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[UPDATED]Thursday Bridge Blogging: Über sieben Brücken musst du gehn

by PeWi Fri Mar 30th, 2007 at 04:04:58 AM EST

A photostory of what happend between

and

Bridge blogging by PeWi, great! With an edit - afew


Well not a lot really - and it does look worse than it was. We did leave the hooligans behind.

In September we were finally all set to go - Well M. had left me five months before to go here.

She had a  great time. As had I crossing this

on more than one

occasion.

But this would not be a bridge diary without new bridges.

This one - We had not have before.

It is the bridge over the Estuary Tay.

Tand, tand ist das Gebilde von Menschenhand. (T. Fontane)

We never crossed this.

or

this

bridge

But this one

finally brought me to were we are now.

wearing this.

So be warned Migeru! I resisted Merry and did not wear a kilt at our wedding. But she will be more tricky to quieten now, and wants me to wear one all the time...

Descriptions of the bridges.

Everybody loves the Forth Bridges, but did you know they might need to start building a new road bridge as the Forth Road bridge is rosting away...

Tay Bridge
Less famous than its predecessor but when they cleaned it in 2003 they cleaned of 1000 tonnes of bird droppings.

This is the road bridge into Berwick from the Train - I just have not managed to shoot a nice picture of the much more impressive overall ensemble of bridges in Berwick so you'll have to wait for another time.

I will post the name of this bridge on Saturday, when I drive past it again. I promise!

Brig o' Balgownie
a single granite arch bridge with a span of 12 meters was of great strategic importance to Aberdeen since the early years of the 14th century. Apparently as a child Lord Byron swam in the river and mentions its salmon pool is his Don Juan.

And while researching I came across this site - bringing together toll bridges from all over Britain. Some nice shots on there of some of my favourites

[udate] as promised here are some more information on the Leaderfoot Bridge


Leaderfoot Bridge
Originally uploaded by evadjm36.


Leaderfoot Viaduct
Originally uploaded by billtam.

It was constructed in In 1865 and has thirteen arches. The viaduct was constructed for the St Boswells Junction to Reston section of the Berwickshire Railway, a line which closed in 1948. The Viaduct is now in private ownership. Lucky them... It is also Grade A listed and to see some more pictures go here to the "Forgotten Relics of an Enterprising Age" page. Oh, and as these things happen. The engineer building the viaduct, Charles Jopp, was born in Aberdeen in 1820. What are the odds? He also won the competition for the design of Waverly station in Edinburgh, while being the chief engineer of the commissioning company...

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There will be no Bridge diary next week as we will be on our way to SF. Anybody else up for a Euro-Trib meetup?
by PeWi on Thu Mar 29th, 2007 at 07:29:44 PM EST
Now you have to tell us what happened between the hunt and the car...
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Mar 30th, 2007 at 04:07:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]
WEll, I am not the biggest fan of hunts and always saw them as some sort of hooligans of the country side (charging after defenseless animals, ripping them apart and some such - so I was glad to leave taht behind (no personal negative experience with an individual hunter here) and then we got to Aberdeen and two weeks later the window of the car was smashed. Very annoying.
and we had beer stolen out of our garden. Which was more annoying, as I had imported that from my hometown in Germany...
But... they returned the empties. Very kind...
by PeWi on Sat Mar 31st, 2007 at 11:43:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Great to see you bridge blogging again, Pewi!

What's more, you give me the opportunity to add railway blogging to bridge blogging and combine all with immortal literature. You have spoken of Byron, let me speak of McGonagall. Or rather, let him speak for himself:

The Tay Bridge Disaster

Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay!
Alas! I am very sorry to say
That ninety lives have been taken away
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.

'Twas about seven o'clock at night,
And the wind it blew with all its might,
And the rain came pouring down,
And the dark clouds seem'd to frown,
And the Demon of the air seem'd to say-
"I'll blow down the Bridge of Tay."

When the train left Edinburgh
The passengers' hearts were light and felt no sorrow,
But Boreas blew a terrific gale,
Which made their hearts for to quail,
And many of the passengers with fear did say-
"I hope God will send us safe across the Bridge of Tay."

But when the train came near to Wormit Bay,
Boreas he did loud and angry bray,
And shook the central girders of the Bridge of Tay
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.

So the train sped on with all its might,
And Bonnie Dundee soon hove in sight,
And the passengers' hearts felt light,
Thinking they would enjoy themselves on the New Year,
With their friends at home they lov'd most dear,
And wish them all a happy New Year.

So the train mov'd slowly along the Bridge of Tay,
Until it was about midway,
Then the central girders with a crash gave way,
And down went the train and passengers into the Tay!
The Storm Fiend did loudly bray,
Because ninety lives had been taken away,
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.

As soon as the catastrophe came to be known
The alarm from mouth to mouth was blown,
And the cry rang out all o'er the town,
Good Heavens! the Tay Bridge is blown down,
And a passenger train from Edinburgh,
Which fill'd all the peoples hearts with sorrow,
And made them for to turn pale,
Because none of the passengers were sav'd to tell the tale
How the disaster happen'd on the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.

