tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post3073121350460018942..comments2024-03-28T10:10:39.406+02:00Comments on Our Rhodesian Heritage: Birchenough BridgeRhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-28928322262525171282022-04-17T19:04:22.233+02:002022-04-17T19:04:22.233+02:00Taura hako
Taura hako<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13618487501917895651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-12063532672730384422021-06-08T17:24:47.763+02:002021-06-08T17:24:47.763+02:00It is extremely chock-full of useful information. ...It is extremely chock-full of useful information. <a href="https://experiencenissanleaf.com/vape-attic-olathe/" rel="nofollow">vape attic olathe</a>mshahidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05160438920319268824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-32541986931235093122019-04-16T21:19:48.072+02:002019-04-16T21:19:48.072+02:00AWESOME ENGINEERINGAWESOME ENGINEERINGAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03372691681635631722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-74544842709376500352019-03-19T10:38:09.424+02:002019-03-19T10:38:09.424+02:00What is the state of the bridge now due to the rec...What is the state of the bridge now due to the recent cyclone that ripped the entire Chipinge n Chimanimani districts? Im sure maintenance measures must be put in place to avoid major catastroph.Peetah Charumahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16623690546428896386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-61458197770033879882018-09-12T13:56:14.040+02:002018-09-12T13:56:14.040+02:00Kanyi. Thanks to everyone working towards the prop...Kanyi. Thanks to everyone working towards the proper use of the bridge. What a wonderfull piece of work.Peetah Charumahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16623690546428896386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-59090451360313800442018-09-05T13:40:11.151+02:002018-09-05T13:40:11.151+02:00My home My home Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12118719797153127595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-43960969722216370502018-07-22T16:55:39.470+02:002018-07-22T16:55:39.470+02:00What plans are in place towards maintenance of the...What plans are in place towards maintenance of the bridge if I may ask admin?Peetah Charumahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16623690546428896386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-48843906607114902192017-08-10T11:27:10.334+02:002017-08-10T11:27:10.334+02:00Whew! I grew up in the Birchenough Bridge area wit...Whew! I grew up in the Birchenough Bridge area with no idea how that amazing piece of Engineering was put up. Thank you for the information. However, I am shocked to see that Photobucket is blocking the images. The pictures had more stories to tell. Please admin, if you could assist by accessing your photobucket account and downloading the pictures for re-sharing. Pretty please! Jevias Chimana - MutareAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12124569930866803197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-74543686640697414642017-06-18T16:06:31.394+02:002017-06-18T16:06:31.394+02:00An awesome structure. My Dad, Harry Went was worki...An awesome structure. My Dad, Harry Went was working for the Rhodesia Railways (not sure of the year, will have to do some research)and it was calculated that if a extreme freeze up occurred in winter a major problem would occur!<br />The bridge deck is anchored at one end and the other end rests on 'slide- plates' and as the bridge heats up in the day and cools at night, the one end slides along the plates as it expands and contracts. It was calculated that in the event of an extreme freeze, the sliding end could possibly drop off the slide-plate then when the bridge heated up in the day, it would not be able to slide and the bridge would buckle and be badly damaged!<br />It was decided to move the whole bridge 3/4 of an inch (19mm) towards the slide-plate end!!<br />Dad in a Railways Team, was involved in that process. During the cold night, wedges were rammed into the 'space' at the slide end and the anchor bolts were loosended at the other end then after the heat-up during the day, the bridge expanded then the bolts were tightened. When it cooled again that night, the wedges were able to be hammered in a fraction of an inch further then the whole process was repeated. In this way the bridge was moved. I seem to recall it took a week or two to achieve the desired re-positioning! How amazing.<br />We had photos of Dad at work and standing on the top of the bridge which he climbed over at least once.<br />Interesting ............. especially as today is 'Father's Day'. Well done Dad.<br />Ant Went in Mutare (Umtali) Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05637713364525461750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-63729411629551948422017-06-18T16:06:02.513+02:002017-06-18T16:06:02.513+02:00An awesome structure. My Dad, Harry Went was worki...An awesome structure. My Dad, Harry Went was working for the Rhodesia Railways (not sure of the year, will have to do some research)and it was calculated that if a extreme freeze up occurred in winter a major problem would occur!<br />The bridge deck is anchored at one end and the other end rests on 'slide- plates' and as the bridge heats up in the day and cools at night, the one end slides along the plates as it expands and contracts. It was calculated that in the event of an extreme freeze, the sliding end could possibly drop off the slide-plate then when the bridge heated up in the day, it would not be able to slide and the bridge would buckle and be badly damaged!<br />It was decided to move the whole bridge 3/4 of an inch (19mm) towards the slide-plate end!!<br />Dad in a Railways Team, was involved in that process. During the cold night, wedges were rammed into the 'space' at the slide end and the anchor bolts were loosended at the other end then after the heat-up during the day, the bridge expanded then the bolts were tightened. When it cooled again that night, the wedges were able to be hammered in a fraction of an inch further then the whole process was repeated. In this way the bridge was moved. I seem to recall it took a week or two to achieve the desired re-positioning! How amazing.<br />We had photos of Dad at work and standing on the top of the bridge which he climbed over at least once.