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46-626: The Woodroad Viaduct , also known as Bank Viaduct or Templand Viaduct , is a viaduct carrying the Glasgow South Western Line over the Lugar Water at Cumnock in East Ayrshire, Scotland , United Kingdom . Since April 1971, it has been recognised as being a category A listed building . The Woodroad Viaduct, which comprises 14 semi-circular arches, was designed by the civil engineer John Miller and built by

92-561: A crossing loop at Lugton) and Annan and Gretna (controlled from Carlisle) were singled. Re-doubling of the Annan to Gretna section was completed in August 2008, controlled from Dumfries Station signal box. In early 2009, work commenced to re-double the line between Lugton and Stewarton based on the 2008 plans published by Network Rail. Completed in September 2009, this allows ScotRail to run

138-430: A room and pillar technique . As these workings posed a clear threat to the stability of any major structure built around them, preliminary work was undertaken to locate these cavities, after which they would be cleared of loose debris and firmly packed using dry stone . This activity proved sufficient as the viaduct's piers have not suffered from settlement . Following the completion of this ground work, construction of

184-521: A branch to East Kilbride . The line was built by several railway companies during the 19th century: The Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway and the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway amalgamated to form the Glasgow and South Western Railway in 1850. The Glasgow, Barrhead and Neilston Direct Railway and Glasgow and Kilmarnock Joint Railway were amalgamated to form the Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway jointly operated by

230-484: A commemorative plaque to mark the passing of 160 years since the construction of the viaduct. 55°27′31″N 4°15′25″W  /  55.4587°N 4.2569°W  / 55.4587; -4.2569 Glasgow South Western Line The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock , and then either Carlisle via Dumfries , or Stranraer via Ayr , with

276-410: A grid basis except where geological features such as faults require the regular pattern to be modified. The size of the pillars is determined by calculation. The load-bearing capacity of the material above and below the material being mined and the capacity of the mined material determines the pillar size. Random mine layout makes ventilation planning difficult, and if the pillars are too small, there

322-473: A half-hourly service between Glasgow and Kilmarnock. In December 2023, electrification of the first section of the line between Glasgow Central and Barrhead was completed (services started on 11 December 2023 using Class 380 electric trains ). Further work is currently underway to re-double and electrify the branch line from Thornliebank to East Kilbride. With the exception of the electrified section between Glasgow Central and Barrhead, all other services on

368-421: A recovery rate as low as 40% in some cases, room and pillar mining cannot compete in terms of profitability with many modern, more mechanized types of mining such as longwall or surface mining . Abandoned mines have a tendency to collapse. In remote areas, collapses can be dangerous to wildlife, but subsidence of abandoned mines can be hazardous to infrastructure above and nearby. Significant amount of coal

414-432: A roughly 2 hourly service for most of the day, There is 2 trains per hour between Glasgow and East Kilbride 7 days a week with extra trains during peak times. There is also a regular hourly service between Ayr and Girvan with 8 trains per day extending south to Stranraer with a 2 hourly service to/from Kilmarnock, On Sundays, 5 trains per day operate from Ayr to Stranraer however there is no service to/from Kilmarnock. Before

460-446: A span of 15.24 metres, was estimated to have exceeded 1,000 tonnes, which exerting a pressure upon the structure's foundations of 68.4 tonnes per square metre. Overall, the viaduct contained 14,150 cubic metres of masonry, which weighed 34,040 tonnes. It was constructed at a reported cost of roughly £30,000, of which the centring alone cost around £4,500. The viaduct was completed during 1850. It has been claimed that Miller came to regard

506-405: A thickness of 610mm (one twenty-fifth of the span), resulting in a calculated horizontal pressure present upon the arch's keystone of roughly 254 tonnes. In line with the practice of famed bridge-builder and civil engineer Thomas Telford , the viaduct features hollow piers and spandrels, which has the benefit of reducing the weight bearing on the structure's foundations. The piers located between

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552-493: A thickness of 7 metres. During its design process, the structure had to effectively account for several important local factors. In terms of its footing, the ground was less than ideal due to the presence of not only the Lugar Water but also of considerable mining activities. Specifically, as a result of the area having been rich in both limestone and coal , it had been worked for some time by various locals, commonly using

