I.K. Brunelbrunel (1806–59), a Brilliant Polymath Who Engineered the Great Western Railway and Numerous Other Works, Including the Design and Construction of Ships

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

I.K. Brunelbrunel (1806–59), a Brilliant Polymath Who Engineered the Great Western Railway and Numerous Other Works, Including the Design and Construction of Ships DR JIM SHIPWAY RETROSPECTIVE runel had a striking personality, but he was a civil engineer first Band foremost, with a keen inquiring mind, immense energy, and a supreme ability to lead, inspire and persuade others; he was a brilliant innovator who at times it seemed, had an aversion to following any other man’s lead. What was his real contribution to engineering? Several books have been written about Brunel, his life and times, and in the scope of a single short article assessing his achievements, it is possible to do justice only to a very few of his works. Since he was best known as a railway engineer and a builder of bridges before he became a designer of ships, two of his later railway bridges have been chosen for comment. Brunel’s chief rival as a railway engineer was Robert Stephenson (1803–59), also a great engineer and designer of the Conwy and Menai tubular bridges, but his work lacked the flair displayed by Brunel, and he did not have the same genius for calculation. A note on units: we generally use SI units in Ingenia, but in this historical article we have retained the original Imperial units In the competition organised by the BBC last year for the title ‘The Greatest Briton’, Churchill led the field of ten entries, and the runner- up was Isambard Kingdom Brunel I.K.I.K. BrunelBrunel (1806–59), a brilliant polymath who engineered the Great Western Railway and numerous other works, including the design and construction of ships. It was Some thoughts on his astonishing that this man, little- known to the public and from a profession little understood by it, gained second place in a country- engineering wide competition involving such names as Shakespeare, Nelson, and the Princess of Wales. How did this happen? ingenia 57 RETROSPECTIVE The Great Western Railway Brunel was appointed engineer to the Brunel had a striking personality, a keen GWR in 1833 when he was 27 years old, and it was the first of his railway inquiring mind, immense energy, and a works, extending 118 miles between London and Bristol. It was not supreme ability to lead and inspire others constructed without controversy, since it embodied the startling 7 ft gauge (50% wider than the standard gauge) onwards, but had weakness, in that well (Conwy is still in use today), but and the equally startling two miles long the top flange was vulnerable to the bridges were heavy and Box tunnel, as well as the Maidenhead buckling. Brunel’s skill in design uneconomical in the use of materials, Bridge, which had the longest and manifested itself in flanges with curved mainly due to the closed-in plated flattest semi-elliptical arches ever plates and web branches in several webs. Only five such bridges were constructed in brickwork. The fall of forms, stiffening the flange and the built, and none after 1856. this bridge on completion was girder web together. Meanwhile, the open-web or trussed confidently predicted, but it continues girder, with panels, was gaining ground in use to this day. These features of the in America, where timber suitable for Large-span bridge GWR give the flavour of Brunel’s bridge construction was plentiful and development approach to engineering and of his railway construction was booming. achievements in other fields. In the 1840s the plated-web box These girder bridges were used mainly The development of the girder girder made its appearance on a for spans up to 150 ft, and were bridge in railway work took place in the grand scale with the design of the gradually replaced by all-iron bridges of UK mainly between the years 400 ft span Conwy tubular bridge and the same types. The most popular form 1830–1860, and included lattice the Menai tubular bridge with two main was the Pratt, or N-truss, and later the girders, plate girders, tubular girders spans of 460 ft, both by Robert Warren girder. Early Pratt trusses from and hybrids. These years almost Stephenson. These bridges, in which 1845 onwards had iron ties for diagonal exactly paralleled the career of Brunel, the trains run inside the tube, were members and timber verticals forming and it was natural that he was involved Stephenson’s answer to the then the panels, before the advent of iron. in bridge development, making his own seemingly impossible problem of The all-iron Warren girder followed in the unique contribution. The plate girder bridging gaps of that magnitude. His 1850s, with the construction of the bridge flourished from the 1840s solution was innovative and worked