59-602: The Woodroad Viaduct , also known as Bank Viaduct or Templand Viaduct , is a viaduct carrying the Glasgow South Western Line over the Lugar Water at Cumnock in East Ayrshire, Scotland , United Kingdom . Since April 1971, it has been recognised as being a category A listed building . The Woodroad Viaduct, which comprises 14 semi-circular arches, was designed by the civil engineer John Miller and built by
118-548: A crossing loop at Lugton) and Annan and Gretna (controlled from Carlisle) were singled. Re-doubling of the Annan to Gretna section was completed in August 2008, controlled from Dumfries Station signal box. In early 2009, work commenced to re-double the line between Lugton and Stewarton based on the 2008 plans published by Network Rail. Completed in September 2009, this allows ScotRail to run
177-430: A room and pillar technique . As these workings posed a clear threat to the stability of any major structure built around them, preliminary work was undertaken to locate these cavities, after which they would be cleared of loose debris and firmly packed using dry stone . This activity proved sufficient as the viaduct's piers have not suffered from settlement . Following the completion of this ground work, construction of
236-522: A base of double-wall construction or larger boulders with single-wall construction above. They appear to be rickety, with many holes, which deters livestock (and people) from attempting to cross them. These dykes are principally found in locations with exceptionally high winds, where a solid wall might be at risk of being unsettled by the buffeting. The porous nature of the wall significantly reduces wind force but takes greater skill to construct. They are also found in grazing areas where they are used to maximize
295-516: A branch to East Kilbride . The line was built by several railway companies during the 19th century: The Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway and the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway amalgamated to form the Glasgow and South Western Railway in 1850. The Glasgow, Barrhead and Neilston Direct Railway and Glasgow and Kilmarnock Joint Railway were amalgamated to form the Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway jointly operated by
354-479: A commemorative plaque to mark the passing of 160 years since the construction of the viaduct. 55°27′31″N 4°15′25″W / 55.4587°N 4.2569°W / 55.4587; -4.2569 Glasgow South Western Line The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock , and then either Carlisle via Dumfries , or Stranraer via Ayr , with
413-414: A great many are still in use and maintained. New ones are often built in gardens and nature conservation areas. Dry stone retaining structures continue to be a subject of research. In northeastern Somalia , on the coastal plain 20 km (12 mi) to Aluula 's east are found ruins of an ancient monument in a platform style. The structure is formed by a rectangular dry stone wall that is low in height;
472-473: A half-hourly service between Glasgow and Kilmarnock. In December 2023, electrification of the first section of the line between Glasgow Central and Barrhead was completed (services started on 11 December 2023 using Class 380 electric trains ). Further work is currently underway to re-double and electrify the branch line from Thornliebank to East Kilbride. With the exception of the electrified section between Glasgow Central and Barrhead, all other services on
531-432: A roughly 2 hourly service for most of the day, There is 2 trains per hour between Glasgow and East Kilbride 7 days a week with extra trains during peak times. There is also a regular hourly service between Ayr and Girvan with 8 trains per day extending south to Stranraer with a 2 hourly service to/from Kilmarnock, On Sundays, 5 trains per day operate from Ayr to Stranraer however there is no service to/from Kilmarnock. Before
590-446: A span of 15.24 metres, was estimated to have exceeded 1,000 tonnes, which exerting a pressure upon the structure's foundations of 68.4 tonnes per square metre. Overall, the viaduct contained 14,150 cubic metres of masonry, which weighed 34,040 tonnes. It was constructed at a reported cost of roughly £30,000, of which the centring alone cost around £4,500. The viaduct was completed during 1850. It has been claimed that Miller came to regard
649-405: A thickness of 610mm (one twenty-fifth of the span), resulting in a calculated horizontal pressure present upon the arch's keystone of roughly 254 tonnes. In line with the practice of famed bridge-builder and civil engineer Thomas Telford , the viaduct features hollow piers and spandrels, which has the benefit of reducing the weight bearing on the structure's foundations. The piers located between
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#1732869893501708-487: A thickness of 7 metres. During its design process, the structure had to effectively account for several important local factors. In terms of its footing, the ground was less than ideal due to the presence of not only the Lugar Water but also of considerable mining activities. Specifically, as a result of the area having been rich in both limestone and coal , it had been worked for some time by various locals, commonly using
