Saltash, Cornwall. Royal Albert Bridge (MLN2 @ 250m 70ch - 251m 23ch)

Track-level view from the central pier

Saltash, Cornwall. Royal Albert Bridge (MLN2 @ 250m 70ch - 251m 23ch). View from the Devon shore during construction

Brunel's masterpiece bridge spans the River Tamar between Plymouth, Devon and Saltash, Cornwall. it consists of two 455-foot (138.7 m) lenticular iron trusses 100 feet (30.5 m) above the water, with conventional plate-girder approach spans. This gives it a total length of 2,187.5 feet (666.8 m).
The Cornwall span had been lifted into place in 1857, and this photo shows the Devon span that had been floated into position on 10 July 1858 and was in the process of being raised into position. It was in its final position by 28 December 1858

Saltash, Cornwall. Royal Albert Bridge (MLN2 @ 250m 70ch - 251m 23ch). View during construction from an elevated position on the Devon side

The Cornwall span had been lifted into place in 1857, and this photo shows the Devon span that had been floated into position on 10 July 1858 and was in the process of being raised into position. It was in its final position by 28 December 1858

Meldon viaduct, Okehampton (DAC @ (199m 32ch). 1949

London & South Western Railway's Devon & Cornwall Line. Meldon Viaduct, near Okehampton, Viaduct & train of steam tender engine and 4 coaches.

Saltash, Cornwall. Royal Albert Bridge (MLN2 @ 250m 70ch - 251m 23ch). View during construction from the construction yard on the Devon side

The Cornwall span had been lifted into place in 1857, and this photo shows the Devon span that had been floated into position on 10 July 1858 and was in the process of being raised into position. It was in its final position by 28 December 1858

Saltash, Cornwall. Royal Albert Bridge (MLN2 @ 250m 70ch - 251m 23ch). View from above Saltash station during the broad gauge era

Saltash station with the bridge behind

Saltash, Cornwall. Royal Albert Bridge (MLN2 @ 250m 70ch - 251m 23ch). Engraving, looking upstream

There is a steam engine hauling five or six carriages, heading west over the bridge, and ships & boats on the river. There is also another steam train crossing a viaduct in hilly country (seen through the Devon span of the Royal Albert bridge) but this appears to be artistic licence. There is another version of the engraving on the Science Museum website, from which it is clear that the RCHS version has been cropped left and right

Saltash, Cornwall. Royal Albert Bridge (MLN2 @ 250m 70ch - 251m 23ch). View from above the approach track on the Devon side during the broad gauge era

Saltash station and village is in the background, with a paddle steamer at the jetty

Britannia Tubular Bridge over the Menai Straits (CNH3 @ 241m 03ch - 241m 35ch) showing the state of construction in May 1849, taken from the Anglesea [sic] shore

The piers are nearly complete, but the tubes have not yet arrived. Engraving by Day & Son, 17 Gate Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. Published in November 1849

Britannia Tubular Bridge over the Menai Straits (CNH3 @ 241m 03ch - 241m 35ch). Panorama of bridge

Men working on maintenance cradle

Britannia Tubular Bridge over the Menai Straits (CNH3 @ 241m 03ch - 241m 35ch). Panorama of bridge with the road suspension bridge behind

Engraved by George Hawkins and published by T Catherall, Chester & Bangor. 1852. A copy of the original print is at the National Museum of Wales

Britannia Tubular Bridge over the Menai Straits (CNH3 @ 241m 03ch - 241m 35ch). Panorama taken from an elevated position on the Anglesey side

St Mary’s church and Nelson’s Statue are on the right of the photo, and Snowdonia is in the distance. The photo was taken from The Marquess of Anglesey’s Column, 106 metres above the Menai Strait. The date, as written on the back of the photo in ballpoint, is 16 June 1902

Forth Bridge (ECN2 @ 9m 47ch - 11m 13ch) . Southern portal with first train about to cross the new bridge

Steam engine hauling two carriages northbound. A copy of the engraving was published in “The Graphic” magazine on 1st February 1890, page 132

Brighton, London Road Viaduct (BTL @ 0m 24ch - 0m 44ch). 18 November 1846 (Ref: 030570)

The village of Preston in the foreground. Engraved “From nature & on stone by R H Nibbs”. Published by W Lane, 3 Market Street, Brighton. November 18th 1846.

Tay Bridge (Original. ECN2 @ 56m 37ch - 58m 55ch). Panorama of bridge from north-west. 1878-79

Tay Bridge (New. ECN2 @ 56m 37ch - 58m 55ch). Panorama of bridge from south-east

Wormit station and Tay Bridge South Jcn in the foreground

Tay Bridge (Original. ECN2 @ 56m 37ch - 58m 55ch). Panorama of bridge from south-west

Tay Bridge South Jcn in the foreground, and two signalboxes. The first Tay Bridge South signal box was opened on 1 June 1878 with the bridge itself. A second signalbox was provided the following year, presumably with the opening of the branch to Newport on Tay in May 1879. The intention may have been to amalgamate the boxes, but both became somewhat superfluous at the end of 1879 when the bridge fell down. It is interesting to note that there are two consecutively located Up direction signals on the bridge which, presumably, were operated from the separate boxes, the northerly one referring to trains taking the Burntisland line and the southerly to trains for Newport.

