Edinburgh Trams

Bernard Street Bridge

The swing bridge across the Harbour at Bernard Street was originally owned by Leith Dock Commission and was built in 1898-99 from a design by Sir William Armstrong, to replace an earlier swing bridge which closed on May 1897.

The bridge was operated by hydraulic power. Before opening it lifted and titled onto its centre pivot whereby the attachments above the ends of the overhead wire dropped out of spring loaded forks. The other side acted the same with the wire lifting upwards from the attachment on the fixed girder.  The approach lines in both directions were protected by catch points which opened when the tilting mechanism was commenced. Tram signals automatically indicated the tram to stop. The overhead wire over the approach tramline was fed from the line on the other side through the bridge overhead wire so it became a dead section with no live wire when the titling mechanism was commenced. 

The last time the bridge opened to allow passage of a ship was on 12 September 1956. It was replaced by a non-opening fixed concrete structure.