Humber, William
(1821-1881) A practical treatise on cast and wrought iron bridges and girders, as
applied to railway structures, and to buildings generally.
London: E.
& F. N. Spon, 1857.
The Crumlin viaduct was built to carry the Newport,
Abergavenny, and Hereford Railway over the valley of the Ebbw in South
Wales. It is over 1800 feet long, and at its greatest height is over 200
feet above the river. A viaduct is distinguished from a bridge in having
separate supporting piers that are not connected together. The Crumlin
viaduct is carried by cast iron column members, which support Warren truss
girders made of wrought iron. The viaduct was designed by Liddell and
Gordon and was placed into service in 1857. It was considered the
engineering wonder of its day, and William Humber chose to illustrate it
as the frontispiece to his definitive study of iron bridges and girders.
