Monument record MHG9045 - Railway Bridge, Conon Bridge

NH55NW 32 539 557
Opened 1862 by Inverness and Ross-shire Rly, engineer Joseph Mitchell. A 4-arch viaduct built on the skew. Most unusually, skewing is achieved by having each span built as four seperate, staggered narrow arches.
J R Hume 1977.

The foundation stone of this bridge was laid, by Miss MacKenzie of Seaforth, as early as November 1860 but it was last of major works of Inverness and Ross-shire Rly to be completed; the section of line between Inverness and Dingwall was opened on 11 June 1862. At time of its completion, Mitchell believed it to have the largest arches of any skew bridge so far constructed.
H A Vallance 1985.

This stone viaduct was built (at a cost of ?11,391) by Joseph Mitchell (designer) and Deakin & Co (contractors) to carry Inverness and Ross-shire Rly across River Conon on the skew, at an angle of 45 degrees. It measures 540 ft (164.6m) in total length and comprises five spans of 73 ft (22.3m) at a greatest height of 45 ft (13.7m). Stone construction was used in preference to originally intended iron on account of its local availability. The line opened on 11 June 1862 and is still in use.
M Smith 1994.