Talk:Bailey bridge

Comments
None of the three links to picture sites worked today 22/7/04.

Are some of these bridges still in use in Europe today? The two pictures appear very recent.

Weight of the three parts?
I saw a pic in Bush's 2007 Supplemental Budget request of 7 men moving a panel and wondered how heavy they were. My hunch is 3-4 men could carry the weight if put up on their shoulders, but I can't find the weight so I was wondering if someone could post it. Solidpoint 11:12, 12 February 2007 (UTC)


 * I've only just seen your question, but in the 2013 version of this article, in para 1 of the 'Design' section it states: "Each individual part could be carried by a small number of men". Para 2 is a bit more specific; it says that each component '...can be lifted by six men'. As an ex- Royal Engineer, I can remember building (or was it stripping?) the odd Bailey bridge; panel parties then consisted of six men; transom parties were eight strong. One panel weighs about 570lbs.
 * Hope this is of some use.

I remember from my time in the Royal Australian Engineers (1964 to 1970) that the instruotor said that a Bailey Bridge panel could be carried "by 6 men or 8 Vietnamese"

RASAM (talk) 21:58, 22 August 2013 (UTC)

Add template?
Isn't there a template for a bridge type we could add to this? Or is it not considered a "type" per se? - Denimadept 16:19, 24 September 2007 (UTC) BAilry —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.252.175.11 (talk) 18:22, 6 April 2008 (UTC)

Resources
The following items were moved out of the article. It's unclear if they are supposed to be references, and there are no inline citations, and except for the first item, no page numbers either but they may be useful for somebody doing more research on this. -- Whpq (talk) 21:11, 11 January 2010 (UTC)
 * McLaughlin, Mike (May 2005). "The practical and portable British Bailey Bridge helped Allied troops remain on the march." Military Heritage Presents: WWII History, pp. 10-15, 76.
 * 'A Bridge to Victory' by Brian Harpur.
 * 'One More River to Cross' by J.H. Joiner.
 * Military Engineering,Bailey Bridge. Reprinted 1956

Additional resources: old Mabey manual (undated) with design loads, numerous photos, and component dimensions & weights: see http://www.scribd.com/doc/35906219/Bailey-Bridge.PhuDoi1 (talk) 12:11, 15 May 2011 (UTC)

Bailey Bridge in use over the Derwent River in Tasmania, following the Tasman Bridge disaster
In 1975 (?) following the collapse of the Tasman Bridge in Hobart Tasmania there was a Bailey Bridge built at Dowsing Point as a temporary crossing for the residents of the city, which was effectively divided in two. From memory it was at least partially a floating bridge. The bridge proved quite useful and remained in place for years after the Tasman Bridge was rebuilt, only removed when replaced by the Bowen Bridge in 1984. It might be worth mentioning in the article. It's hard to find much info about it, or any pictures of the bridge. I do remember crossing it, as does the writer of this article about the bridge with a photo of the remaining pontoons. There's also some very blurry footage of it in the background of this video about the construction of its successor.stib (talk) 12:59, 8 July 2010 (UTC)

Railway use
Can Bailey bridges be used to carry railways, say across rivers?

It is noted that the width of the Bailey bridge carriageway of 12 feet is slighly wider than the width of most trains, namely 10 foot 6 inches. Weight of the train would be an issue too? Tabletop (talk) 01:27, 24 December 2010 (UTC)


 * On page 165 of JH Joiner's book, 'One More River to Cross', (see above), there is a picture of 'a railway viaduct...' in Italy; indeed, just below it, there is also a section called 'Bailey Railway Bridging' from which I quote: "A standard design was produced for a 60ft span Deck Bailey Railbridge, using two quadruple/single girders spaced at rail distance and 10 x 5in sleepers at 2 1/2 centres for the decking".


