This is the wheel that was driven by water that was forced under pressure after being squashed by a compressor that was lifted by water that was pumped from an engine that was driven by steam. And what did this wheel do? It lowered the two halves of Tower Bridge in London. A group of us had a fascinating tour of the Bridge, including “behind the scenes”, seeing the engineering and the huge cavern beneath the Thames where the “unseen” part of the Bridge descends when the roadway is lifted. The road goes up when a 400 ton weight on the other half of the “see-saw” is allowed to descend. The power of hydraulics is needed to lift the weight back up again so the road is lowered back into place, and this was originally powered entirely by water pressure. The Victorian machinery that powered the mechanism is all still in place. Of course nowadays it is all electric pumps and hydraulic oil.
A beautiful piece of machinery and what an interesting time you must have had! Great shot - you have really captured the power and precision of this wonderful piece of engineering.
From Wikipedia! In December 1952, a number 78 double-decker bus was crossing Tower Bridge. At that time, the gateman would ring a warning bell and close the gates when the bridge was clear before the watchman ordered the lift. The process failed while a relief watchman was on duty. The bus was near the edge of the south bascule when it started to rise; driver Albert Gunton made a split-second decision to accelerate the bus, clearing a six-foot drop onto the north bascule, which had not started to rise. The conductor broke his leg, and twelve of the twenty passengers aboard received minor injuries. The driver was later rewarded with a £10 bonus
@tishpics Our tour guide told us that tale - he likes to tell it to Americans because an American did the first "official jump". The guide tells tham than an American may have done it on a motorcycle, but a Brit did it first on a double decker bus!
