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oldstoat
January 3rd, 2015, 08:43 AM
The worlds first cast iron bridge, in what is now known as the Ironbridge Gorge, where the Industrial Revolution started. I find it amazing that a structure built in 1779 should still be just about perfect structurally.


http://images.ephotozine.com/gallery/2015/00/lrg/lrg_254807_1420290744.jpg

Cob
January 3rd, 2015, 11:38 AM
The worlds first cast iron bridge, in what is now known as the Ironbridge Gorge, where the Industrial Revolution started. I find it amazing that a structure built in 1779 should still be just about perfect structurally.


http://images.ephotozine.com/gallery/2015/00/lrg/lrg_254807_1420290744.jpg

Abraham Darby wasn't it?

Cob

oldstoat
January 3rd, 2015, 11:55 AM
Yes indeed

They made all the castings in open sand moulds and still got it all to fit: the first time it had ever been done and only slightly over time and over budget.

Hawk
January 3rd, 2015, 12:30 PM
The worlds first cast iron bridge, in what is now known as the Ironbridge Gorge, where the Industrial Revolution started. I find it amazing that a structure built in 1779 should still be just about perfect structurally.


http://images.ephotozine.com/gallery/2015/00/lrg/lrg_254807_1420290744.jpg

How do I see the photo of the bridge?

oldstoat
January 3rd, 2015, 12:39 PM
The worlds first cast iron bridge, in what is now known as the Ironbridge Gorge, where the Industrial Revolution started. I find it amazing that a structure built in 1779 should still be just about perfect structurally.


http://images.ephotozine.com/gallery/2015/00/lrg/lrg_254807_1420290744.jpg

How do I see the photo of the bridge?

Image location here (http://images.ephotozine.com/gallery/2015/00/lrg/lrg_254807_1420290744.jpg)

Cob
January 3rd, 2015, 01:15 PM
The worlds first cast iron bridge, in what is now known as the Ironbridge Gorge, where the Industrial Revolution started. I find it amazing that a structure built in 1779 should still be just about perfect structurally.


http://images.ephotozine.com/gallery/2015/00/lrg/lrg_254807_1420290744.jpg

How do I see the photo of the bridge?

Image location here (http://images.ephotozine.com/gallery/2015/00/lrg/lrg_254807_1420290744.jpg)

The link doesn't work i'm afraid!


Cob

Hawk
January 3rd, 2015, 01:26 PM
The worlds first cast iron bridge, in what is now known as the Ironbridge Gorge, where the Industrial Revolution started. I find it amazing that a structure built in 1779 should still be just about perfect structurally.


http://images.ephotozine.com/gallery/2015/00/lrg/lrg_254807_1420290744.jpg

How do I see the photo of the bridge?

Image location here (http://images.ephotozine.com/gallery/2015/00/lrg/lrg_254807_1420290744.jpg)

The link worked for me, thanks. Is there more info. that I can look up on the web?

oldstoat
January 3rd, 2015, 04:51 PM
How odd; the link works on the desktop computer but not on the iPad. Ho hum; that's another reason to use FPs.
The English Heritage (http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/iron-bridge/) site has some information, but, to be honest, the Wikipedia page is better

Hawk
January 3rd, 2015, 05:02 PM
How odd; the link works on the desktop computer but not on the iPad. Ho hum; that's another reason to use FPs.
The English Heritage (http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/iron-bridge/) site has some information, but, to be honest, the Wikipedia page is better

Wow, I used my iPad and it worked. Later on it didn't. If I tap and hold to get the open in another window, the photo comes up. One doesn't have to reboot a fountain pen.
Thanks for the link. An old eingineer likes older stuff than he is, I feel younger.

Bart Willems
January 3rd, 2015, 07:48 PM
The Pantheon in Rome was build in the first century AD. It is until this day the largest unreinforced concrete dome and was until the late 19th century the largest dome, period. I think that once a structure survives its first 100 years it is probably destined for "eternity." Except in New Jersey where we have no problem razing pre-colonial war buildings for project development, but I digress.

oldstoat
January 4th, 2015, 03:21 AM
I like digressions- a bit of thread drift is always fun.
It's interesting that modern buildings ( including the one in which I work) are often constructed with a design life of 30-50 years while the builders of castles and cathedrals built for ever. Mind you, with some cathedrals, they took forever to complete- the Duomo in Milan took 600 years.

Cob
January 4th, 2015, 04:11 AM
The Pantheon in Rome was build in the first century AD. It is until this day the largest unreinforced concrete dome and was until the late 19th century the largest dome, period. I think that once a structure survives its first 100 years it is probably destined for "eternity." Except in New Jersey where we have no problem razing pre-colonial war buildings for project development, but I digress.

A sore point with me here in BRACKNELL. This was once a reasonably attractive market town. Thanks no doubt to greed and corruption (I am a cynic) it was turned into a dismal concrete and asbestos wasteland. They have demolished half of it again as it looked so awful and was a dismal failure, and will no doubt erect more horrors.

One only has to visit Wokingham a few miles down the road - or somewhere really lovely like Lewes, or Chipping Camden to see how things were before planning committee members started getting holidays in Barbados and nights out at lap-dancing clubs (!) from their developer friends, in other words before "planning"...:mad::mad:
Cob

Hawk
January 4th, 2015, 05:05 PM
Oldstoat, thanks for the links. I immersed myself for a few hours yesterday on the iron bridge, fastinating engineering feat.

oldstoat
January 15th, 2015, 12:52 PM
As the link doesn't seem to work consistently, here's the picture again.

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