New Taipo river bridge.1886 PHOTO ALBUM

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Description1886. New Taipo river bridge. The iron cylinders were brought out from England and are still there today. The bridge was designed as a railway bridge but it was decided later to rail past Lake Brunner and the Arnold valley.

The Taipo River is a river of the central West Coast Region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows north from its sources west of Mount Rolleston, fed by the waters of several mountain streams. After some 15 kilometres it turns northeast to flow past the Bald Range before reaching the valley of the Taramakau River into which it flows 35 kilometres east of Hokitika.

Jim Staton
Seddon wanted the railway to go through Kumara for obvious reasons, the railway civil engineer C Y O'Connor wanted the railway to go where it goes now, to appease Seddon O'Connor started building the Taipo River rail bridge, the one we drive over now. In the meantime he was also building the line out towards Inchbonnie.Date of Photo1886Map^[1]External LinkTaipo River - WikipediaContributorTony Kokshoorn

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Location (city or town)West CoastLandmark (Place)Taipo River bridge

Category Information

Category TagBridgeriver

From Facebook

Date Created13th November 2021CommentsDorothy Wills
So was the bridge ever used

Glenn Johnston
Yes as a road not railway bridge. The same piles (iron cylinder pylons) support the current Taipo road bridge that has a different superstructure. I posted about this along with a photo some years back.

Glenn Johnston
Note that this 2015 photo shows the same piles being used for the current road bridge.
May be an image of 5 people, people standing, nature and bridge

Peter Armstrong
Glenn Johnston Hi Glenn did they use less of the piles when they redid the bridge? .Have you got any idea how they sank the piles into the river bed, was compressed air part of the process, Still amaze's me what they got up to

Glenn Johnston
Peter Armstrong Not sure. Earthworks at either end likely narrowed the total span of decking required?

Peter Armstrong
Glenn Johnston Thanks Glenn finally found the article I had read once and yes it was 8 piers originally reducing to 4 when it was redone in 1936. First bridged in 1866 ,but at some stage the river shifted rendering the bridge useless.

Lyn N Moe
clever man.
May be an image of outdoors, monument and text that says 'BORN COUNTY MEATH IRELAND 1843- TAIPO BRIDGE PIERS IPENZ RECOGNISES THIS ENGINEERING WORK AS A MEMENTO OF CHARLES YELVERTON O'CONNOR DIED FREMANTLE AUSTRALIA 1902 ASSISTANT ENGINEER CANTERBURY PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT 1865; DISTRICT ENGINEER P.W.D. HOKITIKA 1871: UNDER-SECRETARY P.W.D. 1883; ENGINEER-IN-CHIEF WESTERN AUSTRALIA1891. HIS GREATEST WORK WAS THE PERTH-COOLGARDIE COOLGARDIE GOLDFIELDS WATER SUPPLY BUT HIS PROFESSION WAS NURTURED O'CONNOR'S SURVEY FOR THE CANTERBURY-WESTLAND RAILWAY TO HOKITIKA ON THE WEST COAST. INTENDED THE LINE TO CROSS THE TAIPO, AND BELOW THIS BRIDGE ARE THE GREAT PIERS DESIGNED TO BEAR THE WEIGHT OF LOCOMOTIVES. IPENZ ENGINEERS ZEALAND'

Peter Armstrong
Lyn N Moe F W Martin also involved with engineering the bridge but reading between the lines maybe a lot of input from O'Connor

Malcolm Gollan
Glenn Johnston And sadly he ended up taking his own life. The Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie areas and their riches wouldn't have been realised without his pipeline. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Y._O%27Connor
C. Y. O'Connor - Wikipedia
EN.M.WIKIPEDIA.ORG
C. Y. O'Connor - Wikipedia
C. Y. O'Connor - Wikipedia

Warren Duthie
sandblasted & painted this bridge late 1970 s

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New Taipo river bridge.1886 *PHOTO ALBUM*

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New Taipo river bridge.1886 PHOTO ALBUM