Bridges and Culverts
From the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, as British engineering technology entered China on a large scale, a wide range of railway bridges and culverts with distinctive British characteristics appeared along the Imperial Railways of North China, Taoching Railway, Canton–Kowloon Railway, the southern section of the Tianjin–Pukou Railway, and other lines constructed with British capital, engineers, or technical systems. From large steel-truss bridges spanning major rivers to small brick and masonry culverts distributed along the railway, these structures together form important physical evidence of the transmission of British railway engineering technology to modern China.
British-influenced railway bridges and culverts display clear period characteristics in both structural form and architectural detailing. Large bridges commonly employed steel trusses or plate girders, while piers and abutments were extensively constructed in brick or masonry. Smaller culverts frequently featured brick arches, stone coping, and carefully finished arch openings. On some bridge abutments, culverts, and structural components, inscriptions such as bridge numbers, completion dates, railway initials, and English-language date stones remain visible today.
This section uses historical photographs, engineering records, field surveys, and then-and-now comparisons to document the construction dates, structural forms, engineering markings, later modifications, and preservation of these British-influenced bridges and culverts. On some bridges the original steel spans have long since been replaced; others were abandoned following railway realignment or speed-up projects, sometimes leaving only abutments, piers, or culverts. Even so, these remains still preserve a clear record of the introduction and gradual localization of British railway engineering technology in China from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century.
The Huai River Bridge of the Tianjin–Pukou Railway at Bengbu, Anhui, was one of the most important bridge projects on the southern section of the line. Construction began in November 1909 and was completed in May 1911. The main bridge comprised nine spans and eight piers using steel-truss construction, and was originally laid as a single-track railway. Pneumatic caisson construction was employed to overcome the depth of the Huai River, flooding, and difficult riverbed conditions. At the time of completion, it was one of the largest bridges on the Tianjin–Pukou Railway, second only to the Luokou Yellow River Bridge. Photographed in April 2021.
The Daling River Bridge on the Jinzhou–Chaoyang Railway, between Jinlingsi and Koubeiyingzi, was a 15-span deck plate-girder bridge built in 1925. Its steel girders were manufactured by the Shanhaiguan Bridge Works. In 2017, the bridge was designated a county-level protected cultural heritage site by the Beipiao cultural heritage authorities. At the end of 2019, following the opening of a new railway alignment, the bridge was taken out of service, while both the bridge and its rails were retained. Photographed in October 2019.
After completion, the Lugouqiao Railway Bridge was initially laid with only a single track. View looking west from the east side, 1900s.
The Lugouqiao Railway Bridge, still in regular railway use. View looking west from the east side. Photographed in February 2018.
The Yangcun Grand Canal Bridge, west of Yangcun Station on the Imperial Railways of North China, was begun in 1895 and completed in 1896. It comprised seven spans and opened as a double-track through steel-truss railway bridge. View looking west from the east side. Photographed in the 1930s. From the archives of the North China Transportation Company.
The steel trusses of the Yangcun Grand Canal Bridge have since been replaced, but the original piers constructed in 1896 remain in use. Photographed in August 2022.
The Qiansuo culvert, located about 680 m southwest of Qiansuo Station on the Imperial Railways of North China, is a single-span culvert with a Romanesque-style arched opening. Photographed in June 2024.
The North Juma River Bridge, approximately 500 m north of Yonglecun Station on the Lugouqiao–Baoding Railway, was a 15-span double-track deck plate-girder bridge built in 1899. The bridge was constructed with double-track piers, although only a single track was initially laid. Photographed in 1905. From an album of the Peking–Hankow Railway.
The date inscription on the coping stone of the Qiansuo culvert reads “26TH JULY 1896.”
The Laohugou Bridge, between Chaoyangsi and Nanling on the Jinzhou–Chaoyang Railway, is a two-span arch bridge. A dated inscription reading “1924” remains at the centre of the structure, indicating its year of construction. It was abandoned in 2019 after the opening of the new line. Photographed in November 2019.