Tay Bridge (New. ECN2 @ 56m 37ch - 58m 55ch). Panorama of bridge from north

The North British Railway line is entering Esplanade Station, and a train of open freight wagons is in the foreground on the low-level tracks of the Caledonian Railway’s Dundee & Perth Branch

Tay Bridge (New. ECN2 @ 56m 37ch - 58m 55ch). Panorama of the Dundee end of the bridge. 1936

From a train looking north

South-east of Greenwich Jcn (LBW @ approx 1m 67ch).

The location is opposite Millwall Football Club’s ground, looking north-west towards the junction of the London & Greenwich Railway (SER, to the right) and the London & Croydon Railway (LBSCR, to the left). The line at the lower level is the North Kent spur running east from the SER Bricklayers’ Arms terminus to join the London & Greenwich line. The brick arches are still in use.
The train on the extreme left is taking the spur from North Kent West Junction towards Bricklayers Arms Junction on the Croydon line. This train would have been hidden from the artist less than a decade later when the South London line was built across the scene. Note that the Croydon line has three tracks; it seems the company was given powers to lay an additional track for their atmospheric trains but in the latter's year or so (1846-7) of use these never got north of New Cross

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, early 19th century engraving

Engraving by Francis Jukes (1745-1812), of a drawing by J Parry. Published 01 March 1806. John Parry was an artist and engraver of Bryn y Ffynnon, Wrexham.

Tay Bridge (Original. ECN2 @ 56m 37ch - 58m 55ch). The north-east section of the bridge, possibly showing load testing with goods trains before opening

Showing the section where the lattice girder depths increase. These girders were re-used on new foundations when the bridge was rebuilt

Gelt Bridge (a.k.a. Middle Gelt bridge. NEC2 @ approx 51¼mp). From the How Gill to Greenwell road below the viaduct, looking south. 1935

The masonry viaduct over the River Gelt in Cumbria has three arches of 9m span.. It was built from 1832-1835 for the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, and was one of the earliest and largest skew arched bridges in the country. The bridge is Grade II* listed on the National Heritage List for England.

Gelt Bridge (a.k.a. Middle Gelt bridge. NEC2 @ approx 51¼mp). From the How Gill to Greenwell road below the viaduct, looking south. Engraving 1837

The masonry viaduct over the River Gelt in Cumbria has three arches of 9m span.. It was built from 1832-1835 for the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, and was one of the earliest and largest skew arched bridges in the country. The bridge is Grade II* listed on the National Heritage List for England. The engraving is from “Views on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway” by John Wilson Carmichael (engravings) and John Blackmore (descriptions), (1839)

Corby Bridge (a.k.a. Wetheral Viaduct. NEC2 @ 55m 73ch). Engraving. 1837

The viaduct is immediately east of Wetheral station, near Carlisle, begun in 1830 and completed in 1834. It is 660 feet (200 m) long and 100 feet (30 m) high, and is Grade I listed. It has five 89 feet (27 m) spans faced with red sandstone quarried from Newbiggin Quarry near Carlisle, and filled with sandstone rubble from Wetheral and Corby Beck Quarries. It has two piers on either bank and two in the river. The engraving is from “Views on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway” by John Wilson Carmichael (engravings) and John Blackmore (descriptions), (1839)

King's Ferry Bridge (SEJ2 @ 47m 34m). The 1904 bascule bridge in the closed position

The railway bridge was opened in 1856 for the SECR on their line between Kent and the port of Sheerness. It opened to allow large vessels to navigate past and not obstruct maritime traffic on the Swale. The opening span was replace by a new Scherzer rolling-lift span in 1904, and the whole bridge was replaced in 1960

King's Ferry Bridge (SEJ2 @ 47m 34m). The 1904 bascule bridge in the open position

The railway bridge was opened in 1856 for the SECR on their line between Kent and the port of Sheerness. It opened to allow large vessels to navigate past and not obstruct maritime traffic on the Swale. The opening span was replace by a new Scherzer rolling-lift span in 1904, and the whole bridge was replaced in 1960

King's Ferry Bridge (SEJ2 @ 47m 34m). Rail-level view along the 1904 bascule bridge showing the lifting span

The railway bridge was opened in 1856 for the SECR on their line between Kent and the port of Sheerness. It opened to allow large vessels to navigate past and not obstruct maritime traffic on the Swale. The opening span was replace by a new Scherzer rolling-lift span in 1904, and the whole bridge was replaced in 1960

Viaduct on the Croydon Atmospheric Railway, crossing the Dover and Brighton lines, between Norwood and Croydon (LBW @ approx 9mp)

The flyover was built of wood to save money, and at a maximum gradient of 2% in the belief that only lightweight atmospheric trains would cross over it. After abandonment of the atmospheric system, the flyover was too steep and too flimsy for reliable operation by locomotives, so it was removed early on, along with the atmospheric pipe.

