Trowse Swing Bridge

The bridge was built originally in 1845 by George Parker Bidder, was rebuilt in 1905 and again in 1987. Like many swing bridges, the structure first lifts on hydraulic jacks before swinging open to allow the passage of water traffic. The bridge has frequently caused problems with navigation on the river due to its unreliability, leaving it unable to open. It is notable for being the only swing bridge in the United Kingdom to carry an overhead electrified railway track (25 kV 50 Hz). Other examples can be found along the Northeast Corridor in the United States; see for instance Portal Bridge and the Galata Bridge over the Golden Horn in Istanbul. The power supply to trains is provided by an…

The current single track rail bridge on the electrified railway line in to Norwich was designed by British Rail Eastern Region, based in York. The main contractor was May Gurney of Norwich and they were also the civil works contractor. The Butterley Engineering Company were the fabricators, mechanical contractor and electrical contractor. The bridge was fabricated and fully trial erected, including a slewing motion trial, inside the Butterley Engineering Company's workshops known as "The Bridge Yard" at Butterley Hill, Ripley in Derbyshire during 1986 and was delivered to site and installed during the winter months of November 1986 to January 1987. The swing bridge section is approximately…