Christmas Bridge Replacement at Dewsbury

[Crossover]

It seems that a recent road closure in Dewsbury (that has been causing abject chaos!) is culminating this weekend with a railway bridge replacement.

The bridge in question is just to the West of the station in Dewsbury at the bottom of Fall Lane

Early photos from a local are here, but I'm sure more pictures of the work will appear over the coming hours

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153001486175229&set=gm.10152431726171568&type=1&theater
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Here is one I took this evening. Looks like the bridge is out and just scaffold remains at present. First time I have seen the nearby auto signal at red on Christmas Day!
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No more pictures have appeared today, but it is now snowing which will no doubt cause some fun!

As a thought, does anyone know whether this bridge replacement will lead to the increase of ay speed limits?

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

I doubt a single bridge being replaced will speed the line up much. Even if this bridge had a low speed limit it'll only be a small section of tdack.

 

[DarloRich]

I doubt a single bridge being replaced will speed the line up much. Even if this bridge had a low speed limit it'll only be a small section of tdack.

shall we not bother then?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

There's plenty of other reasons to replace a bridge...

The linespeed isn't particularly low over this bridge, nor anywhere between Dewsbury and Thornhill LNW junction.

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

shall we not bother then?

If this replacement is to increase speed on a bridge without a low speed limit and it's causing chaos as said then we shouldn't bother.

If it's to improve safety, double track, increase headroom below or to get rid of a bridge which will crumble then we should.

 

[mafeu]

I'm guessing this is the work that caused some disruptions this morning (trains unable to call at Dewsbury). Looks to be resolved now!

 

[DarloRich]

If this replacement is to increase speed on a bridge without a low speed limit and it's causing chaos as said then we shouldn't bother.

If it's to improve safety, double track, increase headroom below or to get rid of a bridge which will crumble then we should.

Or perhaps it is part of a bigger scheme that will, you know, allow north TPE be electrified thus speeding up journeys for all?

 

[John Webb]

The cast plate on one of the facebook pictures says "1848" - so I expect the bridge is being replaced due to old age.

 

[Sapphire Blue]

Apparently it's not a new bridge but a re-furbished one from down south.

 

[Crossover]

I'm guessing this is the work that caused some disruptions this morning (trains unable to call at Dewsbury). Looks to be resolved now!

Engineering train left the possession nearly 3 hours late by the look of it. First 7 passenger trains of the morning diverted via Kirkgate and didn't call at Dewsbury but things appear to have become more normal since
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A couple of pictures of the new bridge I took earlier are here and here

What I can only assume to be the platform that the crane stood on

Somewhat amusingly, one of the traffic beacons has been removed but remains connected to power

On foot, it is possible to walk through the area and under the bridge via the pavement but for traffic it remains blocked off

A train (185 I think) did pass over whilst I was under the bridge and you'd have struggled to know anything was going over it, it was so quiet!

 

[snowball]

Or perhaps it is part of a bigger scheme that will, you know, allow north TPE be electrified thus speeding up journeys for all?

Unlikely to be that - if it had started being planned after the electrification decision, it probably wouldn't be happening yet! The electrification is still in GRIP stage 3.

 

[DarloRich]

Unlikely to be that - if it had started being planned after the electrification decision, it probably wouldn't be happening yet! The electrification is still in GRIP stage 3.

hopefully (!) the bridge was replaced in consideration of electrification and of a suitable gauge to allow for it

 

[snowball]

hopefully (!) the bridge was replaced in consideration of electrification and of a suitable gauge to allow for it

It's a bridge under the line, isn't it?

 

[Crossover]

It's a bridge under the line, isn't it?

The railway line runs on the bridge, over a road

 

[Senex]

Apparently it's not a new bridge but a re-furbished one from down south.

Refurbished kit from Down South good enough for one of the North's principal main lines then?

 

[snowball]

Refurbished kit from Down South good enough for one of the North's principal main lines then?

I suspect Sapphire Blue was joking, inspired by what happens to rolling stock. A second-hand bridge deck would be unlikely to fit the dimensions of the site.

 

[Crossover]

The road has now reopened to traffic - I followed the lorry going round collecting all the diversion signs this evening. I will try and drive down that way again tomorrow and see how it is all looking in daylight
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I suspect Sapphire Blue was joking, inspired by what happens to rolling stock. A second-hand bridge deck would be unlikely to fit the dimensions of the site.

I also read it as a joke
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A picture from today of the new bridge in daylight. Same as the other two that were replaced 7 years ago

 

[dbmbridges]

Hi - Just wanted to comment on the the Christmas project at Fall Lane.

The bridge was replaced due to being under strength - It had two old cast iron facade units that carried the service walkways. The two main riveted iron decks (each weighing 54t)- brick jack arches were in a very poor condition - something i can confirm from a visual inspection - how do i know - well i was the site manager /Engineer that took them out !!

My understanding is that the line speed will remain the same as before - it is normal to design and put a TSR on after installing any new structure as it doesn't matter how much you compact the fill of the deck ends it always has some consolidation - this is typically on for a week - it normally gets re tamped and speed raised to line speed.

The comment about it being a refurbished structure made me laugh !! - it is a totally new structure designed for 120 years-

The bridge was designed by a company in Retford (HPBW), the two bridge "U" decks were fabricated in my home town of Doncaster (at Carver Engineering) (Each deck weighted 87t) . The concrete units weighted 53t each these were supplied by Shay Murtagh (ireland). The crane was supplied by Baldwins (in Leeds) it was a 500t LTM1500 rigged with 167t full ballast. The main contractor was AMCO (from Barnsley) (who i work for). 1st in Rail carried out the P-way works (with most of the operatives based locally) - Demolition by B&B demolition (Mansfield) so all in all a very Northern project.

Lion Track (Worksop) supplied the track panels and provided much of the platform for the crane - i would point out that this was a brilliant design as it incorporated two small temporary bridges that spanned a gas main in the road - Brunel himself would have appreciated this bit of the project (i wish i had come up with it). The down side to this platform was the need to close the road on the run up to the main works - the alternative would have been to dig up the road and move the services - and this would have taken weeks and still needed to close the road.

Hope this clarifies a few points -

Sorry it if it caused any disruption hopefully it will be another 125years before the bridge needs replaced !

Cheers - Merry Christmas - please note my comments are my own but just wanted to give some clarity - hope thats ok.

David

 

[Llama]

Thanks for posting. As someone who drives regularly over the bridge, it is nice to have a bit of engineering insight to structures, however little attention we might pay to them in normal operating circumstances.

 

[Senex]

Hi - Just wanted to comment on the the Christmas project at Fall Lane. Etc.


David

A fascinating insight, for which many thanks -- detail that otherwise we just don't get to hear. I was especially interested in the gas main solution.

 

[lincolnshire]

I also agree with the other two who have thanked the guy for supplying all the information about the bridge replacement job.

Its a change from all the guess work as to what happened etc and other people always claiming to know everything and the rest of us are wrong because I am the only one who knows anything about Network Rail attitude of some who come on here.

Thanks again for the detailed information and if your on another job like this would be pleased to hear about that work too.