Como railway bridge

Como Railway Bridge
File:Como Bridge near Sydney, 1907 (8286902982).jpg
Coordinates
Carries	Illawarra railway line
Crosses	Georges River
Locale	Como
Characteristics
Design	Lattice truss bridge
History
Architect	John Whitton
Opened	26 December 1885
Closed	26 November 1972

Como railway bridge
Original bridge in the foreground in December 2006
Coordinates
Carries	Illawarra railway line
Crosses	Georges River
Locale	Como
Preceded by	Como Railway Bridge
History
Opening	27 November 1972
Replaces	original single track bridge

The Como Railway Bridge carries the Illawarra railway line across the Georges River between the Sydney suburbs of Oatley and Como.

First bridge

The original Como Railway Bridge opened on 26 December 1885 as part of the extension of the Illawarra railway line from Hurstville to Sutherland. It was a single track lattice truss bridge designed by John Whitton, the Chief Engineer of the New South Wales Government Railways. The double tracks converged to a single gauntlet track on the bridge, which enabled trains to cross in either direction without points. When the rest of the line was duplicated, it became a major bottleneck.

Between 1935 and 1942, the Metropolitan Water Sewerage & Drainage Board built two 60 centimetre diameter pipelines to pump water from the recently completed Woronora Dam to the reservoir at Penshurst. The pipeline was supported on new steel outriggers cantilevered from the main girders.

Second bridge

To relieve the bottleneck, a new double track reinforced concrete bridge immediately to the west opened on 27 November 1972. The original bridge reopened as a cycleway on 15 December 1985.

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

• Meadowbank (Georges River) Underbridge NSW Environment & Heritage
• Como Railway Bridge Sydney Water
• Establishing the Oatley-Como Bikeway/Walkway Oatley Flora & Fauna Conservation Society