These metal railway viaducts used to be a reasonably common sight in Britain but now I think there are only two left -- and I suspect they are both used as pathways on long-distance walks rather than railway lines.
Back in the day, Staithes formed an important link in the Teesside-Whitby railway, spanning a river valley just inland from the sea. It opened in 1883 although it was completed in 1875 (work started on the Tay Bridge in 1871, it opened in 1878 and was destroyed the following year).
Apparently Staithes Viaduct was plagued by extremely high winds, and following the Tay Bridge disaster special arrangements were put in place to ensure trains could operate safely -- there was a permanent speed restriction, additional guide rails to keep the wheels on the track, and a ban on using the viaduct during gales.
It all sounds a bit hairy, but the Tay Bridge disaster remained at the forefront of most people's minds for many decades.
There were, so far as I'm aware, no accidents on the Staithes Viaduct, which was, alas, dismantled in the 1960s.
2 comments:
I recall seeing the Staithes viaduct when I was a schoolboy: magnificent! And, I'd guess, significantly cheaper and quicker to build than a stone or brick structure. They always *look* flimsy, though, (but they aren't).
Way out of your area, but here in Birmingham we still mourn the passing of the Dowery Dell viaduct - colour slide from 1955
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