598-469: Is "undercut", where a slot is cut as deep as possible along the bottom of a section of ore. This undercut allows for a manageable pile of rock in later stages. The second step is the drilling and blasting of the section. This creates a pile of ore that is loaded and hauled out of the mine—the final step of the mining process. More modern room and pillar mines use a more "continuous" method, that uses machinery to simultaneously grind off rock and move it to

644-402: Is divided up into areas or panels. Pillars known as barrier pillars separate the panels. The barrier pillars are significantly larger than the "panel" pillars and are sized to allow them to support a significant part of the panel and prevent progressive collapse of the mine in the event of failure of the panel pillars. Traditionally, the act of mining consists of three steps. First, the deposit

690-402: Is the risk of pillar failure. In coal mines, pillar failures are known as squeezes because the roof squeezes down, crushing the pillars. Once one pillar fails, the weight on the adjacent pillars increases, and the result is a chain reaction of pillar failures. Once started, such chain reactions can be extremely difficult to stop, even if they spread slowly. To prevent this from happening, the mine

736-758: The Ayrshire Coast Line . There are also a number of through services between Glasgow & Stranraer that run direct via Paisley & Kilwinning (others run via Kilmarnock, as do certain trains to/from Girvan ). From the December 2015 timetable change, new Scotrail franchisee Abellio changed the schedule on the Stranraer line—the service frequency to/from Ayr has increased from six trains each way to eight on weekdays (and from three to five on Sundays), but there are now no longer any direct trains to Glasgow via Paisley—all services now run via Kilmarnock. In

782-618: The P&;O Ferries service to Larne Harbour . Room and pillar mining The room and pillar system is used in mining coal , gypsum , iron , limestone , and uranium ores, particularly when found as manto or blanket deposits, stone and aggregates , talc , soda ash , and potash . It has been used worldwide from the Czech Republic to China to the US. Planning for the development of room and pillar mines operates in much

828-537: The United States Gypsum Sperry mine, near Mediapolis, Iowa , opened in 1961. This room-and-pillar mine, 620 feet (190 m) below the surface, has square pillars 37 feet (11 m) on a side separating rooms of the same width in a gypsum bed about 10 feet (3.0 m) thick. Many salt mines use room and pillar layouts. The Sifto salt mine in Goderich, Ontario , the largest in the world,

874-415: The 1970s, most of the intermediate stations between Kilmarnock and Carlisle were closed, leaving only Kirkconnel , Dumfries and Annan . Since then, the stations at New Cumnock , Auchinleck , Sanquhar and Gretna Green have been reopened. There have been several studies recently as to the possibility of reopening Thornhill station , roughly halfway between Dumfries and Sanquhar . As of 2020,

920-839: The Glasgow and South Western Railway and Caledonian Railway . The lines forming the East Kilbride branch were operated by the Caledonian Railway. Until 1923 the line via Dumfries was in competition with the North British Railway and Caledonian Railway as one of the mainlines into Scotland . With the passing of the Railways Act 1921 ( Grouping Act ) the line became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). In 1948, with nationalisation

966-589: The May 2022 timetable change, there were some services that continued past Carlisle, continuing to Newcastle along the Tyne Valley Line . The service from Stranraer to Newcastle was withdrawn in 2009. Scotrail service to Newcastle was withdrawn as part of the May 2022 timetable change (therefore leaving Carlisle as the only station in England to be served by Scotrail.) The Glasgow South Western Line links into

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1012-654: The United States since the late 18th century. It is still in use throughout the US, but has slowed or stopped entirely in parts of Europe. Coal mining in the United States has nearly always operated with a room and pillar layout, although originally operated with significantly more manpower. Room and pillar mining of gypsum was used in Iowa beginning in 1892, and was phased out of use in 1927 due to low recovery and development of technologies that made surface mining more practical, safe, and cost effective. More recently,

1058-526: The Woodroad Viaduct as having been his greatest professional accomplishment. During 2010, the local Woodroad Regeneration Forum and national railway infrastructure company Network Rail embarked upon a joint effort aimed at safeguarding the Woodroad Viaduct and ensuring its long term future. In line with this effort, future work to both restore and upgrade the structure has been planned. On 25 September 2010, Cathy Jamieson , MP and MSP , unveiled

