Report - Newport Transporter Bridge, Newport - November 2017

[Polo]

Visited with a non member.

History:

The Newport Transporter Bridge is a transporter bridge that crosses the River Usk in Newport, South East Wales. The bridge is the lowest crossing on the River Usk. Today it stands as a Grade I listed structure.

It is one of fewer than ten transporter bridges that remain in use worldwide - only a few dozen were ever built.

The bridge was designed by French engineer Ferdinand Arnodin. It was built in 1906 and opened by Godfrey Charles Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar on 12th September 1906.

The design was chosen because the river banks are very low at the desired crossing point (a few miles south of the city centre) where an ordinary bridge would need a very long approach ramp to attain sufficient height to allow ships to pass underneath. A ferry, however, would be of no use during periods of low tide at the site.

I've actually visited this place twice - the above photo being the only one I got the first time round before we decided to come back another day.

More recently, though, we were lucky to have a bit more success. The drier conditions definitely helped in getting onto the main stair-set and, after the toughest obstacle was out the way, we had a clear path to the top. I have no idea how our visit wasn't cut short after some bloke with a torch seemingly failed to spot us but he eventually left without saying anything. The lights on the bridge went off and so we headed upwards.

Not the best and most pic-heavy set I've ever had but I'm glad to have finally had a proper go at the Transporter Bridge. I think I'm slowly getting better with heights.

Thanks for looking!​

 

[Xan_Asmodi]

Good to see this again, great photos!

 

[Supersonic]

Pictures are Ace. Nice work

 

[tallginge]

Mint pics, man. Nice seeing some older one's too. It's seemingly the hardest one of the three to get on to as well - nice one!

 

[stranton]

Middlesbrough has it's own lift now
nice photographs

 

[wellingtonian]

Good job. Did you not go right to the top?

 

[Polo]

Good job. Did you not go right to the top?

Not quite. The two I was with wanted to head back after we'd walked over to the other side - might be worth revisiting at one point though

 

[radvillain]

Cracking photos these mate, nice one!