Ballindalloch Railway Bridge

Summary

The Ballindalloch Railway Bridge is a former railway bridge on the crossing the River Spey at Ballindalloch in Moray, Scotland. Built in 1863 as a part of the Strathspey Railway, it was in use until the line was closed in 1968. It is now designated as a Category A listed building, and carries pedestrians and cyclists over the river as a part of the Speyside Way.

Ballindalloch Railway Bridge
The view along the bridge
Coordinates57°24′50″N 3°23′08″W / 57.41389°N 3.38556°W / 57.41389; -3.38556
CarriesPedestrians, cyclists (formerly railway)
CrossesRiver Spey
Heritage statusCategory A listed building
Characteristics
MaterialWrought iron
Longest span195 ft (59 m)
History
ArchitectAlexander Gibb
Fabrication byG McFarlane, Dundee
Opened1863
Location
Map

Description edit

The Ballindalloch Railway Bridge crosses the Spey at Ballindaloch, linking the parishes of Inveravon in Banffshire and Knockando in Moray.[1] It is a wrought iron lattice girder bridge, with a single-span of 195 feet (59 metres),[2] supported by rubble abutments, and with plate girder spans at either end giving an overall length of around 250 feet (75 metres).[3]

History edit

The Ballindalloch Railway Bridge was constructed in 1863 for the Strathspey Railway.[4] It was designed by Alexander Gibb,[2] an engineer for the Great North of Scotland Railway,[5] and the ironwork was fabricated by G. MacFarlane of Dundee.[2] The Strathspey Railway was absorbed into the Great North of Scotland Railway in 1866,[6] and the bridge was in regular use on the line, carrying passengers and large volumes of whisky from the nearby distilleries,[3] until it was closed to regular passenger traffic in 1965, and closed completely in 1968.[7] The bridge was designated a Category A listed building in 1987, and was a scheduled monument until 2006.[3] It is open to pedestrians and cyclists, forming a part of the Speyside Way.[3]

References edit

  1. ^ "Railway Bridge over the Spey". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Paxton, Roland; Shipway, Jim (2007). Civil Engineering Heritage - Scotland Highlands and Islands. ICE Publishing. pp. 135–136. ISBN 978-0727734884. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Historic Environment Scotland. "Ballindalloch, former railway bridge over River Spey (Category A Listed Building) (LB8466)". Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  4. ^ Hume, John R (1977). The Industrial Archaeology of Scotland 2. The Highlands and Islands. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 234. ISBN 071340809X.
  5. ^ Paxton, Roland; Shipway, Jim (2007). Civil Engineering Heritage - Scotland Highlands and Islands. ICE Publishing. ISBN 978-0727734884. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  6. ^ Vallance, H. A. (27 June 1991). Great North of Scotland Railway. The History of the Railways of the Scottish Highlands Vol. 3. David St John Thomas. ISBN 978-0-946537-60-0.
  7. ^ "Ballindalloch, Railway Bridge". CANMORE. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 7 July 2019.