Ballindalloch Railway Bridge

Last updated

Ballindalloch Railway Bridge
Detail of old railway bridge, Ballindalloch (geograph 5020165).jpg
The view along the bridge
Coordinates 57°24′50″N3°23′08″W / 57.41389°N 3.38556°W / 57.41389; -3.38556
CarriesPedestrians, cyclists (formerly railway)
Crosses River Spey
Heritage status Category A listed building
Characteristics
Material Wrought iron
Longest span195 ft (59 m)
History
Architect Alexander Gibb
Fabrication byG McFarlane, Dundee
Opened1863
Location
Ballindalloch Railway Bridge

The Ballindalloch Railway Bridge is a former railway bridge on the crossing the River Spey at Ballindalloch in Moray, Scotland. Built in 1863 as a part of the Strathspey Railway, it was in use until the line was closed in 1968. It is now designated as a Category A listed building, and carries pedestrians and cyclists over the river as a part of the Speyside Way.

Contents

Description

The Ballindalloch Railway Bridge crosses the Spey at Ballindaloch, linking the parishes of Inveravon in Banffshire and Knockando in Moray. [1] It is a wrought iron lattice girder bridge, with a single-span of 195 feet (59 metres), [2] supported by rubble abutments, and with plate girder spans at either end giving an overall length of around 250 feet (75 metres). [3]

History

The Ballindalloch Railway Bridge was constructed in 1863 for the Strathspey Railway. [4] It was designed by Alexander Gibb, [2] an engineer for the Great North of Scotland Railway, [5] and the ironwork was fabricated by G. MacFarlane of Dundee. [2] The Strathspey Railway was absorbed into the Great North of Scotland Railway in 1866, [6] and the bridge was in regular use on the line, carrying passengers and large volumes of whisky from the nearby distilleries, [3] until it was closed to regular passenger traffic in 1965, and closed completely in 1968. [7] The bridge was designated a Category A listed building in 1987, and was a scheduled monument until 2006. [3] It is open to pedestrians and cyclists, forming a part of the Speyside Way. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speyside single malt</span> Single malt Scotch whiskies distilled in Strathspey

Speyside single malts are single malt Scotch whiskies, distilled in Strathspey, the area around the River Spey in Moray and Badenoch and Strathspey, in northeastern Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grantown-on-Spey</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Grantown-on-Spey is a town in the Highland Council Area, historically within the county of Moray. It is located on a low plateau at Freuchie beside the river Spey at the northern edge of the Cairngorm mountains, about 20 miles (32 km) south-east of Inverness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Spey</span> River in Scotland

The River Spey is a river in the northeast of Scotland. At 98 mi (158 km) it is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, as well as the third longest and fastest-flowing river in Scotland. It is important for salmon fishing and whisky production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strathspey, Scotland</span> Region of Scotland

Strathspey is the region around the strath of the River Spey, Scotland, split between the Moray council area and the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area of Highland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speyside Way</span> Long-distance path in the Scottish Highlands

The Speyside Way is a long-distance path in the Scottish Highlands. The route begins in Buckie and ends at Newtonmore,137 kilometres (85 mi) away. There is an optional spur leading off the main route to Tomintoul, adding 25 kilometres (16 mi) and 865 metres (2,838 ft) of ascent.

The Strathspey Railway (SR) in Badenoch and Strathspey, Highland, Scotland, operates a ten-mile (16 km) heritage railway from Aviemore to Broomhill, Highland via Boat of Garten, part of the former Inverness and Perth Junction Railway which linked Aviemore with Forres. It is one of only a handful of former primary/secondary main lines to be preserved in Britain today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenfinnan Viaduct</span> Railway viaduct in Highland, Scotland, UK

The Glenfinnan Viaduct is a railway viaduct on the West Highland Line in Glenfinnan, Inverness-shire, Scotland, built from 1897 to 1901. Located at the top of Loch Shiel in the West Scottish Highlands, the viaduct overlooks the Glenfinnan Monument and the waters of Loch Shiel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craigellachie Bridge</span> Bridge in Craigellachie