Newark Dyke Bridge in England in 1853. Chepstow Bridge, 1852 In 1852 Brunel was engineer to the South Wales Railway, and had to bridge the river Wye at Chepstow. The Wye had a tidal range of 40 ft, the second highest in the world, and was swift- flowing. The Admiralty insisted on a 300 ft clear width for shipping and 50 ft headroom at high tide. They further The 400 ft spanning Conwy tubular bridge by Robert Stephenson (left) which is still in use today. Bridges such as ingenia Conwy and Menai were excellent engineering achievements but were often uneconomical with materials (Photo: Philip Hawkin) 58 RETROSPECTIVE insisted that the navigation channel be requiring caisson construction for the closed only for the duration of one tide, river piers. This resulted in an Bridge on the River Wye i.e. for 12 hours only. Stephenson had asymmetrical bridge of which one half Brunel’s Chepstow Bridge (above), no such problem at Conwy or Menai. was three 100 ft plate girder spans, and which was built to specific Brunel had a strong artistic streak, the other half was a 300 ft span of quite requirements by the Admiralty, was and most of his work, though functional, different design. The twin tracks were of remarkable for many reasons. It was had much of elegance: for example the the 7 ft gauge, which imposed loading one of the first open-web girder roofs at Paddington Station; Clifton 50% greater than the standard gauge. bridges in Europe, incorporating Suspension Bridge; tunnel portals at The greatest obstacle was the 100 ft by 50 ft open panels crossed Box and elsewhere; and his elliptical maximum of 12 hours allowed for the with chain diagonals as shown in the arch work at Maidenhead, Hanwell possession of the river channel. Brunel photo above. (Photo: Network Rail) viaduct and other masonry bridges. The decided on a separate bridge for each Chepstow Bridge, however, was a plain track, making for smaller pieces to be answer to an engineering problem, and lifted into place. Each bridge was to was ungainly and lacking in charm and be of three panels, each of elegance. Nevertheless it embodied approximately 100 ft, making a engineering of the highest order. gigantic N-truss. The top chord of the The diagram below shows how, with The site is remarkable for the truss was a 9 ft diameter tube built up just 12 hours allowed for occupation contrast between the two sides of the from wrought-iron plating, and the web of the river channel, the main river. On the east side there is a members were chain links chosen for Chepstow Bridge member was erected limestone cliff 120 ft high, and on the lightness and easy handling. The west there is low-lying alluvial material vertical members of the truss were Final 300 ft 3rd Final position 9 ft 3rd position 1st position 2nd position ingenia 59 RETROSPECTIVE The construction of The Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash (left). The two main spans, each of 455 ft, were lifted into place one at a time; both met at the centre pier which was founded on rock 16 ft below the bed of the 70 ft deep river. The parabolic tubular arch is matched exactly by the sag of the chains, the two being vertically braced apart and strengthened with cross-bracing A–frames, and joined the tube to the designed, would be an improvement. The 300 ft spans at Chepstow lasted plate girders supporting the deck. The Thus the Warren girder with its 110 years until 1962, when they were heaviest part of each bridge was triangular open web arrived at Newark replaced owing to the increase in therefore the 300 ft long tube, which Dyke in 1853 and slightly later at loading from heavier traffic. Thus weighed 161 tons and spanned the Crumlin. In the USA, advances in passed into history these remarkable entire navigation channel. Brunel’s plan design, mainly in timber, had been iron spans, the first in Europe to have was to launch the tube on barges made in the 1840s and later by Pratt, open-web N-truss panels. There were across the channel, then lift it in stages Howe, Whipple and others who no others in iron outside America until by jacks to the required clearance in developed the concept of panels in J.H. Latham’s railway bridge at the course of a single day. The framed structures for modest spans. Allahabad, India, in 1859–65, which scheme worked brilliantly, and the first But Brunel led the field in Europe. had spans of 210 ft, a long way short of the two bridges was completed in At Chepstow his gigantic, open, 100 ft of Chepstow. three months between April and July panels, 50 ft high, crossed by chain 1852. The second bridge was diagonals, were an impressive completed the following year. advance, and the N-truss became The Royal Albert Bridge, But the real genius of the design lay established as a cheap and easily Saltash, 1859 in its structural form, in the fact that it constructed structural form.
