Algebuckina Bridge | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 27°53′57″S 135°48′27″E / 27.8993°S 135.8075°E |
Carries | Railway (disused) |
Crosses | Neales River |
Locale | Allandale Station, South Australia |
Heritage status | |
Characteristics | |
Material | Wrought iron |
Total length | 587 metres (1,927 ft) |
No. of spans | 19 |
History | |
Construction cost | £AU 60,000 |
Opened | 8 January 1892 |
Closed | 1981 |
Replaces | Surface level crossing |
Location | |
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The Algebuckina Bridge is a Victorian era railway bridge in the Australian state of South Australia located about 55 kilometres (34 mi) south-east of the town of Oodnadatta in the locality of Allandale Station on the route of the now-closed Central Australia Railway. [1] [2] It opened in January 1892. [3] [4] [5] It was the longest bridge in South Australia [3] [5] until construction of the Seaford suburban rail line across the Onkaparinga River south of Adelaide in 2014. [6]
The 1,927 feet (587 m) [2] bridge consists of 19 spans [2] of 100 feet (30 m) length and which are of lattice wrought iron construction, [2] [3] sitting on cast iron cylindrical piers. [2] It was strengthened in 1926 to allow it to carry heavier trains. [5]
It was built by a team of around 350 men, working in extreme desert heat. [3] Several graves are nearby, and one of them is for David Saunders, who died in January 1890 from “heart disease accelerated by heat apoplexy.” [3] [7]
The bridge crosses the floodplain of the Neales River, [5] which is prone to seasonal flooding, and replaced a surface-level railway which was frequently washed away. [3] After a severe flood in 1974, which almost reached the bridge decks, the line was closed in 1981 and a new route built 100 miles further west. [3]
The bridge was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate [2] on 28 September 1982 and listed as a state heritage place on the South Australian Heritage Register on 20 November 1986. [2] [8]