Michigan Central's Niagara Falls Bridges over Niagara River

(3D Satellite) I think the bridge in the background is the arch bridge that replaced the suspension bridge.

Ross Gray -> Canada Southern Railway ( CASO / CSR )

William C Sweet commented:

Can't say for sure but that train on the bridge is probably New York Centrals train NY-4. It carried livestock and produce from the West coast forwarded to Chicago. NYC picked it up from there and carried it to New York via Chicago, Detroit, Southern Ontario, Niagara Falls, and Rochester where it rejoined the NYC 4 track mainline to New York City. A very hot train and it lasted into the Penn Central era. Dispatchers were told (off the record of course) to never put any other trains in front of it including passenger trains.

Ross Gray -> Canada Southern Railway ( CASO / CSR )

Peter Dudley commented:

This aerial view shows the recently-completed Michigan Central Railroad Steel Arch bridge in 1925, as the 42-year-old, functionally-obsolete cantilever bridge it replaced was being dismantled.

Grand Trunk Railway's 1897 Whirlpool Rapids Bridge stood further downstream from both bridges. The GT (later Canadian National Railway) bridge replaced the original, 1850s-vintage Suspension Bridge, on the same site. After the new arch bridge was completed underneath the old suspension span, the suspension cables were cut, and the remains of the previous bridge were removed.

Ross Gray -> Canada Southern Railway ( CASO / CSR )

Chewy Chewy Williamson posted two images with the comment:

Niagara Gorge Railway

Niagara Cantilever Bridge or Michigan Central Railway Cantilever Bridge

The Michigan Central Railway Bridge was the dream of financier and railway developer[iii] Cornelius Vanderbilt.[iv] Vanderbilt needed a rail link between Canada and the USA, but was not prepared to pay the high rental price which the owners of the Lower Arch Bridge (the first railway bridge across the gorge) were asking.

Mr. Vanderbilt owned the Michigan Central Railway and had controlling interest in the Canada Southern Railway. In lieu of paying rent, he decided to build a new bridge. Vanderbilt formed the Niagara River Bridge Company and received a charter to build a new bridge from both the Canadian and US authorities.

On April 9, 1883, the Niagara River Bridge Company signed a contract with the Central Bridge Works Company of Buffalo New York to build this bridge. The chief engineer was Charles C. Schneider. This first bridge of cantilever design at Niagara, was built across the Niagara Gorge by engineer Edmund Hayes, of the Central Bridge Works Company, at a site just south of the Lower Arch Bridge. (the Whirlpool Bridge)

Panoramic Photograph

Niagara Cantilever Bridge viewed from the south, with a steam locomotive pulling a train passing over it. Whirlpool Rapids Bridge is just behind it.

Date between 1905 and 1920

By Detroit Publishing Co - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID det.4a18788.This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18386064

Could this steam locomotive been a locomotive doing work for the Canadian Southern Railway that used that bridge at that time period

Postcard showing the St. Thomas Railway Station and the yard as it existed behind the station, circa 1915.

By JV and Sons - http://www.canadasouthern.com/.../pc-mcrr-stthomas-yard.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43990361

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Andy Baugnet posted seven photos with the comment:

Whirlpool Rapids Railroad Bridge:
Built 1883 as Michigan Central Railway Cantilever Bridge over Niagara Falls. This 906’ long bridge has twin tracks and was built by Central Bridge Works of Buffalo, NY for Cornelius Vanderbilt who didn’t want to pay the high rent of the bridge to the south called the Lower Arch Bridge (and apparently had so many trains running that he wanted to have two pass each other on the bridge if needed). Towers are 132’ high and each cantilever is 325’ long and 25’ high. An impressive and dignified bridge to be sure. If you try and trespass, you'll be greeted by a 40' wall in the center that is solid plate steel from end to end. These are just a few of the 34 images from the project.

Tim Shanahan shared.
[I believe this is the arch bridge that replaced the cantilever bridge.]

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Elgin County Railway Museum posted five photos with the comment: "The first Michigan Central Railway bridge was built to avoid high rental fees from the Lower Arch Bridge. A contract was signed on April 9, 1883, with construction starting on April 15, under the supervision of engineer Charles C. Schneider. The bridge spanned 495 feet (151m) and stood 240 feet above the Niagara River, accommodating two trains simultaneously. It was completed on December 1, 1883, at a cost of $700,000. The cantilever bridge operated for over 40 years before being replaced by a stronger steel arch bridge to meet the demands of heavier modern trains. The bridge measured 906 feet in length."

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Tim Shanahan shared two photos posted by Christopher John Zyrlis with the comment: "The Michigan Central RR Bridge, spanning the Niagara River, about 1 1/2 miles north of Niagara Falls. Opened in 1925, this replaced the original cantilever bridge you see pictured below of 1883.  Placed out of service in 2001. Picture taken June 21, 2021 facing Ontario."

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Tim Baldwin posted
C&O CG41 crossing the Michigan Central bridge into Canada. Winter 1982-83.

Len Bachman posted two photos with the comment: "Recent photos of the Michigan Central Railway Bridge.  Construction on the bridge began in 1924, and the bridge opened in 1925. This bridge replaced the Niagara Cantilever Bridge that crossed in the same area from 1883 to 1925. The main traffic across the bridge were trains operated by the New York Central, Penn Central, Conrail, and Canadian Pacific Railway. It was also used briefly from October 1978 to January 31, 1979 by Amtrak's former Niagara Rainbow service which ran between New York City and Detroit via Niagara Falls and Windsor, Ontario. The bridge was abandoned in 2001 after a deal was reached between the City of Niagara Falls, Ontario and Canadian Pacific to stop service on the line that the bridge was part of because the line ran through the tourist district of the city and was considered a nuisance and safety issue."

Tim Shanahan shared

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Linda Button commented on Len's post
My father, Reg Button, had many photographs of this bridge in use. This one is from 1980.

Historic Photographs posted
Samuel John Dixon Crossing Niagara Falls Below the Great Cantilever Bridge. 1895
Mike Law: He did it successfully twice but tragically drowned in Wood Lake, Muskoka, later that year.
[I wonder what the hoop around the ankles is all about. So do some of the comments.]
Jim Myers shared

R.S. Douglas posted three photos with the comment: "The Michigan Central Railway Bridge from the U.S. side. It has not been used since 2001. The vines growing up the arch make it look like something from a post-apocalyptic movie."

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