Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

Photo, Great Western Railway Company. THE ROYAL ALBERT BRIDGE AT SALTASH. BY FELIX J. C. POLE. This bridge was one of Brunel, and its gifted engineer. the gigantic experiments made by Isambard Kingdom successful erection illustrates the resourcefulness of that and largest types the Royal Albert A MONGST the earlier / \ of iron structures -V Bridge, which spans at Saltash the river Tamar (at that point a magnificent expanse of water 1,100 feet wide and about 70 feet deep), occupies a very prominent place. It was designed and erected by the great engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and forms the connecting link by which rail- way communication was first established be- tween the counties of Devon and Cornwall. The railway history of the latter county is evi- via- but replete with engineering achievements, as denced by the numerous lofty, massive ducts spanning its well-wooded valleys ; these sink almost into insignificance in com- parison with the huge structure at Saltash, which is at once the last and greatest of Brunel’s railway works. The outstanding fea- tures are its large dimensions, coupled with the economical character of the design and the form of superstructure ; while the method by which the foundations of the piers were se- cured and the girders erected was unique.