The Construction of Sydney Harbour Bridge
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- Опубликовано: 18 ноя 2011
- This DVD was picked up in a flea market at The Rocks and has no indication of when it was originally produced. Apologies if any copyright has been infringed - but it deserves a wider audience!
Update/Sept 2018:
Paul Robinson (in a comment below) has pointed out that it was produced as a 75th-anniversary project by the Sydney Division of the Institution of Engineers Australia. [Now named Engineers Australia - see www.engineersaustralia.org.au/About-Us/Divisions/Sydney ]
Update: April 2019:
RUclips appears to have started adding Ads to the start of the video :(
I can't see any way of preventing this, so have linked to an 'AdSense' account. If any revenue appears, it will be donated to charity. 
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Those workmen deserved to be greeted as Royalty, they should have been wearing those medals and arriving in limousines.
Those politicians took all the praise, but the true heroes are those hard working men who risked their lives to build that beautiful bridge.
Correct, nothing would of been built without those men. Agreed , they should be rewarded but were liley instead paid v little for their life rising work
My father was a Tool & Die Maker, Machinist & Journeyman Maintenance Machinist, he was old school with a depression mentality (throw nothing away) and also did plumbing, electrical, carpentry, HVAC. When he passed in 2016 he left me all his tools & machines. Guys like him were master craftsmen who could do anything with their hands and the right tool.
whats that got to do with the bridge?
@@abitofeverything9970 nothing that I can recall…maybe I commented on the wrong video 5 YEARS AGO 🤷♂️
One of the men in this film might be my Great Uncle, Sydney Edward Addison. He immigrated from the U.K. to Australia by boat in the 1920's and worked on the bridge as an ironworker. Sadly, his spanner slipped and he fell to his death. Today, he's memorialised on a plaque next to the bridge as 1 of the 16 men who died while building the bridge.
The first thing I noticed is that none of the workers are wearing any type of safety harness or fall protection. I think it is neat that you know who your uncle was!
No PPE or fall arrest gear, just bravery. It would cost twice as much to construct with current compliance. I too travelled over this lovely bridge every day. Wwhen I looked at the big anchor pins each side, 40,000 tons load never occurred to me, 10,000 each pin.
A wrench slipped causing the fall? Don't stand on wrenches working bridge construction I guess.
@@jaminova_1969You don't know who your uncles are? Or were?
I visited Sydney about 15 years ago and one of the highlights of my trip was doing 'The Bridge Climb'. Had my photo taken with the Opera House in the background and that photo still has pride of place on my sideboard. I adored Sydney and always wanted to go back but my health won't let me make the flight nowadays (I'm in the UK). Have always told my nieces and nephews Australia was the place to go when they finished their education. A great country and a great work ethic which rewards those who make an effort.
Mate wish you could have made it back; my beloved land bring tears these days, SO much has changed, it's far more american now, far less English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish, our culture is being washed away...
I wish you all the best, may tomorrow bring a wonderful day.
Thank you from Sydney
A true Australian treasure! Timelessly beautiful, something all Aussies should be proud of.
Great film! Manual engineering, and hard manual labour, before computers and automated equipment. Satisfying to watch. Admiring the workers who gave an honest day's work.....and weren't constantly on their cellphones taking selfies and stealing time from the company.
Walked the Bridge in 1967, with my new-born Aussie daughter. Happy memories. Good on you cobber! Here's raising a schooner....to Australia.
This is a great document,
impressive memory from the 80 year old Mr Frank Lichfield narrating his memories for the original film.
My most heartfelt regards go to those who were forced out of their homes to accommodate progress for this, our beautiful national icon, these were mainly poor working class areas & many had little to no compensation for their dwellings being demolished, though a few were actually offered work as a means to placate them, especially as a lot of the work happened during the height of the depression.
This is a fitting testament to all those who were part of designing & building the bridge, their blood, sweat & tears can now be remembered.
Bravo fellas.
My grandfather worked on this project, plus the Snowy Mountain project back in the day. It is a beautiful bridge.
