Hacho Bridge
Encyclopedia
Hacho Bridge is a former railway bridge in Granada
which was part of the Almeria
railway through the Sierra Nevada
, Spain
. It remains the longest iron viaduct
on the Spanish rail network. The bridge is maintained by RENFE
.
In 1959 the bridge was used as a location in the British film North West Frontier.
, in the province of Granada
. The company employed Duvel and Butilia, who were students of Gustav Eiffel. The famous engineer who had built the Eiffel Tower
and Garabit viaduct
in France
or the Dona Maria Pia railway bridge in Oporto, Portugal
.
A site was chosen for the bridge between the Andalusian cities
of Guadahortuna and Alamedilla
where the railway would cross the Guadahortuna River.
Construction work began in 1893. Work was completed four years later. Hacho Bridge officially opened on March 22, 1898.
The structure's design is based around a central 486 metres (1,594.5 ft) double beam that runs the whole length of the single-track crossing. This is supported by a trestle made from four iron girders that have cross bracing and are riveted together. The trestles stand on stone piers. A footbridge ran adjacent to the track.
. Hacho Bridge, which was the largest iron viaduct
in Spain, was a major source of employment in the area. Hundreds of people lived for almost a decade near Alamedilla station during its construction. Many continued to live there after it opened working on its maintenance.
However in the late 1950s living conditions in Andalusia, caused by postwar period austerity, meant many people left the area in search of work. At the same time, Spanish railways began to operate heavier diesel locomotives which were unable to use Hacho Bridge due to its maximum load weight.
Ten years later the station at Alamedilla had been closed to passengers. A decade of years later, Spanish railways sold Hacho Bridge to a Madrid scrap dealer together with other bridges on the Almeria line for 1.5 million peseta
s.
In November 1978, local people began a campaign to save Hacho Bridge after they discovered that it was to be demolished. The Mayor of Alamedilla, D. Abelardo Corral, appealed to the Governor of Granada, D. José Maria Fernandez Fernandez. In a hastily convened meeting, the provincial government agreed with the local committee and declared Hacho Bridge a Historical Artistic Monument. This injunction was then served on the scrap and demolition company. The Civil Guard
were ordered to go immediately to the bridge. They arrived just in time and dismantled the dynamite already installed at the base of trestles.
Hacho Bridge is now protected by a national protection order as a Structure of Cultural Significance.
of southern Spain doubled for British India where the railway traversed the northern part of the Sierra Nevadas
.
The famous viaduct, where the train must traverse a bomb-damaged hole on the bridge, was filmed at Hacho Bridge in the summer of 1958.
Close ups were filmed at Pinewood Studios
, London
.
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
which was part of the Almeria
Almería
Almería is a city in Andalusia, Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the province of the same name.-Toponym:Tradition says that the name Almería stems from the Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to "The Mirror of the Sea"...
railway through the Sierra Nevada
Sierra Nevada (Spain)
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the region of provinces of Granada and Almería in Spain. It contains the highest point of continental Spain, Mulhacén at 3478 m above sea level....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It remains the longest iron viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
on the Spanish rail network. The bridge is maintained by RENFE
RENFE
Renfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668-mm "Iberian gauge" and 1435-mm "European gauge" networks of the Spanish national railway infrastructure company ADIF .- History :The name RENFE is derived from that of the former Spanish National...
.
In 1959 the bridge was used as a location in the British film North West Frontier.
Project
In 1889, the Southern Spanish Railway company began building a line from GuadixGuadix
Guadix, a city of southern Spain, in the province of Granada; on the left bank of the river Guadix, a sub-tributary of the Guadiana Menor, and on the Madrid-Valdepeñas-Almería railway...
, in the province of Granada
Granada (province)
Granada is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Albacete, Murcia, Almería, Jaén, Córdoba, Málaga, and the Mediterranean Sea . Its capital city is also called Granada.The province covers an area of 12,635 km²...
. The company employed Duvel and Butilia, who were students of Gustav Eiffel. The famous engineer who had built the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
and Garabit viaduct
Garabit viaduct
The Garabit Viaduct is a railway arch bridge spanning the Truyère river near Ruynes-en-Margeride , Cantal, France, in the mountainous Massif Central region. The bridge was constructed between 1880 and 1884 by Gustave Eiffel, with structural engineering by Maurice Koechlin, and was opened in 1885...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
or the Dona Maria Pia railway bridge in Oporto, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
A site was chosen for the bridge between the Andalusian cities
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
of Guadahortuna and Alamedilla
Alamedilla
Alamedilla is a city located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the city has a population of 811 inhabitants.- External links :* - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía...
where the railway would cross the Guadahortuna River.
Construction work began in 1893. Work was completed four years later. Hacho Bridge officially opened on March 22, 1898.
Construction
Hacho Bridge is 624.6 metres (2,049.2 ft) long with a maximum height of 49.85 metres (163.5 ft) at its highest part. It is a continuous under-deck truss bridge that stands on nine wrought iron trestles and stone piers.The structure's design is based around a central 486 metres (1,594.5 ft) double beam that runs the whole length of the single-track crossing. This is supported by a trestle made from four iron girders that have cross bracing and are riveted together. The trestles stand on stone piers. A footbridge ran adjacent to the track.
History
The Hacho Bridge operated for more than sixty years. It was even used by both the Nationalists and the Republicans during the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. Hacho Bridge, which was the largest iron viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
in Spain, was a major source of employment in the area. Hundreds of people lived for almost a decade near Alamedilla station during its construction. Many continued to live there after it opened working on its maintenance.
However in the late 1950s living conditions in Andalusia, caused by postwar period austerity, meant many people left the area in search of work. At the same time, Spanish railways began to operate heavier diesel locomotives which were unable to use Hacho Bridge due to its maximum load weight.
Ten years later the station at Alamedilla had been closed to passengers. A decade of years later, Spanish railways sold Hacho Bridge to a Madrid scrap dealer together with other bridges on the Almeria line for 1.5 million peseta
Spanish peseta
The peseta was the currency of Spain between 1869 and 2002. Along with the French franc, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra .- Etymology :...
s.
In November 1978, local people began a campaign to save Hacho Bridge after they discovered that it was to be demolished. The Mayor of Alamedilla, D. Abelardo Corral, appealed to the Governor of Granada, D. José Maria Fernandez Fernandez. In a hastily convened meeting, the provincial government agreed with the local committee and declared Hacho Bridge a Historical Artistic Monument. This injunction was then served on the scrap and demolition company. The Civil Guard
Civil Guard (Spain)
The Civil Guard is the Spanish gendarmerie. It has foreign peace-keeping missions and maintains military status and is the equivalent of a federal military-status police force. As a police force, the Guardia Civil is comparable today to the French Gendarmerie, the Italian Carabinieri and the...
were ordered to go immediately to the bridge. They arrived just in time and dismantled the dynamite already installed at the base of trestles.
Hacho Bridge is now protected by a national protection order as a Structure of Cultural Significance.
Present day
A reinforced concrete bridge was built in 1970 to replace Hacho bridge. It runs parallel to the original crossing.Film appearance
The 1959 North West Frontier was filmed in the region as filmmakers used the dry arid steppeSteppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
of southern Spain doubled for British India where the railway traversed the northern part of the Sierra Nevadas
Sierra Nevada (Spain)
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the region of provinces of Granada and Almería in Spain. It contains the highest point of continental Spain, Mulhacén at 3478 m above sea level....
.
The famous viaduct, where the train must traverse a bomb-damaged hole on the bridge, was filmed at Hacho Bridge in the summer of 1958.
Close ups were filmed at Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.