Guillemard Bridge

Bridge in Tumpat-Gemas Line

5°45′43″N 102°08′59″E / 5.761857°N 102.149608°E / 5.761857; 102.149608CarriesRailway
PedestrianCrossesKelantan RiverLocaleTumpat-Gemas Line (East Coast Line)Official nameGuillemard Railway BridgeMaintained byPerbadanan Aset Keretapi Railway Assets Corporation (RAC)CharacteristicsDesignDouble-intersection Warren truss bridgeTotal length660.2 m (2166 feet)^[1]HistoryConstructed byFederated Malay States Railways (FMSR) Construction DivisionOpened19 July 1924; 99 years ago (19 July 1924)Location Map

The Guillemard Bridge (Malay: Jambatan Guillemard Jawi: جمبتن ڬويلليمارد) is a single track railway truss bridge located in Kusial, Tanah Merah District, Kelantan, Malaysia. It is second of the oldest railway bridges in the country after Victoria Bridge in Perak, although unlike Victoria Bridge, this bridge is still in use today.

Etymology

The bridge was named after the British Governor for the Straits Settlements, Sir Laurence Guillemard.

History

The construction of the Guillemard Bridge as the first crossing over the Kelantan River was initially planned to begin as early as 1915 upon the completion of the 54 km line between Tumpat and Tanah Merah in May 1914. However, due to the breakout of World War I, work was not commenced until 1920. Construction eventually began and was carried out between April 1920 and July 1924 by the Federated Malay States Railways (FMSR) Construction Division, using steel truss structures manufactured by The Metro Carriage Wagon & Finance Co of Wednesbury, England. Much of the material from the West was brought in via the Penang Port and brought all the way to Kelantan by the rail transport through Thailand (Butterworth - Hat Yai - Sungai Golok) before ending at the site by way of the already existing Sungai Golok - Pasir Mas and Tumpat - Tanah Merah lines. It was reported that Chinese laborers were hired for the structural works while Indian workers were tasked on the earthworks, under British engineers' supervision. The construction started from the south side, Paloh Rawa (Machang) before completing at the Kusial (Tanah Merah) end.^[2]

The bridge was officially opened on Saturday, 19 July 1924 by the British High Commissioner for The Federated Malay States and Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir Laurence Guillemard at the behest of Almarhum Sultan Ismail ibni Almarhum Sultan Muhammad IV of Kelantan. The Sultan was also present at the opening ceremony held on the north abutment at Kusial Bharu (Tanah Merah), alongside with the Raja Kelantan (Crown Prince) Tengku Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Muhammad IV, who would later became Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Muhammad IV (1944~1960) of Kelantan. The Guillemard Bridge was opened less than a month after the opening of Johor Causeway (Tambak Johor) on 28 June 1924, also by Sir Laurence Guillemard.

In December 1941, at the start of the World War II in Malaya, the British forces retreating south to Kuala Krai, destroyed the north span of the bridge to prevent the Imperial Japanese Army advancing.^[3] It remained impassable to traffic until it was reconstructed and reopened to traffic on 7 September 1948.

The 660.2 m (2166 feet) bridge, is a technological marvel of its day and is still standing strong after nearly a century. The strong, black solid steel bridge has a history worth telling. It was the first bridge over the Kelantan River and retained the status from 1924 to 1965 when the Sultan Yahya Petra Bridge was completed and became the second link, connecting Kota Bharu and Tumpat. It was also the only railway bridge in Malaysia that served all land vehicles apart from train service from 1924 up until 1988 when the Tanah Merah (Kusial) Bridge was completed along Federal Route 4, just a few kilometers down stream. It was later closed to other traffics, limited only to train use up to this very day.

The Guillemard Bridge is currently the largest, longest and oldest steel truss railway bridge still in active rail operation in the country. It is currently the second longest railway bridge in Malaysia after the Bukit Merah Lake Railway Bridge in Perak, Malaysia.

References

^ https://commonrepo.um.edu.my/438/1/FMS%20GOV%201925_30.pdf
^ Straits Echo (Mail Edition), "Kelantan Railway Construction - A Big Bridge." Straits Echo (Mail Edition) (1923, Aug 21): 952
^ "Asia's iconic 'Jungle Railway'". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-06-05.