From here in the States we say you Aussies are quite the quality workmanship people! Congratulations and best of luck!
Thank you so much for putting this fantastic film on RUclips. I am 82 years of age and was born in New South Wales and lived in Sydney for many years. My mother, I remember her telling me when I was a boy, that she watched the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as a young working girl in an office in North Sydney, it certainly brings back memories of the time that I used to also work in the city, as a young person and crossing it in the train every day. I'm sure many of the Sydney historians will love to be made aware of this wonderful film. Thank you again.
did she say anything about the existing infrastructure that was ther. All old word stuff
Thank you so much for uploading this. I found it extremely interesting. I grew up in Kirribilli and often walked across the bridge as a child. I have lived in Europe for the last 40+ years and whenever I go to Australia and we drive across the bridge I feel "at home".
OMG this is what you call hard work! God bless to all those who survived and lost their lives building this massive beautiful and hard structure bridge, which still stands tall like it was only built yesterday!
Great workmanship!
Now THIS is a documentary which should serve as example HOW a documentary should be recorded and edited. As opposed to today's common format where 10 seconds historical scenes are shown, interspersed with series of interviews with experts, witnesses or neighbors.
You forgot to mention the idiot saying everything was done by aliens 👽 🛸
Damn straight.
Yes. I love watching a documentary about the construction of a tunnel and at some point it will spend 20 minutes on the history of the shoes the workers are wearing.
Not long ago I drove interstate coaches, my Backpacking passengers were always amazed by the beauty and size of the bridge
Your videos are a breath of fresh air in a crowded online space. Keep shining!
It's amazing how it keeps it's age ! Probably the most gorgeous bridge in the world ! Thank you David great footage
My grandfather was a merchant sailor from Cardiff and his ship was one of the many that took the metalwork (made from steel made in the Northeast) out to Sydney. I have his gold pocket watch given to him on completion of his apprenticeship in 1918. Very proud to be connected to the bridge in this very small way.
Andrew Ford ll
Andrew Ford the steel came from the blast furnances of Teesside. The design concept was tested on Tyneside but the Tyne Bridge is not of quite the same design, but the stone pillars on both bridges are merely cosmetic.
SO.
These men are brave as hell
Amazing 😊 I loved this so much. It’s almost 100 years old now. I bet they have a bridge walk for it’s 100th birthday. I wanna be there 😊. The other day as we were driving over the bridge, I noticed it’s getting rusty. Some one needs to repaint it asap if we want to preserve it
I worked Security on the bridge for a few years, we were taught a bit about the bridge and when I watched this, everything and more fell into place. It was the best office in town. Love the old girl.
We don't need security guards on the bridge, but a councilor or two wouldn't hurt.
@@HyperVectra not my choice, it was a job.
It's just boggles my mind how they can line up two giant structures of that scale and weight to meet in the middle with the technology they had in those days. I've stood many times staring at the sheer size of the bottom hinges, and it's immense. To caculate the weight and position back in those days just boggles my mind.
I have this on VHS. Purchased from the Harbour Bridge Climb shop many, many years ago. Obviously it was made available on DVD. And yes, it deserves to be seen by more people.
Admiration and congratulations to Australia. You do build wonderful things. The Sidney Opera House is especially noteworthy. Good wishes from Arizona.
melbourne: *YOU GUYS ARE ALWAYS GETTING SO MUCH FAM AND WHAT DO I GET???*
Sydney.....
@@someonerandominthecomments6848 Melbourne gets the most days in lockdown out of the entire world, beat that Sydney
…. :(
Many Thanks from Sydney
my uncle and auntie lived at milsons point overlooking lavender bay and he used to tell us stories of the bridge being built he could see everything from his front veranda and we would listen awe struck at what he would tell us. i miss my auntie and uncle and i miss those good old days
Robert Canham ...wow...a front row seat ...
