The Dalguise Viaduct is a

lattice girder A lattice girder is a truss girder where the load is carried by a web of latticed metal. Overview The lattice girder was used prior to the development of larger rolled steel plates. It has been supplanted in modern construction with welded ...

viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide ...

Dalguise Dalguise (Scottish Gaelic Dàil Ghiuthais) is a settlement in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is situated on the western side of the River Tay on the B898 road, north of Dunkeld. Located there is Dalguise House, a place where, from the age of f ...

Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. It is bordered by Highland (council area), Highland and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus, Scotland, Angus, Dundee, and F ...

, Scotland. It carries the

Highland Main Line The Highland Main Line is a railway line in Scotland. It is long and runs through the central Scottish Highlands, mainly following the route of the A9 road (Scotland), A9, and linking a series of small towns and villages with Perth, Scotland, ...

railway across the

River Tay The River Tay (, ; probably from the conjectured Brythonic ''Tausa'', possibly meaning 'silent one' or 'strong one' or, simply, 'flowing' David Ross, ''Scottish Place-names'', p. 209. Birlinn Ltd., Edinburgh, 2001.) is the longest river in Sc ...

. Built in 1863, it was designed by Joseph Mitchell, for the then-new

Inverness and Perth Junction Railway The Inverness and Perth Junction Railway (I&PJR) was a railway company that built a line providing a more direct route between Inverness and the south for passengers and goods. Up to the time of its opening, the only route was a circuitous way th ...

. A

Category A listed Category, plural categories, may refer to: General uses *Classification, the general act of allocating things to classes/categories Philosophy * Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) * Category (Kant) * Categories (Peirce) * Category ( ...

structure,DALGUISE RAILWAY VIADUCT OVER R. TAY
–

Historic Environment Scotland Historic Environment Scotland (HES) () is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the merger of government agency Historic Sc ...

, accessed 5 April 2025. it stands about north of the now-disused Dalguise railway station, and about north of

Dunkeld Dunkeld (, , from , "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to the geological Highland Boundar ...

. The viaduct has two spans; the southern one being , the northern . The girders are high, and above the bed of the river. The

ironwork Ironwork is any weapon, artwork, utensil, or architectural feature made of iron, especially one used for decoration. There are two main types of ironwork: wrought iron and cast iron. While the use of iron dates as far back as 4000 BC, it was th ...

was supplied by Sir

William Fairbairn & Sons William Fairbairn and Sons, was an engineering works in Manchester, England. History William Fairbairn opened an iron foundry in 1816 and was joined the following year by a Mr. Lillie, and the firm became known as Fairbairn and Lillie Engine M ...

, of

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. The abutments and central piers are stone, with ornamental castellations on top, to appease the

Duke of Atholl Duke of Atholl, named after Atholl in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland held by the head of Clan Murray. It was created by Queen Anne in 1703 for John Murray, 2nd Marquess of Atholl, with a special remainder to the heir male ...

. The lattice girder design was a development of the American timber trusses patented by

Ithiel Town Ithiel Town (October 3, 1784 – June 13, 1844) was an American architect and civil engineer. One of the first generation of professional architects in the United States, Town made significant contributions to American architecture in the f ...

in 1820, but constructed using

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.05%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4.5%), or 0.25 for low carbon "mild" steel. Wrought iron is manufactured by heating and melting high carbon cast iron in an ...

. More recently, additional diagonal bracing has been added to the top chords of the trusses, to improve lateral stability. Similar viaducts were built by Fairbairn at

Blair Atholl Blair Atholl (from the Scottish Gaelic: ''Blàr Athall'', originally ''Blàr Ath Fhodla'') is a village in Perthshire, Scotland, built about the confluence of the Rivers Tilt and Garry in one of the few areas of flat land in the midst of the G ...

carrying the Highland Main Line over the River Tilt, and at

Logierait Logierait () is a village and parish in Atholl, Scotland. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Tay and Tummel, west of the A9 road in Perth and Kinross. Its name originates from Gaelic , meaning the little hollow of the earth-walled ...

over the Tay, now used as a local access road. The bridge was listed in October 1971, and was upgraded in 1989. Significant flooding of the River Tay caused damage to the railway embankment in 1868 and 1992. There was also flood damage at Dalguise in January 1993. The line was closed due to high water levels in December 2015. During

Storm Isha A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm) ...

in January 2024, the viaduct was again closed as river levels breached safety limits, with the Network Rail Scotland watchperson having to abandon the site. The Dalguisie viaduct would have been familiar to author

Beatrix Potter Helen Beatrix Heelis (; 28 July 186622 December 1943), usually known as Beatrix Potter ( ), was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as '' ...

, as her father rented Dalguise House between May and September of 1871 to 1881.

References

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External links

Dalguise Viaduct
– RailScot Bridges in Perth and Kinross Bridges completed in 1863 Viaducts in Scotland Steel bridges in the United Kingdom Railway bridges in Scotland Category A listed buildings in Perth and Kinross Listed bridges in Scotland

See also

References

External links