Cornwall Railway viaducts - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The large number of Cornwall Railway viaducts were necessitated by the topography

Topography

Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

, United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, where hills and areas of high ground are separated by deep river valleys that generally run north or south. However the Cornwall Railway

Cornwall Railway

The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The section from Plymouth to Truro opened in 1859, the extension to Falmouth in 1863...

was constructed on a largely east-west route between the towns of Plymouth

Plymouth

Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...

, Truro

Truro

Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...

and Falmouth

Falmouth, Cornwall

Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....

, so it had to cross numerous valleys.

42 wooden viaducts of a distinctive type were built by contractors, most to a series of standardised designs by the Victorian railway engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel

Isambard Kingdom Brunel

Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...

. They consisted of timber deck spans supported by fans of timber bracing built on masonry

Masonry

Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...

piers. This unusual method of construction substantially reduced the cost of initial construction compared to an all-masonry structure, albeit 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

Cornwall Railway

The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The section from Plymouth to Truro opened in 1859, the extension to Falmouth in 1863...

linked Plymouth

Plymouth Millbay railway station

Plymouth Millbay railway station was the original railway terminus in Plymouth, Devon, England. It was used for passenger trains from 1849 to 1941.- History :...

with Falmouth

Falmouth Docks railway station

Falmouth Docks station in Falmouth, Cornwall is the terminus of the Maritime Line to Truro, the services are operated by First Great Western.-History:...

. The section from Plymouth to was opened on 4 May 1859, and the remainder to Falmouth on 24 August 1863. This was after Brunel's death and so was built under the supervision of R P Brereton. It was built as a single-track broad gauge

Broad gauge

Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...

line.

The 70 miles (112.7 km) 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 realised that this meant more expensive maintenance and eventual replacement would become necessary. Replacement of the viaducts started in 1875 but led to a dispute in 1884 between the Cornwall Railway and the Great Western Railway

Great Western Railway

The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...

which was leasing the line. The lease precluded the conversion of the line to standard gauge

Standard gauge

The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...

, 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 were replaced. Most were either rebuilt in situ or by a replacement viaduct built immediately alongside. Because of this, many of Brunel's original piers still remain today. Those between Saltash and St Germans being were by a deviation line in 1908, which eliminated the wooden viaducts on the main line to Truro. Those on the Falmouth branch were all replaced between 1923 and 1934.

Constructional features

The distinctive timber viaducts were constructed using yellow pine

Yellow pine

Yellow pine may refer to the following:*Certain pines in the subgenus Pinus subgenus Pinus:**In American forestry, a term for several closely related species of pine with yellow tinted wood, including the Southern Yellow Pines , and the non-Southern yellow pines and several others...

which was preserved by Kyanising (using chloride of mercury

Mercury(II) chloride

Mercury chloride or mercuric chloride , is the chemical compound with the formula HgCl2. This white crystalline solid is a laboratory reagent and a molecular compound. It is no longer used for medicinal purposes Mercury(II) chloride or mercuric chloride (formerly corrosive sublimate), is the...

), or sometimes by Burnettising (using chloride of zinc

Zinc chloride

Zinc chloride is the name of chemical compound with the formula ZnCl2 and its hydrates. Zinc chlorides, of which nine crystalline forms are known, are colorless or white, and are highly soluble in water. ZnCl2 itself is hygroscopic and even deliquescent. Samples should therefore be protected from...

) in the workshops at Lostwithiel. The various timbers were seated in cast iron

Cast iron

Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...

chairs, and wrought iron

Wrought iron

thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...

was used for parts of the bridge which would be in tension, such as tie rod

Tie rod

A tie rod is a slender structural unit used as a tie and capable of carrying tensile loads only.- Subtypes and examples of applications :* In airplane structures, tie rods are sometimes used in the fuselage or wings....

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
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...

that rose to about 34 feet (10.4 m) below track level. From the tops of these radiated three fans of timber strut
Strut
A strut is a structural component designed to resist longitudinal compression. Struts provide outwards-facing support in their lengthwise direction, which can be used to keep two other components separate, performing the opposite function of a tie...

s to support the beams
Beam (structure)
A beam is a horizontal structural element that is capable of withstanding load primarily by resisting bending. The bending force induced into the material of the beam as a result of the external loads, own weight, span and external reactions to these loads is called a bending moment.- Overview...

