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The line
The viaduct carries the West Highland Line over the River Finnan
The Glenfinnan Viaduct carries the West Highland Line at Glenfinnan, in the Lochaber district. It was built from 1897 to 1901 and overlooks the Glenfinnan Monument and the waters of Loch Shiel.
Concrete Bob
The builder was nicknamed Concrete Bob for his use of mass concrete
Robert McAlpine & Sons took the contract, headed by Robert McAlpine, nicknamed Concrete Bob for his innovative use of mass concrete. Concrete was used due to the difficulty of working the hard schist in the area.
The design
It has 21 arches and is the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland
The viaduct is built from mass concrete and has 21 semicircular spans of 50 feet. At 416 yards it is the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland, and it crosses the River Finnan at a height of 100 feet.
416 yardsthe length of the viaduct
The horse
A legend of a horse in a pier was tested with a borescope
A long-established legend said a horse had fallen into one of the piers during construction. In 1987 Professor Roland Paxton found no evidence of a horse at Glenfinnan. In 2001 scanning found a horse and cart at Loch nan Uamh.
On screen
The viaduct has appeared in four of the Harry Potter films
The Glenfinnan Viaduct is a filming location for the Harry Potter series and is sometimes called The Harry Potter Bridge. British Transport Police had to warn fans not to walk on the viaduct.
Day 4, midday
It comes after Glenfinnan Monument. Then Eilean Donan Castle.
More stories from this trip idea
The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Glenfinnan Viaduct, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.