Saturday, December 24, 2016

1907 NS/Wabash Bridge over Lake Decatur

(Bridge Hunter, no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

One of the largest reinforced concrete structures in the world when it was completed in December 1907. (Hearald&Review)
 
Mid-Century Decatur posted
The southbound Banner Blue crosses Lake Decatur in 1965 just before 2 PM in the afternoon.  The train will arrive in St. Louis Union Station at 4:35 PM.
The Illinois Terminal Railroad bridge, now gone, is visible under the arches.
Photo: Dan Pope Collection
Lyle Clary: At one time the Wabash trestle was the largest poured concrete structure in the world.
Christopher P Allen: Great shot! Can’t believe our lake was ever blue😳 Early 60’s?
Derek Evans: Christopher P Allen that was well before every farm field along the watershed was tiled dumping it into the river!
Kevin Reynolds shared

Richard Koenig posted
Here we see a westbound train on the former Wabash crossing over Lake Decatur just east of that town in central Illinois. The piers one can see behind the Wabash bridge once carried the tracks of the Illinois Terminal Railroad. Two photographs by Richard Koenig; taken December 30th 2017.
[I saw just this one photo.]

Jim Arvites posted
View of a westbound Norfolk Southern freight train on the old concrete Wabash Railroad Bridge crossing Lake Decatur in Illinois on April 22, 2023.
(Keith Pokorny Photo)

Brandon Elliott posted
NS train 32N making a pull down move over Lake Decatur while working the yard.
Decatur, IL 1/28/20
 
Bill Molony posted
The Wabash Banner Blue at Decatur on August 3rd, 1954.
Photograph by Paul Stringham.
From the Blackhawk collection.


Birds-Eye View
[The piers are the remnants of an Illinois Terminal interurban route.]

One of five photos posted by Kirk Reynolds
The Monticello Railway Museum's train going to Decatur, IL to be used by Norfolk Southern as a Santa Clause Train.

Richard Koenig posted
Lake Decatur
This is the same train from my earlier post shot in Bement. Here it is seen on the former Wabash crossing over Lake Decatur, just east of that city. As with the earlier post, remnants of the Illinois Terminal are visible here (abutments seen in the background).
Image by Richard Koenig; taken March 22nd 2018.

Robert Northway posted
Railroad trestle crossing Lake Decatur was built in 1907, but originally spanned the Sangamon River before the lake was built. Still in use but the smaller supports in back of it were once part of a bridge for the interurban. 1/27/20 in Decatur.
Dennis DeBruler Reinforced concrete was bleeding edge technology at the beginning of the 20th Century. This 1907 bridge was one of the largest reinforced concrete structures in the world when it was completed.
https://herald-review.com/.../article_68f515d0-fe01-5f02...

Cheryl VanEtten commented on Robert's post
September 2019

Ben Baker commented on Robert's post
Front bridge is still used everyday, boaters know that when a train is passing to get out from underneath this bridge, chunks of concrete are coming off of it. I may have some closer pictures.

These images are before the Sangamon River was turned into Lake Decatur in the early 1920s. That is, before the water level was raised.
Melissa Brand-Welch via Bridge Hunter
David Bowman posted
Fairview Park looks like 1913 post mark and 1909 for the wabash bridge .. Largest (barrel-vault) concrete bridge west of the Allegheny Mountains. Image and Text Courtesy of Decatur, Illinois

Comment by Tim in Bridge Hunter, ca 1920

Note the two guys standing on debris by one of the piers.
Comment by Tim in Bridge Hunter, ca 1908
article from CONCRETE VOL VIII, January 1908

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