Calstock Viaduct
The largest viaduct in Britain to be constructed of concrete blocks and notable for its slender proportions.
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Calstock Station, Commercial Road, Calstock, Cornwall, PL18 9QY
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The Bere Alston & Calstock Light Railway was authorised to redevelop a narrow gauge mineral line near Callington in south eastern Cornwall. This was served by a wharf at Calstock Quay on the river Tamar. The new railway was authorised to make connection with the Plymouth, Devonport & South Western Junction Railway at Bere Alston on the other side of the Tamar, for further transport by rail.
The crossing was achieved by building a single track viaduct. With 12 60 ft. spans, a length of 333yds. and a height of some 120 ft. it is impressively slender and elegant. The use of concrete blocks by the designers, Galbraith & Church, was innovative. Until 1934 an unusual feature was a wagon lift on a siding alongside the viaduct which enabled wagons to continue to reach the wharf below.
The viaduct is listed Grade II* and is still in use.
By road: Close to the un-manned Calstock station.
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Crombleholme, Roger; Gibson, Bryan; Stickey, Douglas; Whetmath, C. F. D., Callington Railways. Forge Books, ISBN-10 0904662233 (1967)
Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, Tamar Valley Line Rail Ale Trail, (2006)
Parkhouse, Neil. "Building Calstock Viaduct". Archive (2): 33-54. ISSN 1352-7991.
Smith, Martin, British Railway Bridges and Viaducts, Ian Allan, ISBN 0 7110 2273 9 (1994)
Forgotten Relics - Listed Bridges and Viaducts