We ALL miss the good old days ... Australia is changing SO FAST! Once upon a time a bit of sledging about ANYTHING that made a person an individual between mates and strangers alike was a prerequisite for socialising. And I don't mean what constitutes bullying. I MEAN a BIT of sledging. These days we've got a bunch of cry babies who cry for their mammas teat the moment anyone say boo to them. Well, booo hoooo hoooo! Buncha snowflakes. We are devolving as a species ... P.C. HAS GONE . TOO . FAR!!!
My father lived in the southern suberbs of Sydney and watched it being built. We've still got his souvenirs of the opening including a railway ticket for one of the first trains across.
Wonderful piece of engineering, entering it's 90th year of service next March 2022. Excellent documentary film.
Wonderful piece of history. Thank you David Male. I'll bet many of the locals were a bit sad to see the trolley tracks covered over to make way for vehicle traffic, having many memories of using it for much of their lives.
Owing to the time period and the abilities of mechanical equipment, this was quite an accomplishment for the engineers and workmen. This was indeed quite a feat!
What a fantastic effort by all, this is a wonderful achievement and would be even in the 21st Century let alone in the early years of the last. Such brave and talented workers hopefully never fogotten, and the planning and setting up are stupendous.
Thanks for sharing this historic film.
This is an excellent document of the precision and extraordinary effort required to build something of this magnitude. I'm a mechanical engineer and appreciate much of what was done here. Thanks for posting this.
yes good comment. there's a reason why there's a pyramid on the roof of parliament house.
I am 73 and hope to see a crowd walk the bridge for it's centenary.
Incredible how the workers were confidently walking the steel planks without any safety harnesses.
Same today in india, bangladesh or brazil but the deaths in those countries are very heigh
Yeah they do but it only takes one small slip or a misplaced step and there's nothing to stop you.
@@borntoclimb7116they so dumb 😂😂 that's why
Such a marvel of engineering and construction! The most thrilling archival footage of construction that I’ve ever seen. I could watch this for days. Thanks for the excellent video.
Incredible video, thank you for posting. According to the IEAust (Ch.Eng) the rivets alone (disregarding the cross struts, and arch material) on the arch carry 26,000 long tons of lateral compression on the top chord, and 15,000 tons or tensile potential on the bottom chord. And even though the cables have been relaxed to allow the arch to settle, they still carry 15,000 tons of tensile potential strength, as well as providing a moment of rigidity.
*_IEA_*
_The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a remarkable, and outstanding example of engineering brilliance and complexity, and even in the 21st Century, still stands as one of the world's engineering wonders._
_Using new, and untried construction design elements, novel materials, and alloys, and new concrete mixing technology which was unheard of at the time, it is a shining example of genial imagination and vision._
Hear, hear.
And yet, we STILL can't figure out how the pyramids were built, and despite all the modern cranes and equipment, we couldn't replicate one today, yet we're supposed to believe primative people with copper chisels and stone hammers built them LOL!!!
My aunty Myrtle, who passed away in 2016, told me that her photo of walking across the bridge with the public was printed in the Sydney newspaper. I must visit the archives to find a copy. A magnificent public works effort. Should be more of such nation building projects.
There was a bigger one,called the Snowy Hydro Scheme,vastly bigger.
This is a wonderful well edited beautiful documentary, thank you for posting and for all the work in compiling such great footage…. from Canada 🇨🇦…. I’ve been and done the BridgeWalk which offered great views of the entire city… what I noticed most was the lack of the Opera house in the background it is fascinating to see into the past.
I'm glad you sojourn awhile in my beloved country, i would feel privileged to to your great country; All the best and take care.
Im quite fond of the old Australia & the way this country & people once was.
What an honor it must have been to be a part of this landmark.
Heavy equipment used ini building the Sydney harbour bridge? 🙏
Fantastic video thank you
We Australians are the envy of the world with our heritage and the way we live
and having a sense of humor thats usable for not much
Jeff McElroy
Unfortunately the minority have the say
We pander too much to the hairy armpit sock sandals wearing lentils eating tree hugging bambi bridgade
Something that has always impressed me about the bridge was that it was designed to accommodate traffic years beyond what would have been the present volume. To construct something of that magnitude in that era with the technology that was available at the time is truly magnificent. These days, it seems that they only build roads, highways, bridges and tunnels to take the present day volume without thought for the future. This has been proven time and again in Australian cities.
