The Schmittentobel Viaduct is a single track limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

 railway

Rail transport

Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

 viaduct

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...

. It is situated near Schmitten

Schmitten, Graubünden

Schmitten is a municipality in the district of Albula in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.-Geography:Schmitten has an area, , of . Of this area, 25.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 57.1% is forested...

, in the Canton

Cantons of Switzerland

The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...

 of Graubünden

Graubünden

Graubünden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein...

, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

.

The viaduct was opened in 1903 by the Rhaetian Railway, which still owns and uses it today.

An important element of the World Heritage-listed Albula Railway

Albula Railway

In 1890, the Davos hotelier Willem-Jan Holsboer proposed the construction of a rail link from Chur via Davos, and through a tunnel under the Scaletta Pass, to St Moritz, and then onwards via the Maloja Pass, to Chiavenna in Italy. Holsboer later had to abandon this planned Scalettabahn, in favour...

, the viaduct is 35 metres (114.8 ft) high, 137 metres (449.5 ft) long, and has seven spans, each 15 metres (49.2 ft) in length.

Location

The Schmittentobel Viaduct forms part of the Albula Railway section between Tiefencastel

Tiefencastel (Rhaetian Railway station)

Tiefencastel is a railway station in Tiefencastel, Switzerland. It is located on the Albula Railway line from Chur to St. Moritz. Hourly services operate on this section of the line.-Rhaetian Railway services:*RE1/R11 - 1tph...

 and Filisur

Filisur (Rhaetian Railway station)

Filisur is a railway station in Filisur, Switzerland. It is located on the Albula Railway line from Chur to St. Moritz. Hourly services operate on this section of the line...

. It is situated approximately 63 kilometres (39.1 mi) from Thusis

Thusis (Rhaetian Railway station)

Thusis is a railway station in Thusis, Switzerland. It is the terminus of the Landquart-Thusis railway line. Hourly services originating from Chur on that line also continue along the Albula Railway line to St. Moritz.-Rhaetian Railway services:...

.

Within sight of the Schmittentobel Viaduct, a little further along the line towards Filisur, is the much better known Landwasser Viaduct

Landwasser Viaduct

The Landwasser Viaduct is a single track six-arched curved limestone railway viaduct. It spans the Landwasser River between Schmitten and Filisur, in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland....

, which is one of the signature structures of the Albula Railway, and indeed the whole Rhaetian Railway.

Technical data

The Schmittentobel Viaduct is 35 metres (114.8 ft) high, 137 metres (449.5 ft) long, and has no main span. Each of its seven equal spans is 15 metres (49.2 ft) in length.

See also

• Glacier Express
  Glacier Express
  The Glacier Express is an express train connecting railway stations of the two major mountain resorts of St. Moritz and Zermatt in the Swiss Alps. The train is operated jointly by the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn and Rhaetian Railway...
  
  
• Bernina Express
  Bernina Express
  The Bernina Express is an express train connecting Chur in Switzerland with Poschiavo and Tirano in Italy, by crossing the Swiss Alps from north to south. For most of its journey, the train also passes along and through the World Heritage Site known as the Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina...
  
  
• Arch bridge
  Arch bridge
  An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side...
  
  
• Viaduct
  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...
  
  
• Landwasser Viaduct
  Landwasser Viaduct
  The Landwasser Viaduct is a single track six-arched curved limestone railway viaduct. It spans the Landwasser River between Schmitten and Filisur, in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland....
  
  
• Filisur (Rhaetian Railway station)
  Filisur (Rhaetian Railway station)
  Filisur is a railway station in Filisur, Switzerland. It is located on the Albula Railway line from Chur to St. Moritz. Hourly services operate on this section of the line...
  
  
• Albula Railway
  Albula Railway
  In 1890, the Davos hotelier Willem-Jan Holsboer proposed the construction of a rail link from Chur via Davos, and through a tunnel under the Scaletta Pass, to St Moritz, and then onwards via the Maloja Pass, to Chiavenna in Italy. Holsboer later had to abandon this planned Scalettabahn, in favour...
  
  
• Rhaetian Railway