Difference between revisions of "Cleobury Road Bridge"

From SVR Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
(featured article)
(work in January 2023)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
[[File: Cleobury_Road_Bridge_20150528.jpg |thumb|300px|right| Cleobury Road Bridge (2015)]]
 
[[File: Cleobury_Road_Bridge_20150528.jpg |thumb|300px|right| Cleobury Road Bridge (2015)]]
 
[[File:Cleobury Road Bridge Repairs 1973.jpg|thumb|300px|right| Overhaul of the bridge underway in 1973]]
 
[[File:Cleobury Road Bridge Repairs 1973.jpg|thumb|300px|right| Overhaul of the bridge underway in 1973]]
−
'''Cleobury Road Bridge''' (Bridge 35) allows the main road from Bridgnorth towards Cleobury Mortimer and [[Highley]] to pass underneath the Severn Valley Railway. It is a plate-girder bridge with a span of 55ft on the skew and 35ft on the square, and is located immediately south of [[Bridgnorth|Bridgnorth Station]].<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Marshall (1989)]] p. 104.</ref> The points controlling access to platforms 1 and 2 are located on the bridge itself, with the switch blades on one side of the bridge and the point nose on the other,<ref name=SVR31>SVR News 31</ref> meaning the bridge is crossed by locomotives while 'running round'. The viewing gallery at the foot of [[Bridgnorth#Pan Pudding Hill|Pan Pudding Hill]] ends next to the bridge's northern abutment.  
+
'''Cleobury Road Bridge''' (Bridge 35) allows the main road from Bridgnorth towards Cleobury Mortimer and [[Highley]] to pass underneath the Severn Valley Railway. It is a plate-girder bridge with a span of 55ft on the skew and 35ft on the square, and is located immediately south of [[Bridgnorth|Bridgnorth Station]].<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Marshall (1989)]] p. 104.</ref> Until 2022 the turnout (points) controlling access to platforms 1 and 2 were located on the bridge itself, with the switch blades on one side of the bridge and the point nose on the other,<ref name=SVR31>SVR News 31</ref> meaning the bridge is crossed by locomotives while 'running round'. The viewing gallery at the foot of [[Bridgnorth#Pan Pudding Hill|Pan Pudding Hill]] ends next to the bridge's northern abutment.  
  
 
The picture (right) is looking west with Bridgnorth station to the right.  
 
The picture (right) is looking west with Bridgnorth station to the right.  
Line 12: Line 12:
  
 
In early 2008, a few days before the section of the line between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade was due to reopen after repairs following the [[2007 Storm Damage|2007 storm damage]], the southern end of the bridge was found to be out of alignment by about 10cm following an unreported strike by a lorry. An emergency road closure was authorised while the [[Cowans Sheldon 30-ton steam crane RS 1087|30 ton steam crane]] successfully relocated the end of the bridge on its bearings, allowing the reopening to take place on Saturday 9 February as planned.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Sowden (2012)]] p.44.</ref>
 
In early 2008, a few days before the section of the line between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade was due to reopen after repairs following the [[2007 Storm Damage|2007 storm damage]], the southern end of the bridge was found to be out of alignment by about 10cm following an unreported strike by a lorry. An emergency road closure was authorised while the [[Cowans Sheldon 30-ton steam crane RS 1087|30 ton steam crane]] successfully relocated the end of the bridge on its bearings, allowing the reopening to take place on Saturday 9 February as planned.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Sowden (2012)]] p.44.</ref>
 +
 +
During the first phase of the project to refurbish the [[Bridgnorth MPD|Locomotive yard]] which began in January 2023, the old turnout was removed and a new turnout installed further north, off the bridge itself. The track bed was dug out to a depth of a metre and rebuilt using a reinforced earth technique to give added strength, reducing lateral forces on the bridge's wing walls. New drainage was also installed<ref>[https://www.svrlive.com/bljan23 Branch Lines January 2023]</ref>.
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==

Revision as of 23:36, 25 January 2023

Cleobury Road Bridge (2015)
Overhaul of the bridge underway in 1973

Cleobury Road Bridge (Bridge 35) allows the main road from Bridgnorth towards Cleobury Mortimer and Highley to pass underneath the Severn Valley Railway. It is a plate-girder bridge with a span of 55ft on the skew and 35ft on the square, and is located immediately south of Bridgnorth Station.[1] Until 2022 the turnout (points) controlling access to platforms 1 and 2 were located on the bridge itself, with the switch blades on one side of the bridge and the point nose on the other,[2] meaning the bridge is crossed by locomotives while 'running round'. The viewing gallery at the foot of Pan Pudding Hill ends next to the bridge's northern abutment.

The picture (right) is looking west with Bridgnorth station to the right.

