Rugby and Leamington Railway

1850 'THE RUGBY AND LEAMINGTON RAILWAY.
We announced a week or two since that the works belonging to the bridge across High-street, in connection with the Rugby and Leamington Railway, were sufficiently forward to warrant the hope that in a short period an attempt would be made to place the frame of the ponderous structure in the position for which it was destined. From a variety of causes, upon which it is unnecessary for us here to enter, a great delay has taken place in the works connected with this line of southern communication, and as year after year passed by, the desire on the part of the inhabitants of the Spa naturally increased to have it in a state of forwardness, that it might be made available for all the purposes of this important locality. The progress of constructing the bridge across the site of the Royal Hotel and Curtis’s Baths, — that is, in an angular direction across High-street,— particularly excited the interest of all parties, whether residents or visitors; and various have been the fears, and unsparing has been the criticism, in which all persons have indulged as to its stability and adaptation, when finally completed, for all the purposes of railway traffic. The process of testing the stability of the bridge employed several weeks a short time ago, and fully satisfied eminent engineers who were engaged,directly or indirectly, upon the line.

'The important work of carrying the immense structure across the road was commenced on Friday last. A large concourse of spectators assembled together on the occasion, in the streets, balconies, and windows of the immediate neighbourhood. Every precaution was taken to prevent accident to any of the spectators by stopping up the thoroughfare in all directions, the aid of the police preventing persons coming to near, either to impede the workmen or to run any risk of injury in case of any untoward casually occurring. The prosecution of the work took place in the presence of the engineers Mr. E. Dixon and Mr. Doyne, Mr. Knight and Mr. Hart (contractors for the Rugby and Leamington Railway), and also the other officials and assistants in connexion with the line. For the purpose of carrying the bridge across the opposite abutment, a tram line was laid over the road; two common railway trucks, with the springs plugged, and other necessary precautions adopted in case they should give way beneath the superincumbent weight, were placed on the tram line, upon which the whole mass of wood and iron rested. Some fears were also entertained that these trucks would not sufficiently strong to bear the immense weight that would rest upon them. The result, however, proved the correctness of the engineering conception, they carried over the bridge in safety. The propulsion of the bridge proceeded over with great success about one-third of the distance across the road, and when every thing promised fairly to meet the most sanguine expectations, a small wheel on the viaduct broke, which was subjected to an undue strain in consequence one of the packings supporting the timbers upon which the rail rested being removed by accident. This unfortunately prevented all further progress for that day. The movement of the bridge of course employed all the mechanical forces at the command of the contractors and engineers, consisting principally of windlasses, levers, pulleys, &c.

'Early on Saturday morning, the slight casualty of the previous day haying been adjusted, the work of propulsion was proceeded with, and so successfully were the operations carried on, that by about noon the bridge was firmly rested upon the opposite abutment, amidst the cheers of the workmen and spectators. It is pleasing to add that this stupendous structure has been unattended, from the beginning to the present time, with any accident, to life or limb, or any of the workmen employed upon it; and when we consider the dangers usually attendant upon this description of labour, the absence such casualties in this instance is a subject for congratulation.

'This American lattice bridge was originally designed by Mr. Dockray, resident engineer of the London and Birmingham Railway, in 1846. But little choice was left in the character of the design by the clauses inserted in the Act of Parliament bv the Leamington Commissioners, the Company being obliged to cross the street with a bridge at height of 16 feet, and in such a manner as not to interfere with the existing width of roadway and footpaths; brick or stone arches were therefore out of the question, and the engineer was forced to have recourse to a flat girder of either timber or iron. At the time the design was made, the price of iron was so great as to induce Mr. Dockray to use wood, in a mode of construction very common in America. The bridge is constituted of two wooden lattice girders, each 150 feet in total length, 17 feet deep, and 138-9 between the piers. These girders are formed of strong oak walings at top, bottom, and centre, running longitudinally for the whole length, united together by memel timbers, crossing one another at an angle of 60 degrees, by which means they are made to form a compound truss of great strength, the principle upon which it depends for its strength being subject to definite laws, and by the advancement of science in the last few years now reduced to a simple rule for calculation. The main girders are to be united together by wrought iron transverse girders, which will be covered with timber planking, upon which the rails will be laid; and the whole surmounted by circular corrugated iron roof, strongly bound together with iron ties. The ends the girders are to be supported by handsome stone piers, rising nearly 30 feet above their present height, and forming an archway through which the trains will enter. The calculated breaking weight of the bridge is 1240 tons distributed over it. Its own weight between the piers is 110 tons, and it has been tested by laying upon 200 tons of iron rails, being nearly three times the weight to which it will be subjected in general traffic. The ends of the bridge rest upon very strong abutments of Derbyshire stone, upon which will be built the handsome towers with similar material, terminating with a massive enriched carved scroll, of a very beautiful character, and presenting an appearance of great elegance. When completed the structure will be very ornamental, and not prove that great eyesore which is imagined many people; while the addition of ornaments will not diminish the actual strength of the entire erection. The bridge, during its construction, has been superintended by Mr. William Doyne, and the work executed Mr. John Hart, the well known bridge builder.

