Great Western Coffee Shop

Well it is 150 years old this year, shame NR couldnt get their fingers out and paint the bloody thing. Although its only superficial (I hope) some of the rust is getting quite severe and its looking quite a state!!

150 years old this year. NR have said they expect another 50=60 years working life with at least one more major refit. They say it will be painted later this year but not in time for May.

We are organising an official walk across the bridge with NR. Will be early on Sunday the 3rd May, before any traffic. I'll keep you all informed. There is also going to be a great big firework display at Saltash on the evening of the 2nd May.

I have a live webcam on the front of my house, you can see pictures at www.royalalbertbridge.co.uk where there are also more details of the 150 celebrations.

Well, you'd like to think so - but perhaps whether it actually gets aired depends on other news items, over the Bank Holiday weekend?  ::)

Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury head to the Tamar Valley to join the walkers being allowed to cross Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge for only the second time in its history.

Study into bridge colour mystery

Samples of paint from the Royal Albert Bridge, which links Devon and Cornwall, are being analysed in an attempt to establish its original colour.

The samples, collected by architectural paint researcher Patrick Baty, have been taken before the structure is stripped and repainted by Network Rail. There are about 30 coats of paint on the rail bridge across the River Tamar. Network Rail said the bridge was first repainted grey in 1911 and its original colour was never recorded.

Mr Baty said the process of gathering the samples just involved a hammer and chisel and giving parts of the bridge "a healthy thwack".

As part of the restoration project, the 2,200ft (670m) bridge - designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel - will be blast-cleaned, strengthened and completely re-painted.

Work is expected to begin on site by summer 2010 and will take about two years.

Since the bridge opened 150 years ago in 1859, it has carried as estimated billion tonnes of rail traffic.

It was Grade I listed in 1952.

http://www.brucehunt.co.uk/Royal%20Albert%20Bridge%20span%20renewal.html

Brunel bridge linking two counties to be refurbished

The 151-year-old Royal Albert bridge which links Devon and Cornwall will be refurbished following building consent.
Plymouth City Council and Cornwall Council (CC) approved plans to strengthen and refurbish the bridge designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
Network Rail will carry out the work over three years when trains are not running, to minimise disruption.
Graeme Hicks from CC said: "It's only fitting that such a legendary piece of engineering should be preserved."
Repairs will be made to corroded parts of the grade 1 listed structure and efforts will be made to replicate the original design, by using special bolts similar to Victorian rivets.
The bridge will also be re-painted goose grey, the same colour it has been since 1911.
Mr Hicks said: "This is an historic structure that provides the gateway into Cornwall for millions of people every year, and I'm delighted to see this work taking place."
It is estimated that the cost of the refurbishment will be about ^10m.

ROYAL ALBERT BRIDGE IMAGES SCOOP PRIZES IN NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION

Two stunning photographs of the Royal Albert Bridge have been awarded a runners up prize in the very first Network Rail 'Lines in the Landscape' special award at the Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards 2010.

The photographs, taken by Plymouth-based Colin Grace and Dan Santillo from Swansea, were shortlisted from nearly 500 entries as two of the best photographs of the national rail network by expert landscape photographer and competition organiser, Charlie Waite.

Photographer and competition organiser Charlie Waite explains what made Colin and Dan^s images so special: "There can be no question that the new award, 'Lines in the Landscape', which was introduced this year to celebrate our relationship with Network Rail, has hugely stimulated and inspired people to get out into the countryside and make photographs.

"The entries have been very varied, from urban stations to majestic viaducts, and the standard of the photography has been exceptionally high. Chris Howe's image is a very worthy winner but there are other images that richly deserve praise, of which both Colin and Dan^s are prime examples, and so we have decided that they should also enjoy recognition."

Robin Gisby, director of operations and customer service for Network Rail commented: "For over 150 years, the railway has helped connect people across the length and breadth of the country; it is a big part of British life. As the incredible photographs entered show, the railway helps create so many spectacular views of both our towns and cities and the countryside.

"Both Colin and Dan^s photos really capture the railway in a beautiful setting. We^ve been thrilled with the response to our special award for railway photography, and hope that this year^s entries have inspired others to pick up their camera and enjoy the amazing views
Britain has to offer."

The Take a view - Landscape Photography of the Year Awards are the idea of renowned landscape photographer, Charlie Waite. From deserted beaches, remote mountains and windswept trees to major cities and industrial works, the highlight the interaction between people and places that is so important for us all.

Colin and Dan will both receive a special print of their photograph.

Royal Albert rail bridge project costing ^10m starts

Work has started to strengthen a railway bridge between Cornwall and Devon built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

The ^10m project on the Royal Albert Rail Bridge is expected to take three years. The work will also see it repainted grey.

Network Rail said there should not be any disruption to rail services while the work took place.

The Grade I listed structure has carried an estimated one billion tonnes of rail traffic since opening in 1859.

