50-559: Penponds Viaduct is a railway viaduct which carries the Cornish Main Line west of Camborne in Cornwall , England. It crosses over a small valley containing the southern arm of the Red River, and a minor road known as Viaduct Lane. The Hayle Railway opened the railway through this site in 1837 to link Hayle and Redruth . To overcome a significant change in elevation an inclined plane
100-461: A cross brace . It was demolished after the line was diverted to a more inland alignment on 19 May 1908. Milepost 255.0, 1-mile (1.6 km) east of St Germans . ( 50°23′26″N 4°16′59″W / 50.390682°N 4.283037°W / 50.390682; -4.283037 ( Grove ) ) A Class E viaduct 29 feet (8.8 m) high and 114 feet (35 m) long on two dwarf piers. The fans consisted of two raking struts on either side of
150-421: A cross-girder on which it was intended to rest it the staging suddenly collapsed and 12 of the gang fell into the valley beneath. P. C. Ball said he had examined the spar which gave way. It was 22ft. long and 8in. by 6in. in size, but pieces had been cut out of it. At one place there was an indentation 9in. by 4in. wide. At another place 2ft. away was another cut 30in. long and 2in. or 3in. wide. Another indentation
200-442: A fan viaduct. Instead it was a timber truss on 16 timber trestles, creating a viaduct 106 feet (32 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
250-470: A railway line between Plymouth and Truro in the United Kingdom, opening in 1859, and extended it to Falmouth in 1863. The topography of Cornwall is such that the route, which is generally east–west, cuts across numerous deep river valleys that generally run north–south. At the time of construction of the line, money was in short supply due to the collapse in confidence following the railway mania , and
300-645: Is built of brick arches on stone piers. This article about a building or structure in Cornwall is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a bridge in the United Kingdom is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Cornish Main Line The Cornish Main Line is a railway line in Cornwall and Devon in the United Kingdom . It runs from Penzance to Plymouth , crossing from Cornwall into Devon over
350-1016: Is on two viaducts near Liskeard, another is between St. Budeaux Ferry Road and Saltash over the Royal Albert Bridge, and the final section is on the approach to Penzance, alongside Long Rock depot. The number of passengers travelling on the Cornish Main Line has increased in the last few years. Between 2004/05 and 2011/12, with the exception of Keyham and Menheniot, all stations have reported an increase of at least 33% while Hayle, Par, Saltash and St Budeaux Ferry road all reported calculated to be in excess of 200%. The busiest stations are Plymouth, Penzance and Truro which all handle more than one million people arriving or departing each year. St Austell, Redruth and Liskeard all had more than 300,000 people in 2011-12, increases of around 50% or 60% over 2004/05. Cornwall Railway viaducts Download coordinates as: The Cornwall Railway company constructed
400-568: The Eden Project ; and from Redruth to Helston and RNAS Culdrose . The route has a large number of viaducts, but the most significant structure is the Royal Albert Bridge which crosses the River Tamar at Saltash . At Truro, the viaducts give sweeping views of the city and River Fal ; further west, the north coast can be seen near Hayle before the line swings onto the south coast for
450-779: The Great Western Railway , and the new owners converted the West Cornwall line to broad gauge. Through goods trains started running in 1866 and passenger trains in 1867. The Associated Companies merged into the Great Western Railway, and in 1892 the Great Western converted all its broad gauge track to standard gauge, a process called the gauge conversion . Both the West Cornwall and the Cornwall railways had been built cheaply and had numerous timber trestle viaducts; these were cheap to build but very expensive to maintain, as
500-430: The Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash . It directly serves Truro , St Austell , Bodmin (by a Parkway station ) and Liskeard . It forms the backbone for rail services in Cornwall and there are branches off it which serve St Ives , Falmouth , Newquay and Looe . The main line also carries direct trains to and from London , Birmingham , Cardiff , Newcastle and Edinburgh . It is the southernmost railway line in
550-510: The Cornwall Railway engineer from 1868 to 1891, classified them as classes A to E. 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 . After World War I it became difficult to obtain
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#1733084621158600-571: The Tamar en route to serve Calstock and Gunnislake in Cornwall. During the summer, the Newquay branch is also served by intercity trains to London, the North of England and Scotland. A further branch from Lostwithiel still carries local china clay trains to Fowey docks, while there are more china clay lines from Burngullow, west of St Austell, and as spurs from the Newquay and Looe branches. The historical development of
