Leycester Creek railway bridge

Leycester Creek railway bridge is a heritage-listed railway bridge that carries the closed Murwillumbah railway line across Leycester Creek in Lismore, in the City of Lismore local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The bridge is owned by Transport Asset Holding Entity, an agency of the Government of New South Wales and was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

History
The bridge was built by contractors Crosbie, Marquand and Co. The contract included both the Leycester Creek and Wilson's Creek bridges, the contractors accepting A£20,708 to build the two bridges, later increased to A£22,110. Construction suffered various delays, such as damaged and broken iron cylinders, but was finally completed in October 1892. It was claimed at the bridge's completion that it was the first steel bridge in the country. The railway over the bridge opened in May 1894.

The bridge has been disused since the closure of the Murwillumbah railway line in 2004.

Description
The bridge consists of a steel three-span truss, with one 12 ft, one 16 ft and one 17 ft spans.

According to the Narrabri to North Star Phase 2 Moree to Camurra North Statement of Heritage Impact, "The Leycester Creek Underbridge at Lismore is a good, intact and representative example of a steel Pratt truss underbridge, one of five built at the inception of the Lismore to Murwillumbah railway line in 1894, and an early example of the introduction of American bridge technology by the NSW Government."



In 2018, the "Daily Telegraph" reported that according to an assessment it had seen, it would cost in the order of a million (Australian) dollars to bring the bridge up to a satisfactory condition for any possible re-opening.

Heritage listing
This bridge is part of a group named "Lismore railway underbridges" that is included on the NSW State Heritage Register, as item 01044. That listing states: "The Lismore bridges and viaducts are a fine set of bridges all in one location demonstrating the problems of building railways in this flood prone area dating from 1892."

Lismore railway underbridges was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria.

The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.

This item is assessed as historically rare. This item is assessed as scientifically rare. This item is assessed as arch. rare. This item is assessed as socially rare.