King River or Ring River? - Question

[admin]

I recently bough a Spurling RP card dated 30 10 1907 purporting to be of the Emu Bay Railway on the "Ring River Bridge ".
To my surprise I already had an identical card titled "King River Bridge Emu Bay Railway" dated 2 No 1906 which I had never looked at closely.
I don't believe the EBR actually crossed the King River and from other photographs I have seen, the King river does not look as represented in the card.
Is anyone able to confirm the scene is actually the Ring River?

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[Mike]

The correct caption is "Ring River Bridge Emu Bay Railway". I know of other Spurling postcard with the wrong caption.
This bridge was built by the Launceston firm, Salisbury & Co in 1900. They won the tender for the construction of the 285ft Ring River Bridge. The height above the river was 83ft. The bridge had a very frail appearance as depicted on the postcards. The first official train to complete the journey from Burnie to Zeehan on the new railway was on 21st December 1900. On the 6th March 1917 the bridge was wash away after a severe rain storm. Six months later the new bridge was completed to a new design as several of the short spans were replaced with a single large span which was supported by large concrete abutments.
Suggested reading,
The Emu Bay Railway by Lou Rae 1991 and A history of Railways and Tramways on Tasmania's West Coast, also by Lou Rae.1983. Both books are out of print.

This Spurling postcard is of the Stitt River Bridge, located near Rosebery and only a short distance from the Ring River Bridge.

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[admin]

Mike, thank you for the confirmation and additional information.

Pete

[Phil.Rickard]

http://tps.org.au/bb/viewtopic.php?p=6279#p6279 Yes, I've also seen the incorrect caption at the State Lib Tas (whom one would think would have 'twigged' that the earlier printing of the postcard was wrong and put a note on it as to the correct location . . .) One supposes there must have been red faces when the incorrect title on the card hit the shops and a second printing was arranged! The Ring River bridge disaster is discussed in depth by Les Morley and myself in "Light Railways" magazine 269, October 2019 (www.lrrsa.org.au)

[John Campton]

Yes I had noticed that error when searching/researching their records. It is only a printing error with the ink incomplete on the top of the "R". I went to some lengths to both email and write to them regarding this mistitle but it remains unchanged. I wonder if they want it there for those looking up "King River". I gave up>