Wooden Truss Bridge

Above; No1 bridge is the oldest structure on the railway, it has survived 3 railways & is still very sound. It is made from treated pine with steel truss rods it has seen 15 years outside & is well over due for a coat of paint. The guide rails are laid straight on the sleepers with self tappers screw into them up from the bottom through the sleepers, this was done in place but the other 2 bridges the guide rails were drilled & tapped with machine screws all done on a work bench, Much, Much easier!!

Restoration/Rebuild

After 25 years sevice the ole No 1 Bridge finally was due for some attention as can be seen.

 Above Left; Ja1268 was the last loco to pass over No Bridge before work began, as you can see the truss work was able to be saved. Under the back set of wheels of the Ja you can see the bridge pier parted company with the beam, not to mention the packers under the sleepers to keep the track level. Above Right; Bridge removed & being worked on.

Above; All finished with its new coat of paint, I reused the original trusses which saved alot of time but this time added the side braces to make it a bit more NZRish....

Below; After pouring a concrete bass I put the refurbished bridge in place then added the new piers & packed until level. Once that was done I mixed up a mortar mix & plastered around the pier bases to hold it all in place. The piers had to be completely rebuilt as they had started to rot out due to being covered with soil for all those years. This time I have just put an edging up and covered it with shingle for better drainage, you never know I might get 30 years this time! 

Below; Here's the finished result after the restoration, hopefully it will last another 25 years.....