Jump to content

Stanway Viaduct

Coordinates: 51°59′50.67″N 1°55′33.01″W / 51.9974083°N 1.9258361°W / 51.9974083; -1.9258361
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stanway Viaduct
Coordinates51°59′50.67″N 1°55′33.01″W / 51.9974083°N 1.9258361°W / 51.9974083; -1.9258361
CarriesGloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
Characteristics
No. of spans15
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks1
History
Construction end1904
Location
Map

Stanway Viaduct is a viaduct located in Gloucestershire, UK. It carries the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway[1][2]

History

[edit]

During construction on 13 November 1903, three arches suddenly collapsed while a mobile crane was on top of the viaduct. Four workers were killed and several others were injured. A fourth arch collapsed the following day.[3][4] By November 1904, the viaduct had been completed.[5]

The line across the viaduct was closed in 1976.[6] The viaduct was reopened to heritage rail services in May 2010 following an extension of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway.[7]

In March 2023, the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway launched a campaign to raise £1.5 million to fund repairs which it said were needed due to water penetration in the structure.[6]

Structure

[edit]

The viaduct has fifteen arches, each 36 feet (11 metres) high.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "£1.5m appeal launched for urgent repairs to iconic Stanway Viaduct". www.punchline-gloucester.com. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  2. ^ "Five killed in railway disaster". Worcester News. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  3. ^ a b "Collapse of a viaduct near Cheltenham". Derby Daily Telegraph. 1903-11-13. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  4. ^ "The fall of a railway viaduct at Stanway". The Sphere. 1903-11-21. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  5. ^ "Cheltenham section of the Honeybourne Line: Operations commenced". Cheltenham Examiner. 1904-11-30. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  6. ^ a b Stilliard, Ed (2023-03-28). "Appeal to repair iconic Cotswolds viaduct launched". GloucestershireLive. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  7. ^ "Stanway railway viaduct to reopen". BBC News. 2010-05-07. Retrieved 2023-04-04.