The Kaoshantun Bridge, between Chaoyangsi and Nanling on the Jinzhou–Chaoyang Railway, is a three-span arch bridge. A dated inscription reading “1924” remains at the centre of the structure. It was abandoned in 2019 following the opening of the new line. Photographed in November 2019.
The Liu River Bridge on the Jinzhou–Chaoyang Railway, between Zhoujiatun and Chaoyangsi, was built in 1923–1924. It was a four-span through steel-truss bridge, with its steel trusses manufactured by the Shanhaiguan Bridge Works. The bridge was abandoned in 2019 after the new line opened. Photographed in November 2019.
Bridge No. 57 on the Taoching Railway was built in 1904 and stood at the eastern throat of Jiaozuo Station. The bridge number “57” is carved into the coping stone of the bridge deck. Photographed in January 2021.
The western abutment of the Liugu River Bridge still preserves the bridge-number inscription “№ 191,” identifying it as Bridge No. 191 of the Imperial Railways of North China. The numbering system was counted from Tianjin East Station. Photographed in November 2021.
The completion-date inscription on the western abutment of the Liugu River Bridge reads “12.12.99,” indicating 12 December 1899. Photographed in November 2021.
The Liugu River Bridge, completed in 1899, stood approximately 2 km northeast of Suizhong Station and originally consisted of 17 steel-truss spans. It was later demolished during a railway speed-up project, and some of its piers were blasted down and left lying in the riverbed. Photographed in November 2021.
The Xujiatun Bridge, between Qiansuo and Gaoling on the Imperial Railways of North China, was built in 1896–1897. It was later abandoned following railway realignment. Its abutments were constructed of brick and masonry. Photographed in October 2019.
The demolished Xujiatun Bridge. Its bricks and stonework were removed and reused elsewhere. Photographed in November 2021.
Bridge No. 249 on the Imperial Railways of North China, between Tashan and Tianshui, was built in 1899. It was abandoned during railway speed-up works and its river piers were removed. The two British-style abutments, bearing the bridge number and completion date, survive in good condition. Photographed in November 2021.
The Juliuhe Bridge, between Juliuhe and Changshanzi stations on the Imperial Railways of North China, was approximately 900 m long. The first bridge at this location was a temporary light railway bridge built by the Japanese military during the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 for the transport of supplies across the Liao River. In 1907, China repurchased the Fengtian–Xinmin Railway from Japan for 1.66 million yen and converted the line to 1,435 mm standard gauge. The standard-gauge Juliuhe Bridge was completed in 1908. From a Peking–Mukden Railway album, 1910s.
Following railway speed-up works, the original Juliuhe Bridge was abandoned, although its piers remain standing in the river. View looking west from the east side. Photographed in November 2021.
The Xinlitun twin-span culvert, between Zhoujiatun and Chaoyangsi on the Jinzhou–Chaoyang Railway, bears a central dated inscription reading “1923,” indicating its year of construction. It was abandoned in 2019 after the opening of the new line. Photographed in November 2019.
Builder’s plate from the steel truss of the Daling River Bridge on the Jinzhou–Chaoyang Railway. It features a two-dragons-playing-with-a-pearl motif, together with the inscriptions “Shanhaiguan Bridge Works,” “14th Year of the Republic” [1925], and the steel-girder number. Photographed in October 2019.
At the end of 2019, following the opening of the new Jinzhou–Chengde Railway alignment, the old line was abandoned and the Qiantun Bridge was taken out of service. Photographed in August 2024.
In November 2019, the Daling River Bridge on the Jinzhou–Chaoyang Railway was taken out of service, and all of its nearly century-old steel-girder builder’s plates were removed. Photographed in November 2019.
A central dated inscription on the Qiantun Bridge reads “1923,” indicating its year of construction. Photographed in August 2024.
The Qiantun Bridge, located approximately 600 m south of Zhoujiatun Station on the Jinzhou–Chaoyang Railway, was built in 1923–1924. It is an eight-span concrete arch bridge. Photographed in November 2019.