'In the afternoon Mr. G. Knight, the contractor, entertained a party of engineers and others connected with the works, to the number twenty, at a dinner the Regent Hotel...'

1851 'INSPECTION AND COMPLETION OF THE RUGBY AND LEAMINGTON RAILWAY.
The works upon this line, which will place Leamington, in direct communication with the Midland Counties, Trent Valley, and Stamford Railways, and, during the approaching Great Exhibition in London, form the most direct route to be taken by Shakspearian pilgrims visiting the classic soil of Stratford, — was examined by Capt. Wynne, the Government Inspector, on Tuesday last.
The new line, which branches from the London and North Western trunk at Rugby, and joins the Coventry and Leamington branch at Leamington, is fifteen miles eight chains in length. The steepest inclinations, gradients, are 1 in 100 ; they occur, first about eight miles and a half from Rugby, from Marton to Hunningham Hill, secondly from the Offchurch to the Radford cuttings, and, thirdly, from the projected new station ground at Leamington, to the Station already in existence. In reference to the cuttings and embankments, we may state that the largest of these is Hunningham Hill, containing 247,360 cubic yards ; and the next one at Offchurch Hill, measuring 211,234 yards; the soil of the former being of a very hard red marl, and the latter of a like material, with sand. The total quantity of earth excavated has been computed at 1,230,596 cubic yards. The character of the soil throughout the line is principally of red marl, with the exception of between the second and sixth mile from Rugby where a portion of the excavations were made through strata of blue lias, blue and yellow, and yellow lias, and rock and clay.
The number of bridges on the line is thirty-five, of which fourteen are occupation bridges. Of these structures thirteen are formed of bricks set in mortar; nine ditto in cement; six of cast iron ; two of wood; one of wood and iron, three of boiler plates and one of wrought iron lattice. There are also five viaducts, respectively named — the Birdingbury, Ichene, Offchurch, Leamington, and Leam, containing in the whole sixty-seven arches. The most prominent and interesting features of these various structures are the following:-
The Birdingbury viaduct is composed of five elliptical arches, each sixty feet span, for carrying the railway over the public road from Frankton to Birbury, the river Leam and the eel-ponds upon the estate of Sir Theophilus Biddulph, Bart.
At Hunningham, there has been constructed a Wrought Iron Lattice Bridge, for carrying the public road from Bascote, over the extensive cutting already described. It is of 150 feet span, remarkable for the lightness of its appearance being open net work of slight bars, and rises to elevation of fifty-four feet above the railway. It is allowed to be one of the finest iron bridges in this country built upon the lattice principle. Some of a similar description have been built by Sir John McNeill, in Ireland but, in economy of material and mechanical arrangement, the one now under notice is considered to be superior to all others. Drawings and a description of this bridge were laid before the Institution of Civil Engineers in April last, by Mr. W. T. Doyne, the resident engineer of the Rugby and Leamington line, for which the Committee of the Institute awarded that gentleman a premium. From that, and other available sources of intelligence, we learn that the bridge consists of two girders 156 feet in length, and 10 feet 6 inches in depth, placed at a distance of 20 feet apart, connected together by means of wrought-iron transverse girders, and by a system of diagonal bracing. The bottom of the main girders are formed of two angle irons, and wrought-iron plates, eight at the centre, but diminishing to three at the ends, and of such dimensions as to make the effective sectional area at the centre, after deducting the loss by rivet holes, equal to 26 square inches; that of the top, which is somewhat differently constructed so as the better to resist compression, being equal to 40 square inches. The lattices are formed of a series of bars of spoke-iron, intersecting each other an angle of 60 degrees, being crossed at those points, by longitudinal bars, for the purpose of giving additional rigidity, and of making a closer parapet. The transverse girders, 7 feet 6 inches apart, are each formed of a plate of wrought iron, with two angle irons at the top and the bottom; these are covered with corrugated galvanised iron, one-tenth of an inch thick, upon which concrete, and then layer of gravel and loam metalling, 6 inches thick, are laid. This bridge has been erected by Messrs Smith, Smith, and James, of Leamington, upon a platform which gives to the girders a camber of 7 inches in the centre, which reduced to 3 3/4 inches upon removing the platform which it still retains. The total cost of the bridge has been about £3500., including brickwork and masonry, approach roads and fencing. During the progress of the works, Mr. Doyne made some experiments upon the strength of rivets of different