General Information
| Name in local language: | Viaduc des Fades |
|---|---|
| Beginning of works: | 1901 |
| Completion: | 1909 |
| Status: | out of service |
Project Type
| Structure: |
Deck truss bridge |
|---|---|
| Function / usage: |
Railroad (railway) bridge |
| Material: |
Steel bridge |
| Support conditions: |
for registered users |
| Structure: |
Lattice truss bridge |
| Plan view: |
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| Material: |
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Awards and Distinctions
| 1984 |
for registered users |
|---|
Location
| Location: |
Les Ancizes-Comps, Puy-de-Dôme (63), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France Sauret-Besserve, Puy-de-Dôme (63), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France |
|---|---|
| Crosses: |
|
| Part of: | |
| Coordinates: | 45° 58' 18.52" N 2° 48' 10.45" E |
Technical Information
Dimensions
| total length | 470.25 m | |
| span lengths | 115.20 m - 144 m - 115.20 m | |
| number of spans | 3 | |
| height above valley floor or water | 132.5 m | |
| number of tracks | 1 | |
| abutment 1 | height | max. 22 m |
| length | 24 m | |
| arch span | 14 m | |
| abutment 2 | length | 70.25 m |
| piers | height | max. 92.33 m |
| dimensions at base | 21.96 m x 11.64 m | |
| dimensions at the top | 11.00 m x 5.50 m | |
| truss | total length | 375.40 m |
| weight | ca. 2 604 t | |
| depth | 11.60 m | |
| total width | 7.80 m |
Quantities
| volume of masonry | 37 135.20 m³ |
Materials
| piers |
granite
|
|---|---|
| truss |
steel
|
| abutments |
masonry
|
Excerpt from Wikipedia
The Fades Viaduct (French:Viaduc des Fades) is a railway viaduct in the Puy-de-Dôme department, central France. At the time of its inauguration on 10 October 1909, it was the tallest bridge in the world, across all categories. As of 2010 it still is the tenth tallest railway viaduct in the world.
Overview
The Fades Viaduct is located close to Les Ancizes-Comps, in the Auvergne region, between the communes of Sauret-Besserve and Les Ancizes-Comps. It spans across the river Sioule. Its construction began on 28 October 1901. From 14 to 16 September 1909 it passed the performance tests, using a fully loaded train whose weight exceeded 1075 tons. It was opened on 10 October 1909, and put into service ten days later. What makes the Fades Viaduct exceptional is its monumental piers of quarried granite. Towering over 92 m in height they remain the tallest bridge piers ever built in traditional masonry. They each have a base larger than a tennis court.
Text imported from Wikipedia article "Fades viaduct" and modified on July 22, 2019 according to the CC-BY-SA 4.0 International license.
Participants
- Félix Virard (designer)
- Emile Robert (overseeing engineer)
Relevant Web Sites
Relevant Publications
- (1986): L'architecture du fer. France: XIXe siècle. Editions Champ Vallon, Seyssel (France), ISBN 9782903528713, pp. 113.
- (1997): L'architecture et les ingénieurs. Deux siècles de réalisations. Moniteur, Paris (France), pp. 115.
- (1997): Brücken am Weg. Frühe Brücken aus Eisen und Beton in Deutschland und Frankreich. Wilhelm Ernst & Sohn Verlag für Architektur und technische Wissenschaften GmbH, Berlin (Germany), ISBN 978-3-433-01299-4, pp. 114-115.
- (1995): Les Fades - Garabit 2. Deux techniques, deux époques. auto-édition, Clermont-Ferrand (France), pp. 54.
- (1999): Naissance d'un Géant. L'histoire de la construction du Viaduc des Fades. Association Sioule et Patrimoine, Sauret-Besserve (France), pp. 28.
- About this
data sheet - Structure-ID
20002049 - Published on:
29/09/2001 - Last updated on:
04/09/2023