The Lixiangtun Bridge, between Liyuantun and Jixian on the Taoching Railway, is a surviving structure from the construction of the line by the Peking Syndicate. It was originally a single-span deck plate-girder railway bridge. In 1939, the section of the Taoching Railway between Daokouzhen and Xinxiang County was dismantled by the Japanese-controlled North China Transportation Company, and the rails were reused on the Xinxiang–Kaifeng Railway. After abandonment, the bridge was converted for road use. The central stone pier is part of the original railway structure. Photographed in January 2021.
The Shilipu culvert, between Huojia County and Shiziying on the Taoching Railway, is a two-span culvert. The construction date “1903” remains visible on its north façade. Photographed in January 2021.
The Raoyang River Bridge, between Paozi and Wufeng on the Dahushan–Tongliao branch, was a single-track deck plate-girder bridge. During the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War, this important bridge was destroyed by bombing, interrupting railway traffic. Photographed in the late 1940s.
Construction of the Lugouqiao Railway Bridge began in 1898 and was completed in 1902. It was a 16-span double-track through steel-truss bridge designed by British engineers. During construction of the Lugouqiao–Baoding section of the Peking–Hankow Railway, a temporary timber bridge was erected approximately 25 m south of the permanent structure, based on measurements derived from construction photographs using similar-triangle calculations, allowing the railway to cross the Yongding River. View looking west from the east side, 1899.
The Nine-Span Bridge, between Jixian and Bailu on the Taoching Railway, was built in 1904 and originally consisted of nine deck plate-girder spans. After being abandoned in 1939, it was converted into a road bridge. Owing to changes in the river channel and road reconstruction, five spans survive today. The more prominent stone sections at the centres of the piers are remnants of the original railway piers. Photographed in January 2021.
After a new double-track bridge opened on the Dahushan–Zhengjiatun Railway, the Raoyang River Bridge was demolished, leaving only the north and south abutments. Photographed in September 2021.
In 1989, the through steel trusses of the Lugouqiao Railway Bridge were replaced. View looking west from the east side. Photographed in March 2020.
The North Juma River Bridge was abandoned following speed-up works on the Beijing–Guangzhou Railway. Only the reinforced piers and abutments survive. Photographed in August 2022.
The Xietang River Bridge, built in 1908, stood between Songjiang and Shihudang stations on the Shanghai–Hangchow–Ningpo Railway. Following railway speed-up works, it was replaced by a new double-track bridge. The eastern and western abutments of the original bridge were retained, and above the arch is an inscription reading “Built in the Wushen Year of Guangxu,” corresponding to 1908. Photographed in January 2022.
The Nanking City Railway was built in 1908 to improve transport within the city. Its chief engineer was Galienson, a British engineer employed by the Kiangnan Commercial Bureau. Shown here is the Dashi Bridge railway bridge, between Fujian Road and Sanpailou. In 1958, the connecting line between the Shanghai–Nanking Railway and the Kiangnan Railway, later the Nanking–Wuhu line, was rebuilt, and this urban railway was dismantled. Photographed in November 2022.
During the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, several spans and piers of the Huai River Bridge were damaged. The bridge was later repaired and continued to carry railway traffic. View looking west from the east side. The nearer bridge is the second-track bridge built after 1949, while the farther bridge is the original 1911 Huai River Bridge. Photographed in April 2021.
The Dongjiang South Branch Railway Bridge was an important structure on the Canton–Kowloon Railway. Completed in 1909, it was a single-track railway bridge approximately 325 m long. The bridge comprised five spans: spans 1 to 4 were 70 m through trusses, while span 5 was a 20 m deck plate girder. Photographed in November 2020.
The western abutment of Bridge No. 249 retains the bridge-number inscription “№ 249,” identifying it as Bridge No. 249 of the Imperial Railways of North China. The numbering system began at Tianjin East Station. Photographed in November 2021.
The completion-date inscription on the western abutment of Bridge No. 249 reads “20.6.99,” indicating 20 June 1899. Photographed in November 2021.
The eastern abutment of Bridge No. 249 retains the bridge-number inscription “№ 249.” The outer face of this abutment is curved, giving it a particularly distinctive British character, and it remains well preserved. Photographed in November 2021.
The completion-date inscription on the eastern abutment of Bridge No. 249 reads “20.6.99.” Photographed in November 2021.
