The old railway bridge over the Ob
Coordinates	55°00′36″N 82°55′05″E / 55.01°N 82.9180°E / 55.01; 82.9180
Carries	single track (in the period 1984-2000 it was double track)
Crosses	Ob River
Locale	Novosibirsk, Russian Federation
Characteristics
Design	Semi-parabolic trusses, which had a support column and one curved top chord with double-latticework.
Material	Steel, reinforced concrete, stone
Total length	983.5 m (3,227 ft)
No. of spans	9х109.25 m (358.4 ft)
History
Designer	Nikolai Belelubsky
Opened	1897
Location

The Novosibirsk Rail Bridge is a single-track railway bridge across the Ob River. Originally constructed as part of the Trans-Siberian Railway mainline, the bridge was narrow, with only one track. It was designed by Nikolai Belelubsky and built in between 1893 and 1897. The location of the bridge was selected by Nikolai Garin-Mikhailovsky. It is believed that the decision to start the bridge's construction near the village of Krivoschekovo (Russian: Кривощёково) led to the foundation of Novosibirsk.

Selecting a place to cross the Ob River

Selecting an appropriate location for the forthcoming bridge has proven to be quite a daunting task. Initially, the plan was to have the railroad pass through the town of Tomsk, which meant constructing the bridge approximately 55 km west of Tomsk, where the Ob river experienced regular surges during the spring due to melting snow. However, this area was deemed unsuitable for construction and an alternative site had to be sought. This responsibility fell on the shoulders of Nikolai Garin-Mikhailovsky, a renowned civil engineer and writer. After thorough research, he suggested a narrow area with rocky outcrops, located about 200 km southwest of Tomsk, which is known today as the city of Novosibirsk, just beyond the north end of the Salair Ridge.

In late August of 1891, a plenary meeting was held in the village of Big Krivoschekovo, attended by three high-ranking state officials: Konstantin Mikhailovsky, the Head of the Department of Railway Construction, Vladimir Berezin, a State Counsellor who would eventually become the contractor, and Vikenty Ignatievich Roetsky, the Commander of the Exploration Group. They thoroughly examined the hydrographic data provided by Royetski and ultimately recommended a location for the bridge crossing, near a cattle wade. This decision marked the final selection of the building site for the future bridge.

Construction and initial design

The first railway bridge was designed by the brilliant civil engineer Prof. Nikolai Belelubsky, a well-known Russian scientist in the field of structural mechanics and engineering who developed several bridge projects in the Russian Empire.

Originally, the bridge superstructure was made up of nine bowstring arch through truss spans over the river channel with double lattice girders that measured 109-meter (358 ft.) in length. The design required meticulous alignment of the top and floor elements, known as cords, as well as the inter-cord elements, which are the web elements. These elements were all manufactured using open-hearth steel and were produced at the renowned Votkinsk ironworks, which is now known as the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant located in Udmurtia. This ironworks had been utilizing open hearth furnaces since 1871, which allowed them to produce railway rails for the country's extensive railway network.

Belelubsky also applied his own innovative constructive solution called 'free carriageway'. This innovative approach, subsequently became known as 'Russian-style support', involved using pin-connected elements at a chosen angle, which allowed for shorter panel lengths, simplified structural framing, and minimized secondary stresses within the truss components. Furthermore, the inclusion of vertical load-bearing elements in this design greatly streamlined the construction of cradles, base frames, and structural connections used in the trusses. The revolutionary nature of this connection method was recognized and honored with a gold medal at the 1890 Edinburgh Exhibition, solidifying its reputation as a game-changing development in the field of engineering.^[1]

The bridge was built entirely of open-hearth steel, a newly developed material at the time of its construction. Steelwork elements used in the bridge superstructure weighted 4423 tons and were fabricated at the famous Votkinsk ironworks in Udmurtia under the supervision of the prolific contractor General V.I. Berezin. The height above low water-mark was 17 metres (56 ft).

