These amazing feats of engineering allow trains to navigate the steepest valleys and cross the deepest rivers.
ADVERTISEMENTWe’ve got a serious weakness for spectacular railway bridges. Nothing beats rumbling across valleys and rivers while absorbing views of the gorgeous landscapes unfolding below.
And so they’re now not simply feats of engineering – they’re landmarks that put destinations on the map and visual reminders of the evolution of civil engineering.
This 12 months, one of the striking in Europe, Scotland’s Forth Bridge, is marking 10 years because it was granted UNESCO World Heritage status – one in every of just a number of railway bridges to receive the accolade. What’s more, this month it celebrates its one hundred and thirty fifth anniversary.
This iconic cantilever railway bridge positioned across the Firth of Forth, is such a component of Scotland’s pride and cultural heritage that you simply’ll find it illustrated on some Scottish banknotes.
How have railway bridges modified over time?
Similar to railways themselves, bridges don’t look similar to they did a century ago.
“Railway bridges have evolved significantly over the past 100 years,” says Professor Luke Prendergast, an authority in civil engineering (and bridges specifically) on the University of Nottingham. “Up to now, masonry arch-type bridges were common,” he adds.
“These heavy stone structures looked beautiful but eventually gave option to steel bridges with truss systems.”
But don’t make the error of assuming metal bridges can’t be artworks, too.
“Steel allowed longer spans to be created,” points out Professor Prendergast.
“The most recent bridges are likely to be created from reinforced concrete and other composite materials, but all of those structures will be aesthetically pleasing, and it’s a matter of private opinion in terms of whether the unique masonry style is less complicated on the attention!”
Don’t look down: Where are the world’s highest railway bridges?
While the most recent skyscrapers are sometimes the tallest, the identical doesn’t apply to railway bridges. Montenegro’s Mala Rijeka Viaduct became the world’s highest railway bridge when it opened in 1973.
That title has now been taken by a more recent bridge in Guizhou, China.
However the Mala Rijeka Viaduct’s stats are still impressive – at its highest point, the 499-metre-long bridge hovers 200 metres above the river below. Unsurprisingly, a structure of this size needs some serious support, and the most important pillar rests on a base that is similar size as a tennis court.
Southern France’s Viaur Viaduct may not have the peak of the Mala Rijeka Viaduct, nevertheless it’s no less impressive. The gorgeous steel structure was in-built 1902.
Famous for its elegant design and soaring arches, its longest span measures 220 metres. Architect Paul Bodin achieved its graceful look by embracing a recent technique referred to as balanced arches, which allowed less metal for use, and relied on a counterbalancing technique moderately than extra materials to supply strength.
ADVERTISEMENTThe bridge, which is 116 metres above the Viaur River Valley at its highest point, was truly a labour of affection, made with 3,800 tonnes of metal and held along with 160 tonnes of steel rivets, all of which needed to be tightened by hand.
Miracles of masonry in France and England
Bridges don’t get more beautiful than the Chamborigaud Viaduct – a 29-arch, 384-metre-long bridge in-built the late 1800s by architect Charles Dombre for the Paris-Lyon-Mediterranean Railway Company.
A masonry bridge that made the Cévennes region – with its deep valleys and soaring hills – rather more accessible, the viaduct was designated a historical monument by the French government in 1984.
One other masonry marvel is northern England’s Whalley Viaduct, built to hold the Blackburn to Clitheroe railway line across the River Calder Valley. Unveiled in 1850, it was made with six million bricks and has 48 arches.
ADVERTISEMENTThis towering structure has often been in comparison with a cathedral or monastery. It’s suspected this was intentional. The viaduct is near Whalley Abbey, which dates back to the 1200s, and Terence Woulfe Flanagan, the engineer behind the bridge, was inspired by the abbey’s ecclesiastical design.
One other majestic work of masonry is the Ouse Valley Viaduct in Sussex, England. When it was constructed within the 1840s, it was well ahead of its time. The 37-arch railway bridge relies on architectural features referred to as jack arches to scale back the variety of bricks required.
