Porthkerry Viaduct through the gloom.

Porthkerry viaduct is a 16 arched structure which was built to enable trains to transport coal and the public from Bridgend to Barry docks. The viaduct was beset by various man made calamities, ie, the foundations were not deep enough on two of the piers which then had to be dis-mantled and re worked. Two weeks after opening, the embankment at the Eastern end started to slip and pier 13 started to subside. Passenger trains were stopped and passengers had to walk across the viaduct and catch another train. Shortly after, piers 8 and 9 had settled due to bad workmanship and then piers 4 to 13 had to be widened and underpinned due to poor quality of the concrete being used. Some of the piers had cracked leaned to one side by up to 17 inches. Despite everything, the railway is still in constant use today but I must admit to feeling slightly apprehensive every time that I make that train Journey into Cardiff!