650-609: The Traffic Superintendent, and Mr Brereton, Brunel's Chief Engineer, were all unable to account for the derailment, and the jury verdict was accidental death . Milepost 255.25, across the River Lynher 0.75 miles (1.2 km) east of St Germans . ( 50°23′34″N 4°17′24″W / 50.392816°N 4.290075°W / 50.392816; -4.290075 ( Nottar ) ) A Class C viaduct 67 feet (20 m) high and 921 feet (281 m) long on 27 trestles. It
700-771: The United Kingdom and the westernmost in England. The Cornish Main Line was originally built by two separate railway companies, the West Cornwall Railway between Truro and Penzance, opened in 1852, and the Cornwall Railway between Plymouth and a separate station in Truro, opened in 1859. The West Cornwall Railway was itself based on the Hayle Railway , opened in 1837 as a purely local mineral railway. Rail travel from Penzance to London
750-487: The company sought ways of reducing expenditure. On the advice of the Victorian railway engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel , they constructed the river crossings in the form of wooden viaducts, 42 in total, consisting of timber deck spans supported by fans of timber bracing built on masonry piers. This unusual method of construction substantially reduced the first cost of construction compared to an all-masonry structure, but at
800-440: The construction under the supervision of R P Brereton . It was built as a single-track 7 ft ( 2,134 mm ) broad gauge line. The 70 miles (110 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 Lostwithiel where timber could arrive on barges to be preserved and cut to size. The offcuts from
850-416: 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. The Cornwall Railway linked Plymouth with Falmouth . The section from Plymouth to Truro was opened on 4 May 1859, and the remainder to Falmouth on 24 August 1863. Although the line had been designed by Brunel, this was after his death and
900-452: The ganger Pearse in selecting defective timber for constructing the platform. They also found that Blewett and Pearse feloniously caused the death of the men. Milepost 262.5, 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Menheniot. ( 50°25′52″N 4°25′38″W / 50.431076°N 4.427276°W / 50.431076; -4.427276 ( Trevido ) ) A Class A viaduct 101 feet (31 m) high and 486 feet (148 m) long on 7 piers. It
950-432: The last mile or so along the beach at Marazion , giving a good view of St Michael's Mount . Nominal line speed is 65 mph (105 km/h), but there are local restrictions at many places. The route is nearly all double track and cleared for trains up to W7 and W6A gauges. The 7.5-mile (12.1 km) section from Burngullow to Probus (between the current stations at St Austell and Truro ) used to be double track, but
1000-483: The later decades of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth, the Great Western Railway was famous for providing transport to holiday destinations in Cornwall, and there were numerous branch lines served from the Cornish main line giving access to the resorts. The physical limitations of the steeply graded line imposed severe problems during the busiest times, not least for goods train operation. Equally famous
1050-817: The line is more fully dealt with at Hayle Railway , West Cornwall Railway , and Cornwall Railway . The Cornwall Main Line has been a very safe railway for passengers, with only a few accidents in the 19th century. These include: The communities served are: Plymouth (including the suburbs of Devonport and St. Budeaux ), Saltash , St Germans , Menheniot , Liskeard , Bodmin , Lostwithiel , Par , St Austell , Truro , Redruth , Camborne , Hayle , St Erth and Penzance . In addition, there are five branch lines with passenger services: The railway stations at St Austell and Penzance are adjacent to bus stations. In addition, integrated bus services operate from Bodmin Parkway to Bodmin , Wadebridge and Padstow ; from St Austell to
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#17330846211581100-410: 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 m) high and 321 feet (98 m) long on 5 dwarf piers. Rebuilt with iron girders on brick piers in 1908. 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 and the Cornwall Railway
1150-529: The main line to Truro were replaced. Most were either rebuilt in situ or by a replacement viaduct built immediately alongside, and in the latter case many of the original piers still remain today. Between Saltash and St Germans, a deviation line was built in 1908, eliminating the wooden viaducts on by-passed section of line. Those on the Falmouth branch were all replaced between 1923 and 1934. The distinctive timber viaducts were constructed using yellow pine which
1200-460: 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 (64 mm) manila ropes. It was possible to work on the viaduct without closing the viaduct to trains, but a temporary 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) speed restriction