It must have been an awful sight,
To witness in the dusky moonlight,
While the Storm Fiend did laugh, and angry did bray,
Along the Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay,
Oh! ill-fated Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay,
I must now conclude my lay
By telling the world fearlessly without the least dismay,
That your central girders would not have given way,
At least many sensible men do say,
Had they been supported on each side with buttresses,
At least many sensible men confesses,
For the stronger we our houses do build,
The less chance we have of being killed.

See the link for notes on this appalling disaster which I think occurred on the last Sabbath day of 1879 and will be remembered for a very long time.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Mar 30th, 2007 at 03:40:37 AM EST
...and here is Theodor Fontane's (I learnt of the Tay disaster when we learnt this nice poem in German class):

Die Brück' am Tay

   (28. Dezember 1879) 1)             


When shall we three meet again? 2)
Macbeth

»Wann treffen wir drei wieder zusamm'?«
       »Um die siebente Stund', am Brückendamm.«
»Am Mittelpfeiler.«
»Ich lösche die Flamm'.« »Ich mit.«
       »Ich komme von Norden her.«
»Und ich von Süden.«
»Und ich vom Meer.« »Hei, das gibt ein Ringelreihn,
Und die Brücke muss in den Grund hinein.«
       »Und der Zug, der in die Brücke tritt
       Um die siebente Stund'?«
»Ei der muss mit.« »Muss mit.« »Tand, Tand,
Ist das Gebilde von Menschenhand.«



Auf der Norderseite, das Brückenhaus -
Alle Fenster sehen nach Süden aus,
Und die Brücknersleut', ohne Rast und Ruh
Und in Bangen sehen nach Süden zu,
Sehen und warten, ob nicht ein Licht
Übers Wasser hin »ich komme« spricht,
»Ich komme, trotz Nacht und Sturmesflug,
Ich, der Edinburger Zug.«

Und der Brückner jetzt: »Ich seh einen Schein
Am anderen Ufer. Das muss er sein.
Nun Mutter, weg mit dem bangen Traum,
Unser Johnie kommt und will seinen Baum,
Und was noch am Baume von Lichtern ist,
Zünd' alles an wie zum heiligen Christ,
Der will heuer zweimal mit uns sein, -
Und in elf Minuten ist er herein.«


Und es war der Zug. Am Süderturm
Keucht er vorbei jetzt gegen den Sturm,
Und Johnie spricht: »Die Brücke noch!
Aber was tut es, wir zwingen es doch.
Ein fester Kessel, ein doppelter Dampf,
Die bleiben Sieger in solchem Kampf,
Und wie's auch rast und ringt und rennt,
Wir kriegen es unter, das Element.«

»Und unser Stolz ist unsre Brück';
Ich lache, denk ich an früher zurück,
An all den Jammer und all die Not
Mit dem elend alten Schifferboot;
Wie manche liebe Christfestnacht
Hab ich im Fährhaus zugebracht,
Und sah unsrer Fenster lichten Schein,
Und zählte, und konnte nicht drüben sein.«

Auf der Norderseite, das Brückenhaus -
Alle Fenster sehen nach Süden aus,
Und die Brücknersleut' ohne Rast und Ruh
Und in Bangen sehen nach Süden zu;
Denn wütender wurde der Winde Spiel,
Und jetzt, als ob Feuer vom Himmel fiel',
Erglüht es in niederschießender Pracht
Überm Wasser unten ... Und wieder ist Nacht.



»Wann treffen wir drei wieder zusamm'?«
       »Um Mitternacht, am Bergeskamm.«
»Auf dem hohen Moor, am Erlenstamm.« »Ich komme.«
       »Ich mit.«
»Ich nenn euch die Zahl.« »Und ich die Namen.«
»Und ich die Qual.« »Hei!
       Wie Splitter brach das Gebälk entzwei.«
»Tand, Tand,
Ist das Gebilde von Menschenhand.«

Source

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Fri Mar 30th, 2007 at 02:49:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The IORE locomotives pull the iron ore trains that go from the Swedish iron mines to the Norwegian port of Narvik.

Each train weighs 8160 tons and is pulled by two IORE's, each weighing 180 tonnes and each with an output of 5.4 MW. They are the most powerful cargo locomotives in the world.

Along the relativley mountainous journey over the Scandinavian Mountains they reach a top speed of 80 km/h.


Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
by Starvid on Fri Mar 30th, 2007 at 09:48:07 AM EST
Nitpick:

pulled by two IORE's, each weighing 180 tonnes and each with an output of 5.4 MW

The IOREs are double locomotives (two halfs fixed together), and only together do they make the strongest & most powerful in the world.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Fri Mar 30th, 2007 at 02:46:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
A great comeback!

I will post the name of this bridge on Saturday, when I drive past it again. I promise!

If you can give the location with some precision, it is surely on Multimap!

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Fri Mar 30th, 2007 at 02:42:03 PM EST
Found them on google earth - I probably could have found it when I wrote the diary, but it was way past my bed time, when I wrote it....

the exact location is
55"36'15.57 North 2"44'36.36 West or thereabouts

by PeWi on Sat Mar 31st, 2007 at 11:49:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Thanks for the extra info in the diary!

It was a bit East from the above coordinates, apparently (Google Maps direct link, Multimap direct link). Here is a page on the Berwickshire Railway. I note that the line from which it branched off just before the viaduct, the Edinburgh and Hawick Railway, is to be raised from the dead as the Waverley Railway.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Sat Mar 31st, 2007 at 12:43:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]


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