On 09/03/2013 00:33, Dave Liquorice wrote:


Surely the worst bridge must be the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, on a boat:

http://www.holiday-canal-boat.com/im...ysyllte_aquedu
ct.jpg


+1. Been there, done that, got the video... six inches between you and
a sheer drop!

I actually scared myself on one of the other viaducts up there where I
hopped off to take a 'photo and nearly tripped over something. A no
walking sign. At which point I realised I was lots-of-feet-up on a flat
surface with no rails...

Andy

On Sat, 09 Mar 2013 10:17:14 +0000, Chris J Dixon wrote:

Bill wrote:

In message o.uk, Dave
Liquorice writes

Surely the worst bridge must be the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, on a boat:

http://www.holiday-canal-boat.com/im...ysyllte_aquedu
ct.jpg

http://www.glyndwr.ac.uk/tour/facilities/

And choose the 6th option down the list. I've stood at the end of it
and did not really fancy the walk across.

Me too! Not happy about heights.

Chris

Back in the -80s I cycled across it - sort of. Had to start off at the end
of the exposed bit but the bike I was on 'shook its head' at v. low speed,
so I never did let go of the rail. A quick estimate convinced me that, with
the combined height of the towpath and me on a 26"-framed bike, the wrong
sort of fall could cause an unwanted interaction with the far edge - and get
water in the bearings!
--
Peter.
The gods will stay away
whilst religions hold sway

On Sat, 09 Mar 2013 00:32:12 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
bert ] wrote:
Well the Forth Bridge is now slowly falling down having exceed it's
design lifetime so they're about to start all over again.

Makes you wonder what idiot committee approved a 50 year life. Especially
given the one it's next door to. ;-)

They probably thought we'd all be working five-hour weeks in paperless
offices and going everywhere by hovercar and wouldn't need bridges in
the future.

Nick

On 09/03/13 00:33, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Fri, 08 Mar 2013 21:45:36 +0000, polygonum wrote:

Most of those sort of bridges you don't really notice. The Dartford
crossing one, you do. It looks quite intimidating approaching it. ;-)

Try Millau

http://www.flickr.com/photos/djclark/854959381/

Looks nice.

I actually found one of the most disconcerting bridges to be Erskine -
going south (IIRC). Not quite the picture in my head but not a bad
illustration:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65166290@N00/6980051873/

You feel as if you are on top of the bridge and could easily drive off.

Surely the worst bridge must be the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, on a boat:

http://www.holiday-canal-boat.com/im...ysyllte_aquedu
ct.jpg



I've walked the footpath/towpath on that one.

I was happy, my brother on the other hand has trouble with heights.

--
djc

On 09/03/2013 12:46, Andy Champ wrote:

+1. Been there, done that, got the video... six inches between you and
a sheer drop!

I actually scared myself on one of the other viaducts up there where I
hopped off to take a 'photo and nearly tripped over something. A no
walking sign. At which point I realised I was lots-of-feet-up on a flat
surface with no rails...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrN6PzhiyWo

--
mailto:news{at}admac(dot}myzen{dot}co{dot}uk

In article ,
says...

On Sat, 09 Mar 2013 00:32:12 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
bert ] wrote:
Well the Forth Bridge is now slowly falling down having exceed it's
design lifetime so they're about to start all over again.

Makes you wonder what idiot committee approved a 50 year life. Especially
given the one it's next door to. ;-)

They probably thought we'd all be working five-hour weeks in paperless
offices and going everywhere by hovercar and wouldn't need bridges in
the future.

"Bridges made redundant as Jet-pack use become widespread."


--
Sam

On 09/03/2013 00:32, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
bert ] wrote:
Well the Forth Bridge is now slowly falling down having exceed it's
design lifetime so they're about to start all over again.

Makes you wonder what idiot committee approved a 50 year life. Especially
given the one it's next door to. ;-)

However in the 1980s there was discussion about whether it would make
its centenary in 1990 - or more than a few years after.

Then not that long ago it was claimed the new paint job would keep it
surviving for an indefinite future.

Wonder what the stories behind the scenes were/are?

--
Rod

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
writes
In article ,
bert ] wrote:
Well the Forth Bridge is now slowly falling down having exceed it's
design lifetime so they're about to start all over again.

Makes you wonder what idiot committee approved a 50 year life. Especially
given the one it's next door to. ;-)

Probably the Treasury :-)
--
bert

In message , polygonum
writes
On 09/03/2013 00:32, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
bert ] wrote:
Well the Forth Bridge is now slowly falling down having exceed it's
design lifetime so they're about to start all over again.

Makes you wonder what idiot committee approved a 50 year life. Especially
given the one it's next door to. ;-)

However in the 1980s there was discussion about whether it would make
its centenary in 1990 - or more than a few years after.

Then not that long ago it was claimed the new paint job would keep it
surviving for an indefinite future.

Wonder what the stories behind the scenes were/are?

