"The present we know is only a movie of the past"
Bridges
April 2006
"Made in Scotland Fae Girders"
A bridge is something that probably every kid has built at sometime in their lives balancing across using a plank or a log.
They are fundamental things that people have built from the rope bridges of Indiana Jones fame to the massive feats of engineering we wonder at.
This is what the Meccano Catalogue of 1928 said about the subject: "There are few branches of engineering that appeal more to imaginative boys (1928 remember!) than bridge-building. In it are to be found some of the greatest structures and most creditable achievements in the history of engineering, while in no other branch do we find the amazing adaptability of the engineer emphasised in so many remarkable ways. In numerous cases the engineers have had to face what seemed to be insurmountable difficulties in the erection of their bridges, and they have shown undaunted courage in the face of obstacles. They have responded to every demand made upon them, and have even offered to bridge the English Channel between Dover and Calais! These facts appeal to our imagination and make us enjoy reading of the trials and triumphs of bridge builders." That just about sums it up really.
There is a picture amongst the images of one of Meccano's bridges of the time, a peculiar kind of bridge called a 'Transporter Bridge' The model was based on an actual bridge that spanned the River Mersey up until it was replaced in the early 60's by the present Runcorn Bridge which is also shown.
The Transporter Bridge tried to solve the problem of bridging a river sufficiently high enough to allow tall shipping to pass below. It did this by slinging a 'car' beneath its bridge section and winching the contents across the river. It wasn't the most efficient contraption ever invented and not much better than a ferry service but quite a sight to behold and there are still several working Transporter Bridges left in the world one of which is to be found further along the River Mersey.
The pictures here were meant to be from around town and to feature 'The Bridge' but there are images of other bridges from further afield as we have snapped them.
Inscape has also built its own bridge, or at least a bridge section forming the Tiree Ferry Shelter which can be seen in our portfolio in the 'social' category 'An Turas'
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