Shin Railway Viaduct
The Shin Railway Viaduct (also known as the Invershin Viaduct or Oykel Viaduct) is a railway viaduct that crosses the Kyle of Sutherland.The viaduct carries the Far North Line between Inverness and Wick and Thurso.[1] Invershin railway station is at the north-eastern end of the viaduct, while Culrain railway station is a short distance to the south.
Shin Railway Viaduct | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 57.924022°N 4.401109°W |
| Carries | Far North Line |
| Crosses | Kyle of Sutherland |
| Characteristics | |
| Longest span | 230 feet (70 m) |
| History | |
| Engineering design by | Joseph Mitchell and Murdoch Paterson |
| Construction end | 1868 |
| Location | |
History
It was built for the Sutherland Railway by engineers Joseph Mitchell and Murdoch Paterson.[2]
The railway opened to traffic on 13 April 1868.[3]
Design
It crosses the river with a single 230 feet (70 m) span, 20 feet (6.1 m) longer than that used at the Dalguise Viaduct by Mitchell four years earlier.[1] The deck which carries the track sits on top of rather than between the truss girders.[1] There are two semicircular stone arches in the approach viaduct to the south, and three to the north.[2]
A footbridge was added to the northern side of the viaduct in 2000. This is now part of National Cycle Network Route 1.
References
- Paxton, Roland; Shipway, J. (2007). Civil Engineering Heritage Scotland: Highlands and islands. Thomas Telford for the Institution of Civil Engineers. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-7277-3488-4.
- Hume, John R. (1977). The Industrial Archaeology of Scotland: The Highlands and Islands. Macmillan of Canada. p. 312.
- "Shin Railway Viaduct". scotlandsplaces.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 January 2015.