Macleay River railway bridge, Kempsey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Macleay River Railway Bridge | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Heritage boundaries | |
| Coordinates | 31°05′12″S 152°49′53″E / 31.0867°S 152.8314°E |
| Carries | North Coast railway line |
| Crosses | Macleay River |
| Locale | Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia |
| Begins | Kempsey |
| Ends | South Kempsey |
| Owner | Transport Asset Holding Entity |
| Maintained by | Australian Rail Track Corporation |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Truss bridge |
| Material | Steel |
| Pier construction | Steel & concrete |
| No. of spans | 3 |
| Rail characteristics | |
| No. of tracks | 1 |
| History | |
| Fabrication by | Walsh Island Dockyard & Engineering Works |
| Opened | 3 December 1917 |
| Official name | Kempsey rail bridge over Macleay River |
| Type | State heritage (built) |
| Designated | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 1041 |
| Type | Railway Bridge/Viaduct |
| Category | Transport – Rail |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Macleay River Railway Bridge | |
The Macleay River Railway Bridge is a heritage-listed railway bridge that carries the North Coast railway line across the Macleay River from Kempsey to South Kempsey in New South Wales, Australia.
The Macleay River Railway Bridge opened on 3 December 1917 with the extension of the North Coast railway line from Wauchope to Kempsey. The steelwork was made at the Walsh Island Dockyard & Engineering Works, Newcastle and transported to Kempsey by sea.[1]
The bridge was damaged in floods in 1949 and 1950. It was repaired with the timber trestles replaced by 1880s vintage wrought iron Warren trusses formerly used on the Main Western railway line between Parramatta and Penrith.[2] It was proposed to replace the entire bridge, but this proposal had been abandoned by 1953.[3][4]
In 1966 the bridge spans were raised by one metre (three feet) due to the 1950s floods, with new pre-cast concrete approaches constructed.[5]
