The Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth, MN, has a truss across the top because it was built as a transporter bridge. A transporter bridge used a gondola hanging from the truss to ferry cars from one side to the other side.
This is the largest transporter bridge in the world. [NationalTransportTrust]
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Heritage Unlocked posted The Tees Transporter Bridge in action c.2012. Heritage Unlocked shared The Tees Transporter Bridge in action c.2012. |
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Bridges Now and Then posted "A colourised postcard of the Steel River icon in its early days" Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge, c. 1911. (Teesside Archives) |
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Heritage Unlocked posted Ian Jones: I like this a pity the council closed it 😳😳😳😳 |
The cables hanging from the end of the anchor span are tied to anchors in the ground. They are used instead of counterweights to offset the weight of the longer main span. [HistoricBridges]
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Jon Bulmer, Feb 2014 |
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Heritage Unlocked posted Visitors take a look at the Tees Transporter Bridge taking shape in March 1911 (courtesy of Teesside Archives). |
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DJ Aerial Photography posted Transporter Bridge – Teesside’s Blue Beast The mighty Transporter Bridge, standing tall over the Tees since 1911, isn’t moving at the moment—but it still knows how to steal a scene. That towering blue steelwork has outlasted just about everything... except maybe the ferry timetable. Sailing beneath it here is the Emerald Duchess—a very green and very new dredger that looks like it means business. It’s high-tech, eco-friendly, and honestly wouldn’t look out of place in a Bond villain’s fleet. Classic Teesside: big structures, bold colours, and just enough drama in the sky to keep things interesting. DJ Aerial Photography shared |
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Random Outings, Sep 2022 |
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DJ Aerial Photography posted Transporter Bridge at Sunset Middlesbrough’s iconic silhouette catching the last of the light. A proper Teesside sunset, with the sky throwing out every colour it’s got. Sometimes, the view from an industrial estate beats any postcard. DJ Aerial Photography shared |
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Heritage Unlocked posted An artwork of the Tees Transporter Bridge (undated, unknown artist - on display at The Masham) Heritage Unlocked shared |
The 1911 photo shows the gondola going across the river.
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Then & Now GB posted Tees Transporter Bridge in Middlesbrough, opened in 1911, is one of few remaining transporter bridges in the world. The engineering masterpiece has been closed since 2019, however, a recent report was approved that pledged £30m to bring it back into operation. [The comments mention other transporter bridges in Europe.] Preeti1 posted with the same description |
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HistoricBridges, Historical photo from Popular Mechanics showing the opening of the bridge. "The gondola of this transporter bridge is suspended from the bridge by a system of cables, which attach to the truss span by way of rollers, which move along the bottom chord of the truss as the gondola moves over the river. A machine house south of the bridge houses motors and electrical equipment. Two operating cables extend out from the machine house up to the truss span to move the gondola. These cables were originally powered by two 60 horsepower Westinghouse electric motors, although in normal operation only one of these motors was required." |
This would be the gondola that hangs via cables from a roller on the truss.
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TripAdvisor, 117 of 315 |
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Heritage Unlocked posted Transport To The Match by Philip Meadows featuring the Tees Transporter Bridge. Visit The Art House Middlesbrough for more of Philip's work. Trish Hughes: If the transporter bridge was in Sunderland or Newcastle it would be in working order!! It’s a marvellous piece of engineering & should be restored regardless of cost. Patrick Mcgill: Going to cost the council over 20 million pounds to have the bridge back into working condition. Cheaper to give the bridge a coat of paint ' and maintain the Flood Lamps for appearance purposes Land-line Heritage of our Town. Great cartoon picture of when the Gondola used to carry the Boro supporters on match day. Heritage Unlocked shared |
You can take stairs or a glass-enclosed elevator to a walkway on the top.
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TripAdvisor, 69 of 315 |
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TripAdvisor, 176 of 315 |
They support some "extreme sports" such as bungee jumping.
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TripAdvisor, 176 of 315 |
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