The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
A very much merited makeover for marvel of the Victorian era
Once-ina-lifetime close-up look at Basin crossing
Just as I was looking back to the mutterings of last Monday and the travails of dealing with old and very much not fit for purpose sash and case structures, up popped an opportunity to enjoy a rather more pleasant window on a little part of our Angus world.
The South Esk viaduct at the entrance to Montrose may not be as eye-grabbing as its arched stone sister under which you pass before arriving at the Rossie Island roundabout.
But neither is it at the level which would severely test my capacity for heights which seems to have gone down at the sequential rate with which my advancing years have gone up.
Which is why I was happy to listen attentively to the safety briefing and tog up in dayglo orange protective gear before heading out on the walkway over the incoming tide of Montrose Basin and learn just how Network Rail is spending more than four million quid on a modern-day makeover for this Victorian beauty.
Okay, she’s not the spectacular structure that has caused commuter tempers to fray as folk clamour to take a trip across the third crossing of the Forth, but since 1883 the utilitarian elegance of the viaduct’s 16 spans have safely and securely carried generations of east coast main line rail passengers.
When the 16-month refurbishment operation is complete it’ll be another 25 years or more before Montrose’s Victorian viaduct gets another spruce up, so, just a few months after soaking up the awe-inspiring form from the inside of Andy Scott’s stunning Kelpies, it was a privilege to get a once-in-alifetime look at another marvel of engineering. I even learned that they use waterproof paint.
The specialist team on the viaduct will likely face some tough Angus weather in the months ahead – although their shotblasting and re-painting operations are well cocooned to ensure that nothing poses a threat to the Site of Special Scientific Interest which exists there.
In return they’ll walk to work with a view across the magnificent Montrose Basin which rail users can only fleetingly enjoy.
And if any of them possess a chief reporter head for heights, then at least they’re not sprucing up the stone arches nearby.