Stanwell Creek railway viaduct facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stanwell Creek railway viaduct |
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Stanwell Creek railway viaduct, in 2006
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| Coordinates | 34°13′49″S 150°58′26″E / 34.2303°S 150.9738°E |
| Carries | Illawarra line |
| Crosses | Stanwell Creek |
| Locale | Stanwell Park, City of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia |
| Owner | RailCorp |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Arch viaduct |
| Material | Brick |
| Longest span | 13.1 metres (43 ft) |
| Number of spans | 8 |
| Clearance below | 110 feet (34 m) |
| History | |
| Engineering design by | NSW Government Railways |
| Construction begin | 1918 |
| Construction end | 1920 |
| Official name: Stanwell Park Rail Viaduct over Stanwell Creek; Stanwell Creek Viaduct | |
| Type: | State heritage (built) |
| Designated: | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference #: | 1054 |
| Type: | Railway Bridge/ Viaduct |
| Category: | Transport - Rail |
| Builders: | Day labour |
The Stanwell Creek railway viaduct is a special bridge in New South Wales, Australia. It's a very old and important part of the Illawarra railway line, which carries trains. This amazing bridge was built a long time ago, in 1920, and is made of strong bricks. It crosses high above Stanwell Creek in a beautiful area called Stanwell Park. The bridge was designed by the New South Wales Government Railways and is now owned by RailCorp. It's so important that it was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register in 1999.
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Building the Stanwell Creek Viaduct
The original Illawarra Railway line, built in the 1880s, had a tough journey. It had to go from the high Illawarra escarpment down to the flat coastal land. This meant the trains had to climb very steep hills and go through eight tunnels. One of the hardest parts was the Otford railway tunnel, which was very long and steep.
Why a New Bridge Was Needed
Around 1910, people started planning to add a second railway track. They also wanted to make the train journey easier. This meant changing parts of the old line to avoid steep hills and bypass the narrow, single-track tunnels. The new sections of the line were built step-by-step. The part from Waterfall to Helensburgh was finished in 1914. Then it reached Otford in 1915, and finally Coalcliff in 1920.
The last part of the new line stayed high up in the Stanwell Park area. This is why it needed a very tall bridge to cross Stanwell Creek.
Construction of the Brick Bridge
Plans for this tall, double-track brick bridge were ready in 1917. Building work started the next year. It was an amazing achievement to finish such a big structure in just over two years.
Brick arches were chosen because steel was hard to get during World War I. Also, the State Brickworks at Homebush was making lots of bricks. This bridge was built during a time when many brick arch bridges were being constructed, from 1910 to 1924.
It's thought that about three million bricks were used to build the huge, tall supports (called piers) and the eight arches. The tallest piers reached about 110 feet (34 m) high! That's enough bricks to build around 150 houses.
What the Viaduct Looks Like
The Stanwell Creek viaduct is located about 56.727 kilometres (35.249 mi) from Central station in Sydney. It's a curved bridge made of brick arches. It has eight clear spans, each about 13.1 metres (43 ft) long. These arches rest on very tall brick piers.
How the Bridge Was Repaired
By 1985, some of the brick arches were almost collapsing. This was due to ground movements from the Escarpment and coal mining. Workers managed to stop the problem. However, one of the arches, called span 6, had to be taken down. It was replaced with a "floating" steel beam. This allowed engineers to watch the rest of the brick bridge and plan for repairs.
In 1992, major repairs began. One of the railway tracks was removed. All the material on top of the arches was taken off. Then, concrete with strong reinforcing mesh was put in its place. This made the arches much stronger. After that, the track was put back on a waterproof base. The same process was then done for the other track. The work was finished in October 1993. The steel beam in span 6 is still there while the bridge continues to be monitored.
Why the Viaduct is Important
This viaduct is one of the most impressive bridges in Australia. It's very important to New South Wales for many reasons:
- It was a major part of adding a second track to the Illawarra Railway, which was a big historical project.
- It looks very grand, standing high above the creek.
- It helped bring huge social and business benefits to the Wollongong and Illawarra Regions by making train travel better.
- Building it so high up and on a sharp curve showed amazing technical skill.
It was the greatest achievement of the "brick arch era" of railway building in New South Wales. It's the only bridge of its kind and size in Australia. Even though some emergency work changed parts of it, it's still very significant.
Heritage Listing Reasons
The Stanwell Park Rail Viaduct was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register in 1999 because it met several important criteria:
- It shows how history unfolded in New South Wales. The viaduct was the main bridge built during the railway duplication work between Waterfall and Scarborough from 1910-1920. It allowed the new double track to stay high up in the Stanwell Park area.
- It shows great creative or technical skill. This bridge is one of Australia's most impressive structures. It has eight brick arches curving around a sharp railway bend, on top of piers that are 110 feet (34 m) high.
- It has a strong connection with the community. The new railway line brought huge social and business benefits to the Illawarra Region. This was possible because of big engineering projects like the Stanwell Creek Viaduct and the new tunnels.
- It can teach us about history. Building this high viaduct involved two important technical challenges: building it 110 feet (34 m) above the creek and laying bricks for the arches on a sharp curve.
- It is rare or uncommon. This is the only brick arch viaduct of its type and size in Australia.
- It shows key features of its type. The viaduct is an excellent example of brick arch construction, especially with the added difficulties of its height and curve.
