I’ve just come across some amazing railroad bridge photos, but the list seems incomplete.
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Since I grew up often walking & biking across it, the old Boston & Maine bridge over the Connecticut River has always been a favorite of mine.
Elwell Island on the left and Hadley, MA on the right
Here’s a photo comparison. The first is circa 1900 the left bridge was for the trolley line, center for horse and buggy (you can see one), and then the railroad bridge. The second photo I took last year (hoping to take a better one in the spring) with the railroad bridge just visible at the end of the bike trail. The Calvin Coolidge Bridge now replaces the other two. That is the same whistle post in both photos.
In 1936, when the massive flood came through the valley, the railroad managed to save this bridge by parking gondolas full of scrap metal on the bridge.
Cars on the bridge with debris from upriver.
No cars, but still tons of ice. This photo claims to be from the same flood, but I wonder if it maybe isn’t.
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I’ve always loved this trestle from the old East Branch and Lincoln logging railroad in NH. Railroad on the top level, walkway for horses on the bottom. Most of the old roadbeds are hikeable and I’ve backpacked on them all. I’ve seen the old piers for this bridge.
Eventually I will make a model of this bridge.
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I cannot wait to see your model of that, Bob!
Its got so much character. Cut boards, tree trunks for the stone-filled piers, what looks like 3-4" logs for the walkway on the lower level, haphazard cross-support size and placement…
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As a long time fan of the East Broad Top, it’s tough to narrow it down to just one but I’ll choose Pogue Bridge as it is about to be rehabilitated and might just see rail traffic by fall.
I’m going to copy a few facts from the virtual tour page on Chris Coleman’s EBT Website Old Eastie…
Built at the location of the original 1874 bridge #7, and renumbered to #6 by 1917. It was built by the American Bridge Company of Philadelphia in the fall of 1904 and erected December 25th of that year. Pogue Bridge served until 1956 when the railroad shut down and was sold to a scrap dealer along with the entire railroad. Pogue is the highest and longest bridge on the line.
Recently, with the purchase of the railroad by the East Broad Top Foundation, brush and trees have been cleared away revealing views that haven’t been seen since the 60’s. Re-built track has reached a point less than 1/4 mile away and will likely reach the bridge this spring. Getting at least light rail traffic across the bridge is required in order to continue the southward march of re-built track with an interim goal of reaching the town of Saltillo.
My pictures from 2004. Looking East…
Looking West…
During hurrican Ivan in 2004 (not mine)…
Lawrence Beimiller’s photo from just before tree clearing took place in 2001…
William Reed’s photo after tree clearing in 2001…
Bids for rehabilitation went out in early 2024 and a contractor has been chosen. Work should begin this summer.
Fingers crossed; by the the October FEBT Fall Reunion, we might be able to ride across. At least on speeders!
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The Milwaukee RR Bridge at Rosalia, WA, where I lived from birth to around 10 years old. Then spent my summers here living at my Grandma’s until adulthood. I spent many hours under that fishing in Pine Creek.
There are two sections, east and west.
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One of my favorite bridges is the Anderson-Bella Vista RR crossing of the Sacramento River near Anderson, CA. Not because it is famous or gracefully beautiful, because it isn’t any of those things, but because of it’s history.
The 15 mile short line standard gauge RR was built in 1891 and the original crossing of the river was a Ferry barge.
This lasted until they dumped the locomotive in the river then a timber bridge was built which washed out on a regular basis.
In 1925 the RR along with other assets were bought by the Red River Lumber Company which quickly upgraded the RR and built a new bridge. The bridge was built with used spans brought in by rail and assembled on new concrete piers.
This served the RR until 1937 when the RR was torn up and abandoned but the bridge was left in tact.
The bridge sat abandoned for years until it and the right of way were deeded to the County and turned into a roadway crossing of the river in the late 1940’s.
A needed river crossing but it was a very narrow bridge for the traffic it carried.
In the early 1970’s a new concrete arch bridge was built just down stream and the old truss bridge sections were dropped into the river and cut up for scrap.
Today only 3 of the 4, 1925 piers are still standing in the Sacramento river and every few years some one in the community posts a letter to the editor in the paper wondering what these are and why they are there.
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Was that originally covered?
One of my faves is about 20 minutes from our place, the Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge. It is almost like, if you had a 1:1 erector set, this is what you could make.
This is a very engineering-oriented video but the intro is pretty cool.
I guess my favorite bridge would be the Vance Creek Bridge in Washington, now a bridge to nowhere. It was built in 1929 for the Simpson Logging Company and closed in the 1970’s. It is 420 feet high and the second highest steel bridge in America.
My personal favorite is the Rockville Bridge in Harrisburg, PA. It has stood for over a century, and still carries some very heavy freight traffic.
Regards, David Meashey
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This is very cool. Shall we expect to see this bridge made using your CNC soon?
Dan;
My first thought was that the arches on that bridge were for carrying trolley wire or catenary. Henry Ford’s electrified railroad had similar arches, BUT the arches are not evident over the girder spans. So, I suppose the arches were just used to add strength.
Anyone else want to hazard a guess?
Best, David Meashey
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I believe it’s called “flair”
I was first drawn to that bridge back in the early 90’s and over the years I’ve asked many about the arches and no one knows for sure. Someone speculated it was originally built with top supports straight across (16 feet clearance) and the arches were added later to allow for taller equipment.
My favorite bridge would be anything made of hot riveted steel and considered a trestle not a bridge. the higher the better and I have quite a few as my favorite.
Back in the day in the hood Dave !
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