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Origin and history

The Cassagne Bridge, known as the Gisclard Bridge, is a railway suspension bridge built between 1905 and 1908 in the Pyrénées-Orientales, on the Cerdagne line from Villefranche-de-Conflent to Latour-de-Carol. Designed in 1896 by Commander Albert Gisclard and realized by Ferdinand Arnodin's company, he crossed the Tet at a height of 80 metres with a range of 156 metres. Its suspension system rigidized by triangulated farms, an innovation by Gisclard, prefigures modern decks with haubans. The cables, manufactured according to Arnodin's alternating torsion process, are supported by two masonry piles topped by 30 metres of metal pylons.

The bridge was the scene of a tragic accident on October 31, 1909, during load trials, costing the lives of six people, including its designer, Albert Gisclard. This event delayed the opening of the line, finally celebrated on 18 July 1910. A commemorative stele, erected on National Road 116, has paid tribute to the victims since 1995. The bridge itself, still in service in 2025, has been listed as a historic monument since 1997. In 2009, for its centenary, it was completely painted, with precautions to avoid the dispersion of lead particles present in the old layers of paint.

The Gisclard bridge is distinguished by its continuous slope of 60 mm/m and its integration into the mountainous landscape of Cerdagne. It is observable from the Yellow Train, which offers travellers a spectacular view of this exceptional art work. The commemorative plaque located on the RN 116 lists the names of the victims of the 1909 accident: Borrallo, Clerc, Toulet (bridge and Chaussées conductors), Hubert (section chief), Bezault (chief editor), and Gisclard. These elements underline the historic and technical importance of this bridge, a symbol of the French civil engineering of the early twentieth century.

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