Information board on the viaduct at Killiecrankie, 2002
ID:NRM_NBNW_HML_DS050448DESCRIPTION:The National Trust for Scotland information board attached to the viaduct at Killiecrankie was photographed in February 2002.
The viaduct carries the Highland main line along the east side of the Pass of Killiecrankie to the south of the village of Killiecrankie and below the visitor centre for the Pass; it also crosses an unnamed burn and forms a backdrop to the dramatic 'Soldier's Leap'. The River Garry here forms the boundary between the parishes of Moulin to the east and Blair Atholl to the west. The entire length of the viaduct lies within Moulin. The viaduct was built in 1863 by Joseph Mitchell for what was the Inverness & Perth Junction Railway that became the Highland Railway Company in 1865. Constructed in the Baronial style at a cost of £5,730.00, it is a ten segmental arched structure with the arch rings of dressed stone, and the spandrels of rubble. It includes castellated refuges at the ends and in the centre a crenellated parapet. The viaduct is 155 meters (510 feet) in length, 16 meters (54 feet) in height at its maximum and each arch spans 11meters (35 feet) and leads directly into a tunnel. The structure was B-Listed for its architectural importance in 1971 and is in the care of the National Trust for Scotland.
In 1998 the viaduct was both repaired and strengthened to allow track speeds of up to 201km/h (125mph). These improvements were part of an extensive programme covering the entire length of the Inverness main line from Perth.
Background
Over one hundred years ago, two of the most picturesque railways in the world, the Kyle line and the Far North line, were built. Linking them to the rest of the UK rail network is the Highland main line. From 1997 to 2003 the National Railway Museum photographed these three lines, and from the images three exhibitions were created - 'Connection to the Kyle', 'By Firth and Flow' and 'The Highland Link'. The exhibitions were hosted on the Scottish Archive Network (SCAN) under the digital exhibition 'North by Northwest' which officially launched the National Archive of Scotland site on 5 June 2001 in Inverness. The collaboration with SCAN lasted until 2009 when 'North by Northwest' was transferred to the Am Baile website.
'North by Northwest' documents living history and records a snapshot of time in the lives of the people and the lines during the closing years of the twentieth century and the emergence of the twenty-first century. The exhibitions celebrated the impact of the Highland railways on the people, landscape and economy of the Scottish Highlands.
We acknowledge support from the following sponsors who funded the photographic survey of the Highland main line, the Kyle and the Far North lines by the National Railway Museum photographers between 1997 and 2003:
Railtrack, Railtrack-Scotland, ScotRail, EWS, Porterbrook, First Engineering, The Highland Rail Network Development Partnership, The Highland Council, Ross & Cromarty Enterprise, Caithness & Sutherland Enterprise, Safeways, Friends of the National Railway Museum, Perth & Kinross Council, and the Highland Railway Society.PLACENAME:KilliecrankieDISTRICT:Perthshire - HighlandOLD COUNTY/PARISH:PERTH: Blair AthollCREATOR (AV):Lynn PatrickDATE OF IMAGE:February 2002PERIOD:2000sSOURCE:National Railway Museum, YorkCOLLECTION:North by Northwest - The Highland LineAsset ID:19970KEYWORDS:
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