Landwasser Viaduct

{{Infobox bridge

|bridge_name = Landwasser Viaduct

|native_name = Landwasserviadukt

|native_name_lang = de

|image = RhB Ge 4-4 III UNESCO Weltkulturerbe auf Landwasserviadukt.jpg

|image_size = 260

|caption = A train crossing the viaduct

File:RhB Ge 4-4 II 614 Glacier Express on Landwasser Viaduct.jpg

View from above

|official_name = Landwasserviadukt

|other_name =

|carries = Rhaetian Railway (RhB)

|crosses = Landwasser

|locale = Schmitten and Filisur, Switzerland

|owner = Rhaetian Railway (RhB)

|maint = Rhaetian Railway (RhB)

|id =

|designer = Alexander Acatos

|design = Viaduct

|material = Limestone

|length = {{convert|136|m|ft||abbr=on}}

|width =

|height = {{convert|65|m|ft||abbr=on}}

|mainspan = {{convert|20|m|ft||abbr=on}}

|spans = six

|pierswater = 0

|load =

|clearance =

|below =

|life =

|builder = Müller & Zeerleder

|fabricator =

|cost = CHF 280,000 (1902)

|begin = March 1901

|complete = 1902

|open = October 1902

|inaugurated =

|rebuilt = 2009 renovation during full usage (CHF 4.6 Million)

|toll =

|traffic = 30 passenger trains, few freight trains

|preceded =

|followed =

|heritage = UNESCO World Heritage Albula Railway

|collapsed =

|closed =

|map_cue =

|map_image =

|map_alt =

|map_text =

|map_width =

|coordinates = {{coord|46|40|51|N|9|40|33|E|region:CH-GR_type:landmark_source:dewiki|display=it}}

}}

The Landwasser Viaduct ({{langx|de|Landwasserviadukt}}) is a single-track six-arched curved limestone railway viaduct. It spans the Landwasser between Schmitten and Filisur, in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland.

Designed by Alexander Acatos, the Landwasser Viaduct was constructed between 1901 and 1902 by Müller & Zeerleder on behalf of the Rhaetian Railway, which both owns and operates it through to the present day. A signature structure of the World Heritage-listed Albula Railway, it is {{convert|65|m}} high, {{convert|136|m}} long; its southeastern abutment connects directly to the Landwasser Tunnel.{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20140612-the-swiss-train-tourists-dont-take |title=The Swiss train tourists don’t take. National Parks, Switzerland |last=Graham |first=Adam H. |date=19 June 2014 |work=BBC - Travel |accessdate=19 June 2014}} During 2009, the Landwasser Viaduct underwent renovation work for the first time since its original construction.

Location

File:Landwasserviadukt, aerial video.webm

The Landwasser Viaduct, composed of dark limestone, forms part of the Albula Railway section between Tiefencastel and Filisur, and is at the {{convert|63.070|km}} mark from Thusis.

To passengers on trains approaching the viaduct from Tiefencastel and Alvaneu on the Albula Railway, the viaduct becomes visible from quite some distance away. The first major feature to be reached on that approach is the Schmittentobel Viaduct, which itself is of considerable size. Then, while crossing the curved Landwasser Viaduct, passengers can observe the front of the train heading into the Landwasser Tunnel. On the other side of the tunnel, the separate line from Davos Platz forms a junction with the Albula Railway just as both lines arrive in Filisur. Shortly before reaching that junction point, passengers on the Davos–Filisur line can experience a view of the viaduct from the northeast.

Technical details

One of the striking features of the Landwasser Viaduct is its highly pronounced curve, which has a radius of {{convert|100|m|0}}, the minimum used throughout the whole railway.Talbot 2012, p. 303.Troyano 2003, pp. 237-238. It possesses a height of {{convert|65|m|0}} and a length of {{convert|142|m|0}}.{{cite web |url = https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-gb/experiences/rhaetian-railways-landwasser-viaduct/ |title = Rhaetian Railways Landwasser Viaduct |publisher = myswitzerland.com |accessdate = 20 April 2020}} The viaduct's masonry is approximately {{convert|9200|m3|cuyd}} in volume and is jointed with dolomitic limestone.{{cite web|url=http://pinlovely.com/landwasser-viaduct-graubunden-switzerland/|title=Landwasser Viaduct, Graubünden, Switzerland|year=2013|publisher=Pinlovely.com|accessdate=19 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304104620/http://pinlovely.com/landwasser-viaduct-graubunden-switzerland/|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}} It comprises six arch spans, {{convert|20|m}} in width, resting on five high pillars; the arches themselves are flat.Troyano 2003, p. 238.

