"Unique swing railway bridge over the Thames saved after years of neglect"

[MtB]

11 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

That was probably Goole. It was significantly damaged by collision and I think has been hit more than once.

 

Travelled over it by train a few weeks ago. No plans to be going under it by boat, ever.

 

28 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

There is one on the tidal Ouse, but I don't know which one, where the swing span opened for a ship one Christmas Eve and the ship went through a different span....

 

 

 

This one?

 

Screen grabbed from youtube.

 

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxuYGlzfRss&ab_channel=yamsibruce

 

[PeterScott]

 

 

 

Hardy Road Railway Bridge  RWensum NorfolkBroads  Pictures (#1) (#2)  by © Evelyn Simak through Geograph, which says that it is single-track for the Norwich to London (Liverpool Street) railway. It was rebuilt in 1986 for electrification  and is the only UK swing bridge to carry an overhead electrified railway track by a rigid bar rather than a wire.

[David Mack]

 

From New Civil Engineer magazine, 1 November 2022:

Trio of 100-year-old swing bridges upgraded by Network Rail

01 NOV, 2022 BY ROB HORGAN

 

Network Rail engineers have completed the first phase of upgrades to East Anglia’s three swing bridges.

The iconic swing bridges in Norfolk and Suffolk are designed to carry trains over waterways and swing open to let boats through. However, at over 100 years old, the bridges have become unreliable.

During the autumn, engineers have carried out vital works on Reedham and Somerleyton swing bridges. At both bridges they have:

• Installed a beam in the building that houses the swing bridge machinery. This will make the building strong enough for a temporary opening to be made in the wall. The opening will allow old and heavy machinery to be moved out and replaced with modern, more reliable equipment.
• Upgraded and replaced the manual winch system. This allows the bridge to be swung open manually by the bridge operator if there are problems with the machinery, keeping trains and boat users moving.
• Completed a full renewal and upgrade of the electrical system.

During October, survey work was additionally carried out at Oulton Broad swing bridge, which is also part of the project.

Dates for future works will be announced in due course and will primarily include a full replacement of the hydraulic and mechanical systems that the bridges use to open and close.

Network Rail route director for Anglia Ellie Burrows said: “These bridges on the Wherry and East Suffolk lines are an important part of our railway heritage and also critical pieces of infrastructure that keep both rail and boat traffic moving.

 

“Renewing the components will reduce the risk of mechanical problems and help keep services running safely, smoothly and reliably for our passengers, as well as maintaining access to the ports and marinas.”

And from the 26 September edition:

Network Rail begins upgrade of three East Anglia swing bridges

26 SEP, 2022 BY CATHERINE MOORE

 

Work to upgrade electrical and mechanical systems inside three swing bridges in East Anglia got underway this weekend.

The iconic bridges at Reedham, Somerleyton and Oulton Broad are designed to carry trains over waterways and swing open to let boats through, but they are over 100 years old and their internal parts have become unreliable.

During the project, Network Rail’s engineers will replace these parts, making the bridges less likely to develop faults and reducing the need for costly maintenance.

The upgrade will help Greater Anglia train passengers and boat users get to their destinations on time for years to come, while enabling the historic structures to keep being used in the modern day.

To allow the work to be carried out, there will be times when sections of the Wherry and East Suffolk Lines need to be closed.

Buses will replaced trains between Norwich and Lowestoft this weekend, and the same will apply on 8 and 9 October and between 22 and 30 October. This has been reduced from the previous planned sixteen consecutive days.

 

On 22 and 23 October, buses will also replace trains between Halesworth and Lowestoft.

Further work on the swing bridges will take place in spring 2023, with the dates of closures to be advised.

Network Rail route director for Anglia Ellie Burrows described the bridges as “an important part of our railway heritage and also critical pieces of infrastructure that keep both rail and boat traffic moving".

