Britannia Bridge

Britannia Bridge

      railroad bridge in northern Wales spanning Menai Strait, between Bangor and the Isle of Anglesey. It was designed and built by Robert Stephenson (Stephenson, Robert), who, with his father, George Stephenson, built the first successful locomotive. Unable to use an arch design because the Admiralty would not allow the strait to be closed to the passage of sailing ships, Stephenson conceived the idea of using a pair of completely enclosed iron tubes, rectangular in section, supported in the centre by a pier built on Britannia Rock. William Fairbairn carried out a series of metallurgical tests, and from 1846 to 1849 the work was executed, the iron tubes being floated into position and lifted by capstan and hydraulic power. The bridge, which carried the London–Holyhead railway across the strait, was severely damaged by fire in 1970. During the repairs, the tubes were replaced by concrete decks—one for the railway, a second for motor traffic—supported by steel arches.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Britannia Bridge — Infobox Bridge bridge name = Brittania Bridge caption = The post 1970 Britannia Bridge from the east along the Menai Strait, retains Stephenson s original piers official name = carries = Automobiles crosses = Menai Strait locale = flag|Wales, UK… …   Wikipedia

  • Britannia (disambiguation) — Britannia is the original Latin name the Roman Empire gave to the island of Great Britain.Britannia may also refer to:* Britannia Building Society, a British mutual institution * Britannia coin, a British bullion coin issued since 1987 *… …   Wikipedia

  • Britannia (Navire) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Britannia. Le Britannia est le dernier yacht royal britannique, en service de 1953 à 1997. Dernier d une longue lignée de yachts royaux, il fut construit par les chantiers John Brown and Co à Clydeland en Écosse …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bridge — (br[i^]j), n. [OE. brig, brigge, brug, brugge, AS. brycg, bricg; akin to Fries. bregge, D. brug, OHG. brucca, G. br[ u]cke, Icel. bryggja pier, bridge, Sw. brygga, Dan. brygge, and prob. Icel. br[=u] bridge, Sw. & Dan. bro bridge, pavement, and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bridge of a steamer — Bridge Bridge (br[i^]j), n. [OE. brig, brigge, brug, brugge, AS. brycg, bricg; akin to Fries. bregge, D. brug, OHG. brucca, G. br[ u]cke, Icel. bryggja pier, bridge, Sw. brygga, Dan. brygge, and prob. Icel. br[=u] bridge, Sw. & Dan. bro bridge,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bridge of the nose — Bridge Bridge (br[i^]j), n. [OE. brig, brigge, brug, brugge, AS. brycg, bricg; akin to Fries. bregge, D. brug, OHG. brucca, G. br[ u]cke, Icel. bryggja pier, bridge, Sw. brygga, Dan. brygge, and prob. Icel. br[=u] bridge, Sw. & Dan. bro bridge,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bridge wall — Bridge Bridge (br[i^]j), n. [OE. brig, brigge, brug, brugge, AS. brycg, bricg; akin to Fries. bregge, D. brug, OHG. brucca, G. br[ u]cke, Icel. bryggja pier, bridge, Sw. brygga, Dan. brygge, and prob. Icel. br[=u] bridge, Sw. & Dan. bro bridge,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bridge — bridge1 bridgeable, adj. bridgeless, adj. bridgelike, adj. /brij/, n., v., bridged, bridging, adj. n. 1. a structure spanning and providing passage over a river, chasm, road, or the like. 2. a connecting, transitional, or intermediate route or… …   Universalium

  • Britannia (navire) — 55°58′56″N 3°10′35.5″O / 55.98222, 3.176528 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bridge — This article is about the structure. For other uses, see Bridge (disambiguation). The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge in Japan, the world s longest suspension span …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”