The engineering firm P & W MacLellan built the Chenab Bridge for the Indian State Railways in 1888. The firm's product catalogue describes the steel bridge as being provided with cross girders, rail bearers, and transverse trough floor plates. It was made for a single railway track of 5 feet 6 inches guage (the standard gauge on British railways is 4 feet 8.5 inches) and consisted of eight spans of 200 feet each.
P & W MacLellan was a major employer of labour in Glasgow with a thriving export trade. Founded in 1811, the firm underwent a major expansion in 1871 with the opening of the Clutha Works in MacLellan Street in Kinning Park. Customers for their products, many of which survive today, were found all over the world and were not confined to the British Empire. The company finally ceased trading in 1979.
Reference: Mitchell Library, GC 629.2272 CHA
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
bridge builders, bridges, Chenab Bridge, Clutha Works, engineers, exports, girders, Indian State Railways, P & W MacLellan, steel, trade catalogues