She said: "Renewing the components will reduce the risk of mechanical problems and help keep services running safely, smoothly and reliably for our passengers, as well as maintaining access to the ports and marinas.”

Greater Anglia managing director Jamie Burles added: “This work will make our Norwich and Ipswich to Lowestoft lines even more reliable, which I know our customers will welcome. While the work is going on we will make sure customers can still complete their journeys with a rail replacement bus service.”

 

Broads Authority director of operations Rob Rogers said that the "much-needed investment by Network Rail into the Broads’ swing bridges is very much welcomed by the Broads Authority and our boating communities".

He added: “It has been a challenging few years for our river users regarding the bridges and we are delighted to hear that work is progressing to allow them to reliably open for river traffic.

“We urge the boating community to note the periods of closure above and to check our website as the works progress for any navigation updates.”

Edited December 26, 2022 by David Mack

[Athy]

What an excellent photograph, unlike some that I've seen, where you have to try and guess what you're supposed to be looking at.

[PeterScott]

4 hours ago, Athy said:

..photograph, ... where you have to try and guess what you're supposed to be looking at.

 

 

Clue:  Mud

[Scholar Gypsy]

9 hours ago, Loddon said:

Has anyone actually had the Oxford bridge opened for them?

I remember the warnings about needing to have it opened but it was not in use by the time I got there.

Yes, several times in about 1974-76.

[Ronaldo47]

There used to be a swing bridge carrying both the single-track Silvertown Tramway and the main road across the Western entrance to the Royal Docks from the Thames.  I am not sure when it was removed, but the road was bypassed by a flyover in the inter-war period due to the severe traffic congestion caused by the narrowness of the bridge's single carriageway road that also had the railway running down the middle of it.

 

I first encountered the Oxford swing bridge in Easter 1963, set for the railway. I had been fortunate enough to get a place on a 10-day university experience course that Mansfield College used to run for 5th- and 6th-form schoolboys and girls from West Ham and East Ham schools to give them a taste of life as an undergraduate at Oxford, all expenses paid by the college and the local authorities. I went exploring on a free afternoon and found the canal tow path and the bridge. No doubt because it was Easter weekend, there was no activity on the railway. There had been heavy rain and the Cherwell had burst its banks, partially flooding a local park, possibly explaining no activity on the canal either.  In the 1970's I did visit Oxford on holiday,  by both river and canal, on several occasions, but none involved transit between them as Oxford was always our mid-week turn-round point. 

Edited December 26, 2022 by Ronaldo47
typos

[Alway Swilby]

There was a swing bridge on the ECML across the Ouse at Naburn. The bridge is still there but they shifted the ECML in the 1980s to avoid subsidence caused by the Yorkshire coalfields. 15 years later they shut the coalmines! The bridge now carries a cycle path and doesn't swing. 

[Tonka]

The Listed Properties Owners Club magazine came in the post today and it mentions this swing Bridge as it was on Historic England's heritage at risk register 2022 and there is a photo.

[Tony Brooks]

1 hour ago, Tonka said:

The Listed Properties Owners Club magazine came in the post today and it mentions this swing Bridge as it was on Historic England's heritage at risk register 2022 and there is a photo.

 

That just convinces me even more that Historic England have lost the plot and then some. I bet they made no contribution to the cost.

[John Brightley]

19 hours ago, Tonka said:

The Listed Properties Owners Club magazine came in the post today and it mentions this swing Bridge as it was on Historic England's heritage at risk register 2022 and there is a photo.

Slightly incorrect -it was on the register in 2021 but it has now been taken off it because of the restoration.

18 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

That just convinces me even more that Historic England have lost the plot and then some. I bet they made no contribution to the cost.

It is not for Historic England to finance the restoration of historic buildings -it is the responsibility of the owners of listed structures to keep them in good condition.

[Tonka]

1 minute ago, John Brightley said:

Slightly incorrect -it was on the register in 2021 but it has now been taken off it because of the restoration.

