Lough Tap Railway Bridge - Disaster Awaits?

JupiterKid · 22-08-2009 6:55pm #1

Given the collapse yesterday of the viaduct at the Malahide Estuary - where a major tragedy could so easily have happened AND the collapse of the Cahir viaduct on the Limerick-Waterford line a few years back, can we say that the Lough Tap railway bridge over the Shannon is structurally safe?

It's a very old bridge that has been very poorly maintained and trains between Dublin and Sligo have to go slow when travelling over it. Could a major tragedy be just around the corner given IE's popor record of recent bridge collapses?:(:mad:

il gatto · 24-08-2009 12:57am

I expect it's subject to the same safety inspections all the other bridges are (brilliant:rolleyes:). Alot of the older bridges are very sturdy and well designed and will probably outlast the more modern ones built to a tight budget. The bridge at Ballindrehid (between Sligo and Ballysadare) is an example of wonderful Victorian stone and iron engineering, for example.
Hopefully this recent mishap will make them be more vigilant in the future (or "going forward" as is, I believe, the new way of saying it.)

leitrim lad · 24-08-2009 7:15pm

well if its under the same inspections as the rest of the bridges around the country ,its another 9/11, because if the brains that inspected the viaduct in dublin the other day knew what they were ment to be doing when they go to work ,that whole mess could have been avoided, just lucky that no one was killed , i seen a lovely black haired one with lovely tight jeans on her after that incident, real breeding hips,

but anyway back to the well educated public sector worker who didnt realise the bridge collapsed, i bet he is getting a pay rise for all the publicity, and the profits bus eireann will make now as a result

reilig · 02-10-2009 11:05am

JupiterKid wrote: »

Given the collapse yesterday of the viaduct at the Malahide Estuary - where a major tragedy could so easily have happened AND the collapse of the Cahir viaduct on the Limerick-Waterford line a few years back, can we say that the Lough Tap railway bridge over the Shannon is structurally safe?

It's a very old bridge that has been very poorly maintained and trains between Dublin and Sligo have to go slow when travelling over it. Could a major tragedy be just around the corner given IE's popor record of recent bridge collapses?:(:mad:

Just an update - - this bridge is currently being replaced. should be completed by January 2010

JupiterKid · 03-10-2009 8:47am

Just an update - - this bridge is currently being replaced. should be completed by January 2010

Good. Not a minute too soon IMO.

biffoman · 27-10-2009 4:23pm

i hear the biggest crane in the country is there at the moment.it was shipped in from the US.anyone near by with a camera,,,could you take a few photos of the ongoing work and upload them to this site.cheers.

reilig · 28-10-2009 12:18pm

biffoman wrote: »

i hear the biggest crane in the country is there at the moment.it was shipped in from the US.anyone near by with a camera,,,could you take a few photos of the ongoing work and upload them to this site.cheers.

I'm only a mile and a half from it, but the site has security guards 24/7, so its a no no. You can see it from the N4 just beside Masonite - looks huge in comparison to the other cranes beside it. Best way to get a picture of it would be to take a trip up the shannon on a cruiser from Carrick on Shannon.

Head The Wall · 29-10-2009 1:04am

reilig wrote: »

I'm only a mile and a half from it, but the site has security guards 24/7, so its a no no. You can see it from the N4 just beside Masonite - looks huge in comparison to the other cranes beside it. Best way to get a picture of it would be to take a trip up the shannon on a cruiser from Carrick on Shannon.

They have a viewing area set up for spectators, Got a few pictures on Monday. Click for full size

loc5 · 29-10-2009 10:24pm

one big machine but isnt leibheer german?? could they not have given irish crane and lifting or o briens or mantis to do somethin if they dont support irish why should anybody else????:mad:

Head The Wall · 29-10-2009 11:34pm

Mammoet themselves are a Dutch company. No crane this capacity in the country. The largest crane in Ireland would be McNallys 1200 Ton but it's not a crawler so doesn't have the ability to move with the load in the air like this one does. Also wouldn't have near the lifting capacity of this one.

loc5 · 30-10-2009 10:09pm

i see thanks for that i wonder what that 1200 crane is, a tower i suppose
by the way i have nothing against germany or anything i was thinking about two things at once and of course out comes sh!te!!:o:o
those were great pics of a rare mech fair play head the wall (ouch)

wilson10 · 30-10-2009 10:58pm

A few pics I took from my luxury liner last Monday.

Not alone was Lough Tap bridge in danger of collapse but it's low height was a terrible inconvenience to us boaty types who had to lower our masts and canopies to pass under.

So IR are very generously raising the bridge by a metre just for us. This will entail raising the line for a mile either side at great cost, because we're worth it.

As for the crane I'm told that it is the largest crane currently in Europe, it came into Killybegs on 75 trucks and when it's finished at Drumsna it will load up and head for Malahide to install the new bridge there.

loc5 · 01-11-2009 7:38pm

75 trucks?
jayney but with the exchange rate in our favor and with more work for it elsewhere on the island then i take it all back
it was a good deal

muffler · 08-11-2009 12:36pm

Here's a little snippet from one of the local papers here in Donegal about the crane. Apologies, the scanner isnt great.

muffler · 08-11-2009 12:39pm

More pics here

Head The Wall · 08-11-2009 10:59pm

Great Journalism there, not the third largest crane in the world, not even the third largest crawler crane in the world and it took more than 12 trucks to get it there.

Lough Tap Railway Bridge - Disaster Awaits?

Comments