Mikeinlagardette's photos with the keyword: bridges

To get to Parsac-Gouzon the line must first cross the deep, densely wooded valley of the river Creuse, and it does so on this spectacular structure. Opened to traffic in 1863, the steel girder viaduct carries the line from the junction at Saint Sulpice Laurière to Montluçon, and onwards across the Massif Central towards Lyon. Built by the Paris Orleans Railway, the total span is 339m (1,112ft), and the height above the river Creuse is 56.5m (185ft). Local people often understandably attribute this work to Gustave Eiffel, but it was actually designed by another eminent civil engineer, and contemporary of Eiffel, Wilhelm Nördling. When it was built it had two tracks, but one of these has now been lifted. Taken with a 1948 Kodak Tourist 620, converted to 120 film. f4.5/105mm coated Kodak Anaston, X2 yellow filter, Rollei RPX400 @800 in Caffenol C + iodized salt, 20-20-6-6 Scanned @1200dpi on Epson V500

This impressive structure is on a long disused railway line which ran from Guéret to Le Chartre, and although the viaduct took three years to build, the line had a very short life, being opened to traffic in 1906, and finally closed to freight in 1952, although passenger trains ceased to run on this route in 1939. Viaducts were always challenging structures to build, and when built on a curve, as this one is, especially so. It is just over 200m long, built on a curve of 300m radius, and the sixteen arches carried the single line 20m above the River Creuse. Built entirely from granite, it is now part of a pleasant country walk. Taken with a 1948 Kodak Tourist converted to 120, on Shanghai GP3 film, developed in divided D23, 5+5mins@21C and scanned @1200dpi on Epson V500