Highest Narrow Gauge Rail Bridge in the World

Jughead · Feb 14, 2010

The missus and I took a quick spin out here this afternoon.

Despite the drought, this one still manages to survive

And we ended with this!

Riaanrw · Feb 14, 2010

Qoute "The missus and I took a quick spin out here this afternoon."

Hope the ground wasn't to hard for her!! >

Looks like a really nice spot. Good pics!! :thumleft:

Yefimovich · Feb 15, 2010

BEautifull photo's!

A great day out!

Rone · Feb 15, 2010

Nice - very nice - been there but that last photo has me puzzled --- where was that taken??? Pine Lodge ???

Jughead · Feb 15, 2010

Roné said:
Nice - very nice - been there but that last photo has me puzzled --- where was that taken??? Pine Lodge ???

:thumleft:
Took the scenic route home! :biggrin:

Fugly · Feb 15, 2010

Lekker bridge that :thumleft:
Just worried about the beer you drink though

atch:

TornadoF5 · Feb 15, 2010

Goes to show sometimes we feel we gotta travel long distances to see kewl things and this is just 30 clicks outta town! Then again as mentioned earlier maybe the only place Jughead could "take his wife out for a spin" :mwink:

Kewl one Jughead! :thumleft:

Jughead · Feb 15, 2010

Fugly said:
Lekker bridge that :thumleft:
Just worried about the beer you drink though atch:

Tell you what, that's the last time I go there for a beer. Missus wanted a Kiwi Brutal fruit, so after sitting for 20min without any service, I decide to go fetch the drinks myself at the bar. I ask the barman whether they have brutal fruit. No reply, just nods his head. "1 kiwi brutal fruit please and a ..."
"Sorry, we don't have kiwi!"
"Ok, so what do you have?"
"No, everything else"
"Ok, then give me a litchi brutal ..."
"Sorry, the litchi is in the store and isn't cold"
"Then give me a Mango" which he does. When I pick it up, it's warm. "Oh yes", he says, "I just put those in the fridge!" I refused to pay for it and demanded a cold "WHATEVER YOU HAVE THAT'S COLD!" Ok, got that one sorted.

"And what else?"
"A Castle Draught ple..."
"Sorry, Castle is finished"
"Well, what do you have?"
"No, everything else"

"Oh boy, here we go again ..." ???

TornadoF5 · Feb 15, 2010

Jughead said:
Fugly said:

Lekker bridge that :thumleft:
Just worried about the beer you drink though atch:

Click to expand...

Tell you what, that's the last time I go there for a beer. Missus wanted a Kiwi Brutal fruit, so after sitting for 20min without any service, I decide to go fetch the drinks myself at the bar. I ask the barman whether they have brutal fruit. No reply, just nods his head. "1 kiwi brutal fruit please and a ..."
"Sorry, we don't have kiwi!"
"Ok, so what do you have?"
"No, everything else"
"Ok, then give me a litchi brutal ..."
"Sorry, the litchi is in the store and isn't cold"
"Then give me a Mango" which he does. When I pick it up, it's warm. "Oh yes", he says, "I just put those in the fridge!" I refused to pay for it and demanded a cold "WHATEVER YOU HAVE THAT'S COLD!" Ok, got that one sorted.

"And what else?"
"A Castle Draught ple..."
"Sorry, Castle is finished"
"Well, what do you have?"
"No, everything else"

"Oh boy, here we go again ..." ???

That sucks, but rather go by my philosophy "Drink for effect, NOT taste"

TerrorSA · Feb 15, 2010

Nice ride :thumleft:

How does one get to that bridge?

Jughead · Feb 15, 2010

TerrorSA said:
Nice ride :thumleft:

How does one get to that bridge?

Take the road out to Falcon's Rock. Near the end of the road is what can only be described as a drum lid sign (as sign made out of one) that says "Gorge". Take that road (left) to the railway line, (where you will find a similar sign) and follow the line (right) to the bridge. Some places there is no road but just follow the rail/footpath. It is doable, even with a pillion.

mrhyde · Feb 15, 2010

mooi! but scary to ride over?

TerrorSA · Feb 15, 2010

Jughead said:
TerrorSA said:

Nice ride :thumleft:

How does one get to that bridge?

Click to expand...

Take the road out to Falcon's Rock. Near the end of the road is what can only be described as a drum lid sign (as sign made out of one) that says "Gorge". Take that road (left) to the railway line, (where you will find a similar sign) and follow the line (right) to the bridge. Some places there is no road but just follow the rail/footpath. It is doable, even with a pillion.

