NEWCASTLE ON TYNE HIGH LEVEL RR BRIDGE 1849 Robert Stephenson N54o 58’ 7.5” W1o 36’ 20.2” HEW22 NZ 252 437
This dramatic bridge carries the Newcastle and Darlington RR line over the River Tyne on its top deck and the vehicular roadway on the lower deck. This was the first time cast iron girders were used in a project this large. There are six spans of 125 feet each and the high masonry viaducts on either side are each 251 feet long. The height above the water is 120 feet.
The six cast iron arches support the railway deck at the crown of their arch with cast iron columns while wrought iron rods suspend the roadway lower deck at the level of the arch springing where the outward thrust of the arches is contained by wrought iron tension chains.
The drama of this bridge is heightened by its industrial setting and the bustling river traffic below. It dominates the scene although it is adjacent to two other dramatic bridges: The Tyne Bridge of 1930 and the 1876 Swing Bridge.
