Kent Viaduct
| Kent Viaduct | |
| Lancashire, Westmorland | |
|---|---|
_Viaduct_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1470487.jpg) The Kent Viaduct | |
| Location | |
| Type: | Railway viaduct |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SD455791 |
| Location: | 54°12’19"N, 2°50’13"W |
| Structure | |
| Length: | 552 yards |
| Type: | Railway viaduct |
| History | |
| Built 1857 | |
| Information | |
The Kent Viaduct, also known as the Arnside Viaduct is a long railway viaduct, carrying the line over the estuary of the River Kent on to link the two parts of Lancashire, north and south of the sands. It crosses between the Westmorland shore on its east to the Cartmel Peninsula of Lancashire on its west, stretching 552 yards – almost a third of a mile – with 50 piers.
The viaduct was built in 1857 at a cost of cost £15,056, with substantial replacement work in 1915. It is one of a pair on the line, joining the main body of Lancashire to Cartmel across the Kent Sands: the line continues across Cartmel to overleap the Level Estuary on the Leven Viaduct to reach the Furness peninsula. The two viaducts are of the same design an almost the same length; the Kent Viaduct being the longer by 27 yards.
Structure
The Kent Viaduct's 51 spans are each 30 feet apart centre to centre. The supporting columns are each 10 inches in diameter, founded on tubular cast iron piles with large discs at their bases. The tracks were set at a height of 26 feet above water level.
Initially, there was a single railway track. The doubling of the track in 1863 meant the widening of the viaduct, with the addition of additional columns.
Both the Kent and the Leven Viaducts were built with telescopic opening spans 36 feet wide, which have since been replaced. By 1915, the cast iron columns had deteriorated to such an extent that it was decided to encase them in brickwork and concrete, which was done to both viaducts.
Miscellany
In the earlier twenty-first century it was discovered that walkers had taken to holding Christmas and Boxing Day walks along the viaduct, when passenger trains do not run on the line, which had been growing in popularity. In 2011 there was a crack-down.[1][2]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Kent Viaduct) |
References
- ↑ Arnside Viaduct walkers could face £1,000 fine' – BBC News 24 December 2011
- ↑ 'Viaduct tradition stopped' – North West Evening Mail, 23 December 2011