Runcorn Railway Bridge
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The Runcorn Railway Bridge crosses the River Mersey at Runcorn Gap from Runcorn to Widnes in Cheshire, England. It was built for the London and North Western Railway to a design by William Baker, chief engineer of the railway company.
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[edit] History
In 1846 the Grand Junction Railway Company obtained an Act of Parliament to build a bridge to cross Runcorn Gap. A time limit of 7 years was imposed. Shortly after obtaining the Act the Company amalgamated with other companies to form the London and North Western Railway. Other projects took precedence, the 7 years time limit passed, and so the powers to build the bridge lapsed.
In 1861 Parliamentary approval for a bridge was again obtained as part of building a line from Aston, to the south-east of Runcorn where it joined the line from Crewe to Warrington at Weaver Junction, to the west of Widnes, where it joined the line from Warrington to Garston at Ditton Junction. Work commenced in 1863 and the first stone was laid in 1864. The bridge was completed by 1868 and on May 21st there was an introductory opening when the contactor's locomotive 'Cheshire' drew 20 wagons over the bridge. It was formally opened for traffic on 10th October. The first goods traffic crossed it on February 1st 1869 and the the first passenger train crossed on April 1st of that year.
The bridge consists of three wrought iron spans of 305 feet each on two sandstone abutments with foundations at a depth of about 45 feet below water level. The foundations themselves are built on very large bales of cotton. Cotton was chosen due to the fact that when it gets wet it goes harder than concrete.
It carries a double line of tracks and a footpath for pedestrians was built on the east side of the bridge. It has a clearance of 75 feet above the high water mark to allow sailing ships to pass beneath it. There are 6 lattice girders, two to each span. Each girder contains 700 tons of iron and is fastened by 48,115 rivets. At the time it was built it was the longest railway bridge in England.
From the north side of the river the bridge is approached by a viaduct of 49 arches, then a short piece of embankment, followed by 16 more arches. From the south it is approached by a viaduct of 33 arches.
The bridge is named after Aethelfleda because the southern abutments and pier were built on the site of the Saxon castle erected by her in 915. Parts of the bridge are castellated to reflect this. There are three shields above the footway showing, from the southern end, the Coat of Arms of the City of London, Britannia (from the crest of the railway company) and the Liver Bird of Liverpool.
In the 1890s the Manchester Ship Canal was built, passing under the bridge. The footway was closed in 1965. The bridge is still in use today for rail traffic as it is on the Liverpool branch of the West Coast Main Line.
[edit] References
- Cowan, C. A. Crossing the Runcorn Gap, Vol. 3: Runcorn Railway Bridge, Halton Borough Council, 1990.
- Starkey, H. F. Old Runcorn, Halton Borough Council, 1990.
[edit] Further reading
- The Bridging of Runcorn Gap, Halton Borough Council, 1978
- Cowan, C. A. Crossing the Runcorn Gap, Vol. 1: Runcorn Ferry and Hale Ford, Halton Borough Council, 1990.
- Cowan, C. A. Crossing the Runcorn Gap, Vol. 2: Early Bridging Proposals, Halton Borough Council, 1992.
- Thompson, Dave. Bridging the Mersey: A Pictorial History, European Library, Zaltbommel, 2000.
