Upper Manilla, Borah Creek Underbridge

Item details


Name of item:	Upper Manilla, Borah Creek Underbridge
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Transport - Rail
Category:	Railway Bridge/ Viaduct
Primary address:	516.834km, West Tamworth To Barraba Railway, Upper Manilla, NSW 2346
Local govt. area:	Tamworth Regional

Boundary:

The listing boundary is the area on which the bridge stands including embankments, supports and track formation.

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
516.834km, West Tamworth To Barraba Railway	Upper Manilla	Tamworth Regional			Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
TAHE - Country Rail Network (CRN)	State Government

Statement of significance:


	The Borah Creek Railway Underbridge is significant as one of only five railway sites in NSW with timber Howe deck trusses. It is an extant reminder of the introduction in the early 20th century of a developmental railway line in northern NSW (the Barraba Railway) using economical and readily available materials (in this case local hardwood timber).
	Date significance updated: 02 Nov 16
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	Railway Construction Branch staff of the Public Works Department
Builder/Maker:	Day Labour
Physical description:	Borah Creek Bridge is seven spans in length, with the three central spans constructed with 34-feet span Howe-Deck timber trusses. The trestles are supported on concrete sills.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Satisfactory to Poor. Note: the bridge has not been used for several decades and therefore has not had any regular maintenance. The trussed spans are sagging, the concrete sills show severe exposure and deterioration, and the timber fabric is weathered throughout, particularly around the walings.
	Date condition updated:02 Nov 16
Modifications and dates:	No known modifications.


Current use:	No longer used.
Former use:	Operational bridge.

History

Historical notes:

The use of the American Howe-truss bridge design (patented by William Howe of Massachusetts, 1840) in the NSW Railways arises from the involvement of John Whitton replacement, Henry Deane, and the Bridge Engineers of the NSW Department of the Public Works. 24 Howe-truses were built for the NSW Railways between 1896 and 1920, with 9 being Howe Deck Trusses and the remaining as Howe Through trusses. Of the constructed, 5 remain of the Howe Deck Truss bridges.

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The Barraba Railway was one of the early branch lines built cheaply as a developmental railway. It was not sufficiently profitable to justify upgrading.
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	The Borah Creek Underbridge was one of the early examples of the new type of timber deck truss introduced in NSW in the early 20th century.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	There are only five railway sites in NSW with timber Howe deck trusses.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	The Borah Creek Underbridge is a good representative example of a timber Howe deck truss.
Integrity/Intactness:	The structure retains its original fabric.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register

References, internet links & images

None

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

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Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	State Government
Database number:	3150008

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