sizes, from which it appeared, that the average breaking weight, per square inch of sectional area, was 35.10 tons for a chain joint, and 18.82 tons for a lap joint. Mr. Doyne has constructed a model to a scale of one inch to a foot, for the purpose of illustrating the mechanical principles upon which this and other bridges similar construction depend for their strength. The top and bottom strings of this model are made of mahogany bars, put together like a chain of a suspension bridge, overlapping one another at the ends, and united by a turned iron pin passing through them by this means it is ensured that all strains upon the top and bottom must be in the direction of their lengths. The lattice bars are made in such a manner as to show clearly the truth of the theoretical reasoning that they are acting alternately as struts and ties; those which are in compression being made of mahogany bars, merely let in at the ends, but not fastened in any way, while the ties are made of hoop-iron chains, the former not capable of taking any other strain than that of compression, and the latter tension. The model is constructed that any part of it can be taken out and a dynamometer substituted for it, so as to measure the strain upon that portion, the strains on all the different parts have been measured with loads applied in various ways, and they agree in a remarkable manner with the theoretical deductions. Investigations carried out in this manner, added to experiments upon the strength of the materials used, place the efficiency of bridges of this character beyond a doubt.
The viaduct at Offchurch is opposite to the entrance into Lord Guernsey's park. It is a well-proportioned structure, consisting of five elliptical arches, each of sixty feet span, by means of which the railway is carried over a brook and the Warwick and Napton Canal. It is formed of blue Staffordshire bricks; the centre arch crosses the canal obliquely, at an angle of forty degrees, and is faced with Derbyshire stone. In conformity with an agreement made with Lord Guernsey by the Company, this viaduct is of an ornamental character, and, from its great height, has a very striking effect.
The viaduct through the town of Leamington consists of forty-one arches; the span over the principal streets possessing considerable engineering interest. Those over Court-street and Althorpe-street are wrought iron tubular girders, of forty-two and sixty feet span respectively, shewing much novelty in their details, especially in the mode employed of suspending the platforms, which is so arranged as to give the greatest possible amount of roadway with the least practical elevation of the line; and here we may remark, they were tested by the Government Inspector, by placing two engines upon each, when the deflection was scarcely appreciable.
We now come to the most important feature in the line, namely, the Wooden Lattice Bridge, constructed across the main road in High-street, Leamington, from the corner of Clemens-street, where Copps's Royal Hotel originally stood, to the southern extremity of Bath-street. This work exhibits consummate engineering skill, and the merit of its design belongs to Mr. Dockray, the resident engineer of the London and Birmingham Railway; and, as some speculations have been locally indulged in as to the stability of the bridge, may state that the various tests applied to it have, in every respect, perfectly sustained the mathematical and engineering deductions of that gentleman; and that prior to the tubular construction being placed upon the piers, its strength had been thoroughly tested by laying upon it nearly three times the weight to which it was calculated it would ever be subjected, after it was opened for the purposes of general traffic; and the conclusion arrived at, after these experiments, placed its breaking weight at about 1,240 tons; thus exhibiting in a remarkable manner the extraordinary resistance offered by a tube of this construction to a load upwards of eleven times its own weight. We may also state that, previously to the girders being brought across, it was tested by Mr. Doyne by placing upon them two hundred tons of iron rails, the result of which was perfectly satisfactory.
The bridge, which is composed of two wooden lattice girders, running parallel to each other to an extent of 150 feet, is 17 feet in depth and 26 in width. The girders rest upon two massive piers, constructed of Derbyshire stone, which rise to an elevation of about 22 feet above the level of the street, the clear distance between the buttresses being 138 feet 9 inches,— a span which is greater than that of any similar structure in the kingdom. These girders are formed of strong oak walings at top, bottom, and centre, running longitudinally for the whole length, and united together by Memel timbers, crossing one another at an angle of 60 degrees, by which means they are made to form a compound truss of great strength, the principle upon which it depends for its strength being subject to definite laws, and by the advancement of science in the last few years now reduced a simple rule for calculation. The