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 65 feet (19.8 m) 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 trestle
Trestle
A trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent...

s built on top of timber piles
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...

driven into the mud. There were no fans supporting the track, instead timber truss
Truss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...

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

Track ballast

Track ballast forms the trackbed upon which railway sleepers or railroad ties are laid. It is packed between, below, and around the ties. It is used to facilitate drainage of water, to distribute the load from the railroad ties, and also to keep down vegetation that might interfere with the track...

. After World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

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 2.5 inches (63.5 mm) manila

Manila hemp

Manila hemp, also known as manilla, is a type of fiber obtained from the leaves of the abacá , a relative of the banana. It is mostly used for pulping for a range of uses, including speciality papers. It was once used mainly to make manila rope, but this is now of minor importance...

ropes. It was possible to work on the viaduct without closing the viaduct to trains, but a temporary 10 miles per hour (16.1 km/h) 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.

Stonehouse Pool

Milepost 247.25 on original Millbay to Devonport line between Five Fields Lane (now North Road West) and Stuart Road, 1 miles (1.6 km) south of station. (50.376835°N 4.150043°W)

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 57 feet (17.4 m) high and 321 feet (97.8 m) long on 5 dwarf piers. Rebuilt with iron girders on brick piers in 1908, the girders have since been removed and a steel work of art has been erected in its place.

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

Plymouth railway station

Plymouth railway station serves the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. It is situated on the northern edge of the city centre close to the North Cross roundabout...

and the Cornwall Railway was opened, built on a 131 yards (119.8 m) viaduct alongside the Stonehouse Pool Viaduct.

Keyham

Milepost 248.75, 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) north of Devonport. (50.386003°N 4.177809°W)

A Class A viaduct 90 feet (27.4 m) high and 432 feet (131.7 m) long on 6 piers. It was rebuilt using steel girders in 1900 which were again replaced in 1937.

Weston Mill

Milepost 249.5, 1.25 miles (2 km) north of Devonport, above Weston Mill Creek. station was opened at the southern end in 1900. (50.395372°N 4.182511°W)

A Class C viaduct 46 feet (14 m) high and 1200 feet (365.8 m) long on 29 trestles. It was replaced by a steel structure in 1903.

Royal Albert Bridge

Milepost 252, immediately east of station. (50.407575°N 4.203389°W)

A 2187 in 6 in (666.75 m) wrought iron bridge which includes two main spans of 455 feet (138.7 m). It stands 100 feet (30.5 m) clear of high water.

Coombe by Saltash

Milepost 251.5, 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) west of Saltash station. (50.404562°N 4.211637°W)

A Class D viaduct 86 feet (26.2 m) high and 603 feet (183.8 m) 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, 1.25 miles (2 km) west of Saltash. (50.395087°N 4.231024°W)

A Class C viaduct 67 feet (20.4 m) high and 606 feet (184.7 m) 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, 2.25 metre (0.00225 km) west of Saltash. (50.390736°N 4.247503°W)

A Class C viaduct 25 feet (7.6 m) high and 198 feet (60.4 m) long on 4 trestles consisting solely of two uprights each plus a cross brace. It was demolished after the line was diverted to a more inland alignment on 19 May 1908.

Grove

Milepost 255.0, 1 miles (1.6 km) east of . (50.390682°N 4.283037°W)

A Class E viaduct 29 feet (8.8 m) high and 114 feet (34.7 m) 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.

Nottar

Milepost 255.25, across the River Lynher
River Lynher
The River Lynher flows through east Cornwall, UK, passing St Germans and enters the River Tamar at the Hamoaze, which in turn flows into Plymouth Sound.-Geography:...

0.75 miles (1.2 km) just east of . (50.392816°N 4.290075°W)

A Class C viaduct 67 feet (20.4 m) high and 921 feet (280.7 m) 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 River Tiddy
River Tiddy
The River Tiddy is a small river in south-east Cornwall, the main tributary of the River Lynher. The Tiddy rises near Pensilva and flows south east past the village of Tideford until it joins the Lynher. The name of Tideford derives from its location on the river, literally meaning "Ford on the...

