Britain's most beautiful railway structure

[MidnightFlyer]

Past or present, bridge, viaduct, station building, signalbox or other, what do you think is the most beautiful / impressive railway structure Britain has ever seen?

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Bristol Temple Meads.

Its beautiful. The front of St Pancras station is a close second for me.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Bit unusual, but Belah Viaduct looks wonderful, what a structure:

Long gone sadly, but it was up in the wilds of Westmorland IIRC

Similarly, Meldon Viaduct is quite nice too, and you can walk across it.

 

[JamesHorrell]

I Like the Front of the York Station aand also i like the Main Roof of the Station too

Front
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:York_railway_station_and_Royal_York_Hotel_-_April_10_2005.jpg

Main Roof
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:York_station_roof.JPG

 

[dalmahoyhill]

ahh there are lots, couldnt choose a favourite
viaducts
culloden viaduct
royal border bridge
loch nan uamh viaduct
balcombe viaduct
conwy bridge
new HS1 viaduct over the medway

the west highland stations like rannoch.
York station
new st pancras station
temple meads
the eurostar terminal roof at waterloo.

personally you couldn't call it beautiful but the severn tunnel has always been pretty amazing.

 

[Yew]

Personally I have always liked the viaduct over mansfield, probably because I live there, but it does soar majestically over the town, giving some nice views of dilapidated industrial estates, the disused hospital, however also the stone and slate buildings in thew town centre, the market, and a few nice churches

EDIT; Never Mind, Ive just had a close look at bristol temple meads.

Ill try and think of something better overnight

 

[Whistler40145]

I love St Pancras as a Station & Ribblehead comes top for a viaduct, mainly as the S&C could have closed, thankfully it wasn't.

 

[Liam]

Forth Bridge.

Or maybe Royal Albert Bridge.

Does Edinburgh's North Bridge count? In my opinion the most beautiful bridge in the country (It goes over Waverly station after all...).

 

[Whistler40145]

I love having any diesel over the Forth Bridge, it's a magnificent piece of engineering.

 

[RPM]

Contenders for this are legion, but if you press me to name a favourite then it is this; Euston Arch or more properly the doric portico. It no longer exists but one day it might be rebuilt...

http://www.eustonarch.org/

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

For a smaller station, I think Shrewsbury has an attractive facade.

For a viaduct, I think the one in Stockport is very impressive.

 

[Schnellzug]

Knucklas Viaduct on the Central Wales Line? It has some nice castellations.

 

[The Snap]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/BirminghamNewStreetFromWest.png

It has got to be Birmingham New Street for me.


.

 

[Whistler40145]

Birmingham New Street? Why?

It's a concrete monstrosity!

St. Pancras beats it hands down.

 

[stanley T]

Birmingham New Street? Why?

It's a concrete monstrosity!

St. Pancras beats it hands down.

I think that was irony... you know, the stuff they make rails from.

Seaton Viaduct is impressive for its sheer length as well as elegance

 

[snail]

Forth Bridge.

This.

On a smaller scale, I'm always impressed when I see the Ingleton viaduct - dominating yet somehow it belongs there.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Royal Albert Bridge

 

[pendolino]

I think we are unbelievably lucky to have so many architectural gems on our railway, which I would like to think are appreciated and protected to a far greater degree these days than has been in the recent past. As for the most beautiful, I couldn't possibly decide.

Earlier this year, on a walk in Sussex, I passed under Ouse Valley Viaduct - that was pretty spectacular.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

I think we are unbelievably lucky to have so many architectural gems on our railway,

Absolutely agree, it makes travelling by train even more enjoyable for me - I'm struggling to pick one structure but I think that the Forth Bridge is up there.....but also for me it is often the smaller items of railway architecture that have survived that give pleasure...

 

[DarloRich]

Yor Station, Newcastle Station, Ribblehead Viaduct, Forth Bridge, Glennfinnan Viaduct the list could go on and on and on and on

 

[junglejames]

Yor Station, Newcastle Station, Ribblehead Viaduct, Forth Bridge, Glennfinnan Viaduct the list could go on and on and on and on

Going to have to be exactly the same for me. Perhaps adding in Bristol Temple Meads, and the original part of St Pancras. ie not the new ugly extension.

If i have to name a number 1 though, then The Forth Bridge. Hands down. No contest. Loved the bridge ever since i was a child.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Once there was the Crumlin Viaduct. Would they pull down such a structure today ?

http://www.crumlinviaduct.co.uk/index.html

 

[158_Sprinter]

Chirk Viaduct

 

[Whistler40145]

Two more viaducts, Harringworth & Whalley.

 

[Ploughman]

How about a tunnel end
Bramhope North Portal
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2626/3976850009_e4f5080908.jpg

 

[kylemore]

Wemyss Bay, virtually unchanged since 1903

 

[chefchenko]

findhorn viaduct does it for me !! i worked in the nearby village and woke to either the sleeper or highland chieftan trundling over it !! happy days

 

[AlterEgo]

For me:

Forth Bridge
Dawlish Sea Wall
Royal Albert Bridge
Newcastle Central station
Box Tunnel
North Greenwich LUL

There are more....

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The train shed at Manchester Piccadilly looks great now it has been restored and reglazed - it was an ugly duckling.

I'm always impressed by the lovely rough sandstone of Sheffield Midland, the cuttings/tunnels approaching Lime Street, and the exit through the city walls westwards from Chester.

 

[Butts]

Old Hill Station in the West Midlands.