Recommended publications
  • Great Western Railway Ships - Wikipedi… Great Western Railway Ships from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
    5/20/2011 Great Western Railway ships - Wikipedi… Great Western Railway ships From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Great Western Railway’s ships operated in Great Western Railway connection with the company's trains to provide services to (shipping services) Ireland, the Channel Islands and France.[1] Powers were granted by Act of Parliament for the Great Western Railway (GWR) to operate ships in 1871. The following year the company took over the ships operated by Ford and Jackson on the route between Wales and Ireland. Services were operated between Weymouth, the Channel Islands and France on the former Weymouth and Channel Islands Steam Packet Company routes. Smaller GWR vessels were also used as tenders at Plymouth and on ferry routes on the River Severn and River Dart. The railway also operated tugs and other craft at their docks in Wales and South West England. The Great Western Railway’s principal routes and docks Contents Predecessor Ford and Jackson Successor British Railways 1 History 2 Sea-going ships Founded 1871 2.1 A to G Defunct 1948 2.2 H to O Headquarters Milford/Fishguard, Wales 2.3 P to R 2.4 S Parent Great Western Railway 2.5 T to Z 3 River ferries 4 Tugs and work boats 4.1 A to M 4.2 N to Z 5 Colours 6 References History Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the GWR’s chief engineer, envisaged the railway linking London with the United States of America. He was responsible for designing three large ships, the SS Great Western (1837), SS Great Britain (1843; now preserved at Bristol), and SS Great Eastern (1858).
    [Show full text]
  • Montreal Bridges
    The METALLURGICAL HISTORYof MONTREAL BRIDGES AN ONLINE SERIES by H.J. McQueen, Concordia University PART 2 THE VICTORIA TRUSS BRIDGE (1898) — STEEL, HOT RIVETED The METALLURGICAL HISTORYof MONTREAL BRIDGES THE VICTORIA TRUSS BRIDGE (1898) — STEEL, HOT RIVETED Abstract In 1898, the Victoria Truss Bridge1 that crossed the St. ness greater than those of the original bridge. Developments in Lawrence River at Montreal was designed as a double-tracked bridge design from extensive railroad experience indicated steel truss. This new bridge replaced the original single-track that for construction to be completed in 1898, a Pratt truss box-girder and was constructed on the same piers as the origi- design would be more effective; this design would enable dou- nal bridge, which had been built half a century earlier. In the ble-tracking and the addition of roadways (Fig. 1; Szeliski, time between construction of the first and the second bridges, 1987; Victoria Jubilee Bridge, 1898). large-scale steel production had replaced wrought iron produc- Before examining the design of the Victoria Truss Bridge tion because of the cost and strength advantages of steel. This on the original piers (Fig. 2; McQueen, 1992; Szeliski, 1987; transition in Canada and its impact on bridge construction are discussed. The essential role that rivets played in bridge con- struction at this time is also described, with a focus on limited rolling capability and lack of dependable welding. Then, the addition of roadways on the outer sides of the bridge trusses are explored — these provided the first badly needed crossing for carriages and automobiles. Finally, the addition of a spur and lift spans across the Seaway are described.
    [Show full text]
  • Saltash Floating Bridge Saltash Passage and D-Day, 6 June 1944
    SALTASH PASSAGE altash Passage and nearby Little Ash were once part of Cornwall – although they have both always been Saltash Floating Bridge within the Devonshire parish of St Budeaux. For over 600 years there was an important ferry crossing here, The Royal Albert Bridge Devon born civil engineer James Meadows Rendel moved to Plymouth in the Sto Saltash. A major problem in taking the steam railway west from Plymouth and on into early 1820s. His Saltash Floating Bridge was Plymouth-built and entered service From 1851, and for 110 years, the Saltash Ferry was served by a powered floating bridge or chain ferry. Saltash Cornwall was crossing the River Tamar. In 1848, Isambard Kingdom Brunel in early 1833. The machinery was in the middle, with a deck either side for foot proposed a viaduct at Saltash, where the river is just 335 metres (1,100ft) wide. passengers, horses and livestock, or up to four carriages. Because of the strong Corporation held the ferry rights for much of that time. There were seven floating bridges in total and the last The final agreed design was for a wrought iron, bow string suspension bridge; current, the fixed chain and ferry crossed the river at an angle. Rendel’s Saltash ferry crossed here in October 1961. part arched bridge, part suspension bridge – with the roadway suspended from Ferry was pioneering but unreliable. It was withdrawn in months and the old The Saltash Viaduct is better known as the Royal Albert Bridge. It was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in two self-supporting tubular trusses.
