Inverness, Clachnaharry Railway Swing Bridge An elevated view of the swing railway bridge, taken from Clachnaharry signal box steps, with the bridge being swung away from the line of the tracks. Both ...

Description Inverness, Clachnaharry Railway Swing Bridge An elevated view of the swing railway bridge, taken from Clachnaharry signal box steps, with the bridge being swung away from the line of the tracks. Both the Beauly Firth and the Kessock suspension bridge are visible in the background. Digital image of D 64055 CN

Date 30/3/1999

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number SC 804825

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of D 64055 CN

Scope and Content Clachnaharry Railway Swing Bridge, Caledonian Canal, Inverness, Highland, from south-west This shows the swing bridge, built in 1909 for the Highland Railway, which replaced an 1862 movable bridge. The bridge, 38.4m in length, is in the process of being opened to allow boats to travel into or out of the adjacent lock. The timber structure in the background is a support for the bridge when it has been moved into an open position. When the bridge has been closed, it is aligned with the railway track seen on the left. Kessock Bridge, built between 1976 and 1982, is visible in the background. The Duke of Sutherland, a director of the Highland Railway, was a keen railway enthusiast who drove his own small tank engine along the line. This bridge was almost the cause of an accident involving the duke when he just managed to stop his locomotive by the railway signal which indicated that the bridge was open. He was then remonstrated for dangerous driving by the stationmaster of the nearby station who was one of his own employees. The Caledonian Canal was designed by Thomas Telford (1757-1834) and built between 1803 and 1822 at a cost of £840,000. It was the first example of a transport network funded by the government in Great Britain. The 96.5km-long canal provides a route for boats travelling between the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean as it runs from the Beauly Firth at Clachnaharry, Inverness, to Loch Linnhe at Corpach. Only 35.4km of this length is man-made while the other 61km runs through four lochs: Loch Dochfour, Loch Ness, Loch Oich and Loch Lochy. Unfortunately, at 4.2m deep, the canal was too small for most sea-going ships which led to it being altered and deepened between 1844 and 1847. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/804825

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap