Railways and Tramways of Australia

31 January

Renmark’s first train is standing ready to steam under a temporary arch which is decorated with flags, foliage and sheaves of wheat. It will break through a web of tape or ribbon to cross the Paringa bridge and mark the opening of the line, 31 January 1927. Photo: State Library, South Australia, B+3998.

Heavy lifting

The Paringa lift span bridge in South Australia was opened on 31 January 1927.

Although Paringa was connected by railway with Adelaide in 1913, the much larger town of Renmark was on the other side of the Murray River. Passengers and goods were transported across the river by ferry.

Construction of a bridge, designed by the South Australian Railways, was authorised in 1925. It had a length of 568 feet (173 metres) and included five fixed spans and one moveable span, all built on concrete piers and abutments. The moveable span could be lifted vertically by 30 feet (9 metres). It provided passage for vessels that would be unable to clear the fixed spans.

On its opening day the official train was hauled by 700 Class 2-8-2 locomotive no. 702 and consisted of eight carriages. No. 702 was decorated for the occasion and broke through a ribbon as it began to cross the bridge. It carried 400 passengers and was greeted in Renmark by about 6000 people.

Operation of the lift span was the responsibility of the Station Master at Renmark. It involved using a series of keys to control points and signals that were interlocked to ensure safety.

From its opening the bridge carried a roadway in addition to the single track of railway line. The last train crossed the bridge in 1982 and the tracks were removed in 1986. A pedestrian and cycleway now crosses in place of the railway tracks.

The bridge was listed on the South Australian Heritage Register in 1989. It remains as an important road crossing, carrying the Sturt Highway. The lift span operates daily, giving passage to cruise ships and large houseboats.

The Paringa bridge continues the heavy lifting above the Murray River.

View

A video about the Paringa bridge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S1wSTPAps8

Bibliography

B Sheilds, ‘Rails into Renmark’, Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, no. 735, February 1999, pp 43–50.

B Sheilds, ‘The Paringa lift span bridge’, Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, no. 726, April 1998, pp 139–42.

‘Paringa bridge 1927 - 1977’, Newsrail, vol. 14, no. 6, March 1977, pp 85–7.