767-444: A type of single wall in which the wall consists primarily of large boulders, around which smaller stones are placed. Single walls work best with large, flatter stones. Ideally, the largest stones are being placed at the bottom and the whole wall tapers toward the top. Sometimes a row of capstones completes the top of a wall, with the long rectangular side of each capstone perpendicular to the wall alignment. Galloway dykes consist of
826-405: Is almost always used. One type of wall is called a "double" wall and is constructed by placing two rows of stones along the boundary to be walled. The foundation stones are ideally set into the ground so as to rest firmly on the subsoil . The rows are composed of large flattish stones, diminishing in size as the wall rises. Smaller stones may be used as chocks in areas where the natural stone shape
885-522: Is more rounded. The walls are built up to the desired height layer-by-layer ( course by course ) and, at intervals, large tie-stones or through stones are placed which span both faces of the wall and sometimes project. These have the effect of bonding what would otherwise be two thin walls leaning against each other, greatly increasing the strength of the wall. Diminishing the width of the wall as it gets higher, as traditionally done in Britain, also strengthens
944-530: Is offset by their sturdiness and consequent long, low-maintenance lifetimes. As a result of the increasing appreciation of the landscape and heritage value of dry stone walls, wallers remain in demand, as do the walls themselves. A nationally recognised certification scheme is operated in the UK by the Dry Stone Walling Association, with four grades from Initial to Master Craftsman. Notable examples include
1003-739: The Ayrshire Coast Line . There are also a number of through services between Glasgow & Stranraer that run direct via Paisley & Kilwinning (others run via Kilmarnock, as do certain trains to/from Girvan ). From the December 2015 timetable change, new Scotrail franchisee Abellio changed the schedule on the Stranraer line—the service frequency to/from Ayr has increased from six trains each way to eight on weekdays (and from three to five on Sundays), but there are now no longer any direct trains to Glasgow via Paisley—all services now run via Kilmarnock. In
1062-587: The Chambered cairn of Scotland . The cyclopean walls of the acropolis of Mycenae , Greece, have been dated to 1350 BC and those of Tiryns slightly earlier. Similar example is Daorson , in Bosnia , built around a prehistoric central fortified settlement or acropolis (existed there c. 17–16th C. BCE to the end of the Bronze Age , c. 9–8th C. BCE), and surrounded by cyclopean walls (similar to Mycenae ) dated to
1121-622: The Liburnian era. Notable examples include the island of Baljenac, which has 23 kilometres (14 mi) of dry stone walls despite being only 14 hectares (35 acres) in area, and the vineyards of Primošten . In Peru in the 15th century AD, the Inca made use of otherwise unusable slopes by building dry stone walls to create terraces . They also employed this mode of construction for freestanding walls. Their ashlar type construction in Machu Picchu uses
1180-748: The Mourne Wall , a 22-mile (35 km) wall in the Mourne Mountains in County Down , Northern Ireland , and the wall around the Ottenby nature reserve, built by Charles X Gustav in the mid-17th century in Öland , Sweden. While the dry stone technique is most commonly used for the construction of double-wall stone walls and single-wall retaining terracing, dry stone sculptures, buildings, fortifications, bridges, and other structures also exist. Traditional turf-roofed Highland blackhouses were constructed using
1239-548: The P&;O Ferries service to Larne Harbour . Dry stone Dry stone , sometimes called drystack or, in Scotland, drystane , is a building method by which structures are constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. A certain amount of binding is obtained through the use of carefully selected interlocking stones. Dry stone construction is best known in the context of stone walls , traditionally used for
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#17328698935011298-590: The United States they are common in areas with rocky soils, such as New England , New York , New Jersey , and Pennsylvania . They are a notable characteristic of the bluegrass region of central Kentucky , the Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri , as well as Virginia , where they are usually referred to as rock fences or stone fences , and the Napa Valley in north central California . The technique of construction
1357-415: The 1970s, most of the intermediate stations between Kilmarnock and Carlisle were closed, leaving only Kirkconnel , Dumfries and Annan . Since then, the stations at New Cumnock , Auchinleck , Sanquhar and Gretna Green have been reopened. There have been several studies recently as to the possibility of reopening Thornhill station , roughly halfway between Dumfries and Sanquhar . As of 2020,
1416-830: The 4th C. BCE. In Belize , the Mayan ruins at Lubaantun illustrate use of dry stone construction in architecture of the 8th and 9th centuries AD. Great Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe , Africa, is an acropolis-like large city complex constructed in dry stone from the 11th to the 15th centuries AD. It is the largest of structures of similar construction throughout the area. Terminology varies regionally. When used as field boundaries, dry stone structures are more commonly known as dykes in Scotland , where professional dry stone wall builders are referred to as 'dykers'. Dry stone walls are characteristic of upland areas of Britain and Ireland where rock outcrops naturally or large stones exist in quantity in
