "Making Tracks" (PDF). West Lothian Council. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 Almond Valley Viaduct (Ratho Viaduct), Gazetteer for Scotland
  7. ↑ Broxburn Viaduct, Kirkliston, British Listed Buildings
  8. ↑ Birdsmill Viaduct, Kirkliston, British Listed Buildings
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Almond Valley Viaduct at Wikimedia Commons
  • Almond Valley Viaduct, RailScot
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