Description and History of Site:-

The Goole Railway Swing Bridge, opened in 1869, carries the Doncaster–Hull line over the River Ouse. Designed by T. E. Harrison, with fixed spans by Butler and Pitts and the swing span by W. C. Armstrong & Co., it was once the world’s second-largest railway swing bridge and remains a leading example in Britain.

The bridge spans 831 ft (253 m) with six sets of wrought iron girders on deep cast-iron piers. It has five fixed spans of 116 ft each and a central swing span 251 ft long, 16 ft deep, and weighing 650 tons. The swing mechanism runs on 36 rollers in a 30 ft race, supported by seven cylinders, leaving two 100 ft channels for ships. Originally powered by hydraulic motors, it could open fully in just one minute.

Further Reading and References:-

Bardey M F, Civil Engineering Heritage Northern England, Thomas Telford, 1981 page 98, ICE HEW231

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Key Words :- railway swing bridge wrought iron plate girder

Viewing the Site :- Can be viewed from the river bank

Address :- Sandhall Road, Kilpin, Goole, East Yorkshire, DN14 7RP
Grid Ref :- SE7649924707
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.713185 , Long -0.842400
Local Authority :- East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Listed - Grade II*
Historic England List No - 1346710,
Site Condition :- Operational site, in use for original purpose
Site Dates :- 1869 - current
Contributor :- John Suter - 15 May 2015

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © John Suter