Building the last Main Line Railway

Newton to the Oxford Canal: gcrcs90

A later view of the bridge being built to cross the Oxford Canal showing the steel beams nearly complete circa 1897. This is one of the four girder spans that brought the London Extension across the Oxford Canal between Brownsover and Clifton on Dunsmore at Rugby. The brick abutments are now fully formed and in place. To assist in placing the steel plate used to create the steel beams in situ, the contractor has erected temporary framing to either side of the which would support the mobile derricks. These would be placed on rails on top of the framing and would span the width of the canal. The bridge was built by T Oliver & Son, as part of their contract to build the Rugby to Woodford section of the Last Main Line (Contract No.4).

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