    [Show full text]
  • BACKTRACK 22-1 2008:Layout 1 21/11/07 14:14 Page 1
    BACKTRACK 22-1 2008:Layout 1 21/11/07 14:14 Page 1 BRITAIN‘S LEADING HISTORICAL RAILWAY JOURNAL VOLUME 22 • NUMBER 1 • JANUARY 2008 • £3.60 IN THIS ISSUE 150 YEARS OF THE SOMERSET & DORSET RAILWAY GWR RAILCARS IN COLOUR THE NORTH CORNWALL LINE THE FURNESS LINE IN COLOUR PENDRAGON BRITISH ENGLISH-ELECTRIC MANUFACTURERS PUBLISHING THE GWR EXPRESS 4-4-0 CLASSES THE COMPREHENSIVE VOICE OF RAILWAY HISTORY BACKTRACK 22-1 2008:Layout 1 21/11/07 15:59 Page 64 THE COMPREHENSIVE VOICE OF RAILWAY HISTORY END OF THE YEAR AT ASHBY JUNCTION A light snowfall lends a crisp feel to this view at Ashby Junction, just north of Nuneaton, on 29th December 1962. Two LMS 4-6-0s, Class 5 No.45058 piloting ‘Jubilee’ No.45592 Indore, whisk the late-running Heysham–London Euston ‘Ulster Express’ past the signal box in a flurry of steam, while 8F 2-8-0 No.48349 waits to bring a freight off the Ashby & Nuneaton line. As the year draws to a close, steam can ponder upon the inexorable march south of the West Coast Main Line electrification. (Tommy Tomalin) PENDRAGON PUBLISHING www.pendragonpublishing.co.uk BACKTRACK 22-1 2008:Layout 1 21/11/07 14:17 Page 4 SOUTHERN GONE WEST A busy scene at Halwill Junction on 31st August 1964. BR Class 4 4-6-0 No.75022 is approaching with the 8.48am from Padstow, THE NORTH CORNWALL while Class 4 2-6-4T No.80037 waits to shape of the ancient Bodmin & Wadebridge proceed with the 10.00 Okehampton–Padstow.
    [Show full text]
  • The Treachery of Strategic Decisions
    The treachery of strategic decisions. An Actor-Network Theory perspective on the strategic decisions that produce new trains in the UK. Thesis submitted in accordance with the requirements of the University of Liverpool for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy by Michael John King. May 2021 Abstract The production of new passenger trains can be characterised as a strategic decision, followed by a manufacturing stage. Typically, competing proposals are developed and refined, often over several years, until one emerges as the winner. The winning proposition will be manufactured and delivered into service some years later to carry passengers for 30 years or more. However, there is a problem: evidence shows UK passenger trains getting heavier over time. Heavy trains increase fuel consumption and emissions, increase track damage and maintenance costs, and these impacts could last for the train’s life and beyond. To address global challenges, like climate change, strategic decisions that produce outcomes like this need to be understood and improved. To understand this phenomenon, I apply Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to Strategic Decision-Making. Using ANT, sometimes described as the sociology of translation, I theorise that different propositions of trains are articulated until one, typically, is selected as the winner to be translated and become a realised train. In this translation process I focus upon the development and articulation of propositions up to the point where a winner is selected. I propose that this occurs within a valuable ‘place’ that I describe as a ‘decision-laboratory’ – a site of active development where various actors can interact, experiment, model, measure, and speculate about the desired new trains.
    [Show full text]
  • Brunel : the Man Who Built the World Pdf, Epub, Ebook
    BRUNEL : THE MAN WHO BUILT THE WORLD PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Steven Brindle | 208 pages | 20 Apr 2021 | Orion Publishing Co | 9780753821251 | English | London, United Kingdom Brunel : The Man Who Built the World PDF Book The West End Museum. The Importance of Being Earnest. Bibliografische Informationen. Branch Home. After a hard day spent in preparing and delivering evidence, and a hasty dinner, he would attend consultations till a late hour; and then, secure against interruption, sit down to his papers, and draw specifications, write letters or reports, or make calculations all through the night. The patented system came from shipbuilders and engineers Joseph and Jacob Samuda who, along with gas engineer Samuel Clegg, were able to produce encouraging tests in London. At just over 5ft 1. The title, at first, seems impossibly hyperbolic, because it is: Isambard Kingdom Brunel did not, in fact, build the world. When he returned to England his father was working on an ambitious project to build a tunnel under the River Thames and Brunel joined him as his apprentice. Brunel took up the call and constructed a wooden and canvas pre-fabricated hospital that so greatly improved sanitary conditions that deaths were said to have fallen by ten times the usual amount. Hawking's warnings: What he predicted for the future. Although the son was never knighted, the father became Sir Marc in He desperately sought affirmation through his work, craving public approval rather than fame. In his talk, Robert Hulse will examine Brunel as not only as visionary engineer, but also as showman. Having read the book I have concluded that Brunel was a genius and I do not use that word lightly.