The Landwasser Viaduct carries a single railway track, which has a gradient of 2 percent across the structure. The southeastern abutment of the Landwasser Viaduct is located on a high cliff, and at that point, the tracks lead directly into the {{convert|216|m|adj=on}} long Landwasser Tunnel.{{cite web |url = https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/lifestyle/travel/a27311311/bernina-express/ |title = Is the Bernina Express the most spectacular railway journey in Europe? |publisher = goodhousekeeping.com |first = Roshina |last = Jowaheer |date = 2 January 2020}} The tunnel's entrance is positioned on a vertical rock wall, having been purposefully aligned with the viaduct. It was considered to be a challenging architectural feat of its era, and its construction employed several innovative techniques.

Construction of the Landwasser Viaduct commenced during 1901 and was completed during the following year. Designed by Alexander Acatos for the Rhaetian Railway, its construction was undertaken by Müller & Zeerleder.{{cite web |url = https://www.isolatedtraveller.com/10-interesting-landwasser-viaduct-facts/ |title = Facts About Landwasser Viaduct |publisher = isolatedtraveller.com |accessdate = 20 April 2020}} The viaduct's construction was performed without the use of scaffolding, instead employing two cranes. The limestone pillars were built up around a steel-reinforced core. During 2009, 106 years after its completion, the masonry and track trough of the viaduct were repaired for the very first time.{{cite web |url = https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/multimedia/the-glory-of-stone_the-wonders-of-the-alpine-rhaetian-railway--a-unesco-world-heritage-site/29760768 |title = The Glory of Stone |publisher = swissinfo.ch |accessdate = 20 April 2020}} To facilitate this renovation, modular scaffolding was temporarily erected around the Landwasser Viaduct.{{cite web |url = https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/38039792.pdf |first = Viunov |last = Valerii |title = Comparison of Scaffolding systems in Finland and Russia |publisher = Saimaa University of Applied Sciences |year = 2011}}

In popular culture

The Landwasser Viaduct briefly appears as a bridge which was destroyed by Rasputin's minions in the 1997 animated film Anastasia. The portrayal was of a taller, 4-storey viaduct very similar to a Roman aqueduct but set in Poland. It also appears within the first couple of minutes of the film “A Cure for Wellness”.{{cite web |url = https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?locations=Landwasser%20Viaduct,%20Filisur,%20Graub%C3%BCnden,%20Switzerland&ref_=ttloc_loc_4 |title = Filming Location Matching "Landwasser Viaduct, Filisur, Graubünden, Switzerland" (Sorted by Popularity Ascending) |publisher = imdb.com |accessdate = 20 April 2020}} Since 2008, the cultural importance of the railway, and features such as Landwasser Viaduct, has been formally recognised by UNESCO, having been placed on a World Heritage list.{{cite web |url = https://www.rhb.ch/en/world-of-railway-experiences/unesco-world-heritage-rhb/landwasser-express |title = Landwasser-Express |publisher = Rhaetian Railway |accessdate = 20 April 2020}}

Gallery

File:2007 10 Albulabahn 01 Tiefencastel Filisur 02.JPG|Approaching from Tiefencastel.

File:CH_Landwasser_1.jpg|Glacier Express panorama cars entering the Landwasser Tunnel.

File:Viadukt Landwasser.jpg|View from the road.

File:Landwasserviadukt, aerial photography from northeast 2.jpg|View from northeast.

File:Landwasser viaduct 01.jpg|With red cover during renovations

References

=Citations=

See the references in Landwasserviadukt (de Wikipedia) {{in lang|de}}

=Bibliography=

Talbot, Frederick A. "Railway Wonders of the World." Books on Demand, 2012. {{ISBN|3-8460-0527-4}}.
Troyano, Leonardo Fernández. "Bridge Engineering: A Global Perspective." Thomas Telford, 2003. {{ISBN|0-7277-3215-3}}.