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The '''Lansdowne Bridge''' provided the last link in the unbroken broad gauge([[Rail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|BG]]) [[North Western Railway]] (NWR) connection from [[Lahore]] to the port of [[Karachi]].[[Image:Lansdowne_bridge_drawing.png|thumb|right|500px|The bridge]]==Background==The [[Indus Valley State Railway]] had reached [[Sukkur]] in 1879 and the steam ferry that transported eight wagons at a time across the Indus between [[Rohri]] and [[Sukkur]] was found to be cumbersome and time-consuming. The opening of the Lansdowne Bridge in 1889 solved this bottleneck and thus port of [[Karachi]] was connected to the railway network
The In 1886 the [[North Western Railway]] (NWR) had been formed by amalgamation of the [[Indus Valley State Railway]] had reached , the [[SukkurSind, Punjab and Delhi Railway]] in 1879 (SP&DR) and others. <br>''(The SP&DR had absorbed the steam ferry that transported eight wagons at a time across the Indus between [[RohriPunjaub Railway| ‘Punjaub Railway - northern end Lahore-Mooltan section']] and the [[SukkurScinde Railway| ‘Scinde Railway -southern end Kotri-Karachi section]] was found to be cumbersome and time-consuming)''. The opening <br>With the completion of the Lansdowne Bridge bridge in 1889 solved this bottleneck and thus port of [[the NWR ‘Ghaziabad-Karachi]] was connected to Mainline’ provided the railway networkthrough connection under one operator.
In 1886 ==The Bridge==A crossing was considered essential to link Lahore with the [[North Western Railway]] (NWR) had been formed by amalgamation major port of Karachi on the [[Indus Valley State Railway]], the [[SindArabian Sea, Punjab and Delhi Railway]](SP&DR) and others. <br>''(The SP&DR had absorbed the [[Punjaub Railway| ‘Punjaub Railway’, northern end Lahore-Mooltan section]] and where the [[Scinde Railway| ‘Scinde Railway’, southern end Kotri -Karachi section]])''. <br>With Indus is divided by the completion island of Bukkur was chosen as the bridge in 1889 most advantageous. Bridging the NWR ‘Ghaziabad-Karachi Mainline’ smaller Sukkur channel was straightforward, since its rocky bottom provided a solid foundation for masonry piers, but spanning the through connection under one operatorwider Rohri channel was a more challenging task, since its silty bottom would not allow pillars to be employed.
[[Image:Lansdowne_bridge_drawing.png|thumb|center|500px|The bridge]]
Sub-headings ‘Background’, ‘The Bridge’ created and ‘External Links’ revised
Originally known as the '''Sukkur Bridge''' and renamed the '''Lansdowne Bridge''' on inaugeration in 1889, this was a railway bridge over the River Indus in upper [[Sind]] which connected the towns of [[Sukkur]] and [[Rohri]]. Also referred to as the ‘Indus Bridge’ in some documents.
Many different designs for the bridge had been considered from the mid 1870’s onwards (see ‘ Chronology’ below). Finally [[Alexander Meadows Rendel]], Consultant Engineer was called in and he proposed a design consisting of two anchored cantilevers, each 310 feet (94M) long, carrying a suspended span of 200ft (61M) in the middle. This design was considered feasible and Westwood, Baillie and Co of London commenced the steelwork for the girders <ref>[http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Westwood,_Baillie_and_Co Grace's Guide "Westwood, Baillie and Co" ]; Retrieved on 11 Jul 2016</ref> <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westwood,_Baillie Wikipedia " Westwood, Ballie"]; Retrieved on 11 Jul 2016</ref> <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20130122080631/http://pakistaniat.com/2007/12/18/lansdowne-bridge-sukkur/ "All Things Pakistan - Lansdowne Bridge, Sukkur"]; Retrieved on 23 Apr 2016</ref>
*1936: Harold Wood Robinson who was deputy chief engineer of bridges, prepared an outline design for a two hinged arch design to replace Lansdown bridge. The drawing was prepared in the Bridge office in Moghalpura, Lahore but this project didn’t see light of the day.
*1939: Bridge strengthening was carried out to increase the load it could carry. This time 200 tons of dead weight of the bridge was removed.
==External Links==
*The ‘Cambridge University Library Special Collections’ “Construction of Lansdowne Bridge, Sukkur, 1885-1889” <ref>[https://specialcollections-blog.lib.cam.ac.uk/?p=14253 ‘Cambridge University Library Special Collections’ “Construction of Lansdowne Bridge, Sukkur, 1885-1889” posted on 3 May 2017 by John C. ]; Retrieved 25 May 2019</ref> gives an introduction to the photographic album which is signed by the engineer who superintended the construction, [[Frederick Ewart Robertson]] (1847-1912). After articling with a British railway engineer, Robertson joined the Indian Public Works Department in 1868, working on the North Western State Railway. He went on to an extremely successful career, serving as Chief Engineer of the East Indian Railway, President of the Egyptian Railway Board and on the British Council of the Institute of Civil Engineers
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lansdowne_Bridge_Rohri Wikipedia "Lansdowne Bridge, Rohri"]
