Rosebank, Lugar Viaduct
Railway Viaduct (19th Century)
Site Name Rosebank, Lugar Viaduct
Classification Railway Viaduct (19th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Glenmuir Water; Glenmuir Valley
Canmore ID 43579
Site Number NS52SE 12
NGR NS 59917 21445
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/43579
- Council East Ayrshire
- Parish Auchinleck
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District Cumnock And Doon Valley
- Former County Ayrshire
NS52SE 12 59917 21445
Not to be confused with Cumnock, Bank Viaduct (NS 57395 20624), for which see NS52SE 15.
Viaduct [NAT] (at NS 5991 2144)
OS (GIS) AIB, June 2006.
(Location cited as NS 599 214). Viaduct, Lugar, opened 1872 by the Glasgow and South Western Rly. A tall 7-span masonry viaduct with segmental arches.
J R Hume 1976.
This viaduct carries the dismantled branch line of the (former) Glasgow and South Western Rly from Muirkirk to Ayr (Hawkhill Junction) via Drongan over the Glenmuir Water immediately above its debouchement into the Lugar Water, and to the E of Lugar (NS52SE 30).
The Glenmuir Water here forms the boundary between the parishes of Old Cumnock (to the W) and Auchinleck (to the E). It passes under the viaduct to the W of its midpoint, which defines the location assigned to this record.
The viaduct is depicted, but not noted, on the 1986 edition of the OS 1:10,000 map; the available map evidence indicates that it extends from NS c. 59858 21414 to NS c. 59951 21462.
This branch line closed to regular passenger traffic on 10 September 1951.
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 1 June 2006.
G Daniels and L Dench 1980.
Construction (1850)
Built on the Glasgow and South Western Railway, Glasgow to Carlisle route over Lugar Water. James Miller considered it his greatest work. The contractor was James McNaughton.
Paxton and Shipway 2007
Project (2007)
This project was undertaken to input site information listed in 'Civil engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders' by R Paxton and J Shipway, 2007.
Publication Account (2007)
Another elegant Miller viaduct, completed in 1850 and still in service, originally carried the Glasgow & South Western
Railway from Glasgow to Carlisle over the Lugar Water near Cumnock. It is built of local white sandstone, is 752 ft long and reaches a greatest height of 16112 ft. It comprises 14 semicircular arches, nine of 50 ft and five of 30 ft and has hollow piers and spandrels in the best tradition of Telford’s practice.
Some of the tall piers were founded on old stoop and room coal workings which gave rise to much concern regarding their stability. The cavities had to be firmly packed with carefully selected stones but the work was evidently well done as it has stood the test of time. Particular attention was paid to the centring more than 100 ft high. The weight of a finished 50 ft arch was computed at 1000 tons, exerting a pressure on the foundation of 614 tons sq. ft. The viaduct, which contains 500 000 cu. ft of masonry weighing 33 500 tons, cost about £30 000 and the centring £4500. The arches were designed so that the thrust pressure line was always close to the centre of the arch-ring which is only 2 ft thick, or 1/25 of the span, taking a calculated horizontal pressure on the keystone across the arch of about 250 tons. Miller considered this his greatest work. The contractor was James McNaughton.
R Paxton and J Shipway 2007
Reproduced from 'Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders' with kind permission of Thomas Telford Publishers.