 * As far as your second query is concerned, In the 'Widened Bailey Bridges' section of the same book(pages 167 & 168), it states that the introduction of the American Pershing and British Centurion tanks (11ft 8ins and 11ft 1in widths respectively) was against the 'normal' width of the Bailey of 10ft 9ins. The 'Improvised Widened Bailey Bridge' (IWBB) increased the clearance between trusses from 12ft 4in to 13ft 9in which resulted in a roadway width of 12ft 6in. A 'Standard Widened Bailey Bridge' (SWBB) was introduced; roadway width remained at 12ft 6in, although clearance between trusses was increased to 14ft 3 1/2ins. Finally, 'Extra Widened Bailey Bridge' (EWBB), [the variant I knew when I was a member of the Royal Engineers], has a roadway width of 13ft 91/2 ins.


 * It's another example of how flexible the design is. RASAM (talk) 17:07, 28 August 2013 (UTC)

Attempted addition to page
I added some information, picture and ref about a pair of Bailey Bridges in Alrewas Staffordshire. I saved the edit and was directed to a page pointing out that I wasn't logged in - I logged in an now I can't find the edits I made.....can anyone help?

Qbuster (talk) 04:39, 23 September 2014 (UTC)Will Chapman (qbuster)
 * Gone like electronic frost in sunshine, I'm afraid. What probably happened is that you were on the edit page for a while and your session key timed out. At that point, Wikipedia could saved the edit signed with your IP address but they probably give that error to prevent accidental disclosure. They should warn that your edits will be lost unless you back up, copy your edits, login and paste—or just let you save it and never mind the disclosure. *sigh* A pain, but I hope you repost. AndroidCat (talk) 15:11, 23 September 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 1 one external link on Bailey bridge. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20100813232737/http://www.btinternet.com:80/~ian.a.paterson/equipotheritems.htm to http://www.btinternet.com/~ian.a.paterson/equipotheritems.htm

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Cheers. —cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 08:32, 29 August 2015 (UTC)

german history
why is there no mentioning of the german origin of this type of bridge? bailey was only improving or adapting this german design. seems important to me to mention this in the history section. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 5.146.223.156 (talk) 06:50, 19 June 2018 (UTC)

Source
http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/docs/Engineers/The%20Bailey%20Bridge%20-%20John%20A%20Thierry.pdf. Eddie891 Talk Work 14:22, 18 December 2018 (UTC)

Co-ordinates of Stanpit Marshes bridge
The given co-ordinates are in the water about 5 m west of the bridge. This is because the seconds are rounded to whole numbers: thus -1.762155 converts to 1°45'44"W - but 1°45'43.8" marks the centre line of the bridge. Can the seconds be to the first decimal place? Prisoner of Zenda (talk) 08:56, 1 August 2020 (UTC)

Dimention testing
From article: «To do this efficiently, newly manufactured parts would be continuously added to the test bridge, while at the same time the far end of the test bridge was continuously dismantled and the parts dispatched to the end-users.»

This is a very risky way of testing and do not coinside with the ref. Given that all pieces are made 1 mm too long. After 10 pieces the error is 1cm and a new piece will not fit with an old from early production. The only way to control such production is to test all new elements against the one single refrence element.

Even the ref do not seem to be correct. If you build a complete testbridge from one set of new elements, you prove that these fit together, but not that one piece from this lot will join with parts from an earlier lot.

Most likely all parts where set in a jig during welding to asure correct dimentions. KjellG (talk) 14:40, 7 October 2020 (UTC)

Problem in Holland
Would you like to add this information to the article??

A serious problem with Bailey Bridges in Holland was reported by Chester Wilmot, writing in December 1944:

“The present [food] crisis is the result of many factors.

The most important is the complete breakdown of the normal transport system. Before the campaign in Holland, 60% of the foodstuffs was imported by canal.

Today [December 1944) there are few canals working. Many are out of action because the Germans blew the lock-gates or sank barges to block them. Most are straddled by Bailey Bridges, which we had to build in the place of those the Germans destroyed and barges cannot pass under these low bridges” “The food crisis in Holland”, by Chester Wilmot in The Listener (magazine) 28 December 1944, pages 75 and 76 < r/>

Vernon White '''. . . Talk'''