Windsor Railway Bridge

Infobox_Bridge
bridge_name= Windsor Railway Bridge

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caption=The wrought iron railway bridge.
"(Picture shows downstream side, looking towards Windsor.)"
official_name=
carries=Slough to Windsor & Eton Line
crosses=River Thames
locale= Windsor
maint=
id=
design= Bow and string
designer =Brunel
material = Wrought Iron
spans = 1
pierswater =
mainspan=
length=
width= convert|202|ft|mIoE|40391 "(Accessed 2008-09-16)"]
height=convert|17|ft|9|in|m [River Thames Alliance. [http://www.visitthames.co.uk/text.asp?PageId=320 Bridge heights on the River Thames.] ]
clearance=
below=
traffic=
open= 1849
closed=
toll=
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Windsor Railway Bridge is a wrought iron 'bow and string' bridge in Windsor, Berkshire, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It carries the ex-GWR branch line from Slough to Windsor into Windsor and Eton Central station. It crosses the River Thames on the reach between Romney Lock and Boveney Lock.

The bridge is a single-span structure comprising three bowstring trusses which created two bays for the original two GWR tracks. The bridge is the World's oldest wrought iron bridge still in regular service, [ [http://www.mybrunel.co.uk/bridges/windsor.php Isambard Kingdom Brunel] ] , and is a forerunner of Brunel's final masterpiece, the Royal Albert Bridge, Saltash. The bridge was Grade II* listed in 1975.

The line opened in 1849. The construction of the line was delayed and could not be included in the original Parliamentary Act because of objections from the Provost of Eton College. The brick viaduct was constructed between 1861-65 to replace the original wooden trestle viaduct. The bridge contractor was Mr George Hannet.

Although the bridge was built to take two tracks, the track on the upstream side was removed when the line was rationalised in the 1960's. The trackbed on this side now carries a sewage or water main pipe.

See also

* Crossings of the River Thames
* Staines to Windsor & Eton Line

References

River item line|upstream=Queen Elizabeth Bridge (road)
downstream=Windsor Bridge