Murrumbidgee River railway bridge, Wagga Wagga

Murrumbidgee River railway bridge, Wagga Wagga
Original bridge in May 2006
Coordinates	35°06′57″S 147°22′58″E / 35.115703°S 147.382822°E / -35.115703; 147.382822
Carries	Main Southern railway line
Crosses	Murrumbidgee River
Locale	Wagga Wagga, Riverina, New South Wales, Australia
Owner	Transport Asset Holding Entity
Characteristics
Design	Lattice truss
Total length	3,078 metres (10,100 ft)
Longest span	4 x 46 metres (150 ft)
Rail characteristics
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
History
Constructed by	Messrs. R. & A. Amos
Fabrication by	P. & W. McClellan & Co, Scotland
Construction start	1871
Construction end	December 1880
Opened	16 January 1881
Closed	30 December 2006
Location

The Murrumbidgee River railway bridge is a former railway bridge that carried the Main Southern railway line across the Murrumbidgee River in Wagga Wagga, Australia. The original bridge, erected in 1881, was replaced in 2006.

The original four span wrought iron lattice truss bridge opened on 16 January 1881. It was the second oldest bridge out of the twelve related wrought iron lattice truss series bridges built in Australia. Each of the four lattice truss spans were 46 metres (150 ft) long which joined onto what was thought to be the longest timber viaduct in Australia.^[1][2][3][4] The bridge was considered as of major importance to the history of bridge engineering in Australia.^[2][5][6]

The spans were manufactured by P. & W. McClellan & Co., Glasgow weighing a combined 790 tonnes (870 short tons). The northern approach was originally built with 215 timber trestles.^[7] These were replaced with steel trestles over a four-year period from 1897. The trestles were strengthened in 1994 as part of the One Nation project.^[8] By 2000 a 20 km/h (12 mph) speed restriction over the bridge had been imposed.^[9]

The bridge was removed and replaced with a new concrete bridge during a four-day shut down from 30 December 2006.^[10] The wrought iron lattice railway bridge was cut away using oxy cutters. One cut section of the bridge was donated to railway preservation group Tumbarail at Ladysmith.^[11] The rest of the bridge was taken to Port Kembla for disposal.^[8] The new bridge allowed an 80 km/h (50 mph) speed limit to be introduced.^[12]

The bridge received a Historic Engineering Marker from Engineers Australia as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program.^[13]

• List of railway bridges in New South Wales

Media related to Murrumbidgee River Railway Bridge (1881) at Wikimedia Commons