1104-406: The company, in particular the surveying of the route. Millar decided upon the use of a relatively elegant ashlar masonry viaduct for this crossing. As built, the sandstone viaduct has a length of 229 metres and reaches a peak height of 49.2 metres at one point, though the average height of the structure is 28.8 metres. Efforts were made to keep both the deck and the approaches relatively level;

1150-442: The contractor James McNaughton. Construction was complicated by the presence of several coal workings in the vicinity, as well as the Lugar Water itself. It is largely composed of locally sourced white sandstone . The viaduct was completed during 1850, after which services of the Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) commenced across it. It has been claimed that Miller considered the structure to be his finest work. Today,

1196-415: The decreasing cost of surface mining. Room and pillar mining is not particularly dependent on the depth of the deposit. At particularly deep depths, room and pillar mining can be more cost effective compared to strip mining due to the fact that significantly less overburden needs to be removed. This means that today, room and pillar mining is mostly used for high grade, but small, deep deposits. Due to

1242-527: The ferries at Stranraer via the bus connecting with Cairnryan for the Stena Line ferries to the Port of Belfast and the P&O Ferries to Larne Harbour . The Stena Line ships (previously Sealink) ran from Stranraer Harbour until 2011. A bus connection to Cairnryan is also now provided from Ayr . Onward rail connections are provided by Northern Ireland Railways . The line also connected Troon to

1288-425: The larger arches have a thickness of 2.1 metres at their tops, complete with a 610mm-wide central void; while the piers of the smaller arches have a thickness of 1.5 metres at the top along with a 300mm void. The smaller arches are deliberately separated from the main ones by 5 metre-thick abutments. The abutments present at either end of the whole structure, where the viaduct connects with the adjacent embankments, have

1334-473: The late 1840s, the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway company embarked on the construction of a southern extension of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway to connect through to the border city of Carlisle . The selected route necessitated the construction of a crossing over the Lugar Water near the town of Cumnock ; the task of designing this structure was assigned to the civil engineer John Miller , who had prior professional involvement in

1380-692: The line are operated using the British Rail Class 156 diesel trains. Trains serve the following stations. In the latter years of British Rail , operations were sectorised. All Scottish operations (excluding the WCML and ECML services), including this line, became part of the Regional Railways operation – being branded as ScotRail . Following privatisation , passenger services upon the line were taken over by ScotRail , (part of National Express ), and are now operated by ScotRail with

1426-594: The line became part of the Scottish Region of British Railways . During the Beeching Axe in the 1960s many of the railway's branch lines were closed, including the direct route between Dumfries and Stranraer, via Galloway on the Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway and Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway , leaving the present Y-shaped railway. The former G&SWR terminus at Glasgow St Enoch

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1472-647: The line has many different service patterns depending on its lines, From Glasgow, There is 2 trains per hour to Kilmarnock(12 of these extend south of Kilmarnock with 11 to Dumfries and 9 of which continue to Carlisle while 1 only goes as far as New Cumnock while 4 (3 on Saturdays) trains per day operate to Stranraer and 1 train per day terminates at Girvan), There is a regular hourly service between Dumfries and Carlisle on Monday to Saturdays, On Sundays, An hourly service operates to Kilmarnock however only 2 trains per day operate south to Dumfries and Carlisle, 5 trains per day also operate between Dumfries and Carlisle on Sundays on

1518-529: The line is much used as both a diversionary route, especially during the recent West Coast Main Line modernisation, and for freight, notably coal from the several open cast coalmines of the Ayrshire Coalfield that adjoin the line. Between Glasgow Central , Gretna Green and Girvan the line is operated by ScotRail . Electric train services are also provided between Glasgow and Troon and Ayr via

1564-608: The mine's entrance. After the pillars are removed, the roof (or back) is allowed to collapse behind the mining area. Pillar removal must occur in a very precise order to reduce the risks to workers, owing to the high stresses placed on the remaining pillars by the abutment stresses of the caving ground. Retreat mining is a particularly dangerous form of mining. According to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), pillar recovery mining has been historically responsible for 25% of American coal mining deaths caused by failures of