1250-407: The rail-bearer. The inquest statements throw an interesting light on the working methods of the day: Samuel Stephens, railway labourer, Liskeard, said he had been employed on Coldrenick-viaduct since the summer. The scaffolding which fell had been erected some weeks. At the time of the accident there were 13 men actually bearing on the platform which collapsed. There were about 17 men taking part in
1300-489: 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. At the inquest held on 10 May 1859, the Permanent Way Inspector,
1350-399: The reconstruction while a gang of 17 workmen were working below the viaduct superstructure on a platform that collapsed, throwing 12 of the men 140 feet (43 m) to their deaths. They were working in the seventh span; cross-girders had been installed and they were positioning a longitudinal wrought iron rail-bearer, moving it by hand with one end supported on the viaduct pier. The rail-bearer
1400-404: The timber decayed, and the iconic viaducts were eventually all reconstructed in masonry or masonry and wrought iron, or in a few cases by-passed. Those on the Cornwall Railway section are described at Cornwall Railway viaducts . The most iconic structure on the route, however, is the Royal Albert Bridge spanning the River Tamar and opened in 1859; it remains in use to the present day. During
1450-441: The timber, the work being completed on 23 January 1898. The piers were further strengthened in 1933 by encasing them in stone. The Times newspaper reported that it "is stated to be 134ft. high and is the highest of the whole series of bridges by which the [Cornwall] railway is carried". Note: the original typography is maintained in the above quotation and in the quotations below. An accident occurred on 9 February 1897 during
1500-402: 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 had warned that this meant more expensive maintenance—running to £10,000 annually. Replacement of the viaducts started in 1875 but led to a dispute in 1884 between the Cornwall Railway and the Great Western Railway which
1550-434: 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
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1600-474: 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. Milepost 261.0, 0.75 miles (1.2 km) east of Menheniot . ( 50°25′22″N 4°23′32″W / 50.422738°N 4.392149°W / 50.422738; -4.392149 ( Tresulgan ) ) A Class A viaduct 93 feet (28 m) high and 525 feet (160 m) long on 8 piers. It
1650-401: The work of removing the girder. As the girder was pushed forward more men came to the front bearing on the span which collapsed. When the men in front had the girder on their shoulders the weight on the platform would be increased. He and 12 other men were carrying the girder on their shoulders, one end being supported by the pier of the viaduct. Just as the other end of the girder was approaching
1700-410: Was 20 feet long. The "platform" they were working on, spanning that gap, was supported by a second-hand timber beam formerly used as a main structural member in one of the other spans; it had several notches cut out (for its former use) and there was decay at the slenderest point. The supervising engineer said a chain should have been used to support the centre, to take part of the load of the men and
1750-411: Was 48in. long. The break was in about the centre of the cut. The beam was reduced here to 5½in. thick, and just at this point there was a flaw in the span, the wood being decayed. The jury after a long consultation found that the death of the 12 men was due to the fall of the platform that negligence was shown by the foreman Blewett in not causing chains to be used in constructing the platform, and also by
1800-404: Was built to the east of the present viaduct. When the West Cornwall Railway took over the route, it built a timber trestle viaduct as part of a more gently-graded route which by-passed the inclined plane. The present-day viaduct was built by the Great Western Railway in 1888 as part of a programme to replace the timber viaducts on the line and prepare the single-track route for double track. It
1850-426: Was demolished after the line was diverted to a more inland alignment on 19 May 1908. Milepost 253.5, 2.25 miles (3.6 km) west of Saltash. ( 50°23′27″N 4°14′51″W / 50.390736°N 4.247503°W / 50.390736; -4.247503 ( Wivelscombe ) ) A Class C viaduct 25 feet (7.6 m) high and 198 feet (60 m) long on 4 trestles consisting solely of two uprights each plus
1900-509: Was demolished after the line was diverted to a more inland alignment on 19 May 1908. Milepost 256.0, across the River Tiddy 0.25-mile (0.4 km) east of St Germans. ( 50°23′35″N 4°18′08″W / 50.393192°N 4.302349°W / 50.393192; -4.302349 ( St Germans ) ) This timber viaduct was not included in Margary's classification system as it was not
