Just read that the first cast iron bridge is still standing after 240 years

Found it in a book at the library about old metalwork. It's in England and they used sand molds, which is wild to think about. Anyone know if there's a modern bridge built with a similar method?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylor.amy1mo ago

That's incredible it's still standing. Sand casting is such an old school way to build something so big. I remember seeing a documentary about a modern art piece that used a huge sand mold for a metal sculpture, but not a whole bridge. Are there any new bridges using old methods like that?

the_shane1mo ago

Nah, they mostly use prefab steel or concrete now. Sand casting's way too slow and expensive for new builds.

-1

marywells16d ago

Wow, that's a good point about speed and cost. It makes me wonder if the real value in those old sand cast bridges isn't the method itself, but the maintenance. Like @taylor.amy said, it's amazing it's still standing. Maybe the slower, more careful process from back then used thicker metal or better joints that just last longer, even if we could never build that way today. It's less about the sand and more about the built in toughness we don't plan for anymore.