0.25 mile (0.402335 km) east of St Germans. (50.393192°N 4.302349°W)

This timber viaduct was not included in Margary's classification system as it was not a fan viaduct. Instead it was a timber truss

Truss

In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...

on 16 timber trestles, creating a viaduct 106 feet (32.3 m) high and 945 feet (288 m) 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.

Tresulgan

Milepost 261.0, 0.75 miles (1.2 km) east of . (50.422738°N 4.392149°W)

A Class A viaduct 93 feet (28.3 m) high and 525 feet (160 m) long on 8 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on March 26, 1899.

Coldrennick

Milepost 261.5, immediately east of Menheniot station. (50.425239°N 4.406118°W)

A Class A viaduct 138 feet (42.1 m) high and 795 feet (242.3 m) 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. An accident occurred on 9 February 1897 during its reconstruction while a gang of 17 workmen were suspended below the viaduct on a platform that broke away, throwing 12 of the men 140 feet (42.7 m) to their deaths. Two of the gangers were criticised for not fixing safety chains and using poor quality wood for the platforms.

Trevido

Milepost 262.5, 1 miles (1.6 km) west of Menheniot. (50.431076°N 4.427276°W)

A Class A viaduct 101 feet (30.8 m) high and 486 feet (148.1 m) 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, 0.75 miles (1.2 km) east of . (50.439646°N 4.453046°W)

A Class A viaduct 89 feet (27.1 m) high and 411 feet (125.3 m) long on 6 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 8 January 1882.

Bolitho

Milepost 264.25, 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) east of . (50.442878°N 4.458668°W)

A Class A viaduct 113 feet (34.4 m) high and 546 feet (166.4 m) long on 8 piers. It was rebuilt as a stone viaduct in 1882.

Liskeard

Milepost 264.5, at the east end of Liskeard station. (50.445768°N 4.466575°W) Since 25 February 1901 the Looe branch line
Looe Valley Line
The Looe Valley Line is an community railway from Liskeard to Looe in Cornwall, United Kingdom, that follows the valley of the East Looe River for much of its course...

has passed beneath this viaduct.

A Class A viaduct 150 feet (45.7 m) high and 720 feet (219.5 m) 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.

Moorswater

Milepost 265.5, 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) west of Liskeard. (50.449013°N 4.483999°W)

A Class D viaduct 147 feet (44.8 m) high and 954 feet (290.8 m) 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 12 feet (4 m) 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. 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. To the south can be seen while to the north is the remains of Moorswater yard

Moorswater railway station

Moorswater railway station was the centre of operations for the Liskeard and Caradon Railway and the Liskeard and Looe Railway. The two railways made an end on junction here...

, still used by freight trains. Beyond this the Liskeard and Caradon Railway

Liskeard and Caradon Railway

The Liskeard and Caradon Railway was a mineral railway in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom, which opened in 1844 and closed in 1917. Its neighbour, the Liskeard and Looe Railway, opened in 1860 and is still operating as the Looe Valley Line.-History:...

used to rise up onto the hills to serve various granite quarries.

Westwood

Milepost 269, 1 miles (1.6 km) west of . (50.452738°N 4.560018°W)

A Class A viaduct 88 feet (26.8 m) high and 372 feet (113.4 m) long on 5 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 14 December 1879. The quarry

Quarry

A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...

to the south of the railway provided stone for both the building and later rebuilding many of the viaducts in Cornwall

Cornwall

St Pinnock

Milepost 269.5, 1.25 miles (2 km) east of Doublebois above the Trago Mills
Trago Mills
Trago Mills is a chain of British department stores situated in the West Country. They are sited in the town of Falmouth, and on the outskirts of two other towns at Liskeard, Cornwall and Newton Abbot, Devon. Large department stores were formerly sparse in the rural west country and Trago Mills has...

out-of-town shopping complex. (50.453064°N 4.568532°W)

A Class B viaduct 151 feet (46 m) high and 633 feet (192.9 m) 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, 1.75 miles (2.8 km) west of Doulebois. (50.452646°N 4.57708°W)

A Class B viaduct 130 feet (39.6 m) high and 567 feet (172.8 m) 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, 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Doublibois. (50.454751°N 4.590182°W)

A Class A viaduct 75 feet (22.9 m) high and 315 feet (96 m) 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, 2.25 miles (3.6 km) west of Doublebois. (50.456466°N 4.595053°W)

A Class E viaduct 42 feet (12.8 m) high and 681 feet (207.6 m) long on 17 dwarf piers. It was replaced by an embankment and stone retaining wall in 1875.