<br />Interesting ............. especially as today is 'Father's Day'. Well done Dad.<br />Ant Went in Mutare (Umtali) Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05637713364525461750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-30023654548002190522017-01-22T21:53:00.088+02:002017-01-22T21:53:00.088+02:00I'm sure the state of the Bridge is not well l...I'm sure the state of the Bridge is not well looked after and with the ongoing flooding of Sabi River if not we'll maintained the worst will come.Peetah Charumahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16623690546428896386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-53266219726814355492017-01-22T21:35:42.239+02:002017-01-22T21:35:42.239+02:00Pamwe vamwe veganda redu ndivo vaishandiswa zvavo ...Pamwe vamwe veganda redu ndivo vaishandiswa zvavo pasina muripo <br />Kdurihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10893081151231114337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-13497822147120115892016-04-06T05:20:52.916+02:002016-04-06T05:20:52.916+02:00I wonder how many millions of years of evolution w...I wonder how many millions of years of evolution will be required before the stone-age primitives in subaharan Africa will be capable of building such a bridge.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-67181872499418876752015-11-05T16:46:55.760+02:002015-11-05T16:46:55.760+02:00beautiful thing l comment. l am happy its in my c...beautiful thing l comment. l am happy its in my country Zimbabwe. have been there once and l enjoyed walking across it. My ancestors played a big part in the construction of this creature l hope they benefited something out of it as it was made during the colonial eraAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13126441061661614105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-9049208803387408912013-10-11T21:21:18.333+02:002013-10-11T21:21:18.333+02:00This structure linked trade between province and d...This structure linked trade between province and districts in our country there by promoting trade domestic and international .Thanks to Sir Birchenough and the rest of his team for putting our country on the map and promoting tourism and I hope this will last for decades if not centuries. Peetah Charumahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16623690546428896386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-32551520628926975102013-10-11T21:10:03.994+02:002013-10-11T21:10:03.994+02:00Thanks for everyone who contributed towards this m...Thanks for everyone who contributed towards this mastered structure.Munodadisa and may your soul rest in peacePeetah Charumahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16623690546428896386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-29419751396481421262013-03-13T15:21:15.887+02:002013-03-13T15:21:15.887+02:00What a magnificent site for the first time when i ...What a magnificent site for the first time when i went there for a school trip!Though my home is located a couple of miles North,i had never been there.Thanks for the Headmaster of Betera High School,my Dad&My Mom who made the trip successful.Wonderful architecture by his Majesty Sir Ralph Freeman,a blessed hand by sir Henry Birchenough and all those who participated for the project to be a success!May their soul rest in peace and to those who are still surviving God bless you!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17772788352053460118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-76525341808809646622010-06-14T12:30:43.899+02:002010-06-14T12:30:43.899+02:00In June '52, an American tourist in the Birche...In June '52, an American tourist in the Birchenough Hotel bar bet me £5 I couldn't climb over it. I did, wearing Inkomo Camp army boots which, with steel studs, were not ideal. The Yank paid up and the proceeds were drunk by me and everyone in the bar. I weaved a somewhat erratic course on my AJS5OOcc from there on the strip road to stay with the Bridges family on Devuli Ranch. At the turn off, I encountered miles of sand, fell off and went to sleep until the beer had worn off, telling my hosts I had got lost. Those were the days.DKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17477569985057278314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-10621244770780086502010-02-23T01:59:40.444+02:002010-02-23T01:59:40.444+02:00I used to go to Birchenough and the Hot Springs wh...I used to go to Birchenough and the Hot Springs when I was training as a nurse, often as a means to getting used to sleeping at night instead of the day after night duty stints. What a breathtaking view that bridge is and at the time it was built an engineering work of art. I daresay its not being maintained the way it should be....which if it is the case will be great tragedy...Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13022875725414473948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-15402176676038692962010-02-12T07:53:16.904+02:002010-02-12T07:53:16.904+02:00Made a round trip to the Chimanimani form Mutare -...Made a round trip to the Chimanimani form Mutare - missed a turnoff and ended up at Birchenough. Was a very long day - but what a wonderful sight. Hot yes, but magnificent. Tad bit of water in the river - was before Cycolne Eline. Would LOVE to see if there are pics of the river after that cycloneAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08572008650436009730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-22612607313793468372010-02-11T17:29:18.910+02:002010-02-11T17:29:18.910+02:00Neil Baalbergen
As a matter of interest, in his b...Neil Baalbergen<br /><br />As a matter of interest, in his book "My Life Was A Ranch", DM Somerville describes the difficulties of travel before the bridge was built. He also devotes a couple of pages to the part he played in helping locate the eventual site of the proposed bridge. (DM Somerville won the Umtali North seat in the 1933 elections, representing the Reform Party).Rhodesia Rememberedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136959581834392797.post-60084374845045231432010-02-11T17:26:58.710+02:002010-02-11T17:26:58.710+02:00Tim Musto Writes:-
Was last there on my 1000cc Su...Tim Musto Writes:-<br /><br />Was last there on my 1000cc Suzuki, doing a tour of Chipinga, Chimanimani etc.<br />Hot as hell from what I recall.....and just sand in the Sabi !!<br /> <br />Brilliant engineering. I bet it will see many more decades, if not centuries.Rhodesia Rememberedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com