Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1297437 in Books
• Published on: 2003-02-01
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Customer Reviews

bridge history
John Rapley's book breaks new ground in the history of British bridges by his meticulous research of the tube bridges pioneered by Stephenson and Fairbairn. The bridges were the response to a challenge produced by railway expansion in Victorian times, the problem of crossing broad estuaries. It involved creating an entirely new concept of constructing huge tubes from wrought iron sheet riveted together, and although the idea was a dead end, the methods inspired others to make equally awesome bridges such as the Tay and Forth bridges later that century. Rapley's book is a "must" for readers who want to appreciate large engineered structures and their contribution to the history of the railways.