part 4: bridges - zelmeroz.com · part 4: bridges of the many styles ... riveted steel beams, box...

© Carl Millington Modern Cane Railways of Queensland - Bridges: 1 2004 & 2007

Part 4: BridgesOf the many styles and types of bridges to be foundthroughout Queensland's sugar tramways the mostcommon is the wooden trestle. As technologychanged and new materials such as steel andconcrete for high stress areas became available,bridge designs changed. Riveted steel beams, boxsections, lattice, welded steel beams and pre-stressed concrete were used to make bridge spansand supports.There are many examples where all types of bridgeconstruction have been used on the one bridge. Agood example of this is Bingera Mill's bridge overCurrajong Creek at Wallaville (below).Another type of bridge is the lift span, where acentral span is raised by a pulley system to allowwatercraft to pass underneath. Only two examplesexist of this type, both on Moreton Mill's tramway.To save money several mills bought old steel bridgespans from the Government railways and used toreplace old wooden trestles. Bingera and Fairymead

Mills in the Bundaberg area have several bridgespans made from old QR turntables.Not all tramway bridges carry just tramway traffic.Some bridges are dual purpose with combinedroad/rail, where the tracks are laid in the center or toone side of the bridge.Where sugar mills took over former Queensland Railformations the existing bridges were simply re-gauged.The design of a bridge may come down to the forcesthat are applied to it, for example floodwaters anddebris cover several tramway bridges in the wetseason. An example of this is the bridge over theBarron River on the Mulgrave Mill system. InvictaMill at Giru removes the spans from their bridge overthe Haughton River each slack so they don't getdamaged.The longest bridge to be found is Macknade mill's294 metre steel and concrete constructed bridgeover the Herbert River.

© Carl Millington Modern Cane Railways of Queensland - Bridges: 2 2004 & 2007

Photo previous page: Currajong Creek bridge, Wallaville, Bingera Mill system.

Lift bridge, Maroochy River, Moreton Mill system

Turntable span bridge, Avondale, Fairymead Mill system

© Carl Millington Modern Cane Railways of Queensland - Bridges: 3 2004 & 2007

Dual use road/rail bridge, Moreton Mill system

Galletti's bridge, Liverpool Creek, Silkwood, Sth Johnstone Mill system

© Carl Millington Modern Cane Railways of Queensland - Bridges: 4 2004 & 2007

Timber trestle, Messmate range, Marian Mill system

Herbert River bridge, Victoria Mill system

© Carl Millington Modern Cane Railways of Queensland - Bridges: 5 2004 & 2007

Miskin Creek bridge, South Johnstone Mill system

Russell River bridge, Babinda Mill system