Great Western Railway Usk bridge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Great Western Railway Usk bridge
First Great Western High Speed Train crossing the River Usk.
Carries	Railway
Crosses	River Usk
Locale	Newport
Owner	Network Rail
Maintained by	Network Rail

The Great Western Railway Usk bridge is a railway bridge in Newport, a city in Wales. It crosses the River Usk, running from east to west. This bridge carries the important Great Western Main Line, which is a major railway route.

The first bridge here was built for the South Wales Railway. It was designed by a very famous engineer named Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Brunel's bridge was mostly made of wood treated with creosote. Sadly, it caught fire just before it was finished, causing a big delay. The bridge had to be rebuilt.

The new design used much more wrought iron instead of wood. It also featured the first use of a "bow-string" shaped girder, which is common today. This first bridge opened in 1850.

In the late 1880s, a second bridge was built next to the first one. This new bridge had a simpler design. In the 1910s, the second bridge was made wider to hold four railway tracks. This allowed the first bridge to be taken out of service in 1925. In 2019, the tracks on the second bridge were electrified. This was part of a big upgrade to the Great Western Main Line.

History of the Usk Railway Bridge

Building the First Bridge

The story of the Great Western Railway Usk bridge starts with the early days of the Great Western Railway (GWR). Its chief engineer was the brilliant Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The GWR wanted to build a main railway line between London and Swansea. This line would pass through many cities.

In the 1840s, Brunel was in charge of planning the route. He came to Newport to figure out how the South Wales Railway would cross the River Usk. Brunel decided that a viaduct (a long bridge with many arches) was the best way to cross the river.

His design was 1,200 feet long and had eleven sections. It was mostly made of timber (wood). The wood was treated with creosote under pressure. This made it strong enough to handle the weather. Building started in 1846. The bridge cost over £20,000 to build. However, using so much wood led to a big problem.

The Fire and Redesign

On May 31, 1848, just as the last part of the bridge was being put in place, disaster struck. A hot bolt used to join a beam together set the treated wood on fire. In only six minutes, the fire spread across the entire bridge. This huge fire delayed the opening of the railway line by years.

Brunel quickly redesigned the bridge to prevent another fire. He knew that starting completely over would take too long. So, he decided to use the parts of the old bridge that were still standing. While some wood was still used, wrought iron plates and girders were added. The remaining wooden parts were treated differently, using a method called "chyanizing."

In his new design, Brunel created the "bow-string" shaped girder. This type of girder is now very common in bridge building. It replaced many of the original wooden sections.

By 1850, the Usk railway bridge was finished. The first trains crossed it that same year. It was used for 75 years. The bridge was taken out of service in 1925 and later taken apart. A newer bridge had been built next to it to take its place.

The Current Usk Bridge

In 1888, a second bridge was built next to the first one. This new bridge was mostly made of stone. Its metal deck used a lattice (criss-crossing) design. This design helped the supporting girders resist bending forces. It was considered a simpler design than Brunel's first bridge.

By 1911, the second bridge was made wider. It could now carry four railway lines. This was done because the first bridge was going to be retired. In 2019, the tracks on the second bridge were electrified. This was part of the big upgrade of the Great Western Main Line. Before this, the bridge had many repairs and improvements. All its outside parts were repainted during temporary closures.