1475-800: The Glasgow and South Western Railway and Caledonian Railway . The lines forming the East Kilbride branch were operated by the Caledonian Railway. Until 1923 the line via Dumfries was in competition with the North British Railway and Caledonian Railway as one of the mainlines into Scotland . With the passing of the Railways Act 1921 ( Grouping Act ) the line became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). In 1948, with nationalisation
1534-573: The May 2022 timetable change, there were some services that continued past Carlisle, continuing to Newcastle along the Tyne Valley Line . The service from Stranraer to Newcastle was withdrawn in 2009. Scotrail service to Newcastle was withdrawn as part of the May 2022 timetable change (therefore leaving Carlisle as the only station in England to be served by Scotrail.) The Glasgow South Western Line links into
1593-518: The Woodroad Viaduct as having been his greatest professional accomplishment. During 2010, the local Woodroad Regeneration Forum and national railway infrastructure company Network Rail embarked upon a joint effort aimed at safeguarding the Woodroad Viaduct and ensuring its long term future. In line with this effort, future work to both restore and upgrade the structure has been planned. On 25 September 2010, Cathy Jamieson , MP and MSP , unveiled
1652-413: The base width. Different regions have made minor modifications to the general method of construction—sometimes because of limitations of building material available, but also to create a look that is distinctive for that area. Whichever method is used to build a dry stone wall, considerable skill is required. Correcting any mistakes invariably means disassembling down to the level of the error. Selection of
1711-509: The boundaries of fields and churchyards , or as retaining walls for terracing, but dry stone shelters, houses and other structures also exist. The term tends not to be used for the many historic styles which used precisely-shaped stone, but did not use mortar, for example the Greek temple and Inca architecture . The art of dry stone walling was inscribed in 2018 on the UNESCO representative list of
1770-424: The classic Inca architectural style of polished dry stone walls of regular shape. The Incas were masters of this technique, in which blocks of stone are cut to fit together tightly without mortar. Many junctions are so perfect that not even a knife fits between the stones. The structures have persisted in the high earthquake region because of the flexibility of the walls, and because in their double wall architecture,
1829-406: The company, in particular the surveying of the route. Millar decided upon the use of a relatively elegant ashlar masonry viaduct for this crossing. As built, the sandstone viaduct has a length of 229 metres and reaches a peak height of 49.2 metres at one point, though the average height of the structure is 28.8 metres. Efforts were made to keep both the deck and the approaches relatively level;
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1888-442: The contractor James McNaughton. Construction was complicated by the presence of several coal workings in the vicinity, as well as the Lugar Water itself. It is largely composed of locally sourced white sandstone . The viaduct was completed during 1850, after which services of the Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) commenced across it. It has been claimed that Miller considered the structure to be his finest work. Today,
1947-501: The coping stones on a final layer of flat stones slightly wider than the top of the wall proper ( coverbands ). In addition to gates, a wall may contain smaller purposely built gaps for the passage or control of wildlife and livestock such as sheep. The smaller holes usually no more than 200 millimetres (8 in) in height are called "Bolt Holes" or "Smoots". Larger ones may be between 450 and 600 mm (18 and 24 in) in height, which are called "Cripple Holes". Boulder walls are
2006-423: The correct stone for every position in the wall makes an enormous difference to the lifetime of the finished product, and a skilled waller will take time making the selection. As with many older crafts, skilled wallers, today, are few in number. With the advent of modern wire fencing, fields can be fenced with much less time and expense using wire than using stone walls; however, the initial expense of building dykes
2065-467: The double-wall dry stone method. When buildings are constructed using this method, the middle of the wall is generally filled with earth or sand in order to eliminate draughts. During the Iron Age, and perhaps earlier, the technique also was used to build fortifications such as the walls of Eketorp Castle ( Öland , Sweden ), Maiden Castle, North Yorkshire , Reeth , Dunlough Castle in southwest Ireland and
