Westburn Viaduct

Location type

Bridge

Name and dates

Westburn Viaduct (1896-1983)

Opened on the Glasgow Central Railway.

Description

This double track viaduct with three lattice girders on stone piers crosses the River Clyde between Carmyle Junction (to the north west) and Westburn Junction, to its immediate south. The line closed in 1983. In 2022 the viaduct did not carry a footpath and was blocked off at either end, there is a proposal to put a foot/cyclepath over the viaduct.

The bridge carried passenger, goods and mineral traffic. In addition it was a useful diversionary route, although with some tight curves. Passenger services on the Glasgow Central Railway, through Glasgow Central Low Level, might take the section from Carmyle to Newton. Less frequently used for passengers was the Carmyle to Kirkhill (on the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway) route.

For freight it was a useful route allowing trains from the west to circle round and approach the Clyde Iron Works from the east. On the route were Clydesmill Power Station and Redpath, Brown & Co Ltd's Westburn Steel Works. The steel works was visited from the Carmyle direction daily until May 1983. With that withdrawn the line over the viaduct closed, between Carmyle Junction and the works. (Traffic continued to Westburn Steel Works from Newton until December 1989 on the southern portion of the line.)

Tags

Viaduct



News items

18/08/2022Plans to convert Glasgow railway bridge into cycle path and walkway [Glasgow World]
17/08/2022Call for views on plan to redesign disused railway bridge into Clyde crossing [STV]
22/07/2022Public invited to have their say over plans for Carmyle / Westburn Viaduct [Daily Record]