The railway South West of Exeter has some fascinating structures. Much of it was originally built single track, Broad Gauge, and with “Atmospheric” propulsion. Most of the viaducts were built with
stone piers and timber trusses, though the latter were more like cantilevers and suspended spans. It was always intended that those should be replaced as they became unserviceable. When that came
to, the track was doubled and a new alignment made so the new viaducts could be built along-side the old. At Bittaford, things got yet more complex as we shall see.