This long-abandoned transporter bridge is still an icon of an era
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- Опубликовано: 24 июн 2023
- Warrington Transporter Bridge over the River Mersey is one of only a handful of large transporter bridges ever built, and one of even fewer still remaining around the world. Closed since the 1960s, today it stands as a monument to the town's industrial past, and in need of support and recognition.
We'll also take a look at what remains of the Runcorn-Widnes Transporter Bridge, the largest transporter bridge ever built of its type.
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I was born and raised in the shadow of the Newport Transporter Bridge.
Walking across the top was a ‘rite of passage’ for us kids.
Still brings a tear to my eye when visiting home…..
Hello, here in Germany there are still some "transportation bridges". Two of the most important: Transporter bridge Rendsburg, transporter bridge Osten - Hemmoor. The one in Rendsburg also carries the railway line from Hamburg to Flensburg and Denmark.
That transporter bridge is near my home. Its a nice piece of history
The transporter bridge is one of many things that Runcorn and Widnes have sadly lost to modernisation and progress. Thank you for another excellent video 😁
Great vids,I lived in Newton Le Willows in 1961 and used to ride my drop handle barred push bike all around the area.I'm 78yrs now,I actually crossed the transporter bridge at Runcorn/Widnes twice with my pushbike.
The view was brilliant. I still fish the Sankey canal at Earlestown right near the viaduct (one of your other vids)
The access to the Mersey from the river weaver in Winsford has a lot of history,saltworks,Frodsham,the ship canal.
(might make an interesting vid) Love your vids.
What an inspired engineering solution for a site requirement during this period of time!
Great video, one of my favourite channels
Glad you enjoy it!
My Dad as an apprentice at Crossfield Soap factory in the late 1940’s had a start of the day duty to do on the bridge. He had to climb up onto the top of the gantry with a mop and bucket of grease. He then went across one side of the roller deck spreading the grease and back on the other side, no safety harness or anything.
Literally just up the road from me! I've driven past it many times, delivering to the chemical company just at the end of it.
I really enjoy your videos,and related information, telling the story of our industrial heritage. Thanks for taking the time and trouble to make them.
Thanks for watching!
My father used the Runcorn transporter bridge in 1938. He cycled up from London to Liverpool to take the ferry from Liverpool to Belfast to see his grandfather, (a widower of many years). When we moved to Crewe as part of my BR carrer, I explored around the remains of the bridge, (the bridge admin offices are still standing in Widnes), and on the Runcorn side talked to an OAP, (I'm one now !), who told me he had often crossed the bridge in his youth to cycle up to Liverpool He told me ocasionally, whilst on a trip, the wind would get up and the bridge would be closed when they arrived back, so they had to cycle to Warrington to cross the Mersey.
The amazing thing about the Warrington bridge is its completeness with even the gondala still in place !
I have actually made a crossing on a transporter bridge. There is one at Newport, and when I was working there in the early 80s, I walked down to it and made a crossing. This bridge is still operational.
Pretty sure Newport's is currently running. Middlesbrough has been closed for a couple of years, due mainly to politics and arguing (though it does need repair).
Fantastic video. I grew up in Widnes (for my sins). Learning about the history of bridges to Runcorn is the only thing I remember well from Primary School. The Mersey Gateway had just been approved
Brilliant! You need to visit the bridge in Newport, South Wales. If you ever do plan a trip, give me a shout - originally from t' Springhead now living in the Rhondda.
Used to live in Warrington. And walked past this bridge every day to my business at arpley
You can go for a ride on the Newport Transporter Bridge in south wales, recently refurbished ;)
I grew up not too far away from the bridge ( lower walton) but could never get close to the transporter bridge. ( security Lodge near the new road crossing) the blue buildings were Unilever/ Joseph Crossfield. Both soap manufacturers. ( closed a few years ago 😢. ) thanks for taking the time to share this video. 👍.
Always wanted to get down to this but never you could do
I worked on the railway for over 46 years, just retired, and the low level route was the first I worked on, and all this time I never knew it was a rail transporter bridge!
Fantastic bit of engineering, I hope it gets restored to working order. Take care Bee.
I hope so too
I think the reason these were built was because sailing ships had tall masts which needed to be able to continue unimpeded. So the choice was to build a very high bridge (such as the Forth Bridge or Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge), or a transporter bridge. I suspect a transporter bridge was much cheaper.
