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Posted

I'm on my way back from a weekend in Cornwall, and the curve of the railway line South of the Tamar Bridge has shown.me that face of the bridge's tower.       In letters each ten feet high or more, it says "I.K.BRUNEL ENGINEER 1859"

What wonderful - and justified! - selfconfidence!     I don't think any engineer today would have the chutzpah or influence to claim such pre-eminence.  Brunel deserved his opinion of himself.

John 

Posted (edited)

You have wonderful bridges left from the last century - in Denmark, they have been replaced with concrete - or just removed. 

The 'Old langelinje-bridge' done by a (in Denmark!) famous constructor (Anker Engelund) next to the harbor of Copenhagen was my favorite, but the Council and the harbour authorities had a fight about repair costs, ending its life. Now replaced with an ugly concrete bridge.

Old bridge: https://kbhbilleder.dk/kbh-arkiv/92573 - taken down in 1992.

A plate on it? No way,  we still pray to the law of Jante :-/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Jante

Edited by JMH
Posted

But, JMH, the Wiki page you linked to shows a ?memorial to Aksel Sandemose, that names him, and features his portrait!   Surely self contradictory?

And my comment wasn't about bridges as such, but about the justified pride in not only their construction but design.     However, I have to say that the bridge you cited, no doubt loved in Copenhagen, is insignificant next to, say the Oresund bridge.   Designed by George K.S. Rotne, who also designed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, neither as far as I know carry anything to his memorial.    Perhaps he was of the same mind as Sandemose.

John

 

 

Posted

@JohnD what I did try to tell was - it would never happen here in Denmark; not now and not then. Sandemose, yep!

If you asked a Dane if he or shw knew who designed the Oresund bridge, he/she wouldn't be able to answer ...

Speaking as an engineer the old bridge shown was a very fine example showing how forces are distributed in the construction.   

 

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