Van Stadens Railway Bridge

View over the bridge into the gorge

The Apple Express on the Van Stadens Bridge (1985)

The Van Stadens Railway Bridge ( English Van Stadens Bridge ) is 77 m the highest railway bridge in South Africa and one of the world's highest bridges for a narrow-gauge railway . It was built in 1904/05 for the Avontuur Railway , the railway line between Port Elizabeth and Avontuur , and crosses the Van Stadens River at Crossways Farm Village about 14 km before it flows into the Indian Ocean .

The construction of the 196 m long bridge consists of a steel lattice girder that rests on five pillars, which are also made of steel framework. Two of these pillars reach down to the valley floor. The single-track railway line is designed in 610 mm narrow gauge, but the bridge was prepared for a possible conversion to Cape gauge and is therefore wider and stronger than would be necessary for this route.

The bridge is often referred to as “the world's tallest narrow-gauge bridge” in local sources, but this is not the case. The meter-gauge Wiesen Viaduct in Switzerland is higher at 88 m. In all likelihood, however, the Van Stadens Bridge is the tallest bridge for 610 mm gauge.

About 2.4 km southwest of the railway bridge, a road bridge, also called Van Stadens Bridge , for the national road N2 (built 1969–1971) and an old road bridge cross the river.

Web links

Commons : Van Stadens Railway Bridge  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Trans and Rail: Railway Bridge Photos in the Eastern Cape . on www.sa-transport.co.za (English), pictures of the bridge
• Jon Inggs: Little train puffs past 75th year . Report in the Eastern Province Herald, October 30, 1980, report of the opening of the bridge.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Structurae, Nicolas Janberg: Van Stadens Bridge . on www.structurae.net (English).
2. ^ Kouga Tourism Routes: Van Stadens Bridge (old and new) . at www.kougatourism.com (English).

Coordinates: 33 ° 53 ′ 21.9 ″  S , 25 ° 12 ′ 27.7 ″  E