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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2020 19:55:51 GMT
I've been fortunate enough to be boating along the Thames and today have done the bit between two of the incredible Brunel railway bridges. Gatehampton bridge at Goring gap and Moulsford bridge, which is at Moulsford. I usually find I have to do several passes at this type of bridge and do general boat games because the bridge itself is so incredibly beautiful. Such good problem solving. All humans ever do is problem solving but the thing about bridges seems quite a good way to display ingenuity. Moored just above Moulsford this evening. What a lovely bit of work that is. Crap photo but what a bridge !! I particularly like Gatehampton and Moulsford as they are skew bridges which seems so much more complex to sort out. Maidenhead is a nice one and very very impressive but these two are something else. Any other masterpieces about? There are loads of them on the waterways but I guess people just deal with it and don't get too excited about it all...
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Post by Mr Stabby on Aug 11, 2020 21:02:45 GMT
Brunel was a fantastic engineer. I've driven over the Tamar Bridge so many times, and nobody can do that without noticing the Royal Albert Bridge. I was born in 1959 and I've always considered it fascinating that trains had been running over this bridge for 100 years before I was even born.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2020 5:46:47 GMT
Its big and clever.
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Post by bodger on Aug 12, 2020 6:16:55 GMT
I was also gazing at the brickwork of those bridges. How on earth did a mason decide how he would lay out the skewed courses of brickwork that were laid on a huge timber form spanning the river?
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Post by peterboat on Aug 12, 2020 9:05:56 GMT
We have a lovely viaduct over the S&SY its a masterpiece in brick huge thing hundred plus feet high, its been on various tv programs and I think is part of the Pennine way walk
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2020 9:13:24 GMT
I was also gazing at the brickwork of those bridges. How on earth did a mason decide how he would lay out the skewed courses of brickwork that were laid on a huge timber form spanning the river? I expect he referred to the draftsman's illustration.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2020 11:29:46 GMT
There certainly are a few bricks there. This is Moulsford. It's actually two bridges at Moulsford. One has sandstone edges the other is just bricks.
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Post by bodger on Aug 12, 2020 12:16:03 GMT
I was also gazing at the brickwork of those bridges. How on earth did a mason decide how he would lay out the skewed courses of brickwork that were laid on a huge timber form spanning the river? I expect he referred to the draftsman's illustration. the point I was trying to make was that someone had to determine how to set out the brick courses - it would be fascinating to know what engineering design principles were applied. I have quite a lot of experience in civil engineering design, but I wouldn't know where to start. I'm guessing that traditional masons would have had a system based on generations of experience, like in olden days only skilled masons knew how cathedrals should be built. If there were detailed drawings showing the brick coursing then I am pretty sure that the knowledge would have come from masons, not civil engineers or draughtsmen.
if you've ever been underneath that bridge you will understand the complexity of what they have done.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2020 12:39:46 GMT
Well no, I haven't been near it, but there are some wonderful structures around Orpington using the same philosophy, and I have wondered the same thing. I do know that before the bricky gets started the chippy makes a mould (not the right term I'm sure) on which the bricks are laid.
The best ideas are the simplest. Perhaps its as straight-forward as pinging a chalk line, or similar.
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Post by bodger on Aug 12, 2020 18:04:08 GMT
Well no, I haven't been near it, but there are some wonderful structures around Orpington using the same philosophy, and I have wondered the same thing. I do know that before the bricky gets started the chippy makes a mould (not the right term I'm sure) on which the bricks are laid. The best ideas are the simplest. Perhaps its as straight-forward as pinging a chalk line, or similar. "formwork" ................ being scaffolding and decking used to support brick arches or enclosures used to contain concrete.
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Post by brummieboy on Aug 12, 2020 19:07:27 GMT
The original brickwork edging is, I understand, the Brunel Bridge. The other bridge is the later one, and Sandstone edging is presumably much cheaper and easier than the individual brick edging.
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Post by bodger on Aug 13, 2020 16:16:42 GMT
The original brickwork edging is, I understand, the Brunel Bridge. The other bridge is the later one, and Sandstone edging is presumably much cheaper and easier than the individual brick edging. as far as I could tell, the opposite is likely to be the case, because the bridge with the ornamental sandstone abutments also has the sandstone edging, and the other bridge is built right up tight to the ornamental abutments. It wouldn't make sense to build those fancy abutments if they will hardly be seen.
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Post by naughtyfox on Aug 13, 2020 17:16:52 GMT
We have a lovely viaduct over the S&SY its a masterpiece in brick huge thing hundred plus feet high, its been on various tv programs and I think is part of the Pennine way walk I think it isn't.
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Post by naughtyfox on Aug 13, 2020 17:22:24 GMT
I found the world's largest badger to be an amazing feat of engineering. "Birnamwood, Wisconsin, was home to the world's largest fiberglass badger."
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2020 17:22:49 GMT
Do you mean Trans Pennine Trail peterboat ? Rog
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