It is not for Historic England to finance the restoration of historic buildings -it is the responsibility of the owners of listed structures to keep them in good condition.

Sorry but I quoted the title as stated in the magazine. 

Historic England moan if the properties are not maintained but do not help the current custodian to maintain it. Would be nice if they did

[Tony Brooks]

7 minutes ago, John Brightley said:

It is not for Historic England to finance the restoration of historic buildings -it is the responsibility of the owners of listed structures to keep them in good condition.

 

Which allows them to impose all sorts of conditions and requirements on the owners with out having to bare the financial consequences. As they are not an elected body like the government this is unfair. The total loss of that bridge would have been of no consequence to the vast majority of the population.

[John Brightley]

2 minutes ago, Tonka said:

Sorry but I quoted the title as stated in the magazine. 

Historic England moan if the properties are not maintained but do not help the current custodian to maintain it. Would be nice if they did

In my experience HE do try to help as much as possible with technical advice on maintenance, but we can't expect them to finance every project. If they did, owners of listed buildings would have no incentive to keep them in good condition. Instead, people need to realise that if they purchase a listed structure, they take on the important responsibility of maintaining it.

[John Brightley]

2 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

Which allows them to impose all sorts of conditions and requirements on the owners with out having to bare the financial consequences. As they are not an elected body like the government this is unfair. The total loss of that bridge would have been of no consequence to the vast majority of the population.

I'm afraid I disagree. It's not unfair. When people acquire a listed structure, they knowingly take on all the responsibilities of maintaining it. Nobody has forced them to take on the responsibility. In my experience (as an architect) nothing I have seen that HE has asked for has been unreasonable.

[Tonka]

53 minutes ago, John Brightley said:

I'm afraid I disagree. It's not unfair. When people acquire a listed structure, they knowingly take on all the responsibilities of maintaining it. Nobody has forced them to take on the responsibility. In my experience (as an architect) nothing I have seen that HE has asked for has been unreasonable.

Well I disagree. There have been cases where people have got planning permission, started work only for an inspector to turn up. Inspect house and then list it. 

So how did they know this would happen

[MtB]

50 minutes ago, Tonka said:

Well I disagree. There have been cases where people have got planning permission, started work only for an inspector to turn up. Inspect house and then list it. 

So how did they know this would happen

 

Also, it might be informative to look up when this swing bridge was listed, and find out who owns it a compare that to when they bought it. 

 

My guess would be the developer of the surrounding flats was canny enough not to buy the plot containing the bridge, so it remains with British Railways or whoever took over the land on privatisation. Network Rail perhaps? 

 

And if its owned by Network Rail, the £1m squandered on it was a drop in the ocean of waste they preside over. 

[agg221]

6 hours ago, John Brightley said:

I'm afraid I disagree. It's not unfair. When people acquire a listed structure, they knowingly take on all the responsibilities of maintaining it. Nobody has forced them to take on the responsibility. In my experience (as an architect) nothing I have seen that HE has asked for has been unreasonable.

 

5 hours ago, Tonka said:

Well I disagree. There have been cases where people have got planning permission, started work only for an inspector to turn up. Inspect house and then list it. 

So how did they know this would happen

These two posts, I think, highlight one of the issues with the current system.

 

We bought our house with Grade II listing being fully aware of our responsibilities - the costs of maintenance should reasonably fall to us. However, there are various situations which are considerably less fair.

 

1. You own a property which is subsequently listed.

2. A business owns a commercial property which may already have been listed but previous generations of directors have not maintained.

3. There is a grant or tax structure in place which changes radically and unfavourably, often without reasonable warning.

