Picture(s) of the day....

[NewcastleFalcon]

Well seeing as one of our newest members to introduce themselves is from Teesside, and many of us like a bridge or two, and I certainly like an artistic image...without furthur ado I give you....

http://i4.gazettelive.co.uk/incoming/ar ... 311864.jpg

Transporter Bridges are pretty unique on a world-wide scale with probably less than a dozen still in use, although in Britain there is another one at Newport in Wales. Little bit of a fascinating fact from Wiki

In 1974, the comedy actor Terry Scott, travelling between his hotel in Middlesbrough and a performance at the Billingham Forum, mistook the bridge for a regular toll crossing and drove his car off the end of the roadway, landing in the safety netting beneath.

Regards Neil

This is the full set, larger images here https://rmspecialstamps.com/collections/bridges/

[elma]

I'm pleased to see Menai Bridge in there. Heres a picture of one of the Lions guarding it and a section of the old rail bridge, very few people seem to know how to find these.

[CitroJim]

Lovely My perfect set of stamps encompassing many of my very favourite bridges!

I don't generally collect but I may well make an exception for those,...

[NewcastleFalcon]

I'm pleased to see Menai Bridge in there. Heres a picture of one of the Lions guarding it and a section of the old rail bridge, very few people seem to know how to find these.

Never tried it but, acccording to Wiki although the Lions are "down below" and out of sight to drivers using the Britannia bridge, they can be seen from the North Wales Coast Line as it crosses the Britannia Bridge at a lower level.

So a short train trip from Bangor to Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch should allow a glimpse of the lions .

Didn't see the Lions on our short holiday to North Wales earlier in the year, but did walk across the Menai bridge.

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Lovely My perfect set of stamps encompassing many of my very favourite bridges!

I don't generally collect but I may well make an exception for those,...

I have scored 7/10 for those bridges,


Would be nice to get 10/10

Regards Neil

[CitroJim]

Craigellachie Bridge is a real gorgeous one A new one for me but immediately gone onto my favourites list...

[elma]

I'm pleased to see Menai Bridge in there. Heres a picture of one of the Lions guarding it and a section of the old rail bridge, very few people seem to know how to find these.

Never tried it but, acccording to Wiki although the Lions are "down below" and out of sight to drivers using the Britannia bridge, they can be seen from the North Wales Coast Line as it crosses the Britannia Bridge at a lower level.

So a short train trip from Bangor to Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch should allow a glimpse of the lions .

Didn't see the Lions on our short holiday to North Wales earlier in the year, but did walk across the Menai bridge.

Regards Neil

That's right, the old bridge only had one level and they could be seen. It suffered a fire at some point and was rebuilt then later a top road was added from which the lions are invisible.
My favourite artefact, no picture though, is a massive capstan concreted into the bank on the mainland. It was used to manuver barges during construction by horses. I'm going to go down there this weekend and get some good pictures to share. It's quite an amazing little shrine to engineering immediately around and under Menai bridge.

[CitroJim]

The fire was in 1970 and was started by some boys playing, possibly lighting a fire by the side of the track to keep warm... The original bridge tubes that carried the rail lines - and you can see a portion of one in one of the pictures above - were lined with pine and sealed with pitch. It was perfect for propagating a fire...

I believe the bridge was closed for two years to effect repairs and strengthening works that would eventually allow the two-tier decks - one for road and one for rail - that would eventually be built. It was during the 1970-72 work that the arches under the bridge were installed and the old tubes fully removed.

Such a shame the lions suffered the ignominy of being more or less hidden as a result of this...

[harryp]

Craigellachie Bridge was featured on one of Julia Bradbury's walks round several distilleries IIRC. She was walking the now defunct Speyside railway, the removal of which left a huge distillery "high and dry" .

[CitroJim]

Ahh, good old Julia I find her and her walks incredibly entertaining and I have to admit I rather fancy her... I'll bet she expressly enjoyed that particular walk...

[harryp]

Jim wrote - "and I have to admit I rather fancy her"
yes Jim, you, me and a few million others no doubt

[NewcastleFalcon]

How about a connection between this and
The Craigellachie Bridge

https://www.pontcysyllte-aqueduct.co.uk ... ALES-8.jpg

from https://www.plaskynastoncanalgroup.org/ ... n-foundry/

The Craigellachie Bridge, erected between 1812 & 1814 with a span of 150ft on the River Spey in Scotland. This bridge was cast and forged at the Plas Kynaston Iron Foundry, Cefn Mawr, and then shipped across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct along the Elsmere Canal, or what is the now called the Llangollen Canal and on to Chester, where it was then loaded onto a sloop for shipment by sea to Spey mouth.

http://www.britainexpress.com/images/at ... e-7168.jpg

Regards Neil

[CitroJim]

That is an amazing connection... Been across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct Utterly breathtaking, as is the scenery and setting...

[white exec]

Even the Great IKB didn't get things quite right first time round. Some time after building the spendid Wharncliffe Viaduct in Hanwell, to carry the GWR across River Brent valley, extra width had to be added as the trains got wider, it seems:



At least they did a pukka job.

[Hell Razor5543]

I wonder if the reason they had to widen the bridge is because of IK Brunels' broad gauge railways. They were 7' 1/4" wide, as opposed to 4' 8 1/2" standard gauge. One thing that never happened with the broad gauge rolling stock was that it never fell over when it derailed on the level (it might have done if it came off an embankment).