Reedham Swing Bridge

Double-track railway swing bridge in United Kingdom

52°33′32″N 1°34′21″E / 52.55887°N 1.57237°E / 52.55887; 1.57237CarriesWherry railway lineCrossesRiver YareLocaleReedham, Norfolk, EnglandMaintained byNetwork Rail[1][2]CharacteristicsDesignSwing bridgeWidth54.5 feet (16.6 m)[2]Clearance below10 feet (3.05 m)[2]Rail characteristicsNo. of tracks2Track gauge1,435 mm (56.5 in)HistoryInaugurated1903ReplacesSingle-track swing bridge of 1840sLocationMap

Reedham Swing Bridge, on the site of a Victorian swing bridge, is still in use at Reedham, Norfolk, England.[3]

It carries the Wherry railway line, between Norwich and Lowestoft, across the River Yare near Reedham railway station.[3]

The original single track bridge was commissioned by Sir Samuel Morton Peto in the 1840s to allow the passage of wherry boats, which were too tall to pass under conventional bridges.[3] The current bridge dates from 1902 to 1903 prior to the doubling of the track.[4][5]

The bridge is operated from the 1904 Reedham Swing Bridge signal box.[3] In a typical year, it is opened 1,300 times.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Swing bridge renewals". www.networkrail.co.uk. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Bridge heights and openings". www.broads-authority.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Great Yarmouth to Beccles". Great British Railway Journeys. Series 3. Episode 1. 2 January 2012. BBC. BBC Two. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  4. ^ White, Malcolm R. (2002). The Lowestoft Train: The Railway at Lowestoft and Scenes on the Lines to Norwich, Ipswich and Great Yarmouth. Lowestoft: Coastal Publications. ISBN 9780953248568.
  5. ^ The Lowestoft Train by Malcolm R White

External links

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