Daer Viaduct Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Lorgadh: As the owner has not responded to my previous log requesting that they check this cache I am archiving it.

If you wish to email me please send your email via my profile (click on my name) and quote the cache name and number.

Regards

Karen
Lorgadh - Volunteer UK Reviewer www.geocaching.com
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Hidden : 10/13/2012
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

A cache taking you to the site of a special bridge.  A short walk from a pretty church in the town of Elvanfoot down to a fantastically designed bridge over the River Clyde ( with more to it than meets it than first meets the eye)

The New Daer Viaduct was designed by Alex Anderson who sadly passed away on 24th July 2012.  As a tribute to this great husband, father and friend a series of geocaches have been placed in his honour at a selection of some of his best examples of his bridges designed and built throughout his expansive career as a civil engineer.  The New Daer Viaduct is the first in the series with many more to come.
Bridge Team

Alex(center) and the rest of the bridge team on site


Bridge Construction

The components of the bridge


Original Bridge


The orginal bridge prior to 2003
 		  
The Saltire Society Design Commendation for the New Daer Viaduct reads ‘It will become the benchmark to which other similar schemes are prepared’.
 
An original two span bridge carrying the West Coast Main Line over the River Clyde was replaced by a single river span.  All construction of the new substructure and superstructure and the jacking of the superstructure into its permanent position was carried out below the existing bridge with no disruptive track possession.
 
Only one 42 hour possession was utilised to remove the old superstructure and the original central pier and to install minor precast infill units.
 
The superstructure comprised two steel edge through girders supporting a transverse steel composite deck.  The edge girders were aligned to pass the ends of the original central pier.  When the superstructure was jacked up, the concrete robust kerb and edge girders moved up outboard of the original bridge edge girders.
 
Thus, prior to the possession, the entire superstructure had been built except for the portion occupied by the original pier.  Following removal of the pier, this portion was completed with a precast concrete unit.
 
The new span is supported on one wall of concrete box structures which are constructed in front of the original abutments.  The boxes are supported on mini-piles which were installed with vibration monitoring.  For construction of the superstructure, the edge girders were installed on the box wall at its kicker level.  Following the jacking operation, the box wall was completed below the raised girder.

Alex designed the bridge, taking account of the method of construction described.  The original abutments were in poor condition.  The pile design has to take account of vibration.  This was monitored during construction and found to be less than the vibration from trains.
 
By virtue of the method of installation, the main girders are very deep and appear too deep unless one understands the background.  The bridge team would jokingly refer to Alex’ huge girder and suggest that he had shares in the steel supplier.
 
A paper on the bridge ‘UB 30/274 Daer Viaduct Replacement’ was published in Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Bridge Engineering 160, June 2007, Issue BE2 Pages 65 – 69.


NOTE:  To find this caches you need not ( and must'nt) cross the rail track as is used by high speed trains on the west coast mainline

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Ybbx haqre gur fgnvef

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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