1610-511: The non-homogeneous nature of mineral deposits typically mined by room and pillar, mine layout must be mapped very carefully. It is desirable to keep the size and shape of rooms and pillars consistent, but some mines strayed from this formula due to lack of planning and deposit characteristics. Mine layout includes the size of rooms and pillars in the mines, but also includes factors like the number and type of entries, roof height, ventilation, and cut sequence. Room and pillar mines are developed on

1656-410: The northern approach has a 1 in 200 gradient, while the southern approach has a less gentle gradient of 1 in 150. It has 14 semi-circular ashlar arches, nine of them having a span of 15.24 metres and the remainder possessing a 9.1 metre span, these smaller arches being placed at the ends of the structure. The thrust pressure line is close to the centre of each arch ring; the rings of the main arches have

1702-414: The risk of subsidence unless properly maintained, however, maintenance does not often occur. Room and pillar mining is one of the oldest mining methods. Early room and pillar mines were developed more or less at random, with pillar sizes determined empirically and headings driven in whichever direction was convenient. Room and pillar mining was in use throughout Europe as early as the 13th century, and

1748-422: The roof or walls, even though it represents only 10% of the coal mining industry. Retreat mining cannot be used in areas where subsidence is not acceptable, reducing profitability. Sometimes retreat mining is not used and the underground space is repurposed as climate controlled storage or office space instead. Many room and pillar mines have been abandoned for as long as 100 years. This drastically increases

1794-436: The same way as other mining methods, and begins with establishing ownership of the mine. Following this, the geology of the mine must be analysed, as this will determine factors like the lifespan of the mine, the production requirements, and the cost to develop and maintain. Next, mine layout should be determined, as factors like ventilation, electrical power, and haulage of the ore must be considered in cost analysis. Due to

1840-429: The surface. Other processes, such as backfill , where discarded tailings are unloaded into mined-out areas, can be used, but are not required. Retreat mining (below) is an example of a process like this. Retreat mining is often the final stage of room and pillar mining. Once a deposit has been exhausted using this method, the pillars that were left behind initially are removed, or "pulled", retreating back towards

1886-810: The track and signalling being operated (nationally) by Network Rail . Although the Dumfries route is officially one of only three railway lines between England and the Scottish lowland areas, (The others being the East Coast Main Line and West Coast Main Line ) the line joins the West Coast Main Line immediately north of the Anglo-Scottish border at Gretna Junction. Along with the Settle-Carlisle Railway ,

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1932-552: The viaduct is still in service and carries the Kilmarnock to Dumfries section of the main line from Glasgow to Carlisle . During the 21st century, national railway infrastructure company Network Rail formed a partnership with the Woodroad Regeneration Forum to preserve and maintain the Woodroad Viaduct for the long term; several future upgrades have been reportedly planned for the structure. During

1978-415: The viaduct's piers commenced during 1848. This phase of work was assisted by the use of machinery in the form of derrick cranes , which were used to build both the piers and the abutments up to a maximum height of 7.6 metres above ground level. Above this height, construction activity was supported using an elevated service road, complete with travelling cranes that ran upon rails located upon either side of

2024-412: The viaduct. The viaduct was primarily construction of locally sourced white sandstone , which was transported to the site using a horse -drawn tramway . During this process, a high degree of attention was dedicated to the correct erection of the timber formwork that was used to construct the masonry arches, which had a height in excess of 30 metres. The weight of a single completed arch, which possessed

2070-512: Was also closed in this period (in 1966), with all services rerouted into Glasgow Central . During the electrification of the West Coast Main Line in the early 1970s by British Rail , the line was used as a major diversionary route whilst the Caledonian Railway's Annandale/Clydesdale route was closed, particularly during the weekends. Following completion of this project, the sections of line between Barrhead and Kilmarnock (with

2116-474: Was opened in 1959. It taps a salt bed 30 metres (98 ft) thick 533 metres (1,749 ft) below the surface, mostly under Lake Huron . The Cargill salt mine 1,700 feet (520 m) below the surface, mostly under Lake Erie at Cleveland, Ohio is similar. Modern room and pillar mines can be few and far between. This is due to many factors, including the dangers to miners associated with subsidence, increasing use of other methods with more mechanization, and

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