[1] It carried the Edinburgh-Carlisle main line of the North British Railway, the Waverley Line, on 15 stone arches across the shallow Langside valley and the Langside burn.

It has a maximum height of 18.3 metres (60 ft) and has been extensively repaired with brick patching.

The contract for the construction of the viaduct was awarded together with the nearby southern Whitrope Tunnel on the same line.

With the closure of the entire route on 6 January 1969, the viaduct became obsolete and the rails have since been removed.

In the 2000s, the monument was extensively restored by BRB (Residuary) Limited.