Pontypridd Town Centre Viaduct and Ring Road

The last three nights I've wanted to go out and get some local pictures with stars but the weather has been cloudy and it was an easy decision to go to bed! The weather eventually turned last night with rain and it's been drizzly all day. Not a great day for doing aerial images (rain spots on the lens) but I had a request from Sarumstroller to do Pontypridd Viaduct.

It's only 15 minutes from home and I did a recce in the week of a suitable spot to get a decent view. So when the rain eased off I drove to the town centre and captured some pictures of the double viaduct (it splits as it leaves the train station) in the Pontypridd Town Centre.

The main Blip photo I like best as it captures a train using the one viaduct. The insert picture is a lower view of the viaducts but showing a bit more of the town centre.

Now the history! -
Pontypridd (Newbridge) Railway Viaduct was the first major work to be started in the building of the Taff Vale Railway, engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-59). It spans the River Rhondda and Mill Street in the town of Pontypridd, and is notable for its wide skew main arch. A less daring bridge with a mid-span pier was constructed alongside when the railway line was double tracked in 1861. The viaduct is still part of the national rail network and is Grade II* listed (Feb 2001)

On 16th August 1837, Lady Charlotte Elizabeth Guest (1812-95), wife of John Josiah Guest (1785-1852) ironmaster of the Dowlais Ironworks and leading member of the Taff Vale Railway Company, laid the first stone of the Pontypridd Viaduct. This also marked the beginning of the construction of the whole railway.

The viaduct is constructed of pennant sandstone and is 76.2m long and was originally 4.6m wide. It skews across a bend in the river. From south to north, its four spans measure 10.1m, 10.1m, 33.5m and 9.1m. The impressive main span is an elliptical arch, the others are semi-circular.