Bailey Bridges in the UK

[Down_Under]

Did Bailey Bridges ever find use I the UK rail network ? Mainline? Secondary? Industrial lines?

 

They seem fairly common overseas, but relatively scarce I. The U.K. ?

 

If not, any particular reason?

 

J

[Fat Controller]

Did Bailey Bridges ever find use I the UK rail network ? Mainline? Secondary? Industrial lines?

 

They seem fairly common overseas, but relatively scarce I. The U.K. ?

 

If not, any particular reason?

 

J

I've not known of one in rail use in the UK, though I can remember a few 'temporary' ones that survived into the 1970s in road use. The late father of a neighbour was the British Army's last specialist in Bailey bridges; long after they'd been replaced in military use in the UK, they remained popular in the former Colonies, so Sarah's family spent a lot of time in God-forsaken bits of Africa.

[Talltim]

There one still in use in Sheffield, but it was never in rail use

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Nearly rail use, I have definitely seen a picture of one in use in the ironstone belt, to maintain an access road route over a temporary track bed used to move the quarried ironstone out.

[Edwin_m]

I seem to recall the Army reinstated a lot of the bridges washed out on the ECML in Scotland in 1948.  What did they use for those? 

[Stanier16]

Whilst not railway usage, a Bailey bridge forms the roof of an infants school in Newark Notts- aptly named the Bridge School.

[Down_Under]

Thanks for the replies everyone. So it seems they did find use, but not carrying trains, but the odd road bridge or school roof.

 

Any further information on the Scottish uses after WW2?

 

I'm in Guyana at the moment and there are a fair few still in use (converted to road use) along the old railway line that runs from GT to Berbice.

[eastwestdivide]

There one still in use in Sheffield, but it was never in rail use

 

Ditto in Rotherham, home of Mr Bailey. There used to be a plaque on it I think.

[petethemole]

There's one functioning as a footbridge on the route of the old Southwold Railway, across the River Blyth. It replaced the original swing bridge, blown up in WW2.

[bigherb]

Didn't they use one after the St johns Lewisham accident?

[PhilJ W]

A Bailey Bridge was placed over the line at Burnham-on-Crouch in the 80's when the bridge was being raised prior to electrification. I'm not sure whether or not it was a Baily Bridge that was used to replace Melverly Bridge on the Shropshire and Montgomery about 1947.

[Fat Controller]

Some of the ones installed post-D-Day in Normandy had very long lives. When one of the last ones was finally replaced, within the last decade or so, there was a big ceremony to which some of the surviving Royal Engineers and Pioneer Corps were invited.

I'm not sure if the bridge at Oissel (on the main line from Paris to Rouen) that my Uncle Harry and his comrades installed was strictly a Bailey Bridge ( https://structurae.net/structures/new-oissel-railroad-bridge ), but it lasted from 1944 to 2007- not bad for a 'temporary structure'.

[Clive Mortimore]

Bailey Bridges were designed for quick erection by the Royal Engineers in battle conditions. I know they are an excellent easily, and quickly erected as a temporary structure for all sorts of situations.

 

The Royal Engineers railway bridge companies had their own design of prefabricated bridges to replace damaged railway bridges.  

[grahame]

I can't help with the question but this may be of interest - a Christmas card from Adolf Hitler to Bailey at the Experimental Bridging department, Christchurch.

 

 

 

G.

[br2975]

Cardiff's last trolleybus routes were the 10A and 10B which served the Ely area.

.

The only access to what was and still is a major 1930s development was via Cowbridge Road West and a bridge over the River Ely.

.

In late 1969 within weeks of the end of trolleybus services, the road bridge over the River Ely was found to be unsafe and was replaced by a pair of Bailey bridges.

.

The trollies were initially banned from the weak bridge, then allowed across, only if towed..................

.

I cannot recall if the Bailey bridges were wired, but either side of the gaps the wires remained energised, but a Cardiff transport department 'tug' was kept busy towing trollies each way across the bridges.

.

The trollies finally ceased running in January 1970, well before the new bridge was finished.

[The Stationmaster]

Didn't they use one after the St johns Lewisham accident?

 

It appears not.  One source does say that the Royal Engineers built a temporary replacement for the bridge which collapsed although the Inquiry Report does not mention that.  However the 'temporary' bridge was a good deal more substantial than a standard Bailey Bridge and in fact lasted for 50 years until replaced by a new bridge in 2007.

[unravelled]

It appears not.  One source does say that the Royal Engineers built a temporary replacement for the bridge which collapsed although the Inquiry Report does not mention that.  However the 'temporary' bridge was a good deal more substantial than a standard Bailey Bridge and in fact lasted for 50 years until replaced by a new bridge in 2007.

Much of the temporary trestle bridge is still there 50 years on. I don't remember any major work on it but it's possible that deck has been replaced.

It is certainly military looking kit, but I guess they had a lot of that spare into the 50s.

 

Bailey bridges are pretty light weight, which is their main design feature. The panels could be doubled up vertically and horizontally to increase load bearing and stiffness, but they weren't a long term solution for railway use. Access for inspection and maintenance would have been difficult.

 

I'll dig out some pics of the St Johns "temporary" structure later.

 

Dave

[jamie92208]

There is a section of Bailey Bridge on a roundabout at Christchurch and I think a pub called the Bailey Bridge both as a memorial to the design and it's use.  

 

There are certainly any similar looking bridges around today I believe that Mabey manufacture them but whether they are a development of the original Bailey bridge I don't know.

 

Jamie

[stadman]

Australian alternative?

[John_Miles]

A Sherman tank weighs about 30 tons, which is roughly the weight of a small loco so they could possibly have been used for light railways, always presuming a Bailey bridge could bear the weight of a tank.

[unravelled]

Temporary bridge at St Johns.

 

A view from the train

 

The bearers are visible in the trees. Some  overhang the garages

 

A long shot of the bridge showing the trestles supporting the bearers

 

And just to ge back on thread (sort of...), a bailey bridge crossing the Thames at Port Meadow, Oxford.

 

 

Thanks

 

Dave

 

Edited August 26, 2016 by unravelled

[unravelled]

An interesting referenceon bailey bridges

 

http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2012/01/uk-military-bridging-equipment-the-bailey-bridge/

 

(posted to replace duplicate)

 

Thanks

 

Dave

Edited August 26, 2016 by unravelled

[Oldddudders]

By the 1980s, the bridge had been accepted by the Regional Civil Engineer as a permanent structure, whatever the definition of its design. The 1976 introduction of the new Flydown may have prompted some works at the London end of the structure. 

[eastwestdivide]

The Lewisham flyover in December 1983, taken from the end of the platform at St John's. I've boosted the shadows to bring out the details, which has distorted the colours a bit:

 

You can see a resemblance to a Bailey bridge structure in the supports I reckon.

[Down_Under]

Anyone confirm that those are indeed Bailey Bridge supports? Would be interesting if they were...

 

Thanks for all the freeback and replies everyone