Re: "Whitton" type trestle near Old Junee

["Derick Wuen" <cullend@webone.com.au>]

Lambing Flat wrote in message <3AA233F9.C7B32344@cia.com.au>...
>Bruce Greening wrote:
>
>> Just a comment on the "Whitton" type bridges common in NSW.
>>
>> Ehile they look nice, they are a very diffucult structure to maintain,
and
>> they have very many components that make their maintenance cost so
>> expensive, that in general they are not maintained.
>
>Much as I like our steam era infrastructure, I agree with you completely
>regarding the difficulty in maintenance, and by inference, the
inappropriateness
>of steam age infrastructure to today's railways.


"Deane" trestles replaced "Whitton" trestles for new contruction soon after
Whitton's retirement. These have track laid on transoms, not in ballast, and
are as a result altogether of lighter construction for the same strength.
They are still steam-age, though.

The transom Deane trestles traded off weight and ease of bridge maintenance
with ease of track and alignment maintenance. Much easier to maintain level
and alignment of track in ballast.

An excuse for Whitton? The ballast-top trestles were not meant to be
maintained, but replaced with something more permanent such as brick, stone
or metal structures in order for the pioneer railway to become a "real"
railway?


>
>It has been my firm opinion for many years that the best way to "preserve"
steam
>age infrastructure is to build models of it!
>
>> I also canot understand why 'squared' timber is used. By removing so much
of
>> the log a great deal of good timber is thrown away. In Qld the use of a
much
>> simpler (Yhough not ballast deck) timber structure, using round logs has
>> resulted in the bridges being maintained to a much higher astndard than
in
>> NSW.
>
>Tradition would, I think, be a major factor in this.  I have learnt not to
>underestimate the strength of "tradition" in all facets of our lives, let
alone
>railways, afterall, 1 to 15 platforms at Sydney Terminal are still known as
the
>"Steam platforms"  ;-)

"Deane" trestles use round timbers in vertical components of trestles.

>
>
>DPC James McInerney
>
>STOP!  In The Name Of The Lore!
>
>At http://www.cia.com.au/bullack/ , "Lambing Flat's" mainpage for the HO
model
>and NSWGR information.
>Or http://www.cia.com.au/bullack/rvrtitle.html  for the "Rurr Valley
Railway",
>my G gauge garden line
>
>