User:The joy of all things/sandbox/Inaura

Penistone Viaduct is a grade II listed railway viaduct that carries the Penistone Line over the River Don in Penistone, South Yorkshire, England. It is the second viaduct at that location, the first being completed in 1850 to a design by John Hawkshaw. The current viaduct was built in 1885 and partially rebuilt in 1916.

History
Penistone Viaduct was completed in 1850, when the line was opened for traffic. Originally planned and engineered by the Huddersfield and Sheffield Junction Railway, by the time of opening, the line was in the hands of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. The first viaduct was 330 yard long and 83 ft above the bed of the River Don. It also had 31 arches and curved with a radius of 40 chain, with the inside of the curve facing towards the town. The first viaduct was built from solid stone blocks, assembled using a method called 'block-in-course', which the engineer described as "requiring great care in its execution."

In February 1916, the viaduct collapsed whilst an engine was stationary upon it. The driver and fireman had noticed that the arch they were on as collapsing slowly, and managed to get away safely before total loss, however the steam engine fell into the void. The arches that collapsed were at the southern end where the viaduct crosses the River Don. Heavy rains had scoured the base of the stone piers, and some days before a crack had appeared in the parapet, but it could not be ascertained why, and the crack was filled in. The Huddersfield Chamber of Commerce held a meeting to complain to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway about the situation with the collapsed viaduct. Coal supply was affected and passengers would have to travel a circuitous route to London. The company was also asked why trains would stop ten minutes short of Penistone railway station, with no official transport to convey passengers and their luggage onwards to Penistone. The viaduct was repaired quickly, and reopened to traffic on 14 August 1916. The engine was recovered and scrapped, and the chimney was used as a plant pot at Brockholes station.

The length of the viaduct is 16 chain, and it consists of 29 arches. Each pier is 7 ft at the bottom, and tapers to 4 ft at the top.