Rockcutting Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 28dayslater is an urban exploration site. In this post there is a ref, to Warrington-Worldwide.co.uk. http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/other-sites/69420-latchford-railway-viaduct-warrington-march-2012-a.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted January 11, 2014 Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 Looks in pretty good nick structurally - and it will still be getting inspected regularly. I've always said it could be brought back into use as an extra high level road crossing over the ship canal for when the water traffic increases and the swing bridges are opened more frequently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted January 11, 2014 Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 Not sure I'd want to ever drive over it Inky as it looked like it was rotting away to me...... but then I know nothing about structural stuff, I just saw the big hole in the floor and all the rust colour everywhere. Like you say though what a pitty it has never been brought back into use as it seems a terrible waste. PS has Rod King been up there spreading his word. Picture 2 where the lad is standing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted January 11, 2014 Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 Here's some picture of it being constructed and once in place with the MSC and locks being built below. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Not sure I'd want to ever drive over it Inky as it looked like it was rotting away to me...... but then I know nothing about structural stuff, I just saw the big hole in the floor and all the rust colour everywhere. Like you say though what a pitty it has never been brought back into use as it seems a terrible waste. That's just a hole in the deck plates Diz. Those thin metal plates aren't designed to support any load, the weight of the tracks (and the trains) was supported directly on the great big steel girders you can see from the underside of the bridge. Those girders and the brick piers will be getting regularly inspected to ensure that the bridge is in no danger of falling down under its own huge weight. If the railway tracks and the deck plates were taken off then a new deck could be laid onto the girders and a raod surface put on top of that. Voila! New high level crossing at probably less than 5% of the cost of building one from scratch. The most efficient way to use it would then be to make it so that it's normally one way and make the cantelever one way in the other direction - or even make it so that it's one way into town in the mornings and one way out of town in the afternoons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockcutting Posted January 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 Are all of the photos Dizzy has posted from Warrington Museums archive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 Strange way to ask RC.... I am still one here you know and I haven't been banned or owt so....... am I allowed to anwser the question myself or would you like someone else to try and answer for me ? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 Well seeing as though nobody has answered for me guess I'm allowed to do it myself now .............. Rockcutting.... I don't know if Warrington Museum Archive have any of the photo's I've posted. They might have but I've never been in and asked if they allow member of the general public to sit looking through all their many thousands of stored away photo's. Would love the chance to see them all though if it is possible but I'm sure it would take many many hours, days or even weeks to look through their vast collection. They do have an online digital archive but they certainly aren't on that. You can see their online digital archive collection here http://www.warringtonmuseum.co.uk/local-history/wdia/ Any particular reason for you asking by the way ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 I can specifically say that the photos that Dizzy has posted are NOT from the Warrington Museum archives and are available on the internet for all to see, it is a matter of searching the net to locate them!!!! Here is another! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy51 Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 1893 Algy. I bet it was never expected to carry the amount of traffic that it does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 1893 Algy. I bet it was never expected to carry the amount of traffic that it does. Davy, it had roughly 70 years of successful use but the introduction of containerisation was it's downfall, unfortunately it can never be filled in as it is a major drainage channel for surface water as most of the natural water channels that drained into the Mersey are chanelled into it with the exception of some such as Morris brook at Thelwall and the river Gowy at Mickle Trafford which have syphons running under the canal, there are many others also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy51 Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 Sorry Algy ,i actually meant the bridge ,but you are right about the canal too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 I'm confused now Algy as I was under the impression that the Cantilever bridge was made of steel not Iron as it says on your photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 I'm confused now Algy as I was under the impression that the Cantilever bridge was made of steel not Iron as it says on your photo. No iron was the material used in those days as steel was not made in large quantity until later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 There did I get this from which I posted on here in 2008 then ? bit of useless info about the bridge... The steelwork used weighs 783 tons and the 206 foot span carries the roadway 75 feet above the water level..... but don't worry too much about the the sign says 'weak bridge' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 From the same place the Warrington Guardian did by the look of it! http://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/lifestyle/iconic/2181243.Cantilever_Bridge/ More exact match to the wording here:- http://users.breathe.com/g8hxe/latchford_high_level_bridge.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 Maybe the WG got it off here. The reference to the '793 tons of STEEL, 206 span and 75 foot above water level' is also detailed in a copy of a book I have about the canal which was written in 1907. Infact I just had a quick look and most of the bridges mentioned in there are said to be steel too.Wonder if they all lied and said it was steel but made them of iron instead to save money hoping no-one would notice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted January 18, 2014 Report Share Posted January 18, 2014 Dizz, they were steel bridges, my assumption that they were iron was incorrect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted January 18, 2014 Report Share Posted January 18, 2014 Confusion over and thanks Algy PS no need to blush Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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