Much or most of the "Urban Infrastructure" of transportation that's used today was build "between the wars."
I’m amazed at the accomplishments of those men of that era! I suspect that this same project could not be duplicated today without modern technology by today’s workforces (let alone for a nearly comparable price range, even allowing for inflation). And can you imagine the eagerness of those workers in that time! Thank you for this video!❤
Sadly this is the best piece of Infrastructure Sydney will ever see!!
Built from Steel from North Yorkshire and designed here too then shipped out to Aus. Its a worldwide icon to this day.
Typical Brit comment.
@@MsRustynuts Typical fact, thats all.
I would like to thank those who brought us these wonderful images.
Amazing video, a joy to watch. Thanks for putting this up!
A very high quality documentary. Enjoyed the trip back through history. Thanks David, for posting.
It's a History and a glory moment to watch this video. Thanks for the video.
A truly memorable and interesting video...and a tribute to Australia and the men who built this truly iconic world famous bridge....Thanks for the download.
Let's be honest old chum. Australia LACKS originality, the bridge was bild and designed in the UK, the Opera House designed (but objected to by Australians) by a Scandanavian, The ONLY slightly original thing produced in Australia was the 'Black Box' and variation of a German war-time device....
@ . You need to learn your history about things designed and built in Australia.
What an amazingly technical construction for the age. No computers then, just slide rulers.
Thanks so much for sharing that piece of history .
Hope I can visit that magnificent piece of engineering one day personally.
Very cool, what a great flea market find! Thank you for sharing that.
Thank you for this magnificent record of achievement of a most marvellous structure. Chappeaux to the designer, the manufacturers and to the men of steel who put the bridge together - altogether wondrous!
One good part of being in construction. You get some sense of pride or accomplishment when you pass by a job that you were a part of. I feel lucky and it's nice to teach my kids about the experience.
I am from Melbourne and I am amazed at the planning that went into this bridge, but safety of the day was a bit scarce, workers walking along girders with no safety harness looked a bit dangerous. It is truly an engineering marvel. Great Video.............
Awesome Program.
Thank you for the upload.
Great to see our heritage
Watching from Australia.
Such a wonderful resource to have. Thank you so much for sharing this.
What is amazing documentary about one of great brides in world. Technology wasn’t developed. But Genius people were there.
Thank you for this..absolutely loved watching it..such a fascinating story :-)
I loved this vid...thanks for putting this on u-tube.those where the days when men took pride in their work and made things too last.
Great work David and thanks for this video, a true piece of Australian history. Well done for picking it up at the flea market;-)
great video to see how work was performed in the old days , I wish I could have been there to watch it being made . my fathers father was a stone mascent on the bridge .
my father's father mayhave worked on it also ?Irish
Thank you for uploading, great work. Quite amazing for early years....
Thannk you for the upload .. this was a great watch :-) I just visited Sydney for the first time and .. this bridge is just beautiful, it really carries the soul of the place.
Thanks for uploading this - so interesting and well worth watching.
What a wonderful surprise and how warmly it comes across. Many thanks.
nice video! my Dad was one year old when it opened!
Why people gotta give hate about Sydney! I live here! Sydney is the best!!! So is Australia
Emma Dancer Vlogs
I ❤️Sydney
How is life there. Looks like a great place to live.
Sydney is by far my favorite city in the word 😍 from France.
Yep, your on TOP of the world!
Just go out to the western suburbs. No one there have been anywhere near the harbour! Bonyrigg, Liverpool, Cabramatta, Mount Druitt, Penrith.
A really excellent presentation, thanks👌👌👌👌👏👏👏👏👏
The video is called "The Construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge" and was made by the Institution of Engineers, Australia. Sydney Division. It was later released on a DVD.
The film was made by photographer Henri Mallard from 1930 onwards and was silent. One of the supervising engineers during the construction, Frank Litchfield, added the commentary in 1969 when he was 80.
