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28-526: The Cathedral Bridge was the second railway bridge to be built over the river Rhine, after the significantly shorter Waldshut–Koblenz Rhine Bridge with spans of up to 52 metres (171 ft), which was opened just a few months prior on 18 August 1859. The Prussian authorities pressed for a bridge due to increasing road traffic between Cologne and the eastern river bank . Before the Cathedral Bridge, passengers and goods had to be transported across

56-528: A tubular bridge , the longest spans of the Britannia Bridge measured 140 metres (460 ft), with a width of 16 metres (52 ft). The wrought iron latticework of the Cathedral Bridge was designed by hydraulic engineer Hermann Lohse and formed an intricate network of diagonal lattices both on the inside and outside of the bridge. The bridge's gates, erected out of gray Udelfanger sandstone and holding heavy iron doors to close either side of

84-422: A 10.5-metre-long (34 ft) wooden launching nose, propelled over a runway. The launching of the superstructure was carried out using human-powered transport mechanisms. 47°36′33.5″N 8°14′2.6″E  /  47.609306°N 8.234056°E  / 47.609306; 8.234056 Swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge ) is a movable bridge that can be rotated horizontally around

112-609: A central span of 54.90 metres (180.1 ft). This is followed on the Swiss bank by a brick viaduct with six semi-circular arches, having an inside diameter of 7.5 metres (25 ft). The greatly varying spans of the main bridge result from the nature of the currents in the Rhine. On the German side, after the line runs on an embankment for some 50 metres (160 ft), it crosses over the E54 on

140-403: A modern concrete arch bridge. The superstructure of the lattice truss bridge is made of wrought iron and is box shaped in cross-section. At has a continuous beam along its length. It has two vertical close-knit, grid-like lattice truss with a height of 5.13 metres (16.8 ft) and a track base of 4.95 metres (16.2 ft). The diagonal struts are formed from flat steel and riveted together at

168-407: A vertical axis. It has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right. In its closed position, a swing bridge carrying a road or railway over a river or canal , for example, allows traffic to cross. When

196-417: A water vessel needs to pass the bridge, road traffic is stopped (usually by traffic signals and barriers), and then motors rotate the bridge horizontally about its pivot point. The typical swing bridge will rotate approximately 90 degrees, or one-quarter turn; however, a bridge which intersects the navigation channel at an oblique angle may be built to rotate only 45 degrees, or one-eighth turn, in order to clear

224-577: A width of 9 metres (30 ft) at the top. Conversely, the Cathedral Bridge was a lattice truss bridge with spans up to 103.2 metres (339 ft) and a collective width of 16.73 metres (54.9 ft). It might, however, be mentioned that the Britannia Bridge successfully took increasingly heavy railway trains across the Menai Strait from its opening in 1850 until it was seriously damaged by fire in 1970. Designed by Robert Stephenson as

252-534: Is a single-track railway bridge on the Turgi–Koblenz–Waldshut railway , between Waldshut and Koblenz AG , crossing the Rhine and the border between Germany and Switzerland. It was the first railway bridge built over the Rhine below Lake Constance . It is the only major railway bridge over the Rhine, which is completely preserved in its original condition and is one of Europe's few lattice truss bridges . It

280-576: Is also one of the oldest railway bridges in the world. The bridge carries passenger services of line S27 of Aargau S-Bahn , operating between Baden and Waldshut, and line S36 of Zurich S-Bahn , operating between Bülach and Waldshut. On 26 August 1857 the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways signed an agreement with the Swiss Northeastern Railway to construct the cross-border Turgi–Koblenz–Waldshut railway, including

308-554: The Roman bridge , built near Cologne in the 4th century. Since the Middle Ages , reaction ferries formed flying bridges and since Prussian times, ship's bridges , a form of pontoon bridges, were also used. The earthworks started on 6 June 1855; the foundation stone was laid by Frederick William IV four months later, on 3 October. Only after construction work had begun were the designs altered to include dual railway tracks on

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336-415: The Cathedral Bridge. The Cathedral Bridge was inaugurated on 3 October 1859, exactly four years after construction work had officially begun. Forty years after the construction, it was estimated the bridge had cost nearly 4 million (Prussian) thalers . The bridge was unable to meet the increased demands imposed on it by the new Cologne Central Station (1894). After construction work had already started for

364-478: The Gebrüder Benckiser company of Pforzheim . The bridge was designed for two tracks, but only one track was installed. Due to increasing traffic loads, the bridge was strengthened in 1912 and 1913, being reinforced to carry 18 tonnes (20 tons) axle loads and then the track was moved from the eastern side of the bridge to the middle. The demolition of the bridge planned by the German army on 24 April 1945

392-621: The Hohenzollern Bridge in 1907, the Cathedral Bridge was deconstructed in stages between 1908 and 1910. The Hohenzollern Bridge was completed 1911, destroyed in 1945 during World War II and subsequently rebuilt. The current Hohenzollern Bridge's southern foundation is placed at almost exactly the same location as the Cathedral Bridge's foundation, and is the most heavily-used railway bridge in Germany. Waldshut%E2%80%93Koblenz Rhine Bridge The Waldshut–Koblenz Rhine Bridge

