View of the Ruhr Viaduct in Herdecke

Great view of the Ruhr Viaduct in Herdecke. With a length of 313 m and 12 semi-circular arches of 20 m each, the viaduct spans the valley.

Ruhr Viaduct
The Ruhr Viaduct in Herdecke is an impressive structure and a striking landmark of the Ruhr Valley. It is used by trains between Dortmund and Lüdenscheid. This imposing viaduct stretches over the Ruhr and also marks the beginning of the Ruhr reservoir Harkortsee Here are some interesting facts about the Ruhr Viaduct: Length: The viaduct is 313 meters long. Height: It rises to almost 30 meters above the river. Construction: 24,400 cubic meters of rubble stone and 12 arches with a span of 20 meters each were used for the construction. The bridge construction describes a slight curve with a radius of 380 meters in plan. History: In 1879, the line was inaugurated as part of the Düsseldorf-Derendorf–Dortmund South railway line (also known as the “Rheinische Strecke”) of the former Rhenish Railway Company. The construction of the viaduct in these dimensions was a technical masterpiece for the time. It made it possible to keep the length of the Ender Tunnel on the route as short as possible.
Destruction: In May 1943, a pillar of the viaduct was torn away by the ensuing flood wave when the Möhne dam was destroyed by Operation Chastise. In 1945, two arches of the structure were blown up by the Wehrmacht. The viaduct was not rebuilt until 1952 and the first trains were able to cross it in 1957.ennepe-ruhr-entdecken.de/poi/ruhr-viadukt

The tracks cross the river at a height of 30 meters and are 313 meters long; 24,400 cubic meters of quarry stone and 12 arches, each with a span of 20 meters, were required. The floor plan of the building describes a slight curve with a radius of 380 meters. The bridge route with the tracks on it has a gradient of 0.5 percent.