REDECKING CHARING CROSS BRIDGE.

Charing Cross river bridge carries five electrified tracks for British Rail Southern Region over the River Thames and forms an extension of the line from London Bridge Station. The original bridge consisted of eight spans, the two northernmost spans now being over dry land. Each of the remaining six spans comprises two double-lattice type trusses, each of 47 m span. Each main truss is 4. 25 m, and has top and bottom flange widths of 1. 2 and 0. 9 m (4 and 3 ft), respectively. The diagonal members consist of forged plate measuring up to 25 multiplied by 4 cm thick, and the entire structure is fabricated from wrought iron, except for the pins at each node position which are of puddled steel, with diameters ranging from 17 to 13 cm. The bridge was recently redecked, a process involving the complete renewal of the structure between the side trusses. The article describes the bridge, the problem, and the solution.