SteamPower4ever Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 In 1899, the Horsens-Bryrup line in Denmark opened as a narrow gauge railroad. One of many criss-crossing the country when every little self-respecting town wanted a railroad connection. In 1929, the line was extended to the town of Silkeborg, traversing a countryside that earned the railroad line the reputation of being the most scenic in the country. At the same time as the extension, the entire line was re-gauged from 1000mm to normal gauge 1435mm. The line closed along with many others in 1968, the year of "the great railroad death". Part of the line is preserved as the Bryrup - Vrads Veteran Railway and most of the remaining part is converted to a foot/bicycle trail. The line crossed the Gudenå, the largest river in Denmark (although technically not a river) on a steel bridge. When the line was re-gauged in 1929, the bridge was deemed too weak for the heavier trains, but instead of dismantling the bridge, the river was guided into concrete tubes, and the entire bridge buried in a large embankment made from gravel. End of story. Fast forward to present day ... Biologists have determined that the 40 meter (120 feet) tubed river is not ideal for the passage of trout and other water-dwellers, so to improve the conditions, the river needed to be restored. They knew about the buried bridge of course, but when they started digging, to everyone's surprise the bridge was pretty much preserved after 85 years covered in gravel. It's the only one of its kind in Denmark, so instead of tearing it down and building a new one, why not simply restore the existing bridge? So they did. Only 200kg (400 pounds) of steel needed to be replaced, and on December 13th, 2014, the 115 years old bridge was re-inaugurated. Some guy took a lot of pictures of the excavation and the restoration process. After a naming competition with 200 suggestions from the public, the bridge was officially named "The Rediscovered Bridge". Why? Because 50 years from now, someone will ask why the bridge is called that. And the story will be told again. Is that clever or what? Happy holidays everyone Jens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieseldude Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Very cool. Thanks for posting this. -Kevin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
du-bousquetaire Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Great story. Thanks, Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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