Barlwyd Bridge
| Barlwyd Bridge | |||||||||
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 The current bridge built on the original piers. Date: 4th. May 2013. | |||||||||
| Type | Bridge | ||||||||
| Status | In use | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| Grid reference | SH691459 | ||||||||
| Route Navigator | |||||||||
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| Stations | Locations | Bridges | Tunnels | Map | |||||||||
Barlwyd Bridge is just above the old Dinas Junction on the Ffestiniog Railway. It carries the line over the Afon Barlwyd.
Sometime between 1956 and 1970 the original bridge collapsed, leaving the rails hanging. It was shored up in 1974 in order to take the permanent way trains that were rebuilding the line north of Tanygrisiau. A lot of work was done to prepare the site during a weekend early in October 1975 when a London Area Group working party descended on the bridge to celebrate 21 years of sending working parties to the FR. The Saturday started wet and got wetter and wetter, during which the river level rose by nearly a foot. By the end of the day most of the volunteers looked as though they had fallen in the river but in actual fact no one did.
At that time it was hoped to use some concrete beams acquired from a closed BR branch. These proved not to be suitable and were eventually used to reinforce the river bank. The bridge was later rebuilt in 1981 using wooden beams on the original piers. It remains the only wooden bridge on the F&WHR system. It is interesting to note the use of old double head rails to form a track base over the beams, as can be seen in the main photo.
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The shored-up bridge from the footplate of Diana, 9th March 1975
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The bridge before full repairs were undertaken, 8th October 1975.