Preservation

An overhaul to replace the bridge timbers began at the end of October 1973 with work being carried out by the Permanent Way and Civil Engineering Departments. Only six weekends were available, as the SVRSevern Valley Railway planned to run its first Christmas services that year. The first two weekends were spent dismantling the bridge down to the metal girders. These were then cleaned, primed and painted with bitumastic, the process being hampered by a prolonged cold snap which prevented the paint from drying. At the same time the new timber baulks were drilled and test assembled next to the bridge. The assembled baulks were then dragged into place using diesel shunter No 17 "Highflyer". Refitting of the rails was hampered by the failure of the 2½ ton steam crane, with the rest of the rails needing to be hauled into place by hand. Despite these setbacks, the rails were set to gauge and screwed down and the track levelled in time for the scheduled Christmas services to run, with the job being completed in the New Year.[2]

A more significant refurbishment was carried out over the winter of 1978-79, during which the steel bridge span itself was replaced as part of the program to upgrade the whole line to take heavier trains. The work was again carried out by a combination of the SVRSevern Valley Railway's Permanent Way and Civil Engineering Departments. The old girders were lifted out and replaced by new girders, supplied by Rubery Owen & Co, using the 30 ton and 6 ton steam cranes positioned on each side of the bridge.[3]

In mid-1992 problems were noted with the bridge's abutments and the SVRSevern Valley Railway’s consulting engineers recommended that they should be rebuilt. Shortly before this could be carried out, the bridge also suffered a vehicle strike.[4] In January 1993 the girders were again lifted out so that the necessary repair work could be carried out to the abutments. Completion of the work overran by one day, with the SVRSevern Valley Railway running a 'replacement bus service' between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade on Saturday 13 March, the first weekend of the 1993 season.[5]

In early 2008, a few days before the section of the line between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade was due to reopen after repairs following the 2007 storm damage, the southern end of the bridge was found to be out of alignment by about 10cm following an unreported strike by a lorry. An emergency road closure was authorised while the 30 ton steam crane successfully relocated the end of the bridge on its bearings, allowing the reopening to take place on Saturday 9 February as planned.[6]

During the first phase of the project to refurbish the Locomotive yard which began in January 2023, the old turnout was removed and a new turnout installed further north, off the bridge itself. The track bed was dug out to a depth of a metre and rebuilt using a reinforced earth technique to give added strength, reducing lateral forces on the bridge's wing walls. New drainage was also installed[7].

See also

References

  1. ↑ Marshall (1989) p. 104.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 SVRSevern Valley Railway News 31
  3. ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 51
  4. ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 104, 105
  5. ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 106
  6. ↑ Sowden (2012) p.44.
  7. ↑ Branch Lines January 2023
Retrieved from ‘https://www.svrwiki.com/mediawiki-1.28.2/index.php?title=Cleobury_Road_Bridge&oldid=28023’

Navigation menu

SVR Wiki

Main Page

From SVR Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search

Welcome to the Severn Valley Railway Wiki

From this week's featured article
Eardington is situated on Eardington Bank, mid-way between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade. In recent years, rebuilding the platform was completed in 2019 and the water tower was dismantled in 2021. Although the station no longer features in daily operations, it resumed use during gala events in 2023 more than 40 years since regular timetabled trains ceased. (Full article...)
Schematic Map of the SVRSevern Valley Railway
BridgnorthEardingtonHampton LoadeCountry Park HaltHighleyThe Engine HouseArleyVictoria BridgeNorthwood HaltWyre Forest LineBewdleyStourport BranchBewdley TunnelConnection to Network RailKidderminsterMaps#Schematic maps of the pre-closure SVRMapandlinks3.png
Click on the map for a
larger interactive version

For 101 years between 1862 and 1963, the Severn Valley Railway formed part of the national railway network, running for 40 miles between Hartlebury and Shrewsbury. Established as a separate company, it was mainly operated by the Great Western Railway (GWRGreat Western Railway) and later by British Railways (BRBritish Rail or British Railways).

The present day Severn Valley Railway (SVRSevern Valley Railway) was established in 1965 to preserve part of the line as a heritage railway. Today it has six stations and two halts and runs for 16 miles along the Severn Valley between Bridgnorth in Shropshire and Kidderminster in Worcestershire, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route. Operations involve a mixture of steam and heritage diesel-hauled services.

This unofficial website is a project aimed to collect information and record events relating to the SVRSevern Valley Railway, both past and present.

For timetables, fare information, and news about special events, please visit the SVR Official Website. Other news and information of interest to members, shareholders and enthusiasts can be found on SVRLive.

In April 2023 the SVRSevern Valley Railway announced the launch of a Survival Fund to enable it to overcome the current financial crisis and implement longer-term plans for its future. Information and details of how to donate may be found on the SVRSevern Valley Railway's Survival Fund page.

Categories of article

History of the Severn Valley Railway

Current events on the SVRSevern Valley Railway

Information about the SVRSevern Valley Railway

Miscellaneous


Query Corner

Unsurprisingly, there are a large number of questions about the SVRSevern Valley Railway, both in pre-preservation days and for a number of historical items since then. Take a visit down to Query Corner to see if you have a recollection relating to some long forgotten event, or know of a reliable source (maybe an early edition of the SVR News?) that might have the information we need!

In addition are a number of stub articles requiring further input.

Adding to this Wiki

This site, or "wiki", is a collaborative effort, and anyone who has any knowledge relating to the SVRSevern Valley Railway should feel free to contribute. Once you have created a user account and logged in, you can modify any page by clicking the "Edit" button in the top right hand corner. For some tips on how to format pages, and some guidelines on how to make this wiki accessible can be found on Tips for contributing to the SVR Wiki.

Alternatively, if you don't feel confident editing this Wiki (although there is no reason you shouldn't!!), each article also has a "Discussion" page, which can be accessed by clicking the relevant button in the top left hand corner. This allows you to make additions, suggestions, or corrections to a page without making any change to the article itself.


Retrieved from ‘https://www.svrwiki.com/mediawiki-1.28.2/index.php?title=Main_Page&oldid=29527’

Navigation menu