Spoorbrug

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, in Dutch. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

Description

Introduction

RAILWAY BRIDGE over the Maas, built on the railway line between Tilburg and Nijmegen, for which a concession was granted by the state in 1871 to Alexander Brodgen, English parliamentarian. The bridge, located between North Brabant and Gelderland, is named after the Englishman's daughter, the Edith Bridge, and was locally known as the Whiskey Bridge. In 1937 the single-track lattice truss bridge (built by an English architect) was replaced by the current steel rod arch bridge. In favour of shipping and ice passage, the number of old piers (1872-'74) was reduced by one during the construction of the new bridge (1937-'39). In the Second World War the bridge was destroyed twice. Shortly after the war the Edith Bridge was repaired, and a narrow catwalk was hung on the western side.

Description

The current bridge consists of the two abutments and four piers in brick with dressed stone corner blocks of the first bridge (1872-'74) and a fifth pier (in the Maas) from 1937, all with a width suitable for double track and provided with concrete deck plates. Important is the sandstone portrait relief in moulded dressed stone frame on the southern river pier. The inscription reads: "Foundation stone laid by Anne Edith Brogden 31st August 1872". The portrait represents Edith. During the construction of the new bridge the abutments were reinforced with brick and concrete. The superstructure consists of a stiffened rod arch bridge of four sections (each 62 metres length, 11.80 metres high) and (on the Gelderland side) one section without arches (86 metres), with a total length of 400 metres. The main girders are connected by cross girders. The material is riveted and sometimes welded profile iron and plate iron. Below the superstructure hang movable painters' platforms. The single-track embankment, which leads from the Maasdijk at Brabant through the floodplains to the bridge, also belongs to the structure.

Valuation

The object is of general importance. It has cultural-historical significance as evidence of a socio-economic and infrastructural development, namely the bridging of the major rivers in the context of railway construction in the nineteenth century, and is also of significance as an example of technical and typological development. It has ensemble values due to its striking location which enhances the experiential value of the landscape and townscape in the area. The whole has been well preserved.