    [Show full text]
  • The Great Western Railway and the Celebration of Englishness
    THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY AND THE CELEBRATION OF ENGLISHNESS D.Phil. RAILWAY STUDIES I.R.S. OCTOBER 2000 THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY AND THE CELEBRATION OF ENGLISHNESS ALAN DAVID BENNETT M.A. D.Phil. RAILWAY STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF YORK INSTITUTE OF RAILWAY STUDIES OCTOBER 2000 ABSTRACT This thesis identifies the literary work of the Great Western Railway as marking a significant contribution to the discourse of cultural representation over the first four decades of the twentieth century and particularly so for the inter-war era. The compa- ny's work is considered in the context of definitive and invariably complex cultural per- spectives of its day, as mediated through the examination of the primary literature, com- pany works and other related sources, together with the historiographical focus of latter- day analysis. G.W.R. literary perspectives - historical, political, commercial-industrial and aesthetic - are thus compared and contrasted with both rival and convergent repre- sentations and contextualised within the process of historical development and ideolog- ical differentiations. Within this perspective of inter-war society, the G.W.R. literature is considered according to four principal themes: the rural-traditional representation and related his- torical-cultural identification in the perceived sense of inheritance and providential mis- sion; the company's extensive industrial interests, wherein regional, national and inter- national perspectives engaged a commercial-cultural construction of Empire; the 'Ocean Coast' imagery - the cultural formulation of the seashore in terms of a taxonomy of landscapes and resorts according to the structural principles of protocol, expectation and clientele and, finally, that of Anglo-Saxon-Celtic cultural characterisations with its agenda of ethnicity and gender, central in the context of this work to the definition of Englishness and community.
    [Show full text]
  • A History of Theory of Structures in the Nineteenth Century
    A history of theory of structures in the nineteenth century A history of theory of structures in the nineteenth century T. M. CHARLTON EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE LONDON NEW YORK NEW ROCHELLE MELBOURNE SYDNEY PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK 40 West 20th Street, New York NY 10011-4211, USA 477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia Ruiz de Alarcon 13,28014 Madrid, Spain Dock House, The Waterfront, Cape Town 8001, South Africa http://www.cambridge.org © Cambridge University Press 1982 This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 1982 First paperback edition 2002 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress catalogue card number: 81-15515 ISBN 0 52123419 0 hardback ISBN 0 52152482 2 paperback Contents Preface vii 1 Introduction 1 2 Beam systems 14 3 Theory of the arch and suspension bridge 35 4 Elementary theory of frameworks: graphical statics 56 5 Theory of statically-indeterminate frameworks: the reciprocal theorem 73 6 Levy's theory of frameworks and bridge girders 94 7 Early developments of energy principles relating to theory of structures 106 8 The later development and use of energy principles 118 9 Applications of the least work principle: elastic theory of suspension bridges 132 10 Aspects of the further development of theory of structures 140 11 Secondary effects in structures 157 Appendices I A note on C.
    [Show full text]
  • Plymouth and Its Branches
    A general view of Friary station, looking SOUTHERN GONE WEST west towards the buffers, on 8th July 1924 from Tothill Road overbridge. No fewer than five sidings are occupied by empty coaching stock. Adams T1 Class PLYMOUTH AND 0-4-4 tank departs on the lengthy 1.54pm run to Tavistock via North Road, whilst later Adams O2 No.218 waits by the Friary ‘B’ signal box. The O2 was to end ITS BRANCHES its days as No.W33 Bembridge on the Isle of Wight, surviving until December PART ONE • BY DAVID THROWER 1966 but sadly not being preserved. (H. C. Casserley) was a particularly interesting one and has route via Okehampton and Tavistock is now a more complex history than might at first being seriously examined, partly as a result ast features in this occasional series have be imagined. Surprisingly, it has received of the wish for better connectivity between concentrated upon the various former relatively limited coverage, either in book or West Devon/North Cornwall and the main line PSouthern branch lines east and west of article form. Moreover, the loss of the former network at Exeter and partly as a result of the Exeter Central, as far east as Seaton and as far SR route to Plymouth has become very topical Dawlish sea wall troubles. Another sea wall west as Padstow. Future articles will retrace with the repeated and sometimes very severe collapse may force the issue. our steps from Plymouth and from Barnstaple damage to the GWR route at Dawlish. Many Incidentally, on a purely personal note, to Exeter, along the former Southern Railway enthusiasts with long memories will recall my interest in the SR in Plymouth – which I main lines.
