Penarth Dock, South Wales - 150 years - the heritage and legacy  
Penarth Dock, South Wales - the heritage & legacy . . .

Volume Nine - Pre-Victorian to the present day - even more aspects - The Railway Infrastructure of Penarth Dock and Ely Tidal Harbour   . . .

The original railway bridge over the River Ely.

The permanent railway bridge over the River Ely. On the Penarth side of the original bridge a temporary timber viaduct 1,089 feet in length was built to connect the Llandough sidings. This construction presumably predated the opening of the Penarth Dock in May 1865 as it was utilised for the transportation of Radyr stone and most other construction items for the dock and associated infrastructure. An earthen embankment replaced this viaduct which was completed during 1871. The original timber bridge remained in use until a new bridge was constructed parallel to the original bridge which opened in September 1871. [008] The original of this photograph is held within the National Museum of Wales collections. [629] [Museum Reference : 70.102I/25] [20180207]

1872 - 'In the Penarth, Dock, coal shipping has been interfered with, on account of the washing away of the foundation of some of the woodwork of the railway bridge across the Ely river. No engine could venture upon it for some days. A great deal of energy has been displayed in repairing the damages, and work is again actively resumed. Shipments of coal have increased.' - Engineering [627] [499] 2nd February 1872.

 
The 'new' River Ely bridge with stone butresses is seen during construction with the original timber bridge to the rear.

The 'new' River Ely bow-string bridge, with stone buttresses, is seen during construction with the original timber bridge to the rear. A TVR engine brings materials and work temporally stops as the photographer captures the scene for posterity. The photographer is not known but it seems to have all the hallmarks of Mr. Collings and Company. A deviation of the railway to meet the Llandough sidings and main line to Penarth Dock some 28 chains long was also constructed and it was in operation by June 1883. [008] The original of this photograph is held within the National Museum of Wales collections. [629] [Museum Reference : 70.102I/24] [20180207]

The contractor for the bow-string bridge was Edward Finch and Co., Limited, of Chepstow according to an obituary published within 'The Engineer' [015] during October 1916 for Mr. James Rowe whom was the managing director of the company. [20200426]

 

2001 - A photographic view from the Grangemoor Park dating from July 2001 taken by Dr. Mary Gillham M.B.E. to illustrate the diversity of our local wildlife but in the process recording our industrial and maritime heritage. The railway between Cardiff, Penarth and Barry is carried across the River Ely on the c.1883 bridge. A tribute indeed that much of our modern railway infrastructure is due to those Victorian designers, engineers and the skilled, and less skilled, men who built it. Sorry to be sexist, but I don't believe there were too many of the fairer sex working as bridge-builders in the 1880's. Please correct me if I am proven sexist in this respect!!

Another of the photographs from the archive of the amazing late Dr. Mary Gillham M.B.E. [048] [634] [635] [20180217] Many thanks to Alan Reeve at the South East Wales Biodiversity Records Centre (SEWBReC) - www.sewbrec.org.uk - for permission to use this image on the Penarth Dock website.

 

1885 - Ely Bridge - Taff Vale Railway - 'This bridge, Plates CCLVIII. and CCLIX. (see below), the Penarth branch of the Taff Vale Railway across the Ely, a tidal river at this part. It supersedes a wooden viaduct which had been erected some twenty-five years previous, but only carried two lines of railway, the new bridge carrying three. As this bridge was erected on the eastern side of the old viaduct and a siding laid down to convey the material and plant to the work, all interference or delay to the traffic over the old viaduct was avoided ; the road also was improved, from a curve of twenty five chains radius to straight with a curve of thirty chains radius at either end.

Much difficulty was experienced in getting out the foundations owing to the tidal water, which rose on an ordinary spring tide some twenty-five feet. Coffer-dams could not be raised that height on account of interfering with the water-way. To remedy this, coffer-dams were built to a height of eight feet above the mud line, and as the tide receded they were pumped out by pulsometers, which were found to be well adapted for that class of work, the foundations being cleared of water in about three-quarters of an hour. The excavations for the abutments were sunk through the clay for a depth of thirty feet, at which point gravel was found, which from it looseness the excavations had to be continued down another five feet, at which depth the gravel was found to be of sufficient hardness for the foundations. Concrete was then laid for a depth of twenty-four feet for the abutments and five feet for the piers.

The masonry consisted of Pennant stone and Aberthaw lime mortar. As the work proceeded stout hoop-iron cut into lengths was placed in layers five feet apart throughout the whole work until the high water-line was reached. The girder beds, string courses, and cap stones were of Radyr stone, a red conglomerate of great durability found in the neighbourhood. The flooring consisted of pitch pine timber six inches thick, laid longitudinally on the cross girders, the distance between the centres of the latter being four feet ; the timber was thoroughly tarred before being placed in position. The outside girders weighed thirteen tons each and the inside ones fifteen-and-a-half tons each. The cross girders were laid on the bottom flanges of the outside girders, and as the inside girders were kept down so as not to increase the six-feet distance between the roads, stools were placed under the cross girders to maintain the correct level. All the ironwork was planed and drilled, and covered with three coats of red oxide paint.

The ballast used on the bridge was limestone metalling broken small, which was laid to a depth of nine inches. The total weight of ironwork used in the construction of the bridge was 232 tons. The cost of the bridge was £ 20,600. The bridge was designed and the work carried out by Mr. H. O. Fisher, the Company's engineer. The contractor for the masonry was Mr. J. E. Billups, of Cardiff, and the ironwork was supplied and erected by Messrs. Handysides, of Derby.' - The Railway Engineer v.6 [1045] [499] March 1885.

1885 - Ely Bridge - Taff Vale Railway.
 
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