Lovin' it Ollie. I'm a Latchford lad (the bridge connects Latchford and the peninsula. .was built to despatch finished product from the cement plant that had been built on the peninsula. The soapworks is across the Mersey again. It's a crime it's not a tourist centre or something!
Thanks Jimmy!
Due to working away on sites many moon's ago I went over both the Newport and Middlesbrough transporter bridge's . I stayed in a B&B very neer to the cable foundation , and as you were getting up and having breakfast the transporter would start to move and the B&B would shake or vibrate depending on what was on the deck .
Newport’s transporter bridge (South Wales ) is still in operation, you can even walk over the top of it.
Great to hear that they're planning to restore it to use.
Interestingly none of the UK's transporter bridges are in use at the minute as Middlesbrough's has been closed for a few years and I believe Newport's is currently being refurbished (although I think it will reopen later this year)
Good to have you back Ollie 🤙
Hey, thanks! 💪
I visited the one at Rochefort in France in 2006. Still running - an amazing piece of work.
Ollie your videos are always just brilliant thank you.
My pleasure!
Quality 👌
Very interesting to see the remains. Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for this Ollie, another great slice of history delivered seamlessly and natural. You make this stuff look easy, and that's the mark of someone who knows what they're doing. I could see the bridge being a big tourist attraction if it was ever brought back up to scratch, but what politician would be brave enough to push for that while the UK is struggling with a level of financial inequality the likes of which has not been seen in a generation.
Thanks Mike! Appreciate it.
Yes it's tricky justifying money for things like that at the moment
@@BeeHereNowuk I think actually the 'poison chalice' of being responsible for the structure has passed to Warrington Borough Council who don't have the finances to do anything with it. (I'm a retired former employee). It would have been maintained if it spanned the Manchester Ship Canal and there was a possibility of blocking navigation.
Top video pal👌👌👍
Thanks 👍
Enjoyed this no end.
Great to have you back on RUclips, Ollie
Thanks 😁
Wonderful job on a very interesting subject. Thank you for making this video.
A friend of mine climbed up that bridge about 15 years ago, described as similar to climbing a pile of wet tissue paper due to the rust.
Such a shame it isn't more well known and regarded, but, it's in an odd location for casual visitors to Warrington.
Amazing bridge, shame its in this state though.
Fantastic! Thank you. I remember as a 12 yr old from Speke cycling over on the Transporter and back over the Runcorn bridge the day it opened. I had forgotten Warrington transporter.I only saw it once not sure but I think it was still operational. Great engineering needs celebrating so hope it is restored. Left Merseyside 40 yrs ago but still feel proud.
Wow I’ve lived in Warrington for 30 years and never knew it was there, great stream
Glad you enjoyed it
Absolutely Fantastic,
I would love you to do a video on Eccleston and his impact on Greater Manchester
Great suggestion!
@@BeeHereNowuk wait really I genuinely appreciate that :>
@@BeeHereNowuk thanks
Whenever anyone mentions Warrington - Runcorn, I’m reminded I need to call Eileen Bilton. 😂😂😂. Thx Ollie for vid
I've never been able to get close to the bridge, and not for the want of trying. Well done.
Great video Ollie - I'd never heard of the transporter bridge - excellent structure I must admit! Thanks for your fascinating films mate!
the other side's inaccessible i presume? great vid, cheers.
Yes sorry it is.
With only about twenty Transporter bridges ever built worldwide, and five in the UK, it’s strange that three should have been built so close together. We almost had a sixth. A high level footbridge was built in the Royal Docks in East London. It was intended that this would later be converted to also serve as a Transporter Bridge, but this never happened.
When I worked on the railway, I passed that transporter bridge at Warrington, and never knew anything about its history, Ollie. But as for the one at Widnes, I hadn't a clue that that one ever existed at all, but it's nice to see the stone buildings still existing on both shores. Many thanks for this really great video.
Now that’s one incredible bridge structure. No wonder us Brits do love bridges crossing over rivers and canals with such amazing span and the design of building bridges is incredible.
I have lived in Warrington for 72 years have heard about but never seen it I am on my way thanks
Just uploaded Runcorn side, something you didn't do. Now got to edit the epic trek to Warrington! Thanks again for the inspiration
Superb filming and commentaries.
An extremely professional historical perspective.
Thanks for your time and efforts to produce your vlogs it's much appreciated by all.