Check Wikipedia for "Through Arch Bridge". In order of completion good examples are:
Hell Gate Bridge, NYC finished 1917 Almost identical to the Sydney Harbour Bridge except it is smaller. It carries three rail lines. The SHB "designer" Bradfield went to see the Hell Gate Bridge soon after its completion.
The Tyne Bridge built by Dorman Long was finished in 1928. Despite common belief, the Tyne Bridge was not a "prototype" for the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It carries four lanes of traffic as well as footpaths.
The Bayonne Bridge connecting New Jersey and Staten Island was completed in 1931. I don't know how many lanes of traffic it carries. It was to have pillars or pylons at each end, like the Hell Gate and SHB, but money ran out. On the Hell Gate Bridge and SHB the lower section of the pylons help support the roadway. The upper sections are purely cosmetic, in fact on the SHB one of the pylons houses a museum and a steel staircase enables people to reach the viewing area at the top of the pylon.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge was completed in 1932 and also built by Dorman Long. It originally carried two rail lines, two tram lines and four lanes of traffic. When trams ceased operation in Sydney they added another two traffic lanes instead, making six. Later they narrowed the four lanes on the main deck to make six. So now it carries two rail lines and eight traffic lanes as well as bike and pedestrian pathways. There are "tidal changes" on the bridge to help accommodate morning and evening rush hours. The Harbour Tunnel roughly follows the path of the bridge and has four lanes, two in each direction. There are plans to add a third harbour crossing nearby.
As for my interest in all of this. I was born and brought up in Newcastle on Tyne. I married a girl from Sydney whose grandfather was the General Works Manager on the SHB, employed by Dorman Long.
The Bayonne Bridge currently carries 4 lanes of traffic, 2 in either direction, and a footpath.
but have you climbed it.....now that......is the only way to REALLY appreciate what the workers did......its petrafying .....ive done it.....i live nearby......its HUGE!....do it bro.....you and your missy.
Thanks for your information.
Great.
All the steel fabrication, rivet making, everything done on site - an amazing task focus and harmony to achieve something so wonderful for humanity to share the enjoyment, the fruits of all that labour.
Great video thanks for sharing.
Balls of steel those guys. Mind blowing build. Great doco.
great video David , thankyou for showing it , my grandfather was a stone mascent for the bridge .
Built by Doorman Long, Middlesbrough, England. My hometown!
doorman became Cleveland bridge
It's Dorman Long...
Dorman Long. When Freddie Trueman was playing in the Cricket Tests in Australia the trip included a trip to the Bridge. Some twat said to him"so what do you think of our Bridge!" Reply."Well I will tell you. It was built by an English Company from Yorkshire & you have not finished paying for it yet!" (He was right. Australia finally cleared the debt in 1988).
I am a Singaporean. I think the harbour bridge is more of a symbol of Australia. Bunch of Aussies came together and built this engineering marvel.
built by the British
@@mattnolan5527 .. the materials and structure are made in UK. But the work was done by aussies
@@murallivengadasalam1300 no it wasnt
@@mattnolan5527 ... I don't really care. It's in Australia... Anyway
@@murallivengadasalam1300 nobody cares that you dont care
This is a miraculous piece of architecture. My mum worked across it when she was a girl. We’ve all driven across it
She "worked" across lt ? What work was that ?
Great find!! Love the footage of the testing of the trains - I remember my dad telling me about this and the old tram tracks on the eastern side of the bridge. I've sent a link to my dad to watch as well!
John Hill Did your dad watch it????
Thanks for sharing! Amazing era!
Wonderful documentary on such a beautiful bridge. I hope to visit Sydney's Harbor Bridge.
this is worth my time.. thanks for posting!
Fantastic to see the construction in detail. I worked on this amazing bridge installing the static line for the bridge climb in the late 1990's, an awesome experience, and I'm not good with heights!
Thank you David - That is one heck of a lot of history that might have been lost - can't wait to climb it when we visit in 2020!
