Gaunless Bridge
Gaunless Bridge | |
---|---|
cast-iron | |
Total length | 50 feet (20 m) |
Longest span | 12 feet 5 inches (3.78 m) |
No. of spans | three, later four |
History | |
Designer | George Stephenson |
Fabrication by | John & Isaac Burrell |
Opened | 1823 |
Location | |
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Gaunless Bridge was a railway bridge on the Stockton and Darlington Railway. It was completed in 1823 and is one of the first railway bridges to be constructed of iron[1] and the first to use an iron truss.[2] It is also of an unusual lenticular truss design.[3]
Location
The bridge crosses the
Although never part of the main line, it was on a branch West of
Design
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Diagram_elevation_of_Gaunless_Bridge_1823.jpg/220px-Diagram_elevation_of_Gaunless_Bridge_1823.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Gaunless_Bridge_before_1901.jpg/220px-Gaunless_Bridge_before_1901.jpg)
It was designed in 1823 by George Stephenson, who was the chief engineer of the railway.[3][6]
As well as being one of the first iron railway bridges, the bridge is the first to use the
The lenticular truss design has been used for other bridges since, but has never gained popularity in use.
Although not as sceptical or rigorously investigative as Brunel,
Each span is 12 feet 5 inches (3.78 m) wide and 5 feet (1.5 m) deep.[9] The piers supporting the truss spans form a trestle comprising two inward-leaning cast iron tubular pillars.[10] The pillars are braced apart by a cast iron X-frame.[3] These pillars are 8 inches (200 mm) in diameter with 1.4 inches (35 mm) thick walls, They are 10 feet (3.0 m) apart at the base, sloping in to 5 feet (1.5 m) at their top.[9]
The bridge was originally built with three spans, but was later extended to four spans, to allow more space for floodwater. Unusually, the bridge has five metal piers for its four spans, with the weight of the ends of the outer spans resting on iron pillars, rather than on the adjoining stone abutments.[11] These additional pillars make the bridge spans self-supporting, even in the absence of the stone abutments. This may have been a factor in the bridge's preservation off-site and re-display in railway museums since, as it is relatively easy to re-erect the bridge without needing expensive foundations.
History
The original three span bridge was fabricated by John & Isaac Burrell of Orchard Street,
The winter of 1824 had heavy snows and even before the line was opened, the bridge was damaged by flooding. It was rebuilt to its later four span form in 1825, in time for the opening of the line in September.[3]
Passenger services were introduced on line from 1833, and steam locomotives across the bridge soon afterwards.[6]
A presentation model of the Gaunless Bridge was made for the
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/River_Gaunless_cast_iron_bridge.jpg/220px-River_Gaunless_cast_iron_bridge.jpg)
Removal and preservation
By 1901 the bridge was overloaded by the increasing weight of coal wagons. It was dismantled and removed, but kept in storage at Brusselton Colliery. The original stone abutments were kept, although with recesses cut into them to accept new
In February 2023 Historic England awarded Durham County Council £161,000 to repair the abutments, which remained in situ when the original bridge was deconstructed. The repair works will add a new bridge deck intended to join the bridge into a wider Stockton and Darlington Railway Walking and Cycling route.[15]
Comparable bridges
Escomb Bridge
The lenticular truss was never a common design and Stephenson's compression truss beneath the deck even rarer. A still-extant near-contemporary example is only a couple of miles North of Gaunless Bridge. This was built in 1842 as a
Escomb bridge is
See also
- Pont-y-Cafnau, an earlier iron bridge of 1793, although built for a wagonway rather than a railway
Notes
- ^ The original loco-on-Gaunless-Bridge painting was executed by the British artist John Wigston (born 1939). The painting can be seen here. We do not yet have evidence that Stockton & Darlington railway engine no.23 Wilberforce ever crossed the Gaunless Bridge.
- ^ Cast iron is strong in compression, but weak in tension or against bending. Wrought iron is strong for both.
- ^ Bridge's location on display today: 53°57′39″N 1°05′50″W / 53.96088°N 1.0973°W
- ^ Escomb Bridge: 54°39′41″N 1°42′20″W / 54.661361°N 1.705424°W
References
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^ a b c Icon:Stephenson's Gaunless Bridge, 1824. Making The Modern World.
- ^ ISBN 1-84015-008-4.
- ^ ISBN 0-7153-8269-1.
- ^ Beckett (1984), p. 36.
- ^ An engine-driver of The Stockton and Darlington Railway Company.
- ^ ISBN 0-7110-2273-9.
- ISBN 0-297-84408-3.
- ^ Beckett (1984), p. 48.
- ^ a b c Gaunless Bridge (relocated). Engineering Timelines.
- ^ a b "George Stephenson's Metal Bridge West Auckland". West Auckland Web. 2013. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- ^ West Auckland, old metal bridge. Durham County Council.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Model of Gaunless Bridge, Stockton & Darlington Railway. Plaque reads Stephenson's First Railway Bridge, 1824, West Auckland. Science Museum. 10460860.
- ^ Model of Gaunless Bridge, Stockton & Darlington Railway. Plaque reads Stephenson's First Railway Bridge, 1824, West Auckland. Science Museum. 10460861.
- ^ Gaunless Bridge, S & D Railway.
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ignored (help) - ^ "Historic England Awards Grant to Repair the Remains of World's First Iron Railway Bridge | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ "Escomb accommodation bridge". Tomorrow's History.
- ^ a b "Weardale Railway: News Update: No.24". Weardale Railway. 3 September 2009. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ^ "Escomb Over Bridge". Images of the North East. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012.