抄録
Laigh Milton Viaduct over the River Irvine three miles west of Kilmarnock was the major structure on the first public railway in Scotland, the 'Kilmarnock & Troon', which was engineered for horse traction and operated from 1811-46. The four-span viaduct, designed under the direction of eminent engineer William Jessop (1745-1814) and believed to be the world's oldest surviving example of its type, is class A listed by Historic Scotland. From 1988, after nearly 150 years of neglect, the structure was twice reported by structural engineers to be in imminent danger of collapse. In February 1992, with a view to obviating this unwelcome probability, a Conservation Project was initiated by the ICE Panel for Historical Engineering Works with essential support from others and subsequently raised the necessary £1.06m for the viaduct's refurbishment. Work started last June and is due for completion by November 1996.
The paper commences with an introduction on the historical significance and use of the railway and viaduct, illustrated by a newly-composed operational view depicting steam locomotion in 1816, an account of the development of the iron plate rails used from 1809-46, and identification of August/September 1816 as the probable time that the first use of steam locomotion was underway on a Scottish railway. A reasoned account of the Conservation Project and its objectives, strategy and modus operandi from the Secretary's standpoint then follows, with particular reference to administrative, ownership, contractual, funding, accessibility and planning matters. The paper concludes with the author's findings and comment arising from past and present work at the viaduct, including innovative investigation by radar scanning.