Around 50,000 new bolts will be used in Network Rail^s major scheme, which is starting today, to restore Royal Albert bridge. These bolts ^ as precious and mighty as Brunel^s legendary golden rivet bolt - will be vital to keep the landmark structure strong for the next century and beyond.

The ^10m improvement scheme will see engineers investing nearly 2m hours of work over the next two years to strengthen and repaint Royal Albert bridge, bringing it back to its former glory.

Around 35,000 litres of special paint will also be used to spruce up and protect the bridge^s steel fa^ade from corrosion.

Mark Langman, route director for Network Rail said: ^We have a big task to transform the railway on Great Western in the coming years and the improvement on Royal Albert bridge plays a big part.

^The Royal Albert bridge remains a vital rail link and has carried more than 1 billion tonnes of rail traffic since it was built. This is the most complex refurbishment work ever and our work will inject a new lease of life and keep the landmark bridge robust for many years to come.^

To be carried out in five stages, the work will start concurrently from each end of the bridge and it is carefully designed to minimise disruption to the community and passengers. The scaffolding will be encapsulated to create a contained safe working environment to prevent dust and debris from falling from the structure and to reduce any noise pollution.

The encapsulation is sealed with Rockwool to help reduce any noise and its roof is also pitched to prevent accumulation of rain water, which could add weight to the structure. In addition, the encapsulation will form a tunnel around the track, so that engineers can continue to access the structure when trains are running.

A large industrial vacuum cleaner will be used to remove all waste, including grit produced during the blasting process. This waste will be removed daily to prevent any contamination to the environment.

The structure was listed Grade 1 in 1952 by the English Heritage, which has also backed the improvement scheme.

Notes to Editors:

Fast facts:
- Over 100 tonnes of new steelwork
- 40 diagonal bracings will be strengthened
- 132 load bearing cross girders will be repaired
- 205 original Brunel cross girders will be repaired
- 12 coats of old paint, dating to 1859, will be removed
- 4 coats of new paint will be applied
- 1,000 tonnes of grit blast abrasive will be extracted
- 1,800 individual steelwork repairs

The effort to improve the bridge has also helped trace the bridge^s original colour of pale stone (off-white) that it was painted in 1859, replacing the missing piece that completes the jigsaw of Royal Albert bridge^s colourful history. Two 1m square patches of the existing paint layers on the bridge will be preserved for posterity.

The discovery was made from an unprecedented paint analysis commissioned by Network Rail. It is to help Network Rail^s engineers understand the bridge^s existing complex paint system and define an effective approach to repaint the structure^s two main spans.

The Royal Albert bridge has been painted over on 20 occasions since it was completed in 1859. However, its parapets and main spans were repainted in red-brown for ^1,700 in less than a decade.

In 1868, the ^I K Brunel Engineer 1859^ lettering on the portals of the two main spans were painted at a mere cost of ^2.31.

After more than four years of planning, work has started on the ^10m project to restore and strengthen Brunel^s Royal Albert Bridge, which carries the mainline rail link between Devon and Cornwall.

According to Mike Palmer, the project manager for Network Rail, ^this has been quite a long process, because with a bridge such as this you really have to put a huge level of detail into it. It^s not like some smaller structures where you have a quick look, do an assessment of what needs to be done, then get the job awarded within a year or so; this has taken quite a bit longer.^

Over the next two years the work will be carried out by Taziker Industrial (TI), the appointed contractor. It will take place in five stages, designed not only to minimise disruption to rail operations and local residents but also to prevent damage and undue stress on the landmark structure.

In all, over 100t of new steelwork will be added, 205 original Brunel cross girders will be repaired, 40 diagonal bracings will be strengthened, and 1,800 individual steelwork repairs will be completed. The 50,000 bolts that will be needed have been purpose-designed to look like the existing rivets.

Even getting access to undertake the required repairs is not straightforward, as the main spans are not able to take the weight of traditional scaffold in the amount needed. Instead a proprietary HAKI scaffolding system will be used which is very lightweight with modular panels and flooring that slots into place.

This can be erected around 25 per cent more quickly than standard scaffold, and according to Palmer has several other advantages, not least that ^they build into the bay and basically push it out in advance of themselves, meaning there is no leading edge working, no individual putting themselves in harm^s way, and less chance of anything dropping below^.

Around a third of the project costs are taken by the scaffolding, although savings are expected from the speed of erection and the innovative encapsulation system designed to prevent environmental contamination. A particular concern is to minimise the potential wind loading on the structure while the work is being carried out, so encapsulation is restricted to 700m2 at any one time. Unlike traditional plastic sheeting, which has to be cut away if wind speeds reach a critical level, the HAKI system unclips at the top and slides down, allowing it to be raised again when the wind dies.

Rockwool insulation and acoustic screens will be used around the working areas to reduce the noise pollution caused by the grit blasting necessary to remove up to 30 layers of paint. The bridge has been painted over 20 times since it was completed in 1859, but it is expected that the new glass flake paint system, which will be supplied by Leighs Paints, will last a minimum of 25 years and probably longer.

