Cleveland Bridge had completed a landmark heritage bridge, which departs the company’s Darlington factory and it was installed in the heart of the North Yorkshire National Park.
The project was part of the iconic North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) and the replacement Bridge 27 is the first of a series of scheduled repairs for the world-famous visitor attractions and it’s Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey (YMG) project.
The 20-metre Bridge 27 carrys a 180-year-old railway is best recognised as the iconic track leading to Hogsmeade Stations, from the Harry Potter movie, The Philospher’s Stone, which you see it when the young wizards embarked for Hogwarts.
Cleveland Bridge is closely collaborating with NYMR as part of a full-turn-key package, which involves design, fabrication, and installation of the 84-tonne single span structure, along with the dismantling of old bridge, earthworks and pre-casting of concrete elements as well as the in-situ casting its new deck.
Once the bridge is fabricated, Cleveland Bridge engineers will undertake a full trial assembly of Bridge 27 to ensure the final installation can be completed efficiently. This was particular important to prepare the engineers to operate in a small assembly area adjacent to the rail line, minimising any environmental impact on the North York Moors countryside.
To be able to transport the components, Cleveland Bridge had to process six loads by road from their factory to AV Dawson’s freight facility in Middlesbrough, and then transferring to rail, to travel to Goathland for the installation programme.
Head of Operational Delivery for Cleveland Bridge UK, Jim Mawson said: “The load out forms a key element of a comprehensive design, build and installation programme for this landmark structure. We regularly utilise a blend of road and rail for the delivery of our UK projects with a tried and tested transportation strategy, which has again been successfully demonstrated on this load out.”#
He also said: “Working closely with our transport partners and NYMR we have ensured the delivery of the components has been completed within the project schedule, enabling our engineers to undertake the installation of the bridge in the stunning setting of the North York Moors National Park”.
Thanks to grants provided by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Rural Payments Agency, the Local Enterprise Partnership and the generosity of supports, the NYMR’s project was able to take place.
From the combination of donations and grants, the charity was able to raise 90% of the funds to deliver YMJ project. The heritage railway still needs to raise an additional £1 million over the next three years and is appealing to further support to achieve that target. Further information and donate here.