 

Examples. I haven't personally encountered the former, but I am aware of it. If listing was a wholly objective process then you could predict it, but the listing of some 1960s tower blocks for example was not something the relevant councils could have planned for and trying to maintain and repair crumbling reinforced concrete at height, to retain poorly insulated flats, is a financial burden. I have directly encountered the second. My employer is a non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee, established by the government of the time in 1946 when it was given its premises, including a site for erecting laboratories in the grounds of a minor stately home which has since been Grade II* listed. We are not designed to make a profit, so the upkeep of the building has always been a challenge. We recently had to carry out a complete overhaul which cost £1.2M, which was only possible because we could reallocate part of an EU grant to it, as the criteria for use imposed by the local authority suddenly got far more lax due to the 'use it or lose it' position approaching the end of the previous financial year. Without that, we would have done the exterior and mothballed it. For context, the highest net surplus the company has ever made would only have covered around 10% of the costs and we would compromise the existence of the business if we didn't reinvest in technology. We were not directly affected by the third, but in this area, long straw thatch is used rather than reed, and has to be replaced like for like, giving a relatively short lifetime. There used to be a grant to offset a lot of the cost of this, but the roof lasts about 25yrs and the grant structure didn't, so both the previous owners of our house and our next door neighbours missed it because the roof did not happen to need replacing at the right time.

 

There are also all kinds of idiosyncrasies. For example, you can reclaim VAT on alterations to a listed structure, but not on the cost of repair. What a listed buildings officer will/will not allow is also highly subjective. We have had at least three officers in this area since we lived here - we had agreement in principle to build an extension before we bought the house, but the original listed buildings officer insisted on certain design details which were rather odd. We stood on the lawn looking at the proposed site with her successor a year or so later and she asked why we wanted all these strange details - we explained that we didn't - it was her predecessor! They were all deleted. There have been other strange outcomes since, but in general we appear to get the best result by asking verbally, then formalising permission if the outcome is favourable and if not we just wait until the next officer comes along!

 

None of this makes ownership and responsibility for such structures as straightforward as it should be.

 

Alec

Edited December 29, 2022 by agg221

[Tim Lewis]

Film of the bridge being operated in 1950 at the start of this YouTube

 

[Scholar Gypsy]

12 hours ago, Tim Lewis said:

Film of the bridge being operated in 1950 at the start of this YouTube

 

That was fun (though the first few minutes were repeated).  I don't remember the gantry over the sheepwash channel, that was presumably to carry rods and wires for the signals and points?  What  a lot of gongoozlers at Watford and Foxton....

[Francis Herne]

A much smaller railway swing bridge is located on the Tat Bank (or Rood End) branch of the BCN.

 

First is 1937 photo, from the "Britain from Above" collection via Duncan Moore's excellent website https://lostbcnimages.blogspot.com/2022/05/oldbury-and-titford-area.html

 

Other two are mine. The bridge still exists, with swing mechanism intact if rusted solid, but can't be reached by narrowboat. You can visit it by canoe. There's no access by land as it's within the BIP site.

Edited February 1, 2023 by Francis Herne

[nbfiresprite]

Sutton Swing Bridge on the Nene, on the route of the old Midland Railway and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GN), otherwise known as the 'Muddle and Get Nowhere'. First major line closure under BR in 1959.

[ditchcrawler]

53 minutes ago, nbfiresprite said:

Sutton Swing Bridge on the Nene, on the route of the old Midland Railway and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GN), otherwise known as the 'Muddle and Get Nowhere'. First major line closure under BR in 1959.

We still have some in use on the Broads

[Scholar Gypsy]

On 25/12/2022 at 17:46, Scholar Gypsy said:

There is also a combined bridge at Queenborough,  on the Swale.

 

There were some nice shots of this bridge over the Swale in this week's episodes of Silent Witness.  You could clearly see the railway tracks. There was one shot I think of the bridge in the raised position.

[Tim Lewis]

8 minutes ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

 

There were some nice shots of this bridge over the Swale in this week's episodes of Silent Witness.  You could clearly see the railway tracks. There was one shot I think of the bridge in the raised position.

a pity that they were referenced as being in Essex!