| Re: Swing Bridges Posted by Bob_Blakey at 07:31, 18th July 2026 |     |
Coincidentally I yesterday responded to a public consultation from Devon County Council (DCC) regarding a proposal to replace the two bridges, one swing & one bascule, carrying the A379 over the Exeter Ship Canal. Both are life-expired and, apparently, costing (us) a fortune in maintenance. The preferred solution is the provision of two bascule bridges, rather than a like for like replacement.
I am pleased, but somewhat surprised, to report that in my view the proposed DCC solution makes perfect sense!
| Swing Bridges Posted by grahame at 06:51, 18th July 2026 | |
"On this day" - 18th July 2026 (or was it 17th?) - tells me that the longest Swing Bridge (in the UK)? opened 150 years ago today. As it'sm in Newcastle (not our area) and for road traffic (not trains) it's not had a mention in the Coffee Shop thus far, and I run the risk of being flagged "off topic"
From https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/aug/22/bid-to-save-river-tyne-swing-bridge-that-just-wont-swing
On 17 July 1876, the world’s largest swinging bridge – a marvel of hydraulic engineering – opened for the first time, allowing access to the upper reaches of the River Tyne.
Since that day, the Newcastle Swing Bridge, designed by William Armstrong, one of the greatest names in British engineering, has opened on about 300,000 occasions for the passage of about half-a-million vessels.
Since that day, the Newcastle Swing Bridge, designed by William Armstrong, one of the greatest names in British engineering, has opened on about 300,000 occasions for the passage of about half-a-million vessels.
But there are, still, some railway swing bridges, and there are still, some swing bridges in our area. And, I will admit, they fascinate me.
Here is a local railway one - alas long gone - from http://www.forgottenrelics.org/bridges/ashton-swing-bridge/
An unusual hydraulically-powered structure built for both road and rail, Ashton swing bridge was erected in 1905-6 for Bristol Corporation and the Great Western Railway. Its chief engineer was J C lnglis and the contractor John Lysaght. Armstrong Whitworth and Co was responsible for the hydraulics.
[snip]
The Whipple Murphy truss moveable span, which has remained shut since February 1934, is 202 feet in length and weighs in at 1,000 tonnes. It could open both ways, with a reversible motor housed in a signal cabin perched above the road deck. The hydraulics drained the dock system of 182 gallons of water every time the bridge opened – and, on average, it did so ten times a day. The mechanism was interlocked with the signal boxes on either side of the river, making it impossible for signals to be cleared unless the span was locked in the closed position.
Bristol Corporation rescinded the railway’s obligation to maintain the swing aparatus in 1951, since which time is has been fixed shut. The road deck and signal cabin were removed following the completion of new local roads in 1965.
[snip]
The Whipple Murphy truss moveable span, which has remained shut since February 1934, is 202 feet in length and weighs in at 1,000 tonnes. It could open both ways, with a reversible motor housed in a signal cabin perched above the road deck. The hydraulics drained the dock system of 182 gallons of water every time the bridge opened – and, on average, it did so ten times a day. The mechanism was interlocked with the signal boxes on either side of the river, making it impossible for signals to be cleared unless the span was locked in the closed position.
Bristol Corporation rescinded the railway’s obligation to maintain the swing aparatus in 1951, since which time is has been fixed shut. The road deck and signal cabin were removed following the completion of new local roads in 1965.
In the British Isles, I remain concerned for the Swing Bridge on the Rosslare to Waterford line, presently locked open to allow river traffic to pass. The line moved from a "parly" servive to mothballed as long as 15 years ago now; reports as recent as the last few days reportn an passage as far as the bridge by a weedkiller train, and this line seems such a missing link on the Irish system. One day, perhaps??
