SD7209 : Croal Viaduct - 5
taken 12 years ago, near to Bolton, England
Built in 1847 for the Bolton and Blackburn Railway (later Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway) under the guidance of the engineer Charles Vignoles. It consists of four cast iron skew spans of 76 feet span crossing the River Croal (and now the A666), together with three masonry arches of 36ft at each side.
The main arches each consist of 6 cast iron ribs, with cruciform cast iron bracing struts between the ribs and cast iron openwork spandrels. The ironwork came from the Preston factory of Ogle & Son. Remarkably little modern reinforcement has been added to the structure which continues to carry trains, although now restricted to a single track.