Lockyer Creek Railway Bridge (Clarendon)

If you are hiking, cycling or riding the Lowood to Coominya section of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, pause to appreciate the engineering heritage of the Lockyer Creek railway bridge. It was built at Clarendon as part of the second section of the Brisbane Valley Line, contracted to H A Brigg in December 1884 and opened for traffic in August 1886. This is one of the oldest metal truss bridges in Queensland and its 30.5m span was the longest of its type up until 1932, when a central timber pier was added to strengthen this span. The bridge required strengthening a number of times during its working life, as the capacity of the rail engines on the line increased. The steep grades on the line as it ascended to Blackbutt led to the use of larger engines in order to reduce the number of trains needed. Again in 1968, further strengthening occurred to facilitate the operation of 60ton diesel engines, including the provision of concrete bases for all timber piers, the addition of 6x3 channels along each side of the longitudinal members and 9x5 transoms laid over the top. The railway closed to traffic in March 1993.