This list is intended to help identify a particular early form of lattice girder bridge which was popular with bridge engineers particularly in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century.
The term "lattice girder", is used in the UK and "lattice truss" is more widely used in the USA. A lattice girder or truss is often defined only in two dimensions, that is (in the case of a bridge) the structure as seen from the side. Such definitions sufficed for the early lattice girders such as the US Town truss which was designed for construction in timber. Early iron structures using a Town-type lattice replicated this appearance, leading to the instantly recognisable lattice-work shown in the bridges in Part A of this list. However, design considerations required that an iron (as opposed to a wooden) structure required many of the latticed bars to be stiffened in the third dimension. Thus, on closer examination, the delicate appearance of these early iron lattices is belied by this much more complex stiffening in the thickness or third dimension. This complex stiffening is itself also sometimes described as a ‘lattice girder’, being composed of (typically) two or four parallel flat or angled steel bars, closely spaced but linked by lattice work. Such a member is better described as a "laced strut", and such members frequently form a significant part of a lattice girder. The use of laced struts within a lattice girder can be seen in the two photographs of the c1860s lattice girder bridge at Llandeilo.
The first table lists these early examples. (Note that some bridges, for example the New Clyde Viaduct (or Second Caledonian Bridge) in Glasgow, appear to be of lattice construction whereas in fact the latticing is used solely for the protective parapet.)
In later forms, various developments took place: for example, the lattice became less dense and each individual diagonal thus much more substantial; vertical members were introduced; and eventually both diagonal and vertical members achieved cross-sectional dimensions comparable to those of the main top and bottom components, thus forming what is more commonly known as a truss.
The second table lists these later developments.
Bridges with dense latticing constructed from flat iron bars or angles
+ Bridges with dense latticing constructed from flat iron bars or anglesName Date ofconstructionNotes Image Bennerley Viaduct 1877 One of only two iron trestle bridges still in situ in the UK. Kew Railway Bridge 1869 Runcorn Railway Bridge 1868 Also known as Ethelfleda Bridge or Britannia Bridge. Carries the Liverpool branch of the West Coast Main Line over the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal. Marton Junction Bridge 1851 Darcy Lever Railway Bridge 1848 Rebuilt in 1883, but it is thought that the original girders were used. Cadishead Viaduct 1892 Fulham Railway Bridge 1889 Wandsworth Bridge 1873 Replaced by the current bridge in 1937 Cornbrook Viaduct (Castlefield) 1877 Great Northern Viaduct (Castlefield) 1894 Llandeilo Railway Bridge 1852 Partick Railway Bridge 1900 Westburn Viaduct 1897 Burntisland 1888 Irlam Viaduct 1873 Monk Bridge Sheffield District Railway Bridge, Brightside 1900 Logierait Bridge 1865 Warmsworth Viaduct 1910 Pont Goed Bridge, Pentre Berw, Isle of Anglesey 1867 Halkirk Bridge 1874 Kinbrace Railway Bridge 1874 Darwen Street Bridge, Blackburn 1847 Wishaw Railway Bridge 1849 Gallowgate Railway Bridge 1870 Oykel Viaduct, Invershin 1868 Sainsbury's Bridge, Bath 1870 Waterloo Railway Bridge 1864 Oxford Gasworks Bridge 1882 Llangefni Railway Bridge 1866 Bowshank Railway Bridge 1849 Brixton Railway Bridge 1867 Rochester Railway Bridge 1891 Coatbridge Railway Bridge 1898 Montrose Viaduct 1880 The end span (see photo) is a conventional Town-type lattice. However, the bulk of this long viaduct consists of longer spans each of which has been strengthened by adding a small degree of upward curvature to the upper horizontals. This makes this structure a unique example of a Town-type bowstring lattice. Bath Station Railway Bridge 1878 Dolemeads Bridge, Bath Croxley Green Railway Bridge 1912 River Trent Bridge, Melbourne, Derbyshire 1868 Dutch River Bridge, Goole 1848 Fortyfoot Bridge, Lincolnshire 1882 Wick River Bridge, Sibster, Caithness 1874 Broadford Bridge, near Guildford, Surrey Cragganmore Railway Bridge 1863 Crow Road Railway Bridge (1), Glasgow 1885 Estimated date of construction. Railways in this part of Glasgow were opened in the mid-1880s. Crow Road Railway Bridge (2), Glasgow 1885 Estimated date of construction. Railways in this part of Glasgow were opened in the mid-1880s. Burnham Road Railway Bridge, Scotstoun, Glasgow 1907
Bridges with simpler use of diagonal and vertical members + Bridges with simpler use of diagonal and vertical membersName Date ofconstructionNotes Image Dowery Dell Viaduct 1883 A rare example of a lattice girder superstructure supported on trestles. Built by the Halesowen Joint Railway. Demolished 1964. Hungerford Bridge 1864 Wicker Viaduct 1848
See also List of railway bridges and viaducts in the United Kingdom
References