External links

Guillemard Bridge / Jambatan Sungai Kusial - Malaya Railway

Historical buildings, memorials, monuments and sites in Malaysia

West Malaysia

Buildings

Johor	Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman Glass Temple Church of the Immaculate Conception Dato' Bentara Luar Mosque Istana Besar Istana Bukit Serene Johor Bahru railway station Johor Bahru Old Chinese Temple Pulau Pisang Lighthouse Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque Sultan Ibrahim Jamek Mosque Sultan Ibrahim Building Sultanah Aminah Hospital Sultanah Fatimah Specialist Hospital
Kedah	Kedah State Art Gallery Zahir Mosque Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah Gallery Sungai Petani clock tower
Kelantan	Istana Batu Istana Jahar Kampung Laut Mosque
Kuala Lumpur	Buddhist Maha Vihara Coliseum Theatre DBKL City Theatre Hotel Majestic Masjid Jamek Kuala Lumpur railway station Lee Rubber Building National Mosque of Malaysia National Textile Museum Pasar Seni Sin Sze Si Ya Temple Sri Kandaswamy Kovil Sri Mahamariamman Temple Sultan Abdul Samad Building St. John's Cathedral St. Mary's Cathedral Victoria Institution
Malacca	Cheng Hoon Teng Temple Christ Church Church of St. Francis Xavier Cape Rachado Lighthouse Fortress of Malacca Kampung Hulu Mosque Kampung Kling Mosque Malay and Islamic World Museum Malaysia Architecture Museum Malaysia Youth Museum Middelburg Bastion Poh San Teng Temple Proclamation of Independence Memorial Stadthuys St. John's Fort St. Paul's Church St. Peter's Church Straits Chinese Jewellery Museum Sri Poyatha Moorthi Temple Tamil Methodist Church Tranquerah Mosque Undan Island Lighthouse
Negeri Sembilan	Istana Ampang Tinggi Istana Seri Menanti Seremban railway station
Pahang	All Souls' Church Sri Marathandavar Bala Dhandayuthapani Alayam Sultan Abu Bakar Museum
Penang	Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple Church of the Risen Christ Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion Church of the Assumption Church of the Immaculate Conception Dhammikarama Burmese Temple Eastern & Oriental Hotel Fort Cornwallis Fort Cornwallis Lighthouse Goddess of Mercy Temple Holy Spirit Cathedral Jade Emperor God Temple Jalan Baru Sri Muniswarar Temple Jubilee Clock Tower Kapitan Keling Mosque Kek Lok Si Khoo Kongsi Lebuh Aceh Mosque Mahindarama Buddhist Temple Nattukkottai Chettiar Temple Penang City Hall Penang High Court Penang Islamic Museum Penang Masonic Temple Penang State Assembly Building Pinang Peranakan Mansion Penang Town Hall Seri Mutiara Thean Kong Thnuah Temple Snake Temple Seri Teratai Sri Aghora Veerapathra Temple Sri Mahamariamman Temple St. Anne's Church St. George's Church Suffolk House Wat Buppharam Wat Chayamangkalaram
Perak	Al-Ghufran Royal Mausoleum All Saints' Church Church of St. Anthony of Padua Dutch Fort Ipoh railway station Kellie's Castle Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan Panglima Kinta Mosque Perak State Museum Sam Poh Tong Temple Taiping Hospital Ubudiah Mosque
Perlis	Alwi Mosque
Selangor	Alaeddin Mosque Church of Our Lady of Lourdes Klang Hatter's Castle Istana Bandar One Fathom Bank Lighthouse Sri Sunderaraja Perumal Temple Sri Sithi Vinayagar Temple Sultan Sulaiman Mosque Sultan Abdul Aziz Royal Gallery Wat Chetawan
Terengganu	Abidin Mosque Duyong Old Fort Ho Ann Kiong Temple Istana Maziah Rumah Warisan Haji Su Tian Hou Gong Temple

Memorials
and monuments

Site

East Malaysia

Buildings

Labuan	Labuan Chimney Labuan Clock Tower
Sabah	Agnes Keith House Atkinson Clock Tower Batu Tinagat Lighthouse Jesselton Freemason Hall Jesselton Hotel Keningau Heritage Museum Kinarut Mansion Melalap railway station Sabah Tourism Board Sacred Heart Cathedral, Kota Kinabalu Sam Sing Kung Temple Sandakan Heritage Museum Sandakan Jamek Mosque St. Michael's Church, Penampang St. Michael's and All Angels Church, Sandakan Tawau Bell Tower
Sarawak	Chinese History Museum Ching San Yen Temple Fort Alice Fort Hose Fort Margherita Fort Sylvia Hong San Si Temple Islamic Heritage Museum Kuching Old Courthouse Sacred Heart Cathedral, Sibu Sarawak State Museum Square Tower The Astana Tua Pek Kong Temple, Kuching Tua Pek Kong Temple, Miri Tua Pek Kong Temple, Sibu