North facade of the Tazhanggou Bridge. Photographed in January 2021.
The Madong River Bridge on the Taoching Railway, between Jiaozuo and Lifeng, was built in 1904. It has three brick arches, with the central arch approximately 2.8 m high. The eastern and western arches have gradually become buried by earth. Between the arches are plaques bearing the initials “PSR” and the date “1904.” On the south side are additional stone inscriptions reading “Guangxu Jiachen” and “Peking Syndicate,” recording the construction date and builder. In June 2012, the bridge was designated a protected cultural heritage site by the Jiaozuo municipal government. Photographed in January 2021.
The Tazhanggou Bridge, approximately 400 m west of the Madong River Bridge on the Jiaozuo–Lifeng section of the Taoching Railway, was built in 1904. It is a three-span arch bridge. Stone plaques on the bridge record the builder and construction date in two different written forms. Shown here is the south façade. Photographed in January 2021.
Bridge No. 57 on the Taoching Railway is a two-span arch bridge. Its arches were strengthened in 1951, and the façade bears the inscriptions “AD” and “1951.” Photographed in January 2021.
The construction-date plaque on the south side of the bridge reads “Guangxu Jiachen,” corresponding to the 30th year of the Guangxu reign, 1904. Photographed in January 2021.
The English name of 福公司 was The Peking Syndicate Ltd., and PSR refers to the company’s railway. This plaque is located on the north side of the bridge. Photographed in January 2021.
The construction-date plaque on the north side of the bridge reads “1904.” Photographed in January 2021.
The Peking Syndicate, which invested in the construction of the Taoching Railway, was a British company financed in part by Italian capital. It was established in 1897 with a capital of £20,000, with its board of directors based in London and an office in Beijing. This plaque is located on the south side of the bridge. Photographed in January 2021.
The northern abutment of the Nanwangang Bridge has two arched openings on its side. Photographed in April 2021.
The Nanwangang Bridge, between Shihudang and Fengjing on the Shanghai–Hangchow–Ningpo Railway, was abandoned after a new bridge was constructed during railway speed-up works. The piers in the river were removed, leaving only the two abutments and a Japanese-occupation-period blockhouse at the northern end. Shown here is the southern abutment, looking north. Photographed in April 2021.
The surviving remains of the Xietang River Bridge and the new bridge constructed during later speed-up works. View looking southeast from the northwest. Photographed in December 2018.
The Xietang River Bridge was a two-span single-track through steel-truss bridge, with arched masonry abutments at both ends. View looking northwest from the southeast. From an album of the Kiangsu Railway, 1909.
The Skerne Bridge, on the Stockton & Darlington Railway, was built in 1825 and designed by Ignatius Bonomi. Constructed as a masonry arch bridge across the River Skerne, it is one of the most representative surviving structures from the earliest period of railway development. Nearly two centuries after its construction, trains still cross it. Photographed in August 2018.
The Dongjiang Bridge, between Shili and Shilong on the Canton–Kowloon Railway, was originally a three-span steel-truss bridge. It was later replaced by the double-track Guangzhou–Shenzhen Railway, leaving only the abutments and two masonry piers. Photographed in November 2020.
Tracing the Origins
The Zengjiang Bridge, east of Shitan Station on the Canton–Kowloon Railway, was built in 1911 and originally consisted of five single-track deck plate-girder spans. After completion of the double-track Guangzhou–Shenzhen Railway, the bridge was abandoned and converted for road use. Three masonry piers and two masonry abutments survive. Photographed in November 2020.
Because the original Dongjiang South Branch Railway Bridge had a relatively low load rating, it underwent several rounds of strengthening. A major overhaul was carried out in 1966, followed by girder replacement in 1985. During the latter project, a self-floating hydraulic lifting method was used, allowing each span to be replaced in approximately two hours. The project later received a Second Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress from the Ministry of Railways and a National Third Prize. After the new Guangzhou–Shenzhen Railway alignment opened, the bridge was taken out of service but retained. Photographed in April 2024.