1950-520: 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. Milepost 247.25 on original Millbay to Devonport line between Five Fields Lane (now North Road West) and Stuart Road, 1-mile (1.6 km) south of Devonport station. ( 50°22′37″N 4°09′00″W / 50.376835°N 4.150043°W / 50.376835; -4.150043 ( Stonehouse Pool ) ) The only double track viaduct on
2000-407: Was leasing the line. The lease precluded the conversion of the line to 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) standard 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 on
2050-655: Was opened, built on a 131-yard (120 m) viaduct alongside the Stonehouse Pool Viaduct. Millbay station and its connecting lines (on which Stonehouse Pool Viaduct was located) were closed in 1964; the girders have since been removed and a steel work of art has been erected in its place. Milepost 248.75, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) north of Devonport. ( 50°23′10″N 4°10′40″W / 50.386003°N 4.177809°W / 50.386003; -4.177809 ( Keyham ) ) A Class A viaduct 90 feet (27 m) high and 432 feet (132 m) long on 6 piers. It
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2100-516: Was possible from 1860 when the West Cornwall company was given access to the Cornwall Railway’s Truro station, but the West Cornwall trains were standard gauge and the Cornwall Railway was broad gauge, so through passengers had to change trains there and goods had to be transhipped into wagons of the other gauge at Truro. The impecunious West Cornwall company sold its railway to the more powerful broad gauge Associated Companies, dominated by
2150-460: Was preserved by Kyanising (using chloride of mercury ), or sometimes by Burnettising (using chloride of zinc , a process patented by William Burnett ) in the workshops at Lostwithiel. The various timbers were seated in cast iron chairs, and wrought iron was used for parts of the bridge which would be in tension, such as tie rods between spans. Five distinct types of viaduct were built to suit local conditions at each site. Peter John Margary,
2200-474: Was rebuilt using iron girders in 1900 which were again replaced with steel in 1937. Milepost 249.5, 1.25 miles (2.0 km) north of Devonport, above Weston Mill Creek. Keyham station was opened at the southern end in 1900. ( 50°23′43″N 4°10′57″W / 50.395372°N 4.182511°W / 50.395372; -4.182511 ( Weston Mill ) ) A Class C viaduct 46 feet (14 m) high and 1,200 feet (370 m) long on 29 trestles. It
2250-633: 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. Milepost 264.0, 0.75 miles (1.2 km) east of Liskeard . ( 50°26′23″N 4°27′11″W / 50.439646°N 4.453046°W / 50.439646; -4.453046 ( Cartuther ) ) A Class A viaduct 89 feet (27 m) high and 411 feet (125 m) long on 6 piers. It
2300-408: Was replaced by a new stone viaduct on 26 March 1899. Milepost 261.5, immediately east of Menheniot station. ( 50°25′31″N 4°24′22″W / 50.425239°N 4.406118°W / 50.425239; -4.406118 ( Coldrennick ) ) A Class A viaduct 138 feet (42 m) high and 795 feet (242 m) long on 16 piers. The piers were raised in brick and new iron girders replaced
2350-793: Was replaced by a steel structure in 1903. Milepost 252, immediately east of Saltash station. ( 50°24′27″N 4°12′12″W / 50.407575°N 4.203389°W / 50.407575; -4.203389 ( Royal Albert Bridge ) ) This was the largest metal bridge on the route when it opened. A 2,187-foot-6-inch (666.75 m) wrought iron bridge (including two main spans of 455 feet (139 m)); it stands 100 feet (30 m) clear of high water. Milepost 251.5, 0.25-mile (0.4 km) west of Saltash station. ( 50°24′16″N 4°12′42″W / 50.404562°N 4.211637°W / 50.404562; -4.211637 ( Coombe by Saltash ) ) A Class D viaduct 86 feet (26 m) high and 603 feet (184 m) long on 9 trestles. It
2400-606: 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. Milepost 252.25, 1.25 miles (2.0 km) west of Saltash. ( 50°23′42″N 4°13′52″W / 50.395087°N 4.231024°W / 50.395087; -4.231024 ( Forder ) ) A Class C viaduct 67 feet (20 m) high and 606 feet (185 m) long on 16 trestles. It
2450-538: Was singled in 1985 due to subsidence from closed mines. It became a major cause of delays in the region, requiring trains to wait for preceding trains to clear the singled section before proceeding. The second track was restored in August 2004. The total cost of the project was £14.3 million and was funded by Objective One , Strategic Rail Authority and Cornwall County Council. There are three remaining sections of single line, all of them 2 km or less. One of these sections
2500-695: Was the line’s use for transporting vegetable produce from Cornwall, famously broccoli and cauliflower, and cut flowers from the Isles of Scilly . To cope with the increasing traffic the line was gradually doubled between 1893 and 1930. Many branch lines were closed during the second half of the twentieth century, but in Cornwall the Looe, Newquay, Falmouth Docks and St Ives branches remain open to passengers, with service frequencies on all of them having been increased in recent times. A fifth branch starts at Plymouth in Devon but crosses
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