Transporter Bridge

As my husband was working near the River Tees in Middlesbrough on the southside, I piggybacked a lift and found this area had a engineering and design wonder .

It is an unusual bridge. Completed in 1911. The tall fixed metal structure is to allow enough height for ships to pass underneath without hindrance. The part that transports is a 'cradle' that is suspended underneath the 'bridge'. with strong cables, which are attached to a mechanism on the bridge.

This is powered by electricity from the winding house on the Middlesbrough side and moves the cradle over the water. It can carry 9 cars or 200 people in less than 2 minutes. It is the longest one in the world at 851ft and there are less than 12 in the world now.

It has withstood being bombed in both WW1 and WW2. In 1953 the cradle got stuck half way during gale force winds: What would that have been like to be on board?!

The transporter Bridge was painted blue in 1961 instead of the original red.

When chatting to friends they told me of times when they had persuaded their fathers to 'drive' across the bridge even when it was a longer journey, the excitement of crossing the bridge is still in their minds.

One down side was that it was also a place of suicides and caused the stairs to be closed off at night.

You may recall it was featured in a special Auf Wiedersehen Pet episode where they dismantled it and took it to Arizona. Some people telephoned the local council complaining as they thought this had actually happened.

There is a disclaimer at the end of the show stating it is still in Middlesbrough!

Depending how you view it, the bridge is the first or last over the River Tees.

Sadly, now in need of repair since 2019, so not currently operating. It is said that one of the structures is sinking. However I was advised that crossing the bridge by foot should be available again soon. (It is still not as of June 2025). We will be back when 'they' have sorted out the anti-slip matting to walk over the top of the bridge.