Thanks :thumleft:

Vin · Feb 15, 2010

There some lovely places in the Cape.

Did anyone ride over that bridge,that would be a sight....please I'm not encouraging anyone
to do something dangerous now..

Thanks for the pictures, its appreciated even if we are too far away to ride these fantastic areas.

Watty · Feb 15, 2010

Vin said:
Did anyone ride over that bridge,that would be a sight....please I'm not encouraging anyone
to do something dangerous now..

Yeb, it has been done. Pie on a Suzuki Djebel 250XC. Spearo on a Yamaha TTR250 Raid and Gorra on a Honda Transalp 400 did it towards the end of last year. Bit of a tight fit apparently... your handlebars are pretty close to the railings. Also you would be in a spot of trouble if the train wants to join you :mwink:

Jughead · Feb 15, 2010

I am not generally afraid of heights and am always ready for a thrill but that bridge scares the #$% out of me. I walked probably 20m along and that was it. The bridge itself is 77m above the river bed and around 170m long.

TornadoF5 · Feb 15, 2010

Jughead said:
I am not generally afraid of heights and am always ready for a thrill but that bridge scares the #$% out of me. I walked probably 20m along and that was it. The bridge itself is 77m above the river bed and around 170m long.

Jughead you such a little [flash=200,200]https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4358500021_fb316cd7fd_m.jpg[/flash]

Jughead · Feb 15, 2010

TornadoF5 said:
Jughead said:

I am not generally afraid of heights and am always ready for a thrill but that bridge scares the #$% out of me. I walked probably 20m along and that was it. The bridge itself is 77m above the river bed and around 170m long.

Click to expand...

Jughead you such a little [flash=200,200]https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4358500021_fb316cd7fd_m.jpg[/flash]

Whatever!

Rone · Feb 15, 2010

TerrorSA said:
Nice ride :thumleft:

How does one get to that bridge?

Make a date and I'll go show you - there is some Geo Caches there I need to find - apparently there were some old forts there to guard the water supply !!!

"The cache will take you to two Anglo-Boer War forts, which were only recently-discovered.
The lower fort was found only in late 2004 hidden in thick pinewoods, which were soon after destroyed in a huge forest fire. The fragmentary upper fort was identified more recently. They were constructed by the PE Town Guard in 1901 to protect the Port Elizabeth water supply.
At the Lower Fort one can see a contour trench, 7 tent platforms cut out of the steep hillside and an arrowhead trench to the north looking over the upper gorge. The walls are dry stone and about 1,5m high and some 15m length . It is believed that it was built to protect a pumping station which was on a huge concrete slab, just below the weir.(VS River Weir by amaSoekSoek)
From here there are incredible views including the highest narrow-gauge railway bridge in the world, completed in 1905.

The upper fort, believed to be a signalling post, is far more fragmented.

170 m North East of the upper fort there is a small stone&cement beacon and the remains of another dry stone structure overlooking the dam.( S 33° 53.127 E25° 13.050)

Start walking from about S33° 53.214 E25° 12.647 to the lower fort at S33° 53.215 E25° 12.744 and then proceed to the upper fort where the cache is hidden close by. This is a steep 180 m ascent in 550m with no path. Cache is in a .8L L&L."

Carnivore · Feb 15, 2010

2 things I remember about the bridge:

The year is 1979. My girlfriend was a school teacher and the kids had an outing/excursion of sorts to Loerie. So I pack my long lissom lady on the back of my KDX 400 and we provide the talking point of the decade for the kids... Miss Ford on a BIKE and her BOYFRIEND....!!!

:biggrin: :biggrin:

Anyhow, we follow the train along the service road, a really lekker ride with some sections requiring a bit of enduro expertise, but all in all, a lekker ride even for a pillion.
But..." you can forget it, Boy! No WAYZ am I riding over that bridge!" she says. So I ride the bike over the footplates, and she walks the whole thing. Now, what difference does it make to walk it versus ride it?

Ahh, great stuff..

What was the 2nd thing?

Oh yes... I remember looking over the rail at some point, having parked the bike to have a gander, and I recall seeing some steel lattice sections lying in the river bed!!! I wondered at the time, if the bridge was rusting away..

Now, perhaps it was a discarded section from the initial build... I really don't know. But I cannot see that bridge without wondering if it is gonna fall down!!

eepwall:

Highest Narrow Gauge Rail Bridge in the World

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