A nineteenth century ‘heritage’ rail bridge has been given a new lease of life thanks to a fund-raising initiative and a dose of hi-tech engineering from HBPW!
The East Midlands Railway Trust is the official supporting charity that keeps its watchful eye on the Great Central Railway, specifically a stretch of track running north from Loughborough towards the village of Ruddington in Nottinghamshire.
Its Forward Fund, set up to raise essential cash for wider repair and structural works, now has a five figure bank account, paving the way for the reconnection of two halves of the line which were separated following closure years ago.
However, before this can happen, one of the key infrastructure issues is the complete replacement of a rail underbridge spanning the A60 Nottingham Road, just outside Loughborough.
Partner, Jon Livesey, takes up the story: “This underbridge is in continual use by both heritage enthusiasts – the East Midlands Railway Trust owns Nottingham’s Transport Heritage Centre – and the private sector.
“This section provides access for freight traffic to connect to the main line. It’s also hoped that in the future the line will be reconnected directly with Loughborough Central Station.”
Contractors, VolkerLaser asked HBPW to produce a design for the new bridge and, using 3d modelling software, Senior Engineering Technician, Tom Shiels was able to produce drawings and visuals of what the new bridge would look like.
“We decided on a standard twin U-deck replacement bridge, enabling us to improve the clearance beneath the bridge by an additional 100mm+, which is always helpful.
“This has been one of our more unusual assignments but it is great to know that we have not only played a small part in maintaining an important heritage bridge, but also ensured the future of a stretch of ‘training’ line which is vitally important to a range of public and private organisations.”
Client: East Midlands Railway Trust / Great Central Railway
Contractor: VolkerLaser