2124-517: The ferries at Stranraer via the bus connecting with Cairnryan for the Stena Line ferries to the Port of Belfast and the P&O Ferries to Larne Harbour . The Stena Line ships (previously Sealink) ran from Stranraer Harbour until 2011. A bus connection to Cairnryan is also now provided from Ayr . Onward rail connections are provided by Northern Ireland Railways . The line also connected Troon to
2183-567: The intangible cultural heritage of humanity , for dry stone walls in countries such as France , Greece , Italy , Slovenia , Croatia , Switzerland and Spain . Some dry stone wall constructions in north-west Europe have been dated back to the Neolithic Age. In County Mayo , Ireland, an entire field system made from dry stone walls, since covered in peat, has been carbon-dated to 3800 BC. These are near contemporary with the, dry stone constructed, neolithic village of Skara Brae , and
2242-425: The larger arches have a thickness of 2.1 metres at their tops, complete with a 610mm-wide central void; while the piers of the smaller arches have a thickness of 1.5 metres at the top along with a 300mm void. The smaller arches are deliberately separated from the main ones by 5 metre-thick abutments. The abutments present at either end of the whole structure, where the viaduct connects with the adjacent embankments, have
2301-473: The late 1840s, the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway company embarked on the construction of a southern extension of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway to connect through to the border city of Carlisle . The selected route necessitated the construction of a crossing over the Lugar Water near the town of Cumnock ; the task of designing this structure was assigned to the civil engineer John Miller , who had prior professional involvement in
2360-672: The line are operated using the British Rail Class 156 diesel trains. Trains serve the following stations. In the latter years of British Rail , operations were sectorised. All Scottish operations (excluding the WCML and ECML services), including this line, became part of the Regional Railways operation – being branded as ScotRail . Following privatisation , passenger services upon the line were taken over by ScotRail , (part of National Express ), and are now operated by ScotRail with
2419-575: The line became part of the Scottish Region of British Railways . During the Beeching Axe in the 1960s many of the railway's branch lines were closed, including the direct route between Dumfries and Stranraer, via Galloway on the Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway and Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway , leaving the present Y-shaped railway. The former G&SWR terminus at Glasgow St Enoch
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2478-647: The line has many different service patterns depending on its lines, From Glasgow, There is 2 trains per hour to Kilmarnock(12 of these extend south of Kilmarnock with 11 to Dumfries and 9 of which continue to Carlisle while 1 only goes as far as New Cumnock while 4 (3 on Saturdays) trains per day operate to Stranraer and 1 train per day terminates at Girvan), There is a regular hourly service between Dumfries and Carlisle on Monday to Saturdays, On Sundays, An hourly service operates to Kilmarnock however only 2 trains per day operate south to Dumfries and Carlisle, 5 trains per day also operate between Dumfries and Carlisle on Sundays on
2537-517: The line is much used as both a diversionary route, especially during the recent West Coast Main Line modernisation, and for freight, notably coal from the several open cast coalmines of the Ayrshire Coalfield that adjoin the line. Between Glasgow Central , Gretna Green and Girvan the line is operated by ScotRail . Electric train services are also provided between Glasgow and Troon and Ayr via
2596-444: The mountain river of Vydra) are often lined by dry stone walls built of field-stones removed from the arable or cultural land. They serve both as cattle/sheep fences and the lot's borders. Sometimes also the dry stone terracing is apparent, often combined with parts of stone masonry (house foundations and shed walls) that are held together by a clay and pine needle "composite" mortar . The dry stone walling tradition of Croatia
2655-410: The northern approach has a 1 in 200 gradient, while the southern approach has a less gentle gradient of 1 in 150. It has 14 semi-circular ashlar arches, nine of them having a span of 15.24 metres and the remainder possessing a 9.1 metre span, these smaller arches being placed at the ends of the structure. The thrust pressure line is close to the centre of each arch ring; the rings of the main arches have
2714-486: The rampart of the Long Scar Dyke. Many of the dry-stone walls that exist today in Scotland can be dated to the 14th century or earlier when they were built to divide fields and retain livestock. Some extremely well built examples are found on the lands of Muchalls Castle . Dry stone walls can be built against embankments or even vertical terraces. If they are subjected to lateral earth pressure, they are retaining walls of
2773-632: The soil. They are especially abundant in the West of Ireland, particularly Connemara . They may also be found throughout the Mediterranean , including retaining walls used for terracing. Such constructions are common where large stones are plentiful (for example, in The Burren ) or conditions are too harsh for hedges capable of retaining livestock to be grown as reliable field boundaries. Many thousands of kilometres of such walls exist, most of them centuries old. In