main girders are united together by wrought iron transverse girders, which are covered with timber planking, upon which the rails are laid, the floor being covered with lead, for the purpose of deadening the sound of the trains, and the whole surmounted by a semi-circular roof of corrugated galvanized sheet iron, strongly bound together with iron ties. The ends of the girders, which are supported by massive stone piers, thirty feet in height, form an archway through which the trains pass. Each extremity of the bridge is flanked by an Italian tower of masonry, which, when completed, will, with an enriched carved scroll parapet projecting from each side of the archway, impart a highly ornamental appearance to this huge specimen of mechanical skill. An attractive aspect has been given to the exterior of this structure by the very judicious mannerin which it has been embellished. The latticed portion has been painted in oak, and the iron ties in bronze; into the twelve compartments on each side a panel has been introduced, of a fawn colour, relieved in shades; the vallance overhanging the compartments being tastefully edged with bright blue. This work of embellishment was entrusted by the engineers and contractor to our townsman, Mr. John Goold.
Next follow the bridges over Bath Place and the Avenue road, both of which are composed of cast-iron girders of forty and thirty-nine feet span respectively,— each girder having been tested with double the greatest load that can by possibility be placed upon it.— The stone viaduct, built in the meadows, over the river Leam, is a plain but imposing erection of sixteen arches, each thirty-eight feet span. It is built on a curve of half-a-mile radius, and an inclination of one in a hundred.
There are no tunnels upon the line, the width of which at formation level is thirty-three feet. A single line of rails only has been laid down, but the works are so constructed as to admit a double line the whole distance if found necessary. The width of gauge is four feet, eight and a half inches, and between the lines, where double, six feet. The intermediate stations between Rugby and Leamington are not yet decided upon, but will probably be, we understand, at Marton and Birdingbury. On Tuesday last, as already stated, Capt. Wynne, of the Royal Engineers, inspected the whole of these works, and it is fully expected that such a favourable report will be made by him to the Railway Commissioners, that the Rugby and Leamington line will be opened for traffic on the 1st of next month.
We may state that the Inspector tested the wooden lattice bridge already described, by loading it with two engines and their tenders, with two carriages attached (weighing in the whole sixty-eight tons), when the deflection was .96 of an inch, returning completely to its original position on the removal of the train; thus shewing a degree of stiffness and a more satisfactory result than could have been anticipated : indeed, no difference of effect was observable between a train standing on the bridge and running over it at forty miles an hour. The deflections were measured by a deflectometer, placed on the centre of the bridge, and indicating the 1-1000th part of an inch.
The Contract for this line was taken by Mr. G. Knight in Feb., 1847, although from circumstances connected with the money market, and the affairs of the London and North Western Directorate, the completion of the works have necessarily been considerably retarded since that period. In fact, active operations have only been extended over a space of two years from their commencement; and it is but justice towards Mr. Knight to say that he has performed his duty well and faithfully in every respect, and that for strength, durability, and neatness of workmanship, and liberality of expenditure, the line now about to be opened is not exceeded by any in the kingdom. Mr. Hart, who is one of the most experienced and respectable bridge builders of the day, was the sub-contractor for the High-street bridge, the Leamington viaduct, and that over the river Leam, all of which he has completed in good substantial style. Edwd. Dixon, Esq., the acting engineer for the branches of the London and North Western Railway, and W. T. Doyne, Esq., the resident engineer of the Rugby line, have also added to their professional repute by the mode in which they have superintended and carried out the various difficult works within their department upon the newly-formed railway.
An excursion over the line to-day, for which the Contractor has liberally issued invitations to a large extent, will, no doubt, be eagerly participated in by such of the respectable residents in this locality to whom those complimentary communications have been addressed; whilst the banquet to be given in the evening, by Mr. Knight, to a numerous party of the officials of the line, many private friends and several influential inhabitants of this and adjoining towns, will, every respect, manifest his known liberality of disposition, and be worthy of the celebrated cuisine of the Regent Hotel, where the entertainment is fixed to take place.'