420-537: The Rhine bridge. Thus on 18 August 1859, the line was commissioned as the first connection between the Baden Mainline and the Swiss railway network. The current main rail connection between Germany and Switzerland, the Basel Link Line , was opened 14 years later. The Baden architect Robert Gerwig designed the bridge and managed its construction. The steel superstructure was supplied and installed by

448-566: The S41 was shortened, now serving only the route between Winterthur and Bülach ; the service from Bülach to Waldshut was designated S36 . In late 2011, the SBB introduced refurbished Class 560 electric multiple units to the S27 line. Unfortunately the refurbishment, which included the introduction of air conditioning , took the axle loading of a fully loaded power car over the maximum 18 tonnes (20 tons) for

476-457: The Waldshut bank in a temporary work hall. After completion of the first segment, it was rolled out of the hall. Then the second segment was built, and on its completion was connected with the first. Finally, the third segment was built and the entire length of 131 metres (430 ft) was assembled. The actual installation of the bridge was carried with the support of piles in the Rhine, using of

504-481: The bridge, were designed by Heinrich Strack and added after the bridge had been completed. The combination of a cage -like structure that could be closed on either side inspired the local nickname " mouse trap " ( Kölsch : Muusfall , pronounced [ˈmus²fal] ). The bridge was also referred to as solid bridge , because it was the first immovable bridge in between Basel and the Netherlands since

532-456: The bridge. As a temporary solution, the power cars were locked out of use whilst passing over the bridge, and the trains limited to 10 kilometres per hour (6.2 mph). Following work on the bridge, these restrictions were lifted in early 2014. The c. 190-metre-long (620 ft) bridge section has a track on the upper level of the truss bridge and its spans over the Rhine consist of two outer spans that are 37.24 metres (122.2 ft) long and

560-544: The bridge’s useful remaining life to 40 years. Until the electrification of the Waldshut–Koblenz gap in 1999, passenger services on the bridge were carried out by diesel multiple units of Deutsche Bahn . From 1999, SBB took over management of services on the bridge using electric multiple units . In 2007, about 34 trains daily operated as line S41 of the Zürich S-Bahn between Waldshut and Winterthur . In 2018,

588-473: The channel. Small swing bridges as found over narrow canals may be pivoted only at one end, opening as would a gate, but require substantial underground structure to support the pivot. Many inner cities have swing bridges, since these require less street space than other types of bridges. (A "swing bridge" in New Zealand refers to a flexible walking track bridge which "swings" as you walk across.) In

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616-404: The intersections. The vertical pillars consist of four riveted corners. The foundation of the pillars are built on driven wooden piles that are about 10 metres (33 ft) long, topped by concrete pile caps. The tops of the pillars are 14 metres (46 ft) high and 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide and made of stone masonry. The superstructure of the current bridge was assembled in three sections on

644-721: The northern downstream side of the bridge. Since the early 1850s, the Prussian authorities emphasized on constructing state railways . This opened up the possibility for the Cologne-Minden Railway Company to co-finance the bridge to extend the Deutz–Gießen line into the heart of Cologne, and integrate the previously separate railways on either side of the river Rhine. At the request of the Prussian Army , who had to approve every bridge design before it

672-462: The river by reaction ferry or pontoon bridge . The city council filed a request with Frederick William IV of Prussia in 1847, who through the Ministry of Trade, Commerce and Public Works appointed the Prussian chief civil engineer Karl Lentze to design the bridge. The initial drawings of the bridge allowed only one horse-drawn carriage to cross the bridge. On the western bank, the road

700-464: Was applied; this was carried out in 1978. Ten years later Deutsche Bundesbahn closed the line, after Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), the owners of half the bridge, refused a request for an updated report on the bridge. This was followed in 1991 by extensive repair work, including local reinforcement measures and renewed anti-corrosion measures, allowing the maximum speed for passenger trains to be raised to 45 kilometres per hour (28 mph) and extending

728-483: Was carried out, it included a swing bridge on the western side which could be closed in case of war. The design was inspired by the railway bridges over the river Vistula at Tczew and over the river Nogat at Malbork , both of which were finished in 1857 as part of the Prussian Eastern Railway . The same chief superintendent for those bridges, Hermann Lohse, also led the construction work for

756-553: Was led in northeastern direction past the Cologne Cathedral. The deck load was to be kept low, because at that time it was not possible to build heavy load bridges spanning over 100 metres (330 ft); the first bridge that was subjected to a full structural analysis was the Göltzsch Viaduct only 9 years prior, which is a brick arch bridge with its widest arch spanning 30.9 metres (101 ft) and having

784-473: Was not in fact carried out, so the technical landmark of the bridge in its original design is still preserved today. In 1967 a speed restriction of 10 kilometres per hour (6.2 mph) was imposed on the bridge because the bridge’s age and safety concerns. A report of the University of Karlsruhe in 1974 estimated the bridge’s remaining useful life as 10 to 15 years, provided that new corrosion protection

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