Trowse Bridge, Railway swing bridge in Norwich, England
Trowse Bridge is a single-track railway bridge that crosses the River Wensum near Norwich and features a rotating mechanism to allow boats to pass underneath. The structure connects the city center with southern suburbs and is powered by a specialized overhead conductor rail system.
The original bridge was built in 1845 by engineer George Parker Bidder to connect the railway across the river in Norwich. Major rebuilds in 1905 and 1987 updated it to meet the transportation demands of those eras.
The bridge plays a role in how the city connects by rail to areas beyond the center, and its rotating design reflects decisions made about balancing river traffic with railway needs. Walking near it, you notice how the structure shaped the way people and goods could move in both directions.
Trains cross the bridge at a maximum speed of 40 mph, and the rotating mechanism operates through a specialized overhead electrical system. You can view the bridge from multiple points along the riverbank to appreciate how the structure works.
The bridge uses 90 tons of recycled railway material as counterweight to balance its 360-ton rotating structure. This creative engineering approach shows how old materials were repurposed for a practical mechanical function.
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