Its slimline structure is taken into account one in every of England’s most elegant railway bridges and is legendary for its various hues, courtesy of its rust-red bricks (11 million, to be precise) and creamy limestone sourced from Normandy.
Construct it and they’ll come: Famous bridges turn out to be tourist attractions
A few of Europe’s most beautiful bridges at the moment are destinations in their very own right. One in every of the best examples is Scotland’s Glenfinnan Viaduct, which had a starring role within the Harry Potter movies.
ADVERTISEMENTProfessor Vasilis Sarhosis, an authority on masonry bridges on the University of Leeds’ civil engineering department, is a large fan and points out that it’s not only its elegant design that sets it apart.
“Glenfinnan Viaduct was constructed greater than 100 years ago and it’s still one in every of the most important bridges in Scotland,” says Professor Sarhosis.
“It was constructed using mass concrete – which suggests that it doesn’t contain any metal reinforcement, unlike latest railway bridges today.”
One in every of the Victorian era’s most spectacular feats of engineering, this 21-arch bridge, which features on certain Scottish banknotes, has a length of 380 metres. The most effective views are from the Glenfinnan Visitor Centre. It’s the start line for a series of footpaths lined with remark points for those keen to admire this engineering marvel.
ADVERTISEMENTScotland’s aforementioned UNESCO-listed Forth Rail Bridge is one other such marvel, positioned on the outskirts of Edinburgh. It’s been featured in British film classics including The 39 Steps and Carry on Regardless – and in an episode of The Simpsons last 12 months.
Unveiled in 1890, this cantilever-trussed bridge was made with 54,000 tonnes of steel and is legendary for its rust-red hue. Today, its color is all the way down to the usage of bespoke red paint created to emulate the unique red oxide colouration of the bridge when it first opened.
One other magnet for fans of railway bridges is Switzerland’s Landwasser Viaduct, essentially the most famous spot on the UNESCO-listed Albula Mountain Railway. When the bridge was in-built the early 1900s, construction was carried out without scaffolding. Engineers were grateful for the easy accessibility to materials because it was made with limestone hacked from the Dolomite Mountains through which the railway passes.
It’s relatively short in comparison with the opposite railway bridges we’ve listed here – it features six arches and is just 142 metres long. Its tight curve and the way in which one end simply disappears right into a mountain – which was nearly not possible to navigate prior to the bridge’s construction – make it unique.
ADVERTISEMENTEqually striking is the Sittertal Valley’s Sitter Viaduct, in-built 1910 and the best standard-gauge railway bridge in Switzerland. Famous for its so-called fish-belly central truss (an unsupported central section that relies on strength provided by curving girders beneath the bridge), it championed modern construction techniques and was hailed as an engineering marvel worldwide.
Further proof that bridges will be attractions in their very own right is the Luís I Bridge in Porto, Portugal. One in every of the world’s most ornate railway bridges, it features stonework adorned with Portugal’s coat of arms. On the upper deck, lamps bathe the bridge with golden light after sunset.
Gustave Eiffel, the genius behind the Eiffel Tower, got here near being its designer, although his plans were eventually rejected and the project was placed within the hands of German engineer Théophile Seyrig, as a substitute.
An modern bridge to a car-free ski resort
Finally, a glance ahead, more specifically, at one in every of the world’s most modern railway bridges.
ADVERTISEMENTYou’ll find the Swiss Alps’ Stoos funicular railway bridge on a funicular railway that connects Schwyz with the car-free ski resort of Stoos. It’s the steepest funicular on the earth.
Passengers on this mountain railway – which has trains resembling sleek glass orbs – go through three tunnels and two bridges. Probably the most spectacular bridge is the one spanning the Muota River. While it’s probably not for the traditionalists, it’s still very much worthy of inclusion in our tribute to the world’s most beautiful railway bridges.
