Thanks to Anthony Smith for sharing these 2 photos dating from 19th December 1963.The scene is the Craighead Railway Viaduct being dismantled.
I recently found out that the demolition took place between 11th and 23rd December 1963 and these incredible photos show how the sections were burned and toppled to the river, the date of the photo matching well to the suggested demolition dates. Anthony’s father who took these photos from the Blantyre side must have at one point scaled the large colliery bing for this vantage point.
By this time, the walkway had become very dangerous with missing wooden slats offering a view to the river far below. It had also been closed off to the public, but it wasn’t unusual for people to still try to take a shortcut, and was a dangerous attraction for youths.The piers remained for over 4 decades afterwards, but today, just one exists on the Bothwell side.
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Just to put in my “two pennyworth”
A contributory factor to the “dangerous condition” of Craighead Viaduct was the local morons setting fire to the wooden planking on the walkway beneath the bridge and defecating in the arched access to it. Yes, sadly vandalism is not a new phenomenon.
Barry Stewart (73…almost)