Puente Cascabelero, Metal railway bridge in Villanueva de las Cruces, Spain
Puente Cascabelero is a metal railway bridge that crosses the Cascabelero stream as part of the 47-kilometer Tharsis rail network in Huelva province. The structure features a lattice metalwork design that carried ore from mining sites toward port facilities for export.
The structure was constructed in the second half of the 1800s to support the British Tharsis Sulphur and Copper Company's mining operations. The rail line became instrumental in extracting and moving vast quantities of ore, driving economic growth in the region throughout the industrial boom years.
The bridge served as a daily passage for miners and workers heading to the extraction sites in the surrounding hills. It stands today as a reminder of how mining shaped the lives and routines of people in this remote corner of Huelva.
The bridge is easily accessible from the surrounding mining areas and sits along the preserved rail route. Best visited during daylight hours when sunlight highlights the details of the metal lattice framework.
The construction employed an innovative material called Rubble Concrete that cut expenses and allowed completion in just 22 months. This pioneering approach demonstrated the engineering skill of the time and represented an efficient solution for mining infrastructure.
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