The Murrumbidgee River railway bridge is a former

railway bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whic ...

that carried the

Main Southern railway line The Main Southern Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs from Sydney to Albury, near the Victorian border. The line passes through the Southern Highlands, Southern Tablelands, South West Slopes and Riverina regions. ...

across the

Murrumbidgee River The Murrumbidgee River () is a major tributary of the Murray River within the Murray–Darling basin and the second longest river in Australia. It flows through the Australian state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, desce ...

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...

, Australia. The original bridge, erected in 1881, was replaced in 2006.

Original bridge

The original four span wrought iron

lattice truss bridge A lattice bridge is a form of truss bridge that uses many small, closely spaced diagonal elements forming a lattice. The lattice Truss Bridge was patented in 1820 by architect Ithiel Town. Originally a design to allow a substantial bridge to be ma ...

opened on 16 January 1881. It was the second oldest bridge out of the twelve related wrought iron lattice truss series bridges built in Australia. Each of the four lattice truss spans were long which joined onto what was thought to be the longest timber viaduct in Australia. The bridge was considered as of major importance to the history of bridge engineering in Australia. The spans were manufactured by P. & W. McClellan & Co.,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

weighing a combined . The northern approach was originally built with 215 timber trestles. These were replaced with steel trestles over a four-year period from 1897. The trestles were strengthened in 1994 as part of the One Nation project."Wagga Wagga Bridge" ''

Railway Digest ''Railway Digest'' is a monthly magazine, published in Sydney, covering contemporary railways of Australia. Overview The magazine's publisher is the Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS), NSW Division. The first issue was published in M ...

'' March 2007 pages 23-25 By 2000 a speed restriction over the bridge had been imposed.

Replacement bridge

The bridge was removed and replaced with a new

concrete bridge Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

during a four-day shut down from 30 December 2006. The wrought iron lattice railway bridge was cut away using oxy cutters. One cut section of the bridge was donated to railway preservation group Tumbarail at

Ladysmith Ladysmith may refer to: * Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa * Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada * Ladysmith, Wisconsin, United States * Ladysmith, New South Wales, Australia * Ladysmith, Virginia, United States * Ladysmith Island, Queenslan ...

. The rest of the bridge was taken to

Port Kembla A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...

for disposal. The new bridge allowed an speed limit to be introduced.

Engineering heritage award

The bridge received a Historic Engineering Marker from

Engineers Australia Engineers Australia (EA) is an Australian professional body and not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to advance the science and practice of engineering for the benefit of the community. Engineers Australia is Australia's recognized org ...

as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program.

References

External links

{{Riverina Bridges completed in 1881 Concrete bridges Crossings of the Murrumbidgee River Lattice truss bridges Railway bridges in New South Wales Truss bridges in Australia

New South Wales places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate History of Wagga Wagga

Main Southern railway line, New South Wales 1881 establishments in Australia 2006 disestablishments in Australia Former railway bridges in Australia Recipients of Engineers Australia engineering heritage markers

Original bridge

Replacement bridge

Engineering heritage award

See also

References

External links