2832-456: The space in between is filled with rubble and manually covered with small stones. Relatively large standing stones are also positioned on the edifice's corners. Near the platform are graves, which are outlined in stones. Measuring 24 by 17 m (79 by 56 ft), the structure is the largest of a string of ancient platform and enclosed platform monuments exclusive to far northeastern Somalia. In Great Britain, Ireland, France and Switzerland, it
2891-765: The track and signalling being operated (nationally) by Network Rail . Although the Dumfries route is officially one of only three railway lines between England and the Scottish lowland areas, (The others being the East Coast Main Line and West Coast Main Line ) the line joins the West Coast Main Line immediately north of the Anglo-Scottish border at Gretna Junction. Along with the Settle-Carlisle Railway ,
2950-407: The two portions of the walls incline into each other. The style and method of construction of a wall will vary, depending on the type of stone available, its intended use and local tradition. Many older walls were constructed from stones and boulders cleared from the fields during preparation for agriculture ( field stones ) although some used stone quarried nearby. For modern walls, quarried stone
3009-434: The type gravity wall. The weight of the stones resists the pressure from the retained soil, including any surcharges, and the friction between the stones causes most of them to act as if they were a monolithic gravity wall of the same weight. Dry stone retaining walls were once built in great numbers for agricultural terracing and also to carry paths, roads and railways. Although dry stone is seldom used for these purposes today,
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#17328698935013068-454: The utility of the available stones (where ploughing was not turning up ever more stones). Another variation is the Cornish hedge or Welsh clawdd , which is a stone-clad earth bank topped by turf, scrub, or trees and characterised by a strict inward-curved batter (the slope of the "hedge"). As with many other varieties of wall, the height is the same as the width of the base, and the top is half
3127-535: The viaduct is still in service and carries the Kilmarnock to Dumfries section of the main line from Glasgow to Carlisle . During the 21st century, national railway infrastructure company Network Rail formed a partnership with the Woodroad Regeneration Forum to preserve and maintain the Woodroad Viaduct for the long term; several future upgrades have been reportedly planned for the structure. During
3186-415: The viaduct's piers commenced during 1848. This phase of work was assisted by the use of machinery in the form of derrick cranes , which were used to build both the piers and the abutments up to a maximum height of 7.6 metres above ground level. Above this height, construction activity was supported using an elevated service road, complete with travelling cranes that ran upon rails located upon either side of
3245-412: The viaduct. The viaduct was primarily construction of locally sourced white sandstone , which was transported to the site using a horse -drawn tramway . During this process, a high degree of attention was dedicated to the correct erection of the timber formwork that was used to construct the masonry arches, which had a height in excess of 30 metres. The weight of a single completed arch, which possessed
3304-415: The wall considerably. The voids between the facing stones are carefully packed with smaller stones ( filling , hearting ). The final layer on the top of the wall also consists of large stones, called capstones , coping stones or copes . As with the tie stones, the capstones span the entire width of the wall and prevent it breaking apart. In some areas, such as South Wales, there is a tradition of placing
3363-598: Was added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in November 2018, alongside those of Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland. In Croatia, dry stone walls ( suhozidi ) were built for a variety of reasons: to clear the earth of stone for crops; to delineate land ownership; or for shelter against the bora wind. Some walls date back to
3422-503: Was also closed in this period (in 1966), with all services rerouted into Glasgow Central . During the electrification of the West Coast Main Line in the early 1970s by British Rail , the line was used as a major diversionary route whilst the Caledonian Railway's Annandale/Clydesdale route was closed, particularly during the weekends. Following completion of this project, the sections of line between Barrhead and Kilmarnock (with
3481-669: Was brought to America primarily by English and Scots-Irish immigrants. The technique was also taken to Australia (principally western Victoria , some parts of Tasmania , and some parts of New South Wales , particularly around Kiama ) and New Zealand (especially Otago ). Similar walls also are found in the Swiss–Italian border region, where they are often used to enclose the open space under large natural boulders or outcrops. The higher-lying rock-rich fields and pastures in Bohemia 's south-western border range of Šumava (e.g. around
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