The Bann Bridge is a railway bridge in Coleraine, County Londonderry. It is the only railway bascule bridge in Northern Ireland. It is located downstream from the Coleraine Bridge.
Bann Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 55°08′21″N 6°40′19″W / 55.1391°N 6.672°W |
| Carries | Belfast to Derry Railway |
| Crosses | River Bann |
| Locale | Coleraine |
| Maintained by | Translink |
| Preceded by | Coleraine Bridge |
| Followed by | None |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Girder Lift Bridge |
| Total length | 787 feet (240 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1924 |
| Location | |
 | |
Design
editThe bridge is composed of Dorman Long steel girders on reinforced concrete piers, which themselves rest on precast concrete piles. There are 10 spans about 23m apart, 4 on the Derry side of the lifting span, the lifting span itself, and 5 on the Coleraine side. The lifting span is 25m long, single leaf, and weighs 250 tons, counterbalanced by an underhung concrete block. The bridge carries trains on a single track about 7m above the River Bann and is roughly 5m wide. In total it is 240m long.[1]
History
editThe current bridge replaced its predecessor, slightly further upstream, in 1924.[2] It carried the Northern Counties Committee line between Belfast and Derry and cost £100,000 (£5,718,383.23 in 2017[3]).
The bridge was closed in 2012 for refurbishment, which was carried out by F.P. McCann.[4]
The bridge is still in use today, carrying the NI Railways Belfast–Derry line. The lifting span is still operational and a special signalling system prevents trains from being in the section whilst the bridge is open.[5]
References
edit- ^ C., Cox, Ronald (1998). Ireland. Gould, M. H. (Michael H.). London: T. Telford Publications. ISBN 9780727726278. OCLC 39292951.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Geograph:: Bann railway bridge, Coleraine [13 photos] in C8433". www.geograph.ie. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- ^ "£100,000 in 1924 → 2017 | UK Inflation Calculator". www.in2013dollars.com. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- ^ "FP McCann Transportation | Bridges Bann Bridge". fpmccann.co.uk. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- ^ "Geograph:: Bann railway bridge, Coleraine [13 photos] in C8433". www.geograph.ie. Retrieved 18 February 2018.