Calstock viaduct

A train from Gunnislake to Plymouth is seen crossing the Calstock viaduct whilst the local ferryboat sits on the mud at low tide.

The viaduct is 120 feet (37 m) high with twelve 60 feet (18 m) wide arches, and a further small arch in the Calstock abutment. Three of the piers stand in the River Tamar, which is tidal at this point and has a minimum clearance at high tide of 110 feet (34 m). It was built between 1904 and 1907 by John Lang of Liskeard using 11,148 concrete blocks. These were cast in a temporary yard on the Devon bank opposite the village. The engineers were Richard Church and WR Galbraith. Originally there was a steam powered lift on the Calstock end of the viaduct, which lowered wagons to the quayside some 113 feet (34 m) below. The lift was abandoned in September 1934 and subsequently dismantled.