Network Rail completes 9-day upgrade on UK’s only sliding bridge

[David Mack]

Network Rail engineers have completed a nine-day programme of works to upgrade the UK’s only sliding canal bridge in Keadby, near Scunthorpe.

The work took place around the clock from Saturday 17 February to the early hours of Monday 26 February with more than 100 engineers on site. It involved strengthening one of the canal’s walls and replacing rail and track equipment.

Engineers from main contractor AmcoGiffen have now installed a 24.5t precast concrete slab on the canal’s north wall to strengthen it. In order to carry out this work, part of the Stainforth and Keadby canal had to be drained using a limpet dam – a structure positioned on the side of the canal to create a water-tight seal. This allowed the engineers to carry out the repairs in a safe and dry environment.

On the bridge deck the old wooden beams, which held the old rails, have been replaced with metal supports.

The bridge now has 200m of new rails covered in a special white coating to ensure they absorb less heat in summer.

The original bridge dates back to the 1860s and it was converted to a sliding bridge in 1925. It connects Doncaster with Scunthorpe and the Lincolnshire coast. It is on one of the busiest routes for freight trains in the UK.

Video at https://fast.wistia.net/embed/iframe/n2almluo2b

 

 

Edited March 1 by David Mack

[Jen-in-Wellies]

2 hours ago, David Mack said:

The bridge now has 200m of new rails covered in a special white coating to ensure they absorb less heat in summer.

Hopefully fewer closures to boat traffic when the weather warms up. They didn't dare open it when the temperature was pushing 40C, as they couldn't be sure the rails would still fit in the gap when the bridge was slide back in place. Looking out the window right now, summer seems a long time away!

[ditchcrawler]

14 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Hopefully fewer closures to boat traffic when the weather warms up. They didn't dare open it when the temperature was pushing 40C, as they couldn't be sure the rails would still fit in the gap when the bridge was slide back in place. Looking out the window right now, summer seems a long time away!

Same problem on the Broads with the swing bridges at St Olaves and Reedham 

Edited March 1 by ditchcrawler
Spilling

[Cheshire cat]

I was under the impression that there is a retired sliding bridge on the Ulverston canal.

[Captain Pegg]

1 hour ago, Cheshire cat said:

I was under the impression that there is a retired sliding bridge on the Ulverston canal.

I think although that bridge still appears to be extant it no longer slides. The mechanism is likely fixed. Hence that statement is probably correct although quite why Network Rail are so confident about the arrangements of the nation’s canal bridges I know not.

 

It’s pretty common for what were once moveable railway bridge spans to now be fixed. The metal spans of the Barmouth Bridge have recently been renewed to the same pattern as the original swing bridge spans albeit without any capacity - latent or actual - to swing. That’s because of its listed status.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

5 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

It’s pretty common for what were once moveable railway bridge spans to now be fixed.

The nearby Keadby bridge over the Trent and on the same line as the Vazon bridge would be another example. A combined rail and road bridge that used to lift to allow tall ships along the Trent, but is now fixed.

[Captain Pegg]

2 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

The nearby Keadby bridge over the Trent and on the same line as the Vazon bridge would be another example. A combined rail and road bridge that used to lift to allow tall ships along the Trent, but is now fixed.

Yes, that’s a beast. Similar to, but not as aesthetically pleasing as the ‘White Bridge’ at Carmarthen. That is also fixed. The style is often referred to as a “rolling bridge”.

Edited April 12 by Captain Pegg

[Midnight]

2 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

The nearby Keadby bridge over the Trent and on the same line as the Vazon bridge would be another example. A combined rail and road bridge that used to lift to allow tall ships along the Trent, but is now fixed.

 

Maybe they should fix the Vazon Bridge and have a sliding canal 😆

[Jen-in-Wellies]

10 hours ago, Midnight said:

 

Maybe they should fix the Vazon Bridge and have a sliding canal 😆

Hump back rail bridge.

By Hennessy - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=601984

 

If you were really going to fix Vazon in place, you could replace Keadby lock with a new one up from Vazon and make the cut between there and the river deeper and tidal, so not totally impractical.

[Midnight]

On 12/04/2024 at 23:51, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Hump back rail bridge.

By Hennessy - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=601984

 

If you were really going to fix Vazon in place, you could replace Keadby lock with a new one up from Vazon and make the cut between there and the river deeper and tidal, so not totally impractical.

 

Thinking outside the box. Don't suppose you fancy being CEO of the Canal and River Trust?