Tay Viaduct

{{Short description|Bridge in United Kingdom}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}

{{Use British English|date=February 2022}}

{{Infobox Bridge

|bridge_name= Tay Viaduct

|image= Perth Railway Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 2166751.jpg

|caption= The southern side of the bridge's curve

|official_name=

|other_name = West Railway Bridge

|carries= Scottish Central Railway

|crosses= River Tay

|locale=Perth, Perth and Kinross

|maint=

|id=

|design= Benjamin Hall Blyth

|builder = Francis Freeman & Lee

|material= Iron and stone

|mainspan=

|length= {{cvt|440|metres}}

|width=

|height=

|load=

|clearance=

|below=

|lanes=

|traffic=

|open= {{start date and age|1864|p=yes}}

|closed=

|toll=

|map_type=

|map_relief=

|coordinates= {{coord|56.3920|-3.4238|type:landmark_scale:2000_region:GB|display=inline,title}}

}}

The Tay Viaduct, also known as the West Railway Bridge, is a single-track railway viaduct in Perth, Perth and Kinross, Scotland.[https://canmore.org.uk/site/79826/perth-west-railway-bridge Perth, West Railway Bridge] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221191757/https://canmore.org.uk/site/79826/perth-west-railway-bridge |date=21 February 2022 }} – Canmore It is around {{cvt|440|metres}} long. It carries the Scottish Central Railway, via a pronounced curve, across the River Tay to and from Perth railway station, {{cvt|0.5|mi|m}} to the west. Built in 1864, the work of London's Francis Freeman & Lee,The Artizan, Volume 5 (1847), p. 183 it replaced an earlier double-track timber viaduct dating from 1849.David Ross, The Caledonian: Scotland's Imperial Railway: A History, Stenlake Publishing Limited, Catrine, 2014, {{ISBN|978 1840 335842}} The first pier of today's structure is for a double track, but the line is now single.{{cn|date=May 2022}}

File:Tay Viaduct.jpg

The viaduct has seven iron girder spans on the city side of the river, ten stone arches on Moncreiffe Island, and six iron girder spans to the east of Moncreiffe Island. The earlier bridge had 25 arches and an iron swing bridge.

The bridge has two spans across the Tay from Perth: the first is to Moncreiffe Island; the second is from Moncreiffe Island to Barnhill on the river's eastern banks.

It has a pedestrian walkway on the outer edge of its curve. The curve is less severe than its predecessor's was. The current structure has seventeen chains.[https://www.perthcitytours.co.uk/post/tay-railway-viaduct-perth Tay Railway Viaduct (Perth)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221191323/https://www.perthcitytours.co.uk/post/tay-railway-viaduct-perth |date=21 February 2022 }} – Perth City Tours

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File:Rail Bridge over River Tay - geograph.org.uk - 2785908.jpg|The bridge in 1925, looking towards Kinnoull

File:Tay Railway Bridge at Perth - geograph.org.uk - 2671123.jpg|Looking west to Perth Water Works (left) from the first span across the Tay, 2011

File:The Royal Scotsman crossing the Tay on the rail bridge at Perth - geograph.org.uk - 2542284.jpg|The Royal Scotsman crossing the bridge between Barnhill and Moncreiffe Island, 2011

File:Railway bridge across River Tay, Perth - geograph.org.uk - 3092846.jpg|Looking east to Moncreiffe Island and, beyond, Barnhill, 2012