Reedham & Somerleyton Bridges Out Of Order

[ranworthbreeze]

Dear All

Urgent Boating News – Bridges Update

Reedham Bridge is unable to swing due to mechanical problems.

Somerleyton Bridge is unable to swing due to the heat.

Kind regards.

Karen

Karen Tyrrell
Administrative Officer Operations
Broads Authority
Tel: 01603 756035

Broads Authority, Yare House, 62-64 Thorpe Road. Norwich NR1 1RY
01603 610734
 

[grendel]

not surprising since its supposed to get up to 34 degrees this week

[ZimbiIV]

Wrong kind of sun?

paul

[Chelsea14Ian]

What a surprise !

 

[NorfolkNog]

Weren't they supposed to be spraying the rails with water? Or paint them white? 

I think we are all getting a feeling of dejavu here 

[BrundallNavy]

11 hours ago, ZimbiIV said:

Wrong kind of sun?

paul

No wrong type of white paint    

[quo vadis]

Wrong type of summer rails 

[vanessan]

Wrong type of summer! 

[Smoggy]

I believe they did paint the rails white but they put the paint on upside down.

[grendel]

I thought they were painted white, but that was deemed to be unsettling for the wildlife, so it was repainted in the McPackman Tartan.

[BroadsAuthority]

Hi all,

As of this morning Reedham has been fixed and is operational again, however unfortunately Somerleyton is still having difficulties due to the heat.

Tom

[ranworthbreeze]

I was speaking with someone who appeared to have a good deal of knowledge regarding the swing bridges on the southern broads. 

By all accounts there is a warning to the operator of the bridge if 5% of the 100 mm gap in the rails is reached due to expansion of the rails in the heat. The said operator can not operate the bridge whilst in this condition.

It seems to me that a higher tolerance is required or just fit the summer rails which have a larger gap (I believe they are still on the bridge between the tracks).

The chap could be talking utter rot, but it makes you think.

Regards

Alan

[Chelsea14Ian]

We are at Oulton,both bridges were shut talking to the chaps at the YS,Somerleyton was working early Friday but not when we went through. Also the road bridge at Oulton was not working. At present its overcast and cooler will see when we head back.

[Coryton]

2 hours ago, ranworthbreeze said:

I was speaking with someone who appeared to have a good deal of knowledge regarding the swing bridges on the southern broads. 

By all accounts there is a warning to the operator of the bridge if 5% of the 100 mm gap in the rails is reached due to expansion of the rails in the heat. The said operator can not operate the bridge whilst in this condition.

It seems to me that a higher tolerance is required or just fit the summer rails which have a larger gap (I believe they are still on the bridge between the tracks).

There will no doubt be a reason for the requirement...not necessarily a good one though.

I do not think the gap in normal operation can be 10 cm though. A train wheel would drop a long way at a gap like that. I've never seen anything approaching that size gap on the railways.

10 mm maybe, if taken at very low speed?

[grendel]

usually bridges have a staggered gap with the two sections of rail overlapping half their width across the gap so the wheel has something to ride on at all times 5% would leave a 5mm gap, which if the rail expanded a bit more wouldnt allow the two sections to mesh again when closed.

[Chelsea14Ian]

Both bridges now opening 

[Coryton]

On 27/07/2019 at 10:56, grendel said:

usually bridges have a staggered gap with the two sections of rail overlapping half their width across the gap so the wheel has something to ride on at all times 5% would leave a 5mm gap, which if the rail expanded a bit more wouldnt allow the two sections to mesh again when closed.

Having looked out of the window while crossing the swing bridges on the Ipswich to Norwich via Lowestoft train today (don't ask), the track on and off the bridges seemed to just have a simple gap between them - there didn't seem to be any overlapping.