Dutton Viaduct

Dutton Viaduct
Dutton Viaduct
Coordinates53°16′59″N 2°37′43″W / 53.28294°N 2.628576°W / 53.28294; -2.628576
CarriesWest Coast Main Line
CrossesRiver Weaver
LocaleDutton, Cheshire
Heritage statusGrade II* listed[1]
Characteristics
Total length500 yards (457 m)[2]
Height60 feet (18 m)[2]
History
OpenedJuly 1837[3]
Location
Map

Dutton Viaduct is on the West Coast Main Line where it crosses the River Weaver and the Weaver Navigation between the villages of Dutton and Acton Bridge in Cheshire, England (grid reference SJ581764), not far from Dutton Horse Bridge. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade II* listed building.

The viaduct was constructed during 1836, and was complete on 9 December of that year. It was the longest viaduct on the Grand Junction Railway (GJR).[3] The viaduct was built at a cost of £54,440 (equivalent to £6,470,000 in 2023).[4] The engineers were Joseph Locke and George Stephenson,[1] and William Mackenzie was its contractor.[5]

Since entering use in July 1837, Dutton Viaduct has remained in regular use. During its operating life, it has been subject to change; during the 1960s, the line was electrified overhead lines and supporting metalwork were installed across its length and its line speed was increased to 125 mph (200 km/h) in the West Coast Main Line route modernisation programme. It became a listed structure in the early 1990s.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Historic England. "Dutton Railway Viaduct (Grade II*) (1216523)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference localhist was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Webster, Norman W. (1972), Britain's First Trunk Line, Adams & Dart, p. 86, ISBN 978-0239001054
  4. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference walker 14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).