Corrosion on the individual wires which make up the main cables.
--
bert

In message , Andy Champ
writes
On 09/03/2013 00:33, Dave Liquorice wrote:


Surely the worst bridge must be the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, on a boat:

http://www.holiday-canal-boat.com/im...ysyllte_aquedu
ct.jpg


+1. Been there, done that, got the video... six inches between you and
a sheer drop!

I actually scared myself on one of the other viaducts up there where I
hopped off to take a 'photo and nearly tripped over something. A no
walking sign. At which point I realised I was lots-of-feet-up on a flat
surface with no rails...

Andy
Not as far up as the top of the towers of the Forth Road Bridge!!
--
bert

On Sat, 9 Mar 2013 23:44:13 +0000, bert wrote:

Well the Forth Bridge is now slowly falling down having exceed it's
design lifetime so they're about to start all over again.

Which one?

Makes you wonder what idiot committee approved a 50 year life.
Especially given the one it's next door to. ;-)

Presumably the Road Bridge?

Then not that long ago it was claimed the new paint job would keep it
surviving for an indefinite future.

That's the rail bridge isn't it? The end of the phrase "like painting the
Forth (rail) Bridge" when refering to jobs that will never end.

Corrosion on the individual wires which make up the main cables.

That'll be the road bridge. I thought they had sort of solved that by
fitting aircon/heaters/forced ventilation to reduce the corrosion rate to
a much lower level.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Sat, 09 Mar 2013 00:32:12 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

Well the Forth Bridge is now slowly falling down having exceed it's
design lifetime so they're about to start all over again.

Makes you wonder what idiot committee approved a 50 year life.

When it was built, fifty years seemed an awfully long time away...

In article o.uk,
Dave Liquorice wrote:

That'll be the road bridge. I thought they had sort of solved that by
fitting aircon/heaters/forced ventilation to reduce the corrosion rate
to a much lower level.

All that did was extend the life slightly. It's going to be replaced.

--
*Remember not to forget that which you do not need to know.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
On Sat, 09 Mar 2013 00:32:12 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

Well the Forth Bridge is now slowly falling down having exceed it's
design lifetime so they're about to start all over again.

Makes you wonder what idiot committee approved a 50 year life.

When it was built, fifty years seemed an awfully long time away...

Tell me about it. I remember visiting the building site on a school outing.

--
*A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article , ] says...

In message , polygonum
writes
On 09/03/2013 00:32, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
bert ] wrote:
Well the Forth Bridge is now slowly falling down having exceed it's
design lifetime so they're about to start all over again.

Makes you wonder what idiot committee approved a 50 year life. Especially
given the one it's next door to. ;-)

However in the 1980s there was discussion about whether it would make
its centenary in 1990 - or more than a few years after.

Then not that long ago it was claimed the new paint job would keep it
surviving for an indefinite future.

Wonder what the stories behind the scenes were/are?

Corrosion on the individual wires which make up the main cables.

Corrosion was a serious problem in the first Severn Bridge.

Due, I'm told, to the builders cvffvat into the box sections before they
were sealed off.

Which reminds me of a visit to HMS Brecon whilst she was under
construction.

The whole thing was made of GRP, and there were prominent signs
everywhere reminding everyone that cvffvat anywhere on the vessel was
strictly forbidden.

--
Sam

On 3/9/2013 8:06 PM, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article o.uk,
Dave Liquorice wrote:

That'll be the road bridge. I thought they had sort of solved that by
fitting aircon/heaters/forced ventilation to reduce the corrosion rate
to a much lower level.

All that did was extend the life slightly. It's going to be replaced.

Well, they'll be building a new one, but the old road bridge will still
be in _limited_ use. (Or so I read in the papers last week.)

In article ,
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article o.uk,
Dave Liquorice wrote:

That'll be the road bridge. I thought they had sort of solved that by
fitting aircon/heaters/forced ventilation to reduce the corrosion rate
to a much lower level.

All that did was extend the life slightly. It's going to be replaced.


Another one is due to be built, but, like the Severn Crossing, there may
well end up being 2 bridges.

--
From KT24

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.18

On Sun, 10 Mar 2013 00:33:42 +0000, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:

On Sat, 09 Mar 2013 00:32:12 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

Well the Forth Bridge is now slowly falling down having exceed it's
design lifetime so they're about to start all over again.

Makes you wonder what idiot committee approved a 50 year life.

When it was built, fifty years seemed an awfully long time away...

In the early '80s my then GF lived next to a chap who was a civil engineer
for British Rail. He told me that structures were designed for a 100-year
life with no major maintenance, because any major work was very expensive
(lack of diversion routes, I suppose).
--
Peter.
The gods will stay away
whilst religions hold sway

On Sunday 10 March 2013 01:06 Dave Plowman (News) wrote in uk.d-i-y:

In article o.uk,
Dave Liquorice wrote:

That'll be the road bridge. I thought they had sort of solved that by
fitting aircon/heaters/forced ventilation to reduce the corrosion rate
to a much lower level.

All that did was extend the life slightly. It's going to be replaced.


Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker's skeletons must be cackling in their
graves...