Derrycombe

Milepost 271, 2.75 miles (4.4 km) west of Doublebois. (50.456698°N 4.599452°W)

A Class A viaduct 77 feet (23.5 m) high and 369 feet (112.5 m) long on 5 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on May 8, 1881. The new viaduct and the remaining piers of the original structure were listed Grade II in 1985.

Clinnick

Milepost 271.5, 2.5 miles (4 km) east of Bodmin Road
Bodmin Parkway railway station
Bodmin Parkway railway station is a station on the Cornish Main Line and serves the nearby town of Bodmin, Cornwall, United Kingdom. The station is west of , in the civil parish of St Winnow....

. (50.457026°N 4.613099°W)

A Class A viaduct 74 feet (22.6 m) high and 330 feet (100.6 m) 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, 1.75 miles (2.8 km) east of Bodmin Road. (50.455127°N 4.627937°W)

A Class E viaduct 42 feet (12.8 m) high, 426 feet (129.8 m) long on 10 dwarf piers; replaced by a new stone viaduct on 7 October 1877. This was listed Grade II in 1985.

Lostwithiel

Milepost 277.75, 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) west of across the River Fowey
River Fowey
The River Fowey is a river in Cornwall, United Kingdom.It rises about north-west of Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor, passes Lanhydrock House, Restormel Castle and Lostwithiel, then broadens at Milltown before joining the English Channel at Fowey. It is only navigable by larger craft for the last ....

. (50.404811°N 4.668514°W)

An 80 feet (24.4 m) wrought iron bridge with six 27 feet (8.2 m) timber approach spans. The date of replacement is uncertain.

Milltown

Milepost 278.5, 1 miles (1.6 km) west of Lostwithiel. (50.387809°N 4.668267°W)

A Class A viaduct 75 feet (22.9 m) high, 501 feet (152.7 m) long on 7 piers; replaced by a new stone viaduct in 1894.

Par

Milepost 282.25, 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) west of . (50.348911°N 4.706268°W)

A 73 yards (66.8 m) five-arch stone viaduct to carry the line over a tramway, river and canal near Par Harbour

Par, Cornwall

Par is a town and fishing port with a harbour on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated in the civil parish of Tywardreath and Par and is approximately east of St Austell. Par has a population of around 1,400.....

. 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 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) west of .
(50.342475°N 4.798064°W)

A Class A viaduct 115 feet (35.1 m) high and 720 feet (219.5 m) long on 10 piers. It was built on a curve and crosses the road to Bodmin

Bodmin

Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...

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.

Gover

Milepost 287.5, 1.25 miles (2 km) west of St Austell. (50.342598°N 4.813685°W)

A Class A viaduct 95 feet (29 m) high and 690 feet (210.3 m) 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, 2 miles (3.2 km) east of . (50.324094°N 4.889281°W)

A Class A viaduct 70 feet (21.3 m) high and 738 feet (224.9 m) 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, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Grampound Road. (50.320203°N 4.899194°W)

A Class A viaduct 90 feet (27.4 m) high and 570 feet (173.7 m) long on 8 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 24 August 1884.

Probus

Milepost 295.25, 2 miles (3.2 km) west of (50.308049°N 4.950585°W). Probus and Ladock Halt was opened a quarter of a mile west of the viaduct site on 1 February 1908.

A Class E viaduct 43 feet (13.1 m) high and 435 feet (132.6 m) long on 11 dwarf piers. It was replaced by an embankment in 1871.

Tregarne

Milepost 296.75, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of Grampound Road. (50.287475°N 4.987578°W)

A Class A viaduct 83 feet (25.3 m) high and 606 feet (184.7 m) long on 9 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 1 September 1901.

Tregeagle

Milepost 297, 3.75 miles (6 km) west of Grampound Road and 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) mile east of Polperro Tunnel. (50.286666°N 4.998565°W)

A Class A viaduct 69 feet (21 m) high and 315 feet (96 m) long on 4 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 2 February 1902.

