King Edward VII Bridge

For the King Edward VII Bridge in London, see Kew Bridge.
King Edward VII Bridge

Train crossing the King Edward VII Bridge
Carries Railway
Crosses River Tyne
Locale Newcastle-Gateshead, England
Maintained by Network Rail
Heritage status Grade II listed
Characteristics
Design Truss bridge
Total length 350.8 m
Width 15.3 m
History
Constructed by Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company
Opened 10 July 1906

The King Edward VII Bridge is a railway bridge spanning the River Tyne between Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, in North East England. It is a Grade II listed structure. [1]

History

The bridge was designed and engineered by Charles A. Harrison, the Chief Civil Engineer of the North Eastern Railway, and built by the Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company in Darlington. The bridge consists of four lattice steel spans resting on concrete piers. The total length of the bridge is 1,150 feet (350 m) and 112 ft (34 m) above high water mark.

Originally trains used the High Level Bridge to reach Newcastle Central Station and had to leave the station in the same direction they entered, which involved the tedious task of reversing. The construction of the King Edward VII Bridge provided four more rail tracks and a direct line through the station, enabling trains to enter or leave from either side, thus easing rail congestion.

The bridge was opened by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra on 10 July 1906 despite being still unfinished at this time. General traffic began using the bridge on 1 October 1906.[2] The total cost was over £500,000.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Name: KING EDWARD RAILWAY BRIDGE List entry Number: 1248576". English Heritage. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  2. ↑ http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/discovery/buildingbridges/the-king-edward-vii-railway-bridge/
  3. ↑ http://sine.ncl.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=1453
Next railway bridge upstream River Tyne Next railway bridge downstream
Scotswood Railway Bridge
(disused rail, now carries water and gas mains) 		 King Edward VII Bridge
Grid reference: NZ246632		 Queen Elizabeth II Metro Bridge
(Tyne and Wear Metro)
Next crossing upstream River Tyne Next crossing downstream
Redheugh Bridge  King Edward VII Bridge
Grid reference: NZ246632		 High Level Bridge
(rail and road) 

Coordinates: 54°57′47″N 1°37′01″W / 54.963°N 1.617°W / 54.963; -1.617

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