--
Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://squiddy.blog.dionic.net/

http://www.sensorly.com/ Crowd mapping of 2G/3G/4G mobile signal coverage

Reading this on the web? See:
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Usenet

On Sunday 10 March 2013 01:53 Sam Plusnet wrote in uk.d-i-y:

Corrosion was a serious problem in the first Severn Bridge.

Due, I'm told, to the builders cvffvat into the box sections before they
were sealed off.

Which reminds me of a visit to HMS Brecon whilst she was under
construction.

The whole thing was made of GRP, and there were prominent signs
everywhere reminding everyone that cvffvat anywhere on the vessel was
strictly forbidden.


cvffvat?

--
Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://squiddy.blog.dionic.net/

http://www.sensorly.com/ Crowd mapping of 2G/3G/4G mobile signal coverage

Reading this on the web? See:
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Usenet

On Sun, 10 Mar 2013 08:23:34 +0000, Tim Watts wrote:

On Sunday 10 March 2013 01:53 Sam Plusnet wrote in uk.d-i-y:

Corrosion was a serious problem in the first Severn Bridge.

Due, I'm told, to the builders cvffvat into the box sections before
they were sealed off.

Which reminds me of a visit to HMS Brecon whilst she was under
construction.

The whole thing was made of GRP, and there were prominent signs
everywhere reminding everyone that cvffvat anywhere on the vessel was
strictly forbidden.


cvffvat?

ROT13



--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
My posts (including this one) are my copyright and if @diy_forums on
Twitter wish to tweet them they can pay me £30 a post
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On Sunday 10 March 2013 09:16 Bob Eager wrote in uk.d-i-y:

On Sun, 10 Mar 2013 08:23:34 +0000, Tim Watts wrote:

On Sunday 10 March 2013 01:53 Sam Plusnet wrote in uk.d-i-y:

Corrosion was a serious problem in the first Severn Bridge.

Due, I'm told, to the builders cvffvat into the box sections before
they were sealed off.

Which reminds me of a visit to HMS Brecon whilst she was under
construction.

The whole thing was made of GRP, and there were prominent signs
everywhere reminding everyone that cvffvat anywhere on the vessel was
strictly forbidden.


cvffvat?

ROT13




Nu - V frr.

--
Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://squiddy.blog.dionic.net/

http://www.sensorly.com/ Crowd mapping of 2G/3G/4G mobile signal coverage

Reading this on the web? See:
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Usenet

On 09/03/2013 21:36, alan wrote:
On 09/03/2013 12:46, Andy Champ wrote:

+1. Been there, done that, got the video... six inches between you and
a sheer drop!

I actually scared myself on one of the other viaducts up there where I
hopped off to take a 'photo and nearly tripped over something. A no
walking sign. At which point I realised I was lots-of-feet-up on a flat
surface with no rails...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrN6PzhiyWo

Fell across this rather spectacular bridge a minute ago (totally
unrelated search!):

Merging in the mist - Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon, Portugal.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...da_Gama_25.jpg

--
Rod

On 09/03/2013 23:45, bert wrote:
Not as far up as the top of the towers of the Forth Road Bridge!!

After the first 10m or so it doesn't matter much.

Andy

In article ,
says...


In the early '80s my then GF lived next to a chap who was a civil engineer
for British Rail. He told me that structures were designed for a 100-year
life with no major maintenance, because any major work was very expensive
(lack of diversion routes, I suppose).

I'm sure the accountants have made serious in-roads into that concept
since privatisation.


--
Sam

In article ,
lid says...

On 09/03/2013 23:45, bert wrote:
Not as far up as the top of the towers of the Forth Road Bridge!!

After the first 10m or so it doesn't matter much.

You do get longer to say

"Drat! I didn't mean to do that!"



--
Sam

bert ] writes:

In message , polygonum
writes
On 05/03/2013 12:55, Graham. wrote:
On Tue, 05 Mar 2013 12:11:08 +0000, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:


A motorist with a fear of *bridges* called police in a panic while
travelling along one of the countrys busiest motorways after realising
he was about to travel *under* the River Thames, it emerged today.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...nsport/9909519
/Motorist-with-fear-of-bridges-needed-police-escort-to-enter-Dartford-
Crossing.html

Perhaps she was OK with tunnels but the mere sight of the QE2 was
enough to set her off.

Daily Mail says:

Driver with terrifying fear of TUNNELS rescued by police after his
sat-nav took him to the Dartford Crossing by mistake

By Simon Tomlinson

A driver who is terrified of bridges and tunnels called 999 after his
sat-nav wrongly directed him to the Dartford Crossing and he realised
he couldn't turn back.


Gephyrophobia is a fear of bridges and is often combined with a fear of
tunnels, normally associated to agoraphobia or claustrophobia.

Read mo
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...rifying-fear-B
RIDGES-rescued-police-sat-nav-took-Dartford-Crossing-mistake.html#ixzz2M
fdXkbaR

Which just goes to show that the much maligned Mail is more reliable
than the Telegraph. What did the Sun have to say anyone?

"Say" ? I thought they just did pictures!

--
Windmill, Use t m i l l
J.R.R. Tolkien:- @ O n e t e l . c o m
All that is gold does not glister / Not all who wander are lost