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GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line
GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton
Bordesley Station: gwrbg2273
Photograph showing one of three steel plate girders used in
the reconstruction of the Coventry Road Bridge. Below is an extract from Great
Western Railway Magazine Volume XXIII, No 5 May 1911 - Reconstruction of
Coventry Road Bridge.
Mr CW Cliff of the Divisional Engineer's Office,
Wolverhampton, has furnished the photograph reproduced which was taken during
the reconstruction of Coventry Road Bridge carrying the London to Birmingham
main line, a work which has just been completed in connection with the
Bordesley and Birmingham widening. The girders of the old bridge were of the
balloon-headed hog-back kind, a type fast disappearing. The new steel girders
are of the following lengths; centre girder 76 feet, outside girders 76 feet 8
inches and 75 feet 4 inches. The clear span of the bridge between abutments is
67 feet. The bridge was erected in two Sunday occupations starting at 12
O'clock midnight Saturday. On the first Sunday the old up bay of the bridge was
taken out and the new bay placed in its temporary position alongside the old
down main line and the following week this portion of the bridge was riveted
up. On the following Sunday the down-bay was demolished and the new up bay
slued into its permanent position and the new down bay erected. Much of the
riveting was done during the night, when the electric current was cut off from
the trolley wires of the Birmingham Tramway Co., which wires were protected
from damage throughout the work by insulated wire netting stretched over them
and carried from special pull-off poles erected for the occasion. Powerful
electric arc lights erected upon the bridge and incandescent lamps underneath
enabled the work to be proceeded with during the night. The whole of the work
was completed in four weeks from the time of commencement and was carried out
under the supervision of the Divisional Engineer, Mr WT Dunsdon, Wolverhampton.
The steelwork was supplied by the Horsehay Co.
Robert Ferris
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