Scotland, Ayrshire, July 2020 Laigh Milton Viaduct:or Milton Bridge/ Gatehead Viaduct, The world's oldest surviving public railway viaduct built 1812
Laigh Milton Viaduct is a railway viaduct near Laigh Milton mill to the west of Gatehead in East Ayrshire, Scotland, about 5 miles (8 km) west of Kilmarnock. It is probably the world's earliest surviving railway viaduct on a public railway,[1] and the earliest known survivor of a type of multi-span railway structure subsequently adopted universally.[2] The viaduct was restored in 1995-96[3] and is a Category A listed structure since 1982.[4] It bridges the River Irvine which forms the boundary between East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire. It was built for the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway, opened in 1812; the line was a horse drawn plateway (although locomotive traction was tried later). The first viaduct was closed in 1846 when the railway line was realigned to ease the sharp curve for locomotive operation, and a wooden bridge was built a little to the south to carry the realigned route. This was in turn replaced by a third structure further south again, which carries trains at the present day. Also known as Milton Bridge or Gatehead Viaduct,
Size: 5760px × 3840px
Location: Gatehead, Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland, UK
Photo credit: © Alister Firth / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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