Craigellachie Bridge is a cast iron arch bridge across the River Spey at Craigellachie, near to the village of Aberlour in Moray, Scotland. It was designed by the renowned civil engineer Thomas Telford and built from 1812 to 1814. It is a Category A listed structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craigellachie, Moray</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Craigellachie is a small village in Moray, Scotland, at the confluence of the River Spey and River Fiddich, in walking distance of the town of Aberlour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballindalloch</span> Village in Moray, Scotland, UK

Ballindalloch is a small village on the River Spey in Scotland.

The Strathspey Railway was a railway company in Scotland that ran from Dufftown to Boat of Garten. It was proposed locally but supported by the larger Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR), which wanted to use it as an outlet towards Perth. The GNoSR had to provide much of the funding, and the value of traffic proved to be illusory. The line opened in 1863 to Abernethy, but for the time being was unable to make the desired connection to the southward main line. Although later some through goods traffic developed, the route never achieved its intended purpose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carron, Strathspey</span>

Carron is a small village on the north bank of the River Spey in Moray, Scotland.

The Muckle Spate was a great flood in August 1829, which devastated much of Strathspey, in the north east of Scotland. Muckle is a Scots word for 'much' or 'great'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aberlour distillery</span>

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Union Bridge</span>

The City Union Bridge is a bridge on the River Clyde in Scotland. It was opened in 1899. It was once a busy main route in and out of St Enoch station but that terminus closed in 1966 and was demolished in 1977, and since then the bridge is only used for empty stock movements, as the bridge forms a key link between Glasgow Queen Street and Glasgow Central. If a project known as Glasgow Crossrail goes ahead then the bridge and associated track will see passenger services once more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dava Way</span> Trail in Moray, Scotland, UK

The Dava Way is a 38 km (24 mi) long-distance path that mostly follows the route of the former Highland Railway between Grantown and Forres. The railway line, built as a route between Inverness and Perth, opened in 1863 and closed in 1965. The route was reopened as a long distance path in 2005. It is listed as one of Scotland's Great Trails by NatureScot, and links directly to two further Great Trails: the Moray Coast Trail and the Speyside Way. It is currently the shortest of the Great Trails, but can be combined with sections of the Moray Coast Trail and Speyside Way to form a 153 km (95 mi) circular route known as the Moray Way. About 5,000 people use the path every year, of whom about 400 complete the entire route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carron Bridge (River Spey)</span> Bridge in Scotland

The Carron Bridge is a bridge at Carron in Moray, Scotland, which crosses the River Spey between the parishes of Knockando and Aberlour. It was built for the Strathspey Railway in 1863, to a design by Alexander Gibb, an engineer for the Great North of Scotland Railway, and fabricated by the iron founders William McKinnon and Co. It originally carried both the railway and a roadway, but the railway has now closed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Spey Bridge, Fochabers</span> Bridge

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Bridge, Aberlour</span> Footbridge near Aberlour in Scotland

References

  1. "Railway Bridge over the Spey". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Paxton, Roland; Shipway, Jim (2007). Civil Engineering Heritage - Scotland Highlands and Islands. ICE Publishing. pp. 135–136. ISBN   978-0727734884 . Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Historic Environment Scotland. "Ballindalloch, former railway bridge over River Spey (Category A Listed Building) (LB8466)" . Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  4. Hume, John R (1977). The Industrial Archaeology of Scotland 2. The Highlands and Islands. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 234. ISBN   071340809X.
  5. Paxton, Roland; Shipway, Jim (2007). Civil Engineering Heritage - Scotland Highlands and Islands. ICE Publishing. ISBN   978-0727734884 . Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  6. Vallance, H. A. (27 June 1991). Great North of Scotland Railway. The History of the Railways of the Scottish Highlands Vol. 3. David St John Thomas. ISBN   978-0-946537-60-0.
  7. "Ballindalloch, Railway Bridge". CANMORE. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 7 July 2019.