Levitation Magic
How do you raise a 200 tonne masonry arch bridge by 900 mm, so that you can fit overhead electrification and freight trains with large containers under the bridge?
You used to call in Paul Daniels, but now he’s gone you have to use other forms of magic!
If finesse doesn’t work, you resort to the brute force technique that IK Brunel used to launch the Great Eastern – hydraulic power.
This article on the Freyssinet web site, describes how the bridge was lifted.
For an encore, the engineers then lowered the bridge by 465 mm.
Why raise a bridge like this?
Surely, to use a simple method, like explosives or a large hydraulic breaker and rebuild is a lot easier.
The trouble is it isn’t as this method disturbs the working railway much less and is quicker.
Network Rail also have five hundred bridges like this that need to be raised.
It would certainly make an interesting live stream from the Internet. Perhaps, a fee could be charged to watch for a charity like Cancer Research UK.
Brunel, who played the showman at times, would have approved of that!
Smart Ticketing Delivery Board
This article on the Rail Technology web site has a section entitled Smart Ticketing Delivery Board.
This is the opening paragraph of the section.
Elsewhere in his speech Grayling announced his vision to introduce smart ticketing across Britain’s railway network, enabling passengers to use mobile phones, contactless cards or smart cards to buy their tickets along with more pay-as-you-go options.
I’m glad to see contactless cards mentioned, as in my view there is no other way to go.
Why shouldn’t one contactless credit or bank card get me all over the UK? Or Europe for that matter? But that’s being small. If I can use my Amex card in a restaurant, why can’t I use it on the train, bus or tram? Or even a plane!
The Anonymous Widower 