Lyne Viaduct
Encyclopedia
Lyne Viaduct is a viaduct
at Lyne
in the Scottish Borders
of Scotland
. It consists of three stone skew arch
es and a plate girder
approach span over a minor road and was built to carry the Symington
to Peebles
branch line of the Caledonian Railway
over Lyne Water
to the west of Peebles. Now closed to rail traffic the bridge is used as a footpath.
's extension to Peebles was authorised on 3 July 1860 but by the time construction was complete in 1863 the company had been absorbed by the much larger Caledonian Railway. The bridge is smaller but of similar design to the nearby Neidpath Viaduct and it often confused with it. Located just to the north of the River Tweed
, it was built to carry the Symington to Peebles branch line obliquely at a height of 24 feet (7.3 m) over Lyne Water, close to its confluence
with the Tweed and consists of three sandstone skew arches each of 25 feet (7.6 m) span and laid with helicoid courses, and a plate girder approach span of 20 feet (6.1 m) to the west. The total length of the structure is 133 feet (40.5 m). From the slender piers pilaster
s extend to parapet level and the parapet is capped by cast-iron railings. On 1 January 1923 ownership of the viaduct, along with the rest of the Caledonian Railway, passed to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
and thence to the Scottish region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. The line lost its regular passenger traffic on 5 June 1950 and closed completely on 7 June 1954 but the bridge remains in use as a footpath.
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
at Lyne
Lyne, Scottish Borders
Lyne is a small village and civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, west of the market town of Peebles; it lies off the A72, in the old county of Peeblesshire and has an area of about ....
in the Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It consists of three stone skew arch
Skew arch
A skew arch is a method of construction that enables an arch bridge to span an obstacle at some angle other than a right angle. This results in the faces of the arch not being perpendicular to its abutments and its plan view being a parallelogram, rather than the rectangle that is the plan view of...
es and a plate girder
Plate girder bridge
A plate girder bridge is a bridge supported by two or more plate girders. The plate girders are typically I-beams made up from separate structural steel plates , which are welded or, in older bridges, bolted or riveted together to form the vertical web and horizontal flanges of the beam...
approach span over a minor road and was built to carry the Symington
Symington, South Lanarkshire
Symington is a small village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, 3 miles southwest of Biggar, 10 miles east of Douglas and 13 miles southeast of Carluke...
to Peebles
Peebles
Peebles is a burgh in the committee area of Tweeddale, in the Scottish Borders, lying on the River Tweed. According to the 2001 Census, the population was 8,159.-History:...
branch line of the Caledonian Railway
Caledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
over Lyne Water
Lyne Water
The Lyne Water is a tributary of the River Tweed which rises in the Pentland Hills of southern Scotland at Baddinsgill Reservoir. It runs through West Linton and Romannobridge, passes Flemington and Lyne Station and enters the Tweed west of Peebles. It floods regularly in winter and occasionally in...
to the west of Peebles. Now closed to rail traffic the bridge is used as a footpath.
History
The Symington, Biggar and Broughton RailwaySymington, Biggar and Broughton Railway
The Symington, Biggar and Broughton Railway Company was a railway in southern Scotland. It was later absorbed by the Caledonian Railway, and is now closed...
's extension to Peebles was authorised on 3 July 1860 but by the time construction was complete in 1863 the company had been absorbed by the much larger Caledonian Railway. The bridge is smaller but of similar design to the nearby Neidpath Viaduct and it often confused with it. Located just to the north of the River Tweed
River Tweed
The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is long and flows primarily through the Borders region of Great Britain. It rises on Tweedsmuir at Tweed's Well near where the Clyde, draining northwest, and the Annan draining south also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" as the Border saying...
, it was built to carry the Symington to Peebles branch line obliquely at a height of 24 feet (7.3 m) over Lyne Water, close to its confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
with the Tweed and consists of three sandstone skew arches each of 25 feet (7.6 m) span and laid with helicoid courses, and a plate girder approach span of 20 feet (6.1 m) to the west. The total length of the structure is 133 feet (40.5 m). From the slender piers pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s extend to parapet level and the parapet is capped by cast-iron railings. On 1 January 1923 ownership of the viaduct, along with the rest of the Caledonian Railway, passed to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
and thence to the Scottish region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. The line lost its regular passenger traffic on 5 June 1950 and closed completely on 7 June 1954 but the bridge remains in use as a footpath.
See also
- LyneLyne, Scottish BordersLyne is a small village and civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, west of the market town of Peebles; it lies off the A72, in the old county of Peeblesshire and has an area of about ....
- Lyne KirkLyne KirkLyne Kirk is an ancient and historic church of the Church of Scotland. It is situated on top of a mound adjacent to the A92 trunk route 4.5 miles west of Peebles in the ancient county of Peeblesshire, now in the Scottish Borders area, and governed by the Scottish Borders Council.-Pre...
- Lyne railway station
- Lyne WaterLyne WaterThe Lyne Water is a tributary of the River Tweed which rises in the Pentland Hills of southern Scotland at Baddinsgill Reservoir. It runs through West Linton and Romannobridge, passes Flemington and Lyne Station and enters the Tweed west of Peebles. It floods regularly in winter and occasionally in...
- List of places in the Scottish Borders
- List of places in East Lothian