    [Show full text]
  • Conservation Area Appraisal 1: Introduction
    Acknowledgements Funders Cornwall Council St Austell Town Council Heritage Lottery Fund Other Stakeholders St Austell Bay Chamber of Commerce St Austell Business Improvement District St Austell Old Cornwall Society St Austell Bay Economic Forum St Austell Business Improvement District Cornwall College St Austell Market House CIC Le Page Architects …and many other contributors and community volunteers Final version Produced by Tim Kellett Urban Design April 2017 10 ACTION PLAN: REGENERATION INITIATIVES .......................................................... 74 Contents 11 LIST OF APPENDICES ............................................................................................. 76 1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 5 1.1 PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT ........................................................................................ 5 1.2 WHAT MAKES ST AUSTELL A SPECIAL PLACE ...................................................................... 7 2 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................. 10 2.1 LOCATION AND SETTING .............................................................................................. 10 2.2 GEOLOGY ................................................................................................................. 10 2.3 LANDSCAPE SETTING ................................................................................................... 10 2.4 EARLY ORIGINS AND
    [Show full text]
  • Educational Boat Trips Around Plymouth Sound, River Tamar And
    HORIZONS Children’s Sailing Charity Telephone 01752 605800 5 Richmond Walk email : [email protected] Devonport www.horizonsplymouth.org Plymouth PL1 4LL Educational Boat Trips around Plymouth Sound, River Tamar and Royal Dockyard. HORIZONS (Plymouth) is a charitable company limited by guarantee. Company Number: 4592593 Charity Number: 1096256, Registered Office: 5 Richmond Walk, Devonport, Plymouth PL1 4LL Educational Boat Trips Order of pages Front Cover Green Route Orange Route Yellow Route Blue Route Red Route q x y-z u w p v o s t q n r m l r p k o n m j k l l i j g h i c i h e-f d a b e f d g c b a Horizons Children’s Sailing Charity (Educational boat trips Green Route) The county boroughs of Plymouth and Devonport, and the urban district of East Stonehouse were merged in 1914 to form the single county borough of Plymouth – collectively referred to as The Three Towns. Mayflower Marina (Start) a,Ocean Quay At around 1877 a rail good shed was erected at friary leading to a goods line established beyond Devonport and Stonehouse to Ocean Quay. A few years after this in 1890 the quay was improved to take passengers. The idea was that Liner passengers would land by tender and be whisked to London and get there well in advance of those that stayed onboard and alighted at Southampton. There was then competition by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) picking up from Ocean Quay with Brunel’s Great Western Railway (GWR) from Millbay.
    [Show full text]
  • COOPER's TUBULAR ARCH BRIDGE Hill Street Bridge New York Cast and Wrought Iron Bridges Spanning Old Erie Canal at Cedar Bay Picn
    COOPER'S TUBULAR ARCH BRIDGE HAER No. NY-291 Hill Street Bridge New York Cast and Wrought Iron Bridges Spanning Old Erie Canal at Cedar Bay Picnic Area (Relocated from Canajoharie, Montgomery County» NY) Old Erie Canal State Park MY De Witt Onondaga County New York PHOTOGRAPHS REDUCED COPIES OF MEASURED DRAWINGS WRITTEN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE DATA r HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD National Park Service Department of the Interior P.O. Box 37127 Washington, D.C. 20013-7127 HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD COOPER*S TUBULAR ARCH BRIDGE U (Hill Street Bridge) HAER NO. NY-291 Locat ion: Spans a restored portion of the old Erie Canal at the Cedar Bay Picnic Area, Old Brie Canal State Park, De Witt, Onondaga County, New York. Relocated from Canajoharie, Montgomery County, New York. UTM; y..4153.76/4765992 0&G-& Quadrangle: Syracuse East, 7.5 minute Date of Construction: 18P6-" " Designer/Builder: William B. Cooper* Division Engineer, Office of New- York State Engineer and Surveyor, designer; Melvin A. Nash, Fort Edward, New York, builder. Present Owner: New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Central Region, Jamesville, New York. Present Use: Pedestrian bridge Significance: Cooper's Tubular Arch Bridge was built in 1886 for the Town of Canajoharie, New York by Melvin A. Nash, a Fort Edward, New York bridge builder. It is the only extant example of superstructures fabricated on the 1873 patent of civil engineer William B. Cooper, then employed on the New York State Canals. In 1975, the bridge was acquired by the Central New York State Park and Recreation Commission and moved to the Old Erie Canal State Park in De Witt, where it now carries pedestrians and service vehicles across a restored COOPER'S TUBULAR ARCH BRIDGE HAER NO.
    [Show full text]