Railway Bridges of 1882

By the middle of the nineteenth century engineers had reached the limits of what traditional bridge building materials could offer. The Industrial Revolution brought new materials and new needs. The steam powered industries needed to get a steady supply of materials and to distribute their products far and wide. The ideal solution was the railway, which could transport large loads over long distances. Steam locomotives were becoming faster and more reliable and railways began to spread throughout industrialised countries. It was the beginning of the great railway age. However the railway locomotives required a level line to travel and so a new style of bridge was needed in order to overcome obstacles such as rivers valleys and canyons. These new rail bridges had to low, flat and strong.
In this essay I will look the style, construction, function and significance of two rail bridges that went into construction in 1882. One made of iron and one made of steel.

The first bridge ...