Was your climb postponed? hope you get to visit it in 2021.
@@amp279 yep! Have flight for Sept 2021 - with any luck a month in Australia
@@tchanter1
Good for you,
hope you & yours have a great time here.
Just fantastic. Great upload, many thanks.
600k people has watched this. So interesting that you mention that you picked up the DVD at a flea market. Thank you so much for sharing
Hi David, thanks for sharing this interesting video. The Sydney Harbour Bridge has always been one of my favourite places in Sydney. As a child, I travelled across the bridge by tram on the eastern side of the bridge prior to the system closing in 1958. I have also been across the bridge by train, bus and walking by foot. I often wonder how much damage is caused by the fireworks exploded on it each new year. My grandfather took photos of the Harbour Bridge as it was being built. All the very best. Robert.
The sheer quantity of engineering calculations for so complex a structure simply amaze. Any small change creates a cascade of hundreds of dependent re-calculations with considerable effort, measured in days. Today, those permutations can be run in an instant.
Slide rule engineering at its finest.
What a pleasure to hear Guy Blackmore's voice again surely missed.
The poor guy inside the beam holding the head of the rivets must have been deaf after 2 days in this hole, not counting the heat.
So must have been the guy up top with the jackhammer 4" away from his head pounding away at the heads of the rivets! No hearing protection, nothing!
Outstanding presentation, thanks.
Excellent footage! Thank you.
The change from the original plan for a cantilever bridge to an arch bridge was made purely to have the roadway approach on the north side straighter and safer, but it was extremely fortuitous in that it resulted in a far more beautiful bridge that has become an iconic image of Sydney.
I can't believe those men used opened-end spanners to torque at such an height. I salute their confidence and courage
Australians should be proud,we have come so far in such short time,such a great feet of engineering from such a young country
It was built and designed by the British.....
So far in such a short time, and going backwards in quick time.....Australia, the land of wasted opportunity.
@@bulletproofkam7931 no, design by Australia see wikimedia
@@tivet4 No. Designed and built by Brits. Read the huge metal notice on the side of the bridge. As confirmed also on wiki. Nice try though.
What a wonderful video thankyou for sharing, I wish there were more like it.
Bradfield was a mastermind, he should be honoured as an eternal patron of Sydney, a revolutionary light years ahead of his time!
Perhaps, but he neither designed nor built this bridge. All he did was choose the winning tender.
Aussies will claim the credit for anything@@remarcablereally8199
Great documentary. A time long gone now - a time when Australians built things.
By that time was already With english and french architects foreigners ...
okin3838 .QQQ.Q.QQ.?Q..Q?..?QQ.Q...?..?.?.Q?QQ?....?????.
Let's see now.
The British firm, Dorman Long and Co Ltd, of Middlesbrough, came up with the general design and won the contract for building the bridge.
Ralph Freeman, an English structural engineer, undertook the detailed design work for it.
The pylons were designed by the Scottish architect Thomas S. Tait, and their construction was managed by John Gilmore, a Scottish stonemason who emigrated with his young family to Australia in 1924, at the request of the project managers.
79% of the steel was imported from England.
Yabbut it was a time when Australians built things.
@@EternalFringeDweller Australians still built it. Designing it and supplying the parts isn't building it.
@@Mojojosie86, sure, the welders, riveters, dogmen etc were mostly Australian, but that is not what Moo01100 meant with "A time long gone now - a time when Australians built things", is it?
If he did, he'd be wrong anyway. The new Royal Adelaide Hospital was a huge project. Costing 2.3 billion dollars, it was the most expensive building ever built in Australia when it was finished two years ago. The Sydney Opera House was done 40 years after the harbour bridge, but the architect who won the design competition was Danish and most of the engineers came from overseas.
I’m so glad the filmed this!
Such an interesting documentary on building Sydney Harbour Bridge, Amazing, No saftey gear ,So much construction done with bare hands,,couldnt believe what I was looking at,,, thank you ,,😢AMAZING ngaira Brocas
If I could travel back in time this is where I’d go