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Building the last Main Line Railway
Great Central Bridge and Viaduct: gcrcs67
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This photograph shows the section of the girder frame bridge
where it meets the girder bridge. The riveter is working next to the steel
girder that ran along the centre of the girder bridge providing additional
strength. The recessed boxes are designed to receive timber baulks on which the
rails will be laid. The use of timber was essential because it provided both a
flexible joint as well as a smoother ride. The complexity of the girder bridges
and viaducts on the London Extension is shown to good effect in this picture.
It was taken during the construction of the lattice girder viaduct over the
LNWR line at Rugby, and shows a riveter at work. The bed of the bridge is
littered with nuts, bolts, rivets and tools; and there are various wooden
chocks positioned in certain places. The bridge was made up of three spans, and
two of these survive today. The bridge was built by Topham, Jones & Railton
- the contractor responsible for the construction of the line between Aylestone
and Rugby. In more recent years, the bridge has become known as the 'Birdcage'
for obvious reasons. Count the rivets! C1896
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