Belmont Viaduct, Wellington

Belmont Viaduct, Wellington
Coordinates	41°12′40.1″S 174°49′03.0″E / 41.211139°S 174.817500°E / -41.211139; 174.817500 (Belmont Viaduct)
Carries	Ex-Wellington–Manawatu Line, Ex-North Island Main Trunk
Crosses	Belmont Gully (Now Seton Nossiter Park)
Locale	Paparangi, Wellington, New Zealand
Owner	Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, later New Zealand Railways Department
Characteristics
Design	Trestle, Viaduct
Material	Kauri wood trestles and cross-spars, later replaced with steel beams
Total length	102 m (341 ft)
Width	Single Narrow Gauge Rail
Height	38 m (125 ft)
History
Designer	Harry Higginson
Constructed by	Morton Danaker
Opened	1885
Rebuilt	1903
Closed	1951

The Belmont Viaduct was a railway viaduct in Paparangi, New Zealand. The viaduct was originally built by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company as part of the Wellington-Manawatu line. When opened in 1885, with its original kauri wood structure, it was the largest of its kind in New Zealand.^[1] At the time it was reputed to be the largest wooden viaduct in the world, however this claim was largely disputed.^[2]

The viaduct played a role in the development of early infrastructure in Wellington, as it opened up the northern boundaries of the city, as well as providing access to the wider hinterlands of Horowhenua and Manawatu.