Lockyer Creek Railway Bridge (Murphys Creek) is a heritage-listed railway bridge on the Toowoomba–Helidon line over

Lockyer Creek The Lockyer Creek is a creek located in South East Queensland, Australia. A tributary of the Brisbane River, the creek is a major drainage system in the Lockyer Valley. Rising on the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, the creek flows ...

Murphys Creek Murphys Creek is a rural town and locality in the Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Murphys Creek had a population of 629 people. Geography The locality is located at the foot of the Great Dividing Range. H ...

Lockyer Valley Region The Lockyer Valley Region is a local government area in the West Moreton region of South East Queensland, Australia, between the cities of Ipswich and Toowoomba. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire of Gatton and the Shire of Laidl ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. It was designed by William Pagan and built from to 1911. It was added to the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As a ...

on 21 October 1992.

History

The railway opened for traffic between Helidon and Toowoomba on 1 May 1867. From the 1870s there has been a continuing process of improving the Main Line between

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

and Toowoomba because of its importance as a major arterial route. As part of that process, which required the replacement of original bridges to carry heavier loads, construction work began in 1909 on a reinforced concrete arch bridge over

at immediately following the construction of one at . Design of the innovative bridge was completed and signed by Chief Engineer, William Pagan on 31 March 1910. The bridge and deviation were completed and brought into use on 21 December 1911.

Description

A concrete arch bridge aligned on a straight alignment and carrying a single track on a ballasted deck. Its spans are: * 2x reinforced concrete arches, concrete abutment, common concrete piers * 1x reinforced concrete arch supporting 2x and reinforced concrete spandrel arches, common concrete piers * 1x reinforced concrete arch supporting 2x and 2x reinforced concrete spandrel arches, common concrete piers * 1x reinforced concrete arch supporting 1xand reinforced concrete spandrel arches, common concrete piers * 3x reinforced concrete arches, common concrete piers, concrete abutment The spandrel

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

s are arranged in pairs, one for each arch rib, with crossbracing in concrete. The arch ribs are parabolic of rectangular section. There is a concrete balustrade. The whole structure is in cast-in-situ concrete.

Heritage listing

Lockyer Creek Railway Bridge was listed on the

on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history. This reinforced concrete arched bridge on a straight alignment has one of the largest spans of its type in Australia. The place is important because of its aesthetic significance. It has an innovative and aesthetically pleasing design. The place is important in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period. This reinforced concrete arched bridge on a straight alignment has one of the largest spans of its type in Australia. The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history. Its innovative and aesthetically pleasing design was associated with the Chief Engineer, William Pagan.

References

Attribution

External links