Dutton Viaduct
Dutton Viaduct is a railway viaduct on the West Coast Main Line where it crosses the River Weaver and the Weaver Navigation between the villages of Dutton and Acton Bridge in Cheshire.
It was built during 1836 and was completed on 9 December. It was the longest viaduct on the Grand Junction Railway.
It is an early example of a major railway viaduct. Its cost was £54,440. The engineers were Joseph Locke and George Stephenson. The contractor was William Mackenzie.
It was the first project for which Thomas Brassey submitted a tender but Mackenzie's estimate was £5,000 lower. It is built in red sandstone and has 20 arches. The base of the viaduct pillars are splayed to give greater stability and 700,000 cubic feet of stone was used in its construction. The first GJR trains to carry passengers across the viaduct were run on 4 July 1837.
Steel masts were added in the 1960s for electrification.
The viaduct is 60 feet high and 500 yards long.
Nearby Attractions: Dutton Locks and the Horse Bridge are a short distance to the south of the viaduct.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Wikipedia