Barrow Bridge
This steel truss single track steel railway bridge was built between 1902 and 1906 for services between Rosslare Harbour and Waterford. It was used until 2010.
Built as a joint venture between the Fishguard and Rosslare Railways and Harbours Co and the Great Southern and Western Railway, the bridge spans the river Barrow between County Kilkenny and County Wexford in the south east of Ireland. Length 2,131 ft. 13 main spans supported on pairs of cast iron piers. The third span from the Kilkenny side is a swing span.[1]
It was designed by Sir Benjamin Baker and built by the firm of Sir William Arrol.
A detailed description of the bridge and its construction was serialised on Engineering in 1906.[2] [3] [4] [5]Details of the swing bridge mechanism were provided in Engineering 1906/06/29. Electrical power was supplied from a generating station of the shore, which housed two 9.5 BHP Hornsby-Ackroyd oil-engines which could run at 230 rpm to drive dynamos by belt at 810 rpm to generate at 150 volts. The cell-room contained 61 cells of “Tudor” make. The time taken to fully charge these cells when both engines were running at 230 rpm was six hours, with a consumption of 7 to 8 gallons of oil. The electrical portion of the work was sub-let to Walter Dixon and Co, and the signalling to Saxby and Farmer.
See Also
- An Taisce [2014]. Buildings at Risk Register, p.59
- Duffy, John (2007). Barrow bridges and related aspects, pp.41, 43, 150. Tullow, County Carlow: John Duffy / ISBN: 9780955418419
- Iarnrod Eireann; Asset Management of the Bellview – Rosslare Strand Line after Service Withdrawal. nationaltransport.ie / Iarnrod Eireann
- Rowan, Ann Martha (2012). Dictionary of Irish Architects, 1720--1940 - Co. Waterford, Viaduct Over River Barrow - EVERETT, John Edward.