Hawkesbury River railway bridge

Hawkesbury River railway bridge
The (current) Hawkesbury railway bridge, looking north
Coordinates	33°32′2″S 151°13′42″E / 33.53389°S 151.22833°E / -33.53389; 151.22833
Carries	Main North railway line
Crosses	Hawkesbury River
Locale	Sydney/Central Coast, New South Wales
Begins	Brooklyn (south)
Ends	Cogra Bay (north)
Owner	Transport Asset Holding Entity
Characteristics
Design	Riveted K and Pratt truss bridge
Material	Steel
Total length	785 metres (2,575 ft)
Water depth	56 metres (183 ft)
Longest span	135.64 metres (445 ft)
No. of spans	Eight
Piers in water	Six
Load limit	60 Cooper's e-value
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks	2
Structure gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrified	January 1960 (1960-01)
History
Designer	Keith 'Mick' King
Contracted lead designer	Way and Works Branch, NSW Government Railways
Constructed by	NSW Government Railways
Fabrication by	Structural Workshops, Chullora
Construction start	18 July 1939 (1939-07-18)
Construction cost	A£1,400,000
Opened	1 July 1946 (1946-07-01)
Replaces	First bridge built in 1889
New South Wales Heritage Register
Official name	Hawkesbury River Rail Bridge and Long Island Group
Type	State heritage (built)
Designated	2 April 1999
Reference no.	4800130
Type	Rail Bridge
Category	Transport – Land
Location

The Hawkesbury River railway bridge is a heritage-listed railway bridge in New South Wales, Australia that carries the Main North railway line across the Hawkesbury River. The bridge crosses between Brooklyn on the northern outskirts of Sydney and Cogra Bay in the Central Coast region. The railway bridge was to be the last link in a railway network that linked the state capitals Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and was a major engineering feat at the time. The original railway bridge was built in 1889 and replaced by the current bridge in 1946. The 1946 bridge was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.^[1]