Major crossing structures, including the viaduct, on the Whitby to Loftus line were made out of iron, with the piers additionally filled with concrete.

The Whitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway (WR&MUR) was built in the 1870s, but the construction of the line was beset by financial and geological problems.

[7] As built, the viaduct did not have the strengthening spars running horizontally through the piers; these were added in eight years after opening, with some stating that it was a reaction to the Tay Bridge disaster.

[8] The coast routes from Whitby were deemed to be awkward to build in terms of geology and necessitating large engineering programmes such as tunnels, embankments and bridges.

One report submitted by Major-General Hutchinson noted defects in at least three of the piers of Staithes Viaduct, and also was the first to mention a wind gauge and possible speed restrictions.

[18] A diagram from the time shows the viaduct being erected from the south side of the ravine by a steam crane, but the question of how the iron was delivered to the site remains unanswered.

[19] In 1884 the North Eastern Railway installed an anemometer on the viaduct that was designed to ring a bell in Staithes signal box should the force of the wind reach a pressure greater than 28 pounds per square foot (1.3 kPa).