The Postcard
A postally unused Kromo Series postcard that was published by B & D of London EC, Pictorial Postcard Pioneers. The card, which has a divided back, was printed in Saxony.
Transbordeur Bridges
A transbordeur (UK: Transporter) bridge has two tall metal pylons with a horizontal travel way fixed high above the river. A gondola (or platform) is suspended from a shuttle, usually powered by electricity, that runs along the travel way.
The gondola provides transport across the river, while the bridge itself still allows large ship traffic, such as sailing ships, to pass up and down the river. At least twenty-two transbordeur bridges have been built around the world, seven being in France (Bordeaux, Brest, Marseille, Nantes, Rochefort, Rouen, and a miniature one at Montceau-les-Mines). Five were also built in the UK.
Transbordeur bridges have their origin in the need to cross rivers used as maritime highways by sea-going sailing ships, particularly in port towns where providing the long approach ramp required for a very high road deck was impractical. The transbordeur bridge provided an elegant and efficient solution to this problem.
Ferdinand Arnodin
The transbordeur bridge design is generally regarded as being invented by Ferdinand Arnodin, a French industrial engineer who had previously specialised in cable-suspended bridges. He designed about 25 such bridges, inventing their spirally-wound double torsion steel wire ropes, as well as several other improvements to bridge safety and solidity.
The first of this new generation of suspension bridges built by Arnodin was the Pont de Saint Ilpize, Haut-Loire, completed in 1879. It still exists, having been repaired in 2004.
Arnodin was responsible for nine of the eighteen known transbordeur bridges to be built at the end of the 19th. century and early part of the 20th. century.
Destruction of the Rouen Transbordeur
The Rouen Transbordeur was built in 1899. It had a span of 140 m and a pylon height of 70 m. It was destroyed on the 9th. June 1940 by French troops in order to slow the German advance.
The Newport Transporter Bridge
The Newport Transporter Bridge (Welsh: Pont Gludo Casnewydd) crosses the River Usk in Newport, South East Wales. The bridge is the lowest crossing on the River Usk, and is a Grade I listed structure.
It is one of fewer than 10 transporter bridges that remain in use worldwide. It is one of only two operational transporter bridges in Great Britain, the other being the Tees Transporter Bridge.
Crossing fees are currently (2023):
Adult Single – £1.50
Adult Return – £2.00
Child Single – 50p
Child Return – £1.00
Day Ticket (including unlimited trips on the gondola and walking across the top of the bridge) – £4.00.
History of the Newport Transporter Bridge
The bridge was designed by French engineer Ferdinand Arnodin. It was built in 1906 and opened by Godfrey Charles Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar, on the 12th. September 1906.
Newport Museum holds a silver cigar cutter which was presented to Viscount Tredegar on the day of the opening, as a memento of the occasion.
Design and Principal Dimensions of the Newport Transporter
The design was chosen because the river banks are very low at the desired crossing point (a few miles south of the city centre) which meant that an ordinary bridge would need a very long approach ramp to attain sufficient height to allow ships to pass under, and a ferry could not be used during low tide at the site.
The towers are 73.6 metres (241.5 ft) high, and the height to the underside of the main girder truss above the road level is 49.97 m (163.9 ft).
The span between the centres of the towers is 196.56 m (644.9 ft). Power to propel the transporter platform or gondola is provided by two 35 hp (26.1 kW) electric motors; these drive a large winch, situated in an elevated winding house at the eastern end of the bridge.
The winch is sufficient to drive the gondola through its total travel at a speed of 3 metres per second (9.8 ft/s). The gondola carries motor vehicles, including buses and multi sized lorries, as well as cyclists and pedestrians.
When compared with Middlesbrough's Transporter Bridge, the Newport Transporter is 5 m (16 ft) taller, but 23 m (75 ft) less in overall length. It also utilizes approximately 1,400 tons of steel compared to 2,600 tons used to construct Middlesbrough's Transporter (not accounting for steel used in foundations or concrete anchors).
This difference in weight is mainly due to the Newport bridge making use of cables to support and induce tension into its structure to a far greater extent than the Middlesbrough bridge.
The bridge is considered an iconic symbol of the city of Newport, particularly as a mark of its industrial heritage.
As well as a working transport link, the bridge is also open as a tourist attraction – visitors can climb the towers and walk across the upper deck for a small charge.
The bridge forms part of the classified highway network, and is also where route 4 of the National Cycle Network crosses the River Usk and route 47 begins.
The transporter was the focal point of the local millennium celebrations of 2000, where fireworks were fired from its length, and has been featured in several movies and television shows.
It was the centre-piece of the Crow Point Festival in September 2006 to celebrate its centenary. It is used for charity events such as sponsored abseils.
Refurbishment of the Newport Transporter
The bridge was shut down in 1985 because of wear and tear. Following a £3 million refurbishment, it reopened in 1995. However service was suspended again in December 2008 with the bridge facing a £2 million repair bill.
The repair was financed by grants from the Welsh Government, Newport City Council and Cadw. It re-opened on the 30th. July 2010.
Appearances of the Newport Transporter in Popular Media
The transporter bridge provided the setting for some scenes in the 1959 British crime drama film Tiger Bay, which was set in Cardiff and therefore gave audiences the impression that the bridge was in Cardiff and not Newport.
The bridge also appears in the 1972 experimental film The Other Side of the Underneath by Jane Arden, and features extensively in the 1996 video for the song "Talk to Me" by Newport band 60 Ft. Dolls.
The Newport Transporter Visitor Centre
The Visitor Centre is located on the west bank, and features exhibits on the history of the bridge, its construction and other transporter bridges around the world.
The centre features a painting of David Pearce, the former undefeated Welsh and British Heavyweight Boxing Champion 1983–1985. Pearce used to run up the steps of the Transporter Bridge during his training.
The centre is generally open at weekends, but it is currently closed until Summer 2024, while extensive restoration of the bridge structure is performed and a new visitor centre is constructed.
