Belmont Viaduct, Wellington
Belmont Viaduct, Wellington | |
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Kauri wood trestles and cross-spars, later replaced with steel beams | |
Total length | 102 m (341 ft) |
Width | Single Narrow Gauge Rail |
Height | 38 m (125 ft) |
History | |
Designer | Harry Higginson |
Constructed by | Morton Danaker |
Opened | 1885 |
Rebuilt | 1903 |
Closed | 1951 |
The Belmont Viaduct was a railway viaduct in
The viaduct played a role in the development of early infrastructure in Wellington, as it opened up the northern boundaries of the city, as well as providing access to the wider hinterlands of
Location
The Belmont Viaduct formed part of the Wellington-Manawatu Line between Johnsonville and Tawa. The viaduct spanned over Belmont Gully, now the location of Seton Nossiter Park.[3]
The landscape present at the time of the viaduct differs significantly today, due to the construction of the
Wellington and Manawatu Railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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History
Design and construction
The building was designed by the British civil engineer
The viaduct was built in prefabricated sections on the ground with each structure being lifted section by section using a block and tackle arrangement. The seasoned
The viaduct completed in November 1886. Standing at 38 m high and 104 m long, this was the largest wooden trestle bridge in New Zealand.[6]
Steel Bridge Replacement
In the early 1900s, the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company opted to reconstruct many of its wooden bridges and viaducts.[6] While the original wooden trestle structure was still suitable for use, the company decided to proceed with the replacement due to the threat of fire.[2]
A new steel viaduct was prefabricated in the United States by the American Bridge Company, and shipped to Wellington for installation in 1903. The structure was built around the original wooden structure, inside the four existing pairs of timber trestles. When this was completed, the plate-girder sections to carry the track were rolled out and dropped into place between the piers. This resulted in construction being able to proceed, without delaying rail traffic. A travelling gantry arrangement was erected over the track so trains could continue to pass underneath.[2]
Nationalization of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company
In 1908, the
Tawa Flat Deviation and Abandonment
By 1937, the line between Johnsonville and Tawa was rapidly reaching its operating limits due to its steep and winding layout. The line was replaced with the new 8.38 mile (13.49 km) double tracked Tawa Flat Deviation tunnel. The tunnel bypassed the viaduct completely, tunneling underground between Ngauranga and Tawa. With the opening of the new tunnel, the original WMR line was terminated at Johnsonville, with the viaduct being abandoned after 52 years of operation.
Demolition
In 1951, with concerns about public safety, it was decided to demolish the derelict viaduct. An arrangement was made with Army Territorial Engineers to deconstruct the bridge was part of a training exercise. The viaduct was blown up on 15 December 1951 using 97 lbs (44 kg) of TNT, after standing in place for 66 years.[6]
Specifications
The original viaduct stood 125 feet above the gully floor, with a length of 341 feet. The main uprights of the trestles and cross-spars were 14 inches by 14 inches of solid kauri, each 40-foot long. A total of 212,000 feet of seasoned kauri timber was used.
A total of 35 tons of wrought iron bolts, nuts, washers and fastening braces were used. The uprights stood on 14 concrete foundations in the gully with piers sunk 20 feet into the bed of the stream.[2]
See also
- Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company
- Harry Higginson
- Arthur Fulton
- James Edward Fulton
- Wellington-Manawatu Line
- North Island Main Trunk
- Johnsonville, New Zealand
- Paparangi, New Zealand
References
- ^ "Railway history and murder". Stuff. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Belmont Viaduct | Grenada | Wellington NZ History". grenadavillage.org.nz. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
- ISBN 9780908573356.
- ^ Robertson, Lawson (2012). Up on the Breezy Hills: The History of the Suburb Newlands - Paparangi. Wellington, New Zealand: L. Robertson.
- ^ )
- ^ a b c "Belmont viaduct blown up | NZHistory, New Zealand history online". nzhistory.govt.nz. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
External links
- Wellington and Manawatu Railway Trust
- "Company Map of WMR Co Route showing Country to be opened up by Railway". New Zealand History.net. 21 January 2021.
- "Manawatu rail link opened". Te Ara. 23 November 1886.
- B/W pictures of the Belmont viaduct from Alexander Turnbull Library - 1880s, c1890, 1912.
- 1897 article on WMR Co from Cyclopaedia of New Zealand
- "Return (1891) of terms of purchase of railway by government".
- "Railways Construction and Land Act, 1881". New Zealand Law online. 1881.
- "Wellington and Manawatu Railway Purchase Act, 1908". New Zealand Law online. 1908.