Bredbo River railway bridge
Bredbo River railway bridge | |
---|---|
standard gauge | |
History | |
Designer | John Whitton; Engineer-in-Chief for Railways |
Fabrication by | Bryce Henry[1] |
Construction start | 1881 |
Construction end | 1889 |
Official name | Bredbo Rail Bridge Group; Bredbo River Railway Viaduct |
Type | State heritage (complex / group) |
Designated | 2 April 1999 |
Reference no. | 01029 |
Type | Railway Bridge / Viaduct |
Category | Transport – Rail |
Builders | Main Contractor for the Queanbeyan to Cooma railway |
Location | |
The Bredbo River railway bridge is a heritage-listed former
History
The railway was extended from
Description
The Bredbo Rail Bridge is a ten-
The Queen deck truss design was copied from one of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Cornish timber bridges, the St Germans viaduct, which was built about 30 years earlier.[2]
The condition of the bridge was reported as fair as at 4 April 2006 due to lack of maintenance since rail services were suspended.[2]
All these viaducts retain their original fabric.[2]
Heritage listing
The timber Queen post truss viaduct was an economic bridge for the Queanbeyan to Cooma Railway at a time when the boom years of the 1880s were ending and funding for railway construction was decreasing. The Bredbo viaduct is accessible from the Monaro Highway and is an impressive timber structure. The Cooma Railway made a significant contribution to the development of the Monaro Region from the time of its construction 1887–89, and all the timber viaducts were important items of the railway's infrastructure. The timber Queen post deck viaduct was a significant structure in place of the expensive iron lattice bridges preferred by John Whitton. The Bredbo viaduct was technically sound and durable, having been built from renowned ironbark hardwood. The two deck Queen post truss timber viaducts on the Cooma Line, together with four on the Main North Line, are a unique class of railway bridge.[2]
Bredbo Rail Bridge was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria.[2]
The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales.
The timber Queen post truss viaduct was an economic bridge for the Queanbeyan to Cooma Railway at a time when the boom years of the 1880s were ending and funding for railway construction was decreasing.[2]
The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.
The viaduct is accessible from the Monaro Highway and is an impressive timber structure.[2]
The place has strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.
The Cooma Railway made a significant contribution to the development of the Monaro Region from the time of its construction 1887–89, and the three timber viaducts were important items of the railway's infrastructure.[2]
The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.
The timber Queen post deck viaduct was a significant structure in place of the expensive iron lattice bridges preferred by John Whitton. The Bredbo viaduct were technically sound and durable, having been built from renowned ironbark hardwood.[2]
The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.
These two timber viaducts on the Cooma Line, together with four on the Main North Line, are a unique class of railway bridge.[2]
See also
References
- New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 187. New South Wales, Australia. 30 March 1886. p. 2140 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ .
- ^ "Bredbo Rail Bridge Group | NSW Environment, Energy and Science". www.environment.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
Bibliography
- Rail Infrastructure Corporation (2003). Rail Infrastructure Corporation s.170 Register.
Attribution
This Wikipedia article was originally based on Bredbo Rail Bridge Group, entry number 01029 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 2 June 2018.
External links
Media related to Bredbo River railway bridge, Bredbo at Wikimedia Commons