The Guillemard Bridge

The Guillemard Bridge, over the Kusial River is also known as Kusial Bridge. It was constructed in 1920 by The Metro Carriage Wagon & Finance Company Limited, Wednesbury Works, England and completed in 1924 officiated by Sultan Ismail Ibni Almarhum Sultan Muhammad IV. During the Second World War (1941-1945) the bridge were severely damaged and thus re-built in 1948. It was officiated for the second time by Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Muhammad IV, the Sultan of Kelantan on the 7th September 1948. Spanning 609.6 meter, it was previously used by all vehicles but usage has been limited to train in 1st February1988 when the new concrete bridge connecting Tanah Merah to Machang was built. The bridge was named after the name of a British Straits Settlement Governor and The Malay States High Commisioner in 1920s, Sir Laurence Guillemard. It connects Paloh Rawa in Machang to Kursial in Tanah Merah crossing the murky Kelantan River and the bridge is still in use, acting as a vital link for the East Coast Train Line (KTMB) from Gemas to Tumpat. Surprisingly, The Guillemard Bridge was claimed as the Longest Railway Bridge in Malaysia. Look some of the photos that I’ve taken during a visit to this momentous bridge, walking from Paloh Rawa until Kusial for about half kilometers on the steel floor, losing my equilibrium only to get the best view of this bridge despite having Alto-phobia. 🙂

A rustic steel bridge.

Linking from Paloh Rawa in Machang to Kursial in Tanah Merah.

View from Paloh Rawa in Machang.

The bridge was named after the name of a British Straits Settlement Governor and The Malay States High Commisioner in 1920s,, Sir Laurence Guillemard.

Screw-in Steel

An old railway wooden.

Rusty steel support of old railway bridge.

metal screw (or lag bolt)) used to fix each section

The Guillemard Bridge

The Guillemard Bridge

Between two sections of the bridge

crossing Kelantan River.

The Guillemard Bridge

The murky Kelantan River

Zooming Machang-Tanah Merah Bridge

The Guillemard Bridge

A signboard bearing the word, " Metro Carriage Wagon & Finance.Co ".

The Guillemard Bridge

The Guillemard Bridge: View from Kusial.

Kusial View from The Guillemard Bridge .

Timber Railway Sleeper.

Concrete Bridge pillars

Railway's Silhouette View.

The Guillemard Bridge

The Guillemard Bridge

Still magnificent despite built in 1920s

The Guillemard Bridge

The Longest Railway Bridge in Malaysia

The Guillemard Bridge: The Kelantanese pride

The Guillemard Bridge In History:

The Guillemard Bridge, during construction in 1920s.

Taken 7 March 1929: Left to right: J. STRACHAN, GENERAL MANAGER OF RAILWAYS; LADY PEEL; MR. HASKINS AND SIR WILLIAM PEEL during the visit by some British officers.

The Guillemard Bridge after its opening.

during the WW2, the bridge partly demolished by the British, in an attempt to stop the marching of Japanese troops.

* Courtesy of Arkib Negara Malaysia ( National Archive ) search site.