The truss superstructure was set on masonry piers that were reinforced upstream with triangular buttresses (cutwaters) to break up ice that floats downstream in spring. The clear head room was 17 metres (56 ft.) above mean high water.

It was a lengthy and costly endeavor to construct the bridge, as it required four whole years of dedicated work and approximately 2 million rubles were invested in its installation. Once the construction was completed in 1896, the bridge underwent rigorous load tests to ensure its stability. To demonstrate its readiness for public use, a solemn inauguration took place on March 31, 1897, where four steam locomotives triumphantly crossed over the newly built bridge. In addition to accommodating train traffic, a pedestrian path was also established on the bridge. In order to facilitate safe passage for pedestrians, wooden sidewalks were meticulously crafted. Unfortunately, the movement of pedestrians was subsequently prohibited on the bridge, thus rendering the purpose of the pedestrian path obsolete.

The entire construction process was under the guidance of civil engineer G.M. Budagov, who expressed immense gratitude for his collaboration with Nikolai Garin-Mikhailovsky in the development of railway sections, bridges, and stations. Budagov fondly reminisced about their partnership, describing Garin-Mikhailovsky as a resourceful, talented, and intelligent comrade whose presence added vibrancy and enjoyment to the daily lives and work of the builders.

Development and operation

During the 1930s, the significance of the 'old' bridge diminished as the double-track Komsomolsky (Kimovsky) railway bridge was built and a new freight train bypass was constructed. As a result, the 'old' bridge's purpose shifted primarily towards accommodating passenger trains that traversed through the city center.

In April of 1984, West Siberian Railway construction train number 429 successfully erected a brand-new truss superstructure on the piers of the existing bridge, effectively separating it from the original carriageway. This remarkable feat of engineering involved the assembly of a staggering 15.7 thousand steelwork elements, which collectively amounted to a massive weight of 4.5 thousand tons. The ambitious reconstruction project had initially commenced a decade earlier in 1974. To facilitate the construction process, a substantial approach was painstakingly created, involving the placement of approximately 78,000 cubic meters of soil. This approach served as a foundation for the construction of a road leading to the left bank abutment, allowing for the efficient transportation of essential construction materials such as metal and concrete to the designated construction site. For evaluating the current condition of the existing piers, a group of experts from Leningrad thoroughly examined them conducting visual inspections, collecting samples, and performing tests on the masonry elements and their foundations. After careful examination, the experts determined that it would be feasible to install new spans on the existing piers. The Ministry of Railways of the USSR took the decision to install the new superstructure with subsequent dismantling of the old one, as it was originally designed for smaller engines and lighter railcars.

With the introduction of the Novosibirsk hydroelectric power plant, the once vigorous ice drifts during the spring season have significantly diminished in and around the city. Consequently, the need for the cutwaters to serve their original purpose has become obsolete. Additionally, they constructed two brand-new abutments to further enhance the bridge's stability and functionality. The installation of 100 metres long trusses between the piers was carried out by the balanced cantilever method (from pier to pier) with the use of cranes passing through the top and inside of the trusses.

In 1991, all traffic over the 'old' bridge was halted, marking the commencement of its dismantling process, which spanned over a decade and commenced in 2000.^[2] The construction of the new trusses involved the utilization of cutting-edge high-strength bolts, enabling their swift installation without the need for traditional scaffolding or any floating apparatus. While the newly installed spans boasted enhanced strength and size, they lacked the aesthetic charm of the time-honored openwork trusses that had faithfully facilitated transportation along the illustrious Trans-Siberian Way for nearly a century.

At this point in time, all of the old trusses have been eliminated and the bridge has undergone a transformation to become a single-track structure. Nevertheless, the piers and abutments from the previous bridge still remain intact, providing the possibility of expanding the bridge to accommodate double tracks if the need arises. Additionally, a portion of the old spans can still be observed on the riverside promenade of the city, serving as a captivating exhibit within a museum setting.