Viaduc de Busseau,
Creuse, New Aquitaine, France
This M.G. Editions used postcard has a photo by M. Gauthier showing a view of the steel truss rail bridge or viaduct at Creuse, France. The number 23 138 003 appears at the lower left corner on the reverse.
Built between 1863 and 1864 and spanning the Creuse River, the bridge is 338.7 m or 1,111 ft long, 8 m or 26 ft wide, and 56.5 m or 185 ft high. The main support is 50 m or 164 ft tall. The design for this bridge is patterned after the Grandfey viaduct in Sarine, Switzerland that was the first metal railway viaduct in continental Europe.
The Creuse River flows into the Vienne River which then joins the Loire River before entering the Atlantic Ocean. There are 6 hydroelectic dams on the Creuse. The lakes formed by the dams are popular tourist destinations with beaches.
Crosswind stability was a big factor in the design of the viaduct. A second factor was the appearance of the bridge. The picture shows all the cross beams used for the wind stability that are attractive looking as well as functional. Constructing a metal bridge was about half the cost of a masonry viaduct. The pillars and piers are anchored in a masonry base. Cast iron was used for the piers. Roller bearings on the abutments allow free expansion of the deck. The deck was put in place by building a section on the ground and pushing the section into place by moving the deck forward one span at a time until it reached the next pile. The apron served as a runway for the crane during the assembly of the metal piles. In 1905 the viaduct received a reinforced concrete deck. The bridge sustained damage during World War II resulting in repairs in 1944 and 1945. Originally there were two tracks today there is a single track. The bridge was declared a Historic Monument in 1975.
Thanks again to a friend who shared this card.
For additional information, see:
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viaduc_de_Busseau
[note: there is an option for English translation]
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