Peter Cook, site manager for TI, explained that 35,000l of paint will be applied in four coats: a zinc primer, a strike coat all around the rivets and edges to build up the minimum thickness, a 500 micron glass flake epoxy intermediate layer, and finally a Goose Grey polyurethane finish coat to match the original colour of the bridge. Cook says the system is similar to that used on the Forth Bridge, ^but with a bit more elasticity because this bridge has so much movement^.

Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge is the only rail link between Cornwall and the rest of Britain. Refurbishing it is a complex engineering project.

Dubbed 'Brunel's masterpiece', the 151-year-old Royal Albert Bridge spans the River Tamar between Plymouth and Saltash, carrying around 30 trains a day. Now, under the most complex refurbishment plan in its history, the structure will be strengthened, restored and repainted over the next three years. Network Rail, which is responsible for the bridge, will soon be inviting tenders for the work.

'We have come to a stage now where we need to do a major overhaul of the bridge,' says Peter Haigh, structures management engineer for Network Rail. 'Six or seven years ago we replaced the ballasted timber deck with longitudinal timbers to address a problem that we had perceived previously which was a slight lateral sway on the bridge when 25-tonne axle load clay trains would go over. Now it is time to completely renovate the structure.'

'The project has actually been running for a couple of years with investigations into the paint system, analysis of the structure and feasibility studies,' says Mike Palmer, Network Rail's project manager for the refurbishment job.

The consultants employed to uncover the bridge's painting history found up to 30 coats in certain places. 'The bridge used to be painted on a cycle where they would paint one-sixth of the bridge every year, so in theory every six years it got a new coat of paint, explains George Lawlor, project manager for Aecom, Network Rail's consultants. 'We are now coming to the end of the detailed design part of the work and the next phase will be to go out to tender. We hope to have that all completed by the autumn.'

Load analysis
Part of the works will involve removing the lower diagonal braces, which were added in the 1970s. 'This was the result of analysis carried out at the time using perspex models loaded with weights,' says Lawlor. 'It was not until about 10 or 15 years ago that we had an actual idea of how the structure worked with modern computing techniques, because it is a highly redundant structure and the load paths are numerous, so trying to consider how the bridge worked when a load went across was too difficult for a long time.

'In the 1970s after analysis they added the lower diagonal braces. We have now discovered that some of the members are bent. On analysis you can see that they are not behaving in the way they were intended to, so they are fairly redundant in their current condition. We are taking those off and reproducing their tension with some strengthening work elsewhere, such as the hanger tops. These cracked every 20-25 years in some locations as a result of trains going over the bridge. We are strengthening those areas to address this cracking issue.'

There is virtually no welding on the bridge as welding wrought iron is plagued with difficulties. 'We have tried to weld it in the past with varying degrees of success,' explains Lawlor, 'so by and large we are bolting new metal wherever we need to introduce new material. We are using tension control bolts with domed heads, that will appear from one side to look like rivets. That's more of a heritage consideration than a mechanical consideration, although they have very good properties and they are actually fairly quick and easy to fit.'

Repainting
The programme calls for up to 30 coats of paint to be removed from over 20,000 square metres - about three football pitches. The bridge will then be re-painted using a more effective three-coat system. The existing paints have quite a high lead content - up to 13 per cent in places - so the surface will be taken back to bare metal.

'The programme we have developed for the implementation shows that we think the actual works can be done in two years, although there is a lot of float in that,' states Palmer. 'However, we are hoping that when we get the tenders back, the contractors will be able to scale that down to 15-18 months.'

The bridge will be painted with a glass fleck epoxy system that was developed for the offshore industry. Network Rail has used this successfully on the Forth Rail Bridge. Goose grey has been chosen to be compatible with the colour of the bridge when it was listed Grade 1 in 1952 by English Heritage.

'The paint system will have a 25 year life and hopefully we will have a bridge that is maintained and painted to give us a reliable railway crossing of the Tamar,' concludes Haigh.

And.....From E&T Magazine (http://eandt.theiet.org/news/2011/jun/brunel-bridge.cfm)

No need for subtitles for me: Chris from Nailsea - but born in Plymouth.  ;) :D ;D

You have my greatest sympathies  :D

Aww. I was hoping to see the picture of the 'Little Giant' surveying his handiwork.  :P :D

This may have been answerd before i see they have nearly finished the bridge but how long before they start again? I have seen workmen recently touching up bits of paintwork were rust is starting to show again!!

Well, this topic has been very quiet for the past few years so....

Network Rail has announced today (10/03/2020) that it is planning to light up the bridge.  Not found that anywhere just yet, so nothing to quote from so far.  However, it would appear that protesters have already raised objections about the potential 'light pollution' effect on the local environment.  Are they going to arrange for the lights on the adjacent Tamar Road Bridge to be switched off as well then....... ::)

False equivalence.

The lights on the Tamar Bridge are functional and there for a (pretty obvious) purpose, the proposal to light up the Albert Bridge would be purely decorative. There's a difference.