Keep safe warm dry and virus free.
Take great care when going filming.
Ollie, a very enjoyable watch, nice to see you again. Thanks for helping to keep your country's history alive and sharing it with us way across the pond.
mike
Cheers! It's such an interesting niche in engineering
I love your videos I think old bridges are Art aswell as Engineering. I especially love the old Stone Power House .in it's day Industries were also trying to both get things done and be pleasing to the eye. My father Worked in a Tire factory built around 1900 it looked like a bit of a Old Fortress.
Very interesting. I should point out that the Tees Transporter was eventually built and opened in 1911. It is a grade 2 listed building. It featured on a Royal Mail stamp and was fictionally relocated to the Grand Canyon in Auf Wiedersehen Pet.
Thanks for posting this. Never knew they even existed
Amazing content and channel keep up this brilliant work thanks for making!!
Fascinating. Really very fascinating.
An excellent and informative video as always. Keep up the great work.
Growing up in the north east, although born in Manchester, I know more about the one in Middlesbrough so this is very interesting.
Thanks for another really great vlog. Very informative and interesting 👍 👏 👌 😀
Sad to see this iconic Bridge is such a poor state. Great video.
Many thanks!
Fascinating video, never knew these existed
Nice one!
I also like your choice of music for the videos,not only for this one. Keep up the great work!
Thank you very much!
There is a similar transporter bridge in Newport S. Wales, still operational.
Ollie, great video. Just wondered if you noticed just after you were coming around from the “scary bit” your hand was leaning right next to an MOD arrow carved into the stone. Any significance do you think?
It's an Ordnance Survey Bench mark (BMs). They are survey marks made by Ordnance Survey to record height above Ordnance Datum. If the exact height of one BM is known, the exact height of the next can be found by measuring the difference in heights, through a process of spirit levelling.
There is of course a Transporter Bridge in Middlesbrough which is in much better condition, but is sadly needing vast amounts of money spent after safety concerns.
I thought it had been pulled down and sold to the US. (Joke)😂
The Tees Transporter Bridge has one half in County Durham (interestingly, the only 'County' in England) and the other half in North Yorkshire.
Ah your back and in Widnes England's garden 😂 we like a bridge bigger the better not like that piddling thing that the wire built, a few years back we thought let's have another bridge but we don't mess about so we built another one and it's a whopper 😂
I was born in 1971, my Father worked at Crossfields, I have a very faint memory of being taken as a child to see the Gondola being moved, I can remember it seeming to glide across, do you know the last time the Gondola was actually moved?
Once again an example of just how terrible the north west of England is at preserving our heritage . The only one and it's for pigeons.😢
Use the Lottery money to restore these old icons, instead of Opera houses.
"Hmm, how can we make ferries more complicated and prone to breaking? Oh, and wouldn't it be great if there is no way to expand them with more ferries? And when they break there is NO WAY to use them? They either work, or don't?"
"Oooh, ooh, I know, let's put the ferry up in the air like an upside-down train!"
"But then you would have to build a bridge?"
"Yes, but instead of using it as a bridge, we use it as a bizarre ferry!!"
"Brilliant! That's gotta be the worst solution to the problem I have ever heard! More complicated than a bridge, less efficient than a ferry! Genius!"
Should get Unilever (Crossfields) to pay for the upkeep; they must have made millions on selling Van den Berghs (margarine and oils).
you wouldn't get much train on there would you.... makes ya wander what they was thinkin 😁
Oh what a sorry state. So apart from Warrington does that just leave Middlesborough and Newport in South Wales which are still fully functioning?
At the minute neither are as Middlesbrough's has been closed since 2019 and Newport's is currently being refurbished
@@driving_all_over No way?! I knew Newport had been reopened after years of abandonment but I am shocked to know about the Tees bridge!
@@ianhalsall-fox Yeah it’s a shame about the Tees one and I hope they sort it out and reopen it soon
I’m quite local to Newport so once that’s all open again I’ll try and drive on it as I’m yet to do so!
Good video but it would have been better to show one of the few that still work to explain the principle.
Two, Newport and Middlesbrough
Until seeing this video, I always though that these were the only that were ever built. I have been on the Newport several times as my dad's family come from the Newport area so used to regularly visit there, which would have been last about 20 years ago, and cross the bridge. This was apart from the last few times when it was not working
First ????
I just poured my morning coffee, and your vid was waiting just for me... lol