London & Greenwich Railway viaduct (LBW @ approx 1m 50ch) .Elevation of the portion which crosses Corbett’s Lane

Published May 1834. by Ackermann & Co., 96 Strand. Geometrical Elevation of the London & Greenwich Railway. Incorporated by Act of Parliament 1833. as designed and projected by Geo. Landmann Esq., Engineer to the Company and now constructing

Deptford Wharf Branch Railway (DPW). Panorama of viaduct with that of London & Greenwich Railway in the background. 1848

Dean Lane bridge, near Netherne (north of Merstham). (TQ 28763 55822). Circa 1902

Looking north with the road junction just about visible to the left.

Solway Viaduct (ANB @ 6m 69ch - 7m 77ch). Panorama of viaduct from shore

Opened 1869, closed 1921, demolished 1934-5. Length 1m 180y

Deptford Wharf Branch Railway (DPW). Lifting Bridge New Cross station, carrying the LBSCR branch over the Grand Surrey Canal. December 1962?

This photo shows the vertical lift bridge (at Map Reference TQ 35745 77965) in a later version to that in the 1849-50 drawing, and here comprising separate bridges for the single-track railway line and a footbridge. The railway bridge was 13 feet wide, and spanned 31 feet 6 inches (both dimensions measured between the vertical cast-iron standards). It was raised to a height of 10 feet by means of chain and wheel gearing worked by hand power for the passage of barges using the canal. The photo is looking east along the canal, with the back of the signalbox visible extending right from the lifebelt. The large building in the background centre and right was the Mazawattee tea factory complete with dome/clock tower, and which featured in the company’s advertising. The Luftwaffe destroyed most of most of the building, but the frontage survived until later redevelopment of the site. There is a Waterlow picture postcard, said to have been taken by John Bosham in 1907, that shows the same bridge but taken from the opposite side The date written on the back of the photo (in ballpoint) in December 1962, but this may not be correct. The tea factory appears to be in better condition than might be expected after bombing, and another photograph taken in 1959 shows that the footbridge has been removed. The bridge lifting mechanism failed in late-1963, and a rail-mounted crane was used briefly to raise and lower the bridge so that both rail and barge traffic could continue to pass while the statutory closure procedure was followed for the freight-only branch, which closed in January 1964. The bridge was then temporarily fixed in the raised position until it could be removed and scrapped.

Deptford Wharf Branch Railway (DPW). Lifting Bridge New Cross station, carrying the LBSCR branch over the Grand Surrey Canal. December 1962?

This photo shows the vertical lift bridge (at Map Reference TQ 35745 77965) in a later version to that in the 1849-50 drawing, and here comprising separate bridges for the single-track railway line and a footbridge. The railway bridge was 13 feet wide, and spanned 31 feet 6 inches (both dimensions measured between the vertical cast-iron standards). It was raised to a height of 10 feet by means of chain and wheel gearing worked by hand power for the passage of barges using the canal.
The photo is looking east along the canal, with the back of the signalbox visible extending right from the lifebelt. The large building in the background centre and right was the Mazawattee tea factory complete with dome/clock tower, and which featured in the company’s advertising. The Luftwaffe destroyed most of most of the building, but the frontage survived until later redevelopment of the site. There is a Waterlow picture postcard, said to have been taken by John Bosham in 1907, that shows the same bridge but taken from the opposite side
The date written on the back of the photo (in ballpoint) in December 1962, but this may not be correct. The tea factory appears to be in better condition than might be expected after bombing, and another photograph taken in 1959 shows that the footbridge has been removed.
The bridge lifting mechanism failed in late-1963, and a rail-mounted crane was used briefly to raise and lower the bridge so that both rail and barge traffic could continue to pass while the statutory closure procedure was followed for the freight-only branch, which closed in January 1964. The bridge was then temporarily fixed in the raised position until it could be removed and scrapped.

Sankey Viaduct (DSE @ 14m 07ch - 14m 16ch). Panorama of viaduct looking south-east. Sankey Sugar Works in the background (Ref: 030591)

George Stephenson designed the 150 yards long, nine-arch Sankey Viaduct for the double-track Liverpool and Manchester Railway, to cross the valley and Sankey Canal with sufficient clearance for the masts and sails of the Mersey flats that used the canal. The viaduct was built between 1828 and 1830, although work on the structure did not finish until the middle of 1833. On 15 September 1830, the viaduct was opened along with the Liverpool & Manchester railway