Findhorn Viaduct, Tomatin, Scottish Highlands. This long steel-latticed bridge, curving gently across the valley of the River Findhorn as it meanders through farming land not far from Aviemore, was the work of the Chief Engineer of the Highland Railway Company, Murdoch Paterson (1826-1898), engineer for the line, and Sir John Fowler (1817-1898), bridge engineer. It was built from 1894-97. According to Paterson's obituary in the proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, reprinted in Grace's Guide, it is "445 yards long and 141 feet from the bed of the river to rails, consists of nine spans, each 130 feet long, resting on eight piers and two abutments of masonry, with two arches of 25 feet span at each abutment."
The viaduct was designed to carry the Highland Railway across the Findhorn on the Inverness-Aviemore direct route, and is still in use today. The obituary says that this viaduct and the Nairn Viaduct form "lasting monuments of Mr. Paterson’s skill." NB Some of the piers were covered in scaffolding when the pictures were taken in late 2017. [Click on the images to enlarge them.]
Photographs, commentary and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee. You may use the images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or to the Victorian Web in a print document.
Related Material
Bibliography
"Archaeology Notes" (for Tomatin Railway Viaduct). Canmore. Web. 3 January 2018.
"Findhorn Viaduct." Engineering Timelines. Web. 3 January 2018.
Gifford, John. Highland and Islands. The Buildings of Scotland. London: Penguin, 1992.
"Murdoch Paterson." Grace's Guide. Web. 3 January 2018.
Created 3 January 2018