Truro

Milepost 300, 1 miles (1.6 km) east of . (50.267591°N 5.053303°W)

Sometimes known as Moresk Viaduct, this Class A viaduct is 92 feet (28 m) high and1329 feet (405.1 m) 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. (50.264724°N 5.060427°W)

A Class A viaduct 86 feet (26.2 m) high and 969 feet (295.4 m) 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.

Penwithers

Milepost 301.5, 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) west of the junction with the West Cornwall Railway
West Cornwall Railway
The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, formed in 1846 to operate the existing Hayle Railway between Hayle and Redruth and extend the railway to Penzance and Truro....

to . (50.251925°N 5.083065°W)

A Class A viaduct 90 feet (27.4 m) high and 813 feet (247.8 m) long on 12 piers. It was rebuilt as an embankment in 1926.

Ringwell

Milepost 304, 1 miles (1.6 km) north of . (50.227442°N 5.101004°W)

A Class A viaduct 70 feet (21.3 m) high and 366 feet (111.6 m) long on 5 piers. It was rebuilt as an embankment in 1933.

Carnon

Milepost 304.25, 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) north of Perranwell. (50.223515°N 5.106411°W)

A Class A viaduct 96 feet (29.3 m) high and 756 feet (230.4 m) 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

Caisson (engineering)

In geotechnical engineering, a caisson is a retaining, watertight structure used, for example, to work on the foundations of a bridge pier, for the construction of a concrete dam, or for the repair of ships. These are constructed such that the water can be pumped out, keeping the working...

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

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 south of Truro and three miles north of Falmouth....

and the Redruth and Chasewater Railway

Redruth and Chasewater Railway

The Redruth and Chasewater Railway, otherwise called the Redruth and Chacewater Railway using modern spelling, was a very early industrial railway line in Cornwall, England, UK that opened in 1825 and closed in 1915...

near its Devoran

Devoran

Devoran is a village in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated four miles southwest of Truro at . Formerly an ecclesiastical parish, Devoran is now in the civil parish of Feock....

terminus. This disused railway line now forms part of the Mineral Tramway Trails

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 kmFrom Devoran to Portreath following disused tramwaysThe Great Flat Lode trail 12 km...

Perran

Milepost 305.75, 1 miles (1.6 km) south of Perranwell. (50.211598°N 5.131216°W)

A Class A viaduct 56 feet (17.1 m) high and 339 feet (103.3 m) long on 5 piers. It was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 24 April 1927.

Ponsanooth

Milepost 307, across the River Kennal 2 miles (3.2 km) north of . (50.195638°N 5.135851°W)

A Class B viaduct 139 feet (42.4 m) high and 645 feet (196.6 m) 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, 1.75 miles (2.8 km) north of Penryn. (50.188742°N 5.126967°W)

A Class A viaduct 70 feet (21.3 m) high and 390 feet (118.9 m) long on 6 piers. It was replaced by an embankment in 1923.

Penryn

Milepost 308.75, 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) north of Penryn. (50.172143°N 5.113621°W)

A Class A viaduct 63 feet (19.2 m) high and342 feet (104.2 m) long on 5 piers. It was replaced by an embankment in 1923.

Collegewood

Milepost 309.5, 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) south of Penryn. (50.166178°N 5.108857°W)

A Class A viaduct 100 feet (30.5 m) high and 954 feet (290.8 m) 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

. The piers of the original viaduct still stand and are listed Grade II.

History

Constructional features

Stonehouse Pool

Keyham

Weston Mill

Royal Albert Bridge

Coombe by Saltash

Forder

Wivelscombe

Grove

Nottar

St Germans

Tresulgan

Coldrennick

Trevido

Cartuther

Bolitho

Liskeard

Moorswater

Westwood

St Pinnock

Largin

West Largin

Draw Wood

Derrycombe

Clinnick

Penadlake

Lostwithiel

Milltown

Par

St Austell

Gover

Coombe St Stephens

Fal

Probus

Tregarne

Tregeagle

Truro

Carvedras

Penwithers

Ringwell

Carnon

Perran

Ponsanooth

Pascoe

Penryn

Collegewood

See also