From the early nineteenth century onward, as railways developed in Britain, bridges and culverts quickly became some of the most important elements of railway engineering. Early railway works made extensive use of brick and masonry arch bridges and stone culverts, drawing on techniques already well established in road and canal construction. As railway traffic increased and lines were required to cross larger rivers and deeper valleys, engineers successively developed cast-iron arch bridges, wrought-iron girder bridges, steel-truss bridges, and large-span cantilever structures. By the end of the nineteenth century, bridge span, load capacity, and construction techniques had developed into a mature railway engineering system.
British railway bridges did not follow a single fixed structural form. Instead, their design was selected according to river width, topography, navigation requirements, and the importance of the railway line. Small bridges and culverts commonly used brick or masonry arches; medium spans often employed plate girders or trusses; and major river crossings required more complex iron and steel structures. By the late nineteenth century, concrete and large-scale steel construction were also increasingly introduced into railway bridge engineering. The Skerne Bridge, Royal Albert Bridge, Victoria Bridge, Forth Bridge, and Glenfinnan Viaduct together illustrate the evolution of British railway bridge construction over the course of the nineteenth century, from masonry to iron, steel, and concrete.
From the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, these mature bridge and culvert design and construction practices were introduced into China together with British railway engineering. The numerous masonry arch culverts, plate-girder bridges, steel-truss bridges, and large river crossings surviving along the Peking–Mukden, Lugouqiao–Baoding, Taoching, Shanghai–Nanking, Tianjin–Pukou, and Canton–Kowloon Railways demonstrate how this engineering system was adapted to different Chinese rivers, geological conditions, and available materials. These structures should not be regarded as direct copies of individual British bridges, but rather as the transmission and localization of mature British railway bridge engineering in China.
After the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, the Canton–Kowloon Railway was repeatedly bombed, leaving shell and bomb damage on some steel bridge components. In 1938, Chinese defenders destroyed part of the piers of the Dongjiang South Branch Railway Bridge in an attempt to halt the Japanese advance, interrupting both the bridge deck and railway. The Japanese subsequently repaired the bridge, and railway traffic had been restored by around 1944.
The Lochy Railway Bridge, near Fort William in Scotland, crosses the River Lochy. It formed part of the Mallaig extension of the West Highland Railway and opened with the line in 1901. The bridge consists of multiple steel spans carried on masonry piers. Photographed in August 2018.
The Glenfinnan Viaduct, built between 1897 and 1901 on the Mallaig extension of the West Highland Railway, was constructed by Robert McAlpine & Sons. Comprising 21 arches, it is an important early British example of railway bridge construction using mass concrete on a large scale. Photographed in August 2018.
The Forth Bridge, crossing the Firth of Forth in Scotland, opened in 1890 and was designed by John Fowler and Benjamin Baker. Its massive steel cantilever-truss structure made it one of the defining works of late nineteenth-century British railway engineering and a major milestone in the development of large-span steel bridges. Photographed in June 2023.
The Victoria Bridge, on the Severn Valley Railway, was completed in 1861 and designed by John Fowler. Its cast-iron arch ribs, manufactured by the Coalbrookdale Company, span the River Severn. With a main span of approximately 200 ft, it was one of the largest single-span cast-iron railway arch bridges in Britain when completed. Photographed in June 2019.
The Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash crosses the River Tamar and opened in 1859. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, it uses two enormous wrought-iron main spans of approximately 455 ft each and remains one of Brunel’s most celebrated railway engineering works. The bridge continues to carry main-line railway traffic today. Photographed in June 2023.
The Britannia Bridge, crossing the Menai Strait in Wales, was originally designed by Robert Stephenson and completed in 1850 using massive wrought-iron tubular box girders to carry the railway. Following a fire in 1970, the bridge was reconstructed using the original masonry towers together with new steel arches. An upper road deck was added in 1980, creating the form seen today. Photographed in June 2023.
The Banavie Railway Swing Bridge, on the Caledonian Canal in Scotland, opened in 1901 with the Mallaig extension of the West Highland Railway. The steel swing bridge can rotate to allow canal vessels to pass. Originally manually operated, it was later converted to hydraulic operation and remains in railway use today. Photographed in August 2018.