See here for an 1850 drawing of the wooden bridge over High Street, Leamington.

1862 'One is really forced to enquire if the London and North-Western Railway Company ever intend either to complete the Bridge over Bath-street, or to replace it, as promised, by a new structure. For a lengthened period this unsightly erection has been allowed to disfigure a prominent part of Leamington, propped by planks which in themselves constitute a nuisance, and exciting the merriment of strangers. In a town remarkable for its architectural elegance, this Bridge is an eyesore to the locality in which it is placed. Had the alterations been undertaken by a private individual and continued at a pace which seems to make no progress, we should have had protest after protest from the inhabitants; but because the works are in the hands of a wealthy Company the grievance — for to that it amounts — is suffered to continue. At the last meeting of the Local Board attention was drawn to the matter by Mr. Haddon ; but the information obtained on the occasion is not of a very satisfactory character. It appears that some months ago communication was made to the Surveyor — Mr Morgan — by one of the engineers of the Company to the effect, that he would apprise him when the new Bridge would be provided. Up to the present, however, that information has not been vouchsafed, and so the structure stands in all its naked deformity with no immediate prospect, so far as we can learn, that the nuisance will be abated. Now that the subject has been ventilated once more, we trust that the Local Board will not suffer it to fall into oblivion, and that the Company will be constrained forthwith to perform its duty towards the town.'

1862 'The Bath-street Bridge. Workmen are now busily engaged in taking to pieces the lattice-work bridge of the London and North-Western Railway which crosses Bath-street. Ever since the construction of the bridge in 1850 by the eminent engineer, Mr Doyle, great doubts have been entertained of its strength and capability for bearing the enormous weights that daily passed over it, owing to the fact that the cross roads over which it is placed prevented the erection of the necessary supports. Notwithstanding the additional pillars which it was found necessary to place underneath the structure, it was deemed unadvisable to test its strength by allowing coal or luggage trains cross it, and immediately after the lamentable and fatal accident at Wootton, last year, the public safety necessitated close inspection the bridge. Captain Tyler, the Government Inspector, accordingly undertook this duty, and the result was (as many of our readers are aware) that the bridge was condemned as unsafe, and the Railway Company have been compelled to substitute an iron girder bridge which is considered capable of bearing far greater weight than will ever be placed upon it, otherwise than to test its strength. The old structure has been purchased by Mr Gascoyne, builder, of this town, and a few days will be entirely removed. The public may now dispel from their minds all apprehension of danger, as the new bridge cannot, by any possibility, be considered unsafe.'

1862 'The New Railway Bridge.— The whole of the old wooden structure, which had for upwards of ten years served as a railway bridge on the London and North-western Railway, in High-street has been carefully removed by the purchaser, Mr Gascoyne, builder. We are gratified to state that the work has been performed without the slightest accident — a fact which has been the subject of much commendation and surprise. The whole of the stone arches at each end of the bridge are to removed, and the new iron girder-bridge will be entirely open and exposed. We understand that the object the Company has in view is to prevent the obstruction of light from the houses immediately adjoining the bridge. In a few weeks the bridge will be finished and the traffic across resumed.'.

1862 'The New Railway Bridge, Bath Street. During the last week the wooden portion of the old structure has been nearly entirely removed by Mr. Gascoyne, disclosing to view the iron bridge, with tubular roofing, which the London and North Western Railway Company have substituted for it. The distance spanned over from wall to wall was 150 feet, and in order to effectually accomplish that result two immense girders, 154 feet in length, were first placed between the abutments on the east and west side of the bridge, a sufficient space being allowed for two lines of rails between them. Each of these girders weighs 100 tons and is hollow in order to give additional strength, whilst there is a double flange or "flitch," the bottom one being composed of five thicknesses of boiler-plate. Between the main girders, transverse girders are fixed at intervals of three feet to carry the roadway, which it is calculated will bear as much superincumbent weight as may be expected on 1000 feet of the permanent way, or more than seven times the weight that will probably be on the entire fabric at one time. All the girders have been supplied by Mr. Woodhall of Great Bridge, near Birmingham, and are described as splendid specimens of this description of wrought iron work.'

