<infobox>
<title source="title1"> <default>Lift Bridge</default> </title> <image source="image1">
</image> <label>Streamlined location</label> <label>Real life location</label> <label>Built in</label> <label>Function</label> </infobox>
Overview
The Lift Bridge is a landmark located on the edge of Dijkhuizen, based on an unnamed monumental bridge.
Lore
During the construction of the Dokmuiden - Seest line, a small, mostly wooden bridge was build to cross an extension of an adjacent lake. This was to the discontent of the people of Dijkhuizen, who enjoyed taking boat trips on the nearby lakes. The people of Dijkhuizen, who had to listen to trains thunder by, grew annoyed with the railways which refused to give them a station and blocked routes their boats could take. In 1928, a Dijkhuizer who remains anonymous, decided enough was enough and rammed a boat called the SS Robin into the bridge at full speed. The impact shattered the wood, splinters flying everywhere as the boat collided with the metal tracks. The captain of the boat jumped off and warned the railways of the bridge to prevent passengers from ending up in a crash. Nothing from the crash, including the boat, could be salvaged.
A construction company in Kesteren was ordered to manufacture a new bridge, which they designed with a liftable part so boats could still pass though that bit of water. With the new bridge being build, people from Dijkhuizen made use of the re-opened passage, spreading remnants of the old bridge throughout the lake. Some time later in 1928, the lift bridge would be transported by train and put in the place where it still resides to this day.
Real Life
The lift bridge was build in 1928 by the Frans Smulders machine factory for the Dutch railways, who wanted to branch a some tracks to the nearby market- and auction terrain which would later become the Jaarbeurs (Yearly Fair). When the bridge was build, the waterway underneath it was extended slightly as it was given a V-shape.
Because the demand for goods transported by rail had heavily declined, the branching bit of track was removed in 1981, but the bridge remained. The area around the bridge was turned into a park and the lift bridge itself received the 'municipal monument' status. Nowadays it's still around with the liftable part raised for boat traffic.