Placement of concrete beams onto bridge abutments

Placement of concrete beams onto bridge abutments - Where?

Date Added: 06 December 2021 Contributor: Norman Davidson Year of Photo: 1982 Picture No: 5274

The image is from a photograph collection that was originally stored at Kincardine Forest District office at Durris and may have been taken by Sandy Sandilands.

There is no information with these images and the date of 1982 is an estimate. The concrete beams are almost certainly pre-stressed reinforced beams manufactured at specialist facilities and often used for longer single span bridge crossings by the Forestry Commission.

Please see the PDF below which has other views of the operation to crane on the beams and of the transport lorries that brought the beams to the location. Note that at least two long reach cranes are being used one of which has the name Baldwins on the jib. The lorry bogie attached to the far end of the beams is steered by a very exposed operator.

Can anyone identify the location and the forest name?

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Groups: Forestry in Action, Mystery and unknown, Road and Bridge Engineers and Works

2 Comments

This is Kielder village. In the PDF the beams seem to be getting delivered to the primary school car park in the centre of the village. (Note Kielder Castle in the trees in the background). There are a number of bridges in and around the village, with the construction of the new dam in the late 70's and very early 80s, a lot of the roads would be repositioned. I think this is the building of the new bridge on the new access road into the village, coming from the Bellingham and, although maybe someone who knows Kielder better can confirm.
Presumably this would be Norhumberland council work, but I am not sure if the FC were responsible for the roads in and around Kielder village at the time?

Comment left on 08 December 2021 at 09:04 by Iain Gale

Thanks Iain for placing the location identity.
As to whether it is Council or FC operation I do not see any supporting vehicles to judge. I assume if it was a Council job then contractors would carry out the whole job. There is only one Transit van seen, rear view with doors open, and no distinguishing decals visible. A few yellow safety hats as well as white ones?
Norman Comment left on 12 December 2021 at 08:05 by Norman Davidson (Website Curator)

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