Staines Railway Bridge is a railway viaduct in

Staines-upon-Thames Staines-upon-Thames is a market town in northwest Surrey, England, around west of central London. It is in the Borough of Spelthorne, at the confluence of the River Thames and Colne. Historically part of Middlesex, the town was transferred to ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, around west of central London. It carries the

Waterloo to Reading line Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica *King George Island (S ...

across the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

. Immediately to the east is Thames Street bridge, which carries the railway over the B376 and the Thames Path.

History

An act of parliament was granted in 1853, authorising the Staines, Wokingham and Woking railway (SWWR) to build a line between Staines and

Wokingham railway station Wokingham railway station serves the market town of Wokingham in Berkshire, England. It is down the line from via Redhill. It is at the junction of the Waterloo to Reading line with the North Downs Line. South Western Railway manages the ...

s. Construction of the Staines Railway Bridge, across the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

, was completed in 1856. The SWWR merged with the London and South Western Railway in 1878. The line across the viaduct was electrified in 1937. Staines Railway Bridge was designed by John Gardner and cost £10,000 to build. It is constructed of

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...

girders supported on six

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

pillars, embedded in the river bed. The main span is wide and the total length of the bridge is . It is upstream of

London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...

. During the Second World War, the line was used to transport supplies to Portsmouth Naval Base and the bridge was guarded by a dedicated army

platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...

of around 25 soldiers. In 1995, the viaduct was painted bright yellow in a £15,000 experimental project to prevent swans from flying into it.

Thames Street bridge

The adjacent Thames Street bridge, which carries the railway over the B376 and the Thames Path, was named in 2021 as one of the country's ten railway bridges most likely to be struck by vehicles.

References

{{River item box Bridges across the River Thames Railway bridges in Surrey Bridges completed in 1856 Staines-upon-Thames

History

Thames Street bridge

See also

References