Izzy, Nick, Tom and Gus (2)

Fools Rush In ....

The fool in this case is fbb and not Gustave Eiffel, seen above in a studio portrait with his granddaughters. Trying to cover the worldwide work of the celebrated Engineer, Architect and Meteorologist (who died in 1923 aged 91) in a short blog is just plain daft!

 ... Where Angels Fear To Tread.

Gus was no angel; he spent a couple of years in prison for fraudulent deals during his work on the locks for the Panama Canal! 

But the breadth of his work is simply staggering. This blog will offer a taste, as they say, "in no particular order", of the scope of his work.

The quote, by the way, is from Alexander Pope's Essay on Criticism and, to his deep chagrin, fbb had to look it up. He "did" Pope as part of his A Level English course and had failed to remember the source of those well worn words!

Bad house point!

We begin in 1860 when Gus was nobbut a lad of 26. He was consulting engineer, supervising engineer, designer (sources vary) for what became known as the "Passerelle Eiffel". Passerelle means footbridge or gangway, so the Passrrelle Eiffel was a railway bridge!

It crossed the river Garonne at Bordeaux, effectively linking two chunks of the rail network together. And it did include a footbridge.

It was a long trek!

Until 2008, Eiffel's bridge carried a double track main line electrified and used by TGV trains!

When the new bridge opened the aim was to demolish Eiffel's 1860 crossing but, thankfully, protests were huge and the structure remains, but now inaccessible.

One of the key campaigners was one of Gus's great ((?) granddaughters.

There are proposals to re-open the bridge for pedestrians and cyclists.

And A Double Decker

You can immediately spot the Eiffel style of giant Meccano here in Portugal. The top deck is roadway ...

... and below is railway. Hopefully Portugal has not copyrighted it when pictured at night.

From The Sublime ...

Eiffel designed and built a simple suspension bridge for a park in Paris ...

... but spectacular and delightful.

Gus's biggie in France is the Viaduc de Gabarit ...

... taking an extant railway over a deep gorge.

Bearing in mind it was bult using human power and simple tools, the construction is mind-blowing.

The Viaduc de Garabit is a railway arch bridge spanning the Truyère, near Ruynes-en-Margeride, Cantal, France, in the mountainous Massif Central region.

The bridge was constructed between 1882 and 1884 by Gustave Eiffel, with structural engineering by Maurice Koechlin, and was opened in 1885. It is 1,854 ft in length and has a principal arch of 541 ft span.

Back to girders on piers for this one.

Here fbb has forgotten to note where it was, but he has recorded what it has become. The girders have gone but one pier is equipped with a launch pad for bungee jumping.

Would Gus, as a lover of the spectacular, be impressed with its recycled purpose or disappointed to lose his Meccano?

Not Just Bridges

Here is what looks quite innocently like a waterside warehouse in Izmir, Turkey. 

It looks a bit like a shopping centre now (which it is!) but here is a shot of the renewal and rebuild.

But once inside, we can, once again, see Gus's Meccano in the roof.

Then the bus station in La Paz, Bolivia ...

... still very much in use today!

And still beautiful ...

... maybe the most beautiful bus station in the world!

General Post Office Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam.

Also very much the place to purchase philately and post your post.

Nyugati Station in Hungary ...

... also very much in use but due for a massive extension "round the back".

Nice Observatory ...

... iron framed, of course!

Dijon Fruit and Veg Market ...

... cuts the mustard!

And beautifully formed in Angola!

Palácio de Ferro is a historical building in the Angolan capital Luanda, believed to have been designed and built by – or by someone associated with – Gustave Eiffel.

Maybe, or matbe not?

The Legacy Lives On ...

The Millau Viaduct is so big you simply cannot comprehend it.

From base to tip of the main piers it is taller than the Eiffel Tower!

The bridge deck (but not the towers) was built by the Eiffel Company!

Gus would be oh so proud of that!

Is Gus a greater engineer than Izzy, Nick or Tom? His work was certainly flung wider over the globe than Izzy or Tom. Nick's AC electricity is a special case because there is an awful lot of it about!

 Next Variety blog : Saturday 10th August 

Take A Drive With A Weird P5 (2)

Novelty Nicety Nineteen Ninety

The P5 started in November 1990 running from Elephant & Castle to Brixton. It served areas of London that had never had a bus before, with developments from the late 1950s and early 1970s added to much older terraced property. 

A 1970s Mike Harris map shows plenty of empty space ...

... between Walworth Road and Camberwell New Road later filled with the P5.

This was the Brandon Estate accessed by a right hand turn from Walworth Road ...

... followed by a series of wiggles.

There is a mixture of development but the Brandon Estate itself was built in the 1950s

So about 70 years to wait for a bus service!

Crossing Camberwell New Road, we move into Wyatt's Field estate, again with a mixture of older and 1970s property.

Here residents only had to wait 50 years for a bus.

Akerman road takes us to Loughborough Junction station ...

... another fine example of "Southern" welcoming station architecture! And then to Brixton.

But Not so fast ...

There is an extra bit of road off Coldharbour lane (above, centre right) added to the later Mike Harris map.

It is unnamed but shows P5.

In passing note the pale orange line via Landor Road. 

Loughborough Park, again, is a mixture of older and newer property.

Another 50 year delay before the buses served the newer building!

In May 1993 the P5 was extended in a  loop ...

... via Landor Street, Clapham North station ...`

... and back via Acre Lane to Brixton.

In May 1999 the present two way route was adopted but only as far as Stockwell station ...

... an uninspiring 1971 rebuild to accommodate interchange with the Victoria line. It used to have a dome like Elephant and Castle.

The route from Brixton to Stockwell is along roads served by other bus routes so not virgin territory.

But, at last ...

... amid dancing in the streets of Nine Elms, massed bands and a huge celebratory parade (in your dreams, fbb; this is Transport for London!) route P5 reached Nine Elms.

A bit more red was added to Mike's bus map ...

... bringing the P5 to its present terminus under the former Eurostar bridge as teased by Ray Stenning.

The Patmore Estate gained it's very own bus ...

... after another 70 year wait! It's amother 1950s estate.

But by far the best bit of the P5's ride is the bridge under the South Western main line on Thessaly Road. Under the tracks is multicoloured ...

... and the bridge fascia is just fantastic!

A London double deck might not make it!

Who would have thought a humble London bus route could be sooooo interesting?

And a reminder of the full route for those who may have become a little disorientated!

There will be a couple of P5 P.S. items in tomorrows blog.

 Next Variety blog : Saturday 4th May