1862 'NEW GIRDER BRIDGE.- In our impression of the 7th instant, we gave a short description of the plate girder bridge erected in this town. The name of the manufacturer, instead of being stated as Mr. Woodhall, of Great Bridge should have been Mr. Samuel Woodall, of the Windmill End boiler works, near Dudley.'

1862 'The New Bridge.€ The new iron tubular bridge over High-street, which has just been substituted for the old wooden lattice-work structure on the Rugby and Leamington Railway, is rapidly progressing towards completion. The bridge is of wrought iron, and when finished will be one the best and strongest in England. Each of the tubular girders weighs 101 tons, and there are 45 cross girders weighing four tons each. Besides these the floor of the bridge will be covered with longitudinal timbers and the metals. The work will be completed in about a month. It may not he uninteresting to our readers to know that the old wooden bridge was finished in the month of May, 1851, and that the same workman who principally assisted in carrying it across, and who superintended the work generally, was the purchaser the bridge, to superintend its removal. The bridge was 158 feet long, and with the abutments, &c. cost nearly £17,000. Messrs Dines, Dixon, and Dockery of London, were the engineers, and Mr Hart and Mr Knight, Leamington, the contractors. The bridge took 181 weeks in construction. The workman above referred to, €”Mr Enock Fletcher - €”who has been engaged in many parts of the country in superintending similar works (amongst others, at the new Houses Parliament, Westminster, where he worked for nearly eight years, and in North and South Wales, &c.) has been engaged in works of this nature for many years, and, strange to state, never met with any accident. It was thought by to almost impossible to remove the wooden structure High-street without some accident, but we are pleased able to say that although 150 tons weight of material were thrown the ground, the whole of the work was completed in a month and five hours, without stopping up the thoroughfare or causing the slightest accident to any person. Mr Gascoyne was most anxious that the work should be accomplished without the possibility of an accident, and even promised Mr Fletcher a substantial reward if he succeeded in the attainment the object. Every person who has witnessed the gradual progress of the dangerous work must have been struck with the remarkable skill of Mr Fletcher and the men under his guidance ; and we cannot but congratulate him on the really scientific and able manner in which he accomplished the work. We ought also to congratulate the public at large on the removal of the bridge, because we are assured that it could not possibly have remained secure many months longer. The material and workmanship in the first instance were as good as could possibiv be obtained, but we understand that the testing weight of 300 tons was far too great, and the bridge was seriously injured by it before the traffic was commenced across it. We are now confidently assured that the present bridge will bear any amount of weight that could placed it, and are, therefore, gratified announce the fact.'

Note: 'Dines, Dixon and Dockery' presumably involved Robert Benson Dockray and Edward Dixon (1809-1877).

Bridges in Leamington Spa

The following notes refer to bridges on the and the Rugby & Leamington (LNWR) and the Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway (GWR) lines.

An old photograph here shows a 'View of the original Brunel designed bridge built in 1852 as seen from the Old Warwick Road end of the High Street. Careful observation shows the LNWR bridge in-situ on the far side. The GWR bridge consisted of wrought iron plate main girders with iron cross girders and barrow [Barlow] rail flooring, support being afforded to the superstructure by ten substantial cast iron columns rising from the footpath below.

This intriguing photograph from the early 1900s shows a box girder bridge on the left (LNWR), an arched truss girder in the centre, being installed by the GWR, and to the right of that a pair of arched-top plate girders, then a long plate girder, and outboard of this is an arched-top girder bridge.

A photograph here shows a truss girder bridge over Leamington High Street, constructed in 1907.

This photograph shows what appears to be a new (or repianted) truss girder, flanked on the right by an old truss girder and on the left by an old box girder bridge.

In the 1960s the overbridges at Lower Avenue, Bath Place, High Street, Court Street and Althorpe Street were all removed.

1968 photographs here and here of the Leamington High Street/Bath Street/Clemens Street junction bridge being removed. It was of the typical Fairbairn-type box girder construction.

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