1924 CSX/NYC Alfred H. Smith Bridge over Hudson River at Selkirk, NY

(Bridge Hunter, Satellite (it is still double tracked), Birds-Eye View, Street View, River View)

The bridge is about a mile long because it goes bluff-to-bluff. I recognize Selkirk as a town that has a big railroad yard.

"Note: Span length is approximate. Longest truss span 610 feet, shorter truss span is about 405 feet." [BridgeHunter]

Looking from the east side.

Street View

The approach on the east is above the treetops for quite a distance.

Street View

The bluff is a lot closer to the river on the west side.

Street View
The Castleton-on-Hudson Bridge is also impressive.

This bridge is a railfan favorite.

Dave Blaze Rail Photography posted

SD40-2s Over The Hudson

CSXT local L022 has 44 empty grain hoppers headed for Selkirk behind CSXT 8854 and 8128 (SD40-2s blt. Aug. 1978 as Conrail 6496 and Aug. 1980 as Clinchfield 8128 respectively) as they sail over the Hudson River at about MP QG 9 on Main Track 3 of modern day CSXT's Castleton Subdivision headed home to the big Selkirk Yard. 

They are emerging from the 598.6 [182.5m] main span of the massive Alfred H. Smith Bridge which in total is 5255 ft [1.6km, 1 mile] long and 139 feet [42.4m] above the Hudson River below. In 1921 a contract for the main grading and drainage work and for all the actual bridge construction except its steel superstructure was awarded to Walsh Construction Company, a well-established Iowa-based railroad builder that would later go on (in 22 joint venture with others) to build the Grand Coulee Dam and, still later, to achieve national prominence as a builder of urban skyscrapers. The 23,000 tons of structural steel required for the bridge would be fabricated in Pittsburgh and erected by Bethlehem Steel's McClintic Marshall subsidiary under a direct contract with the railroad.  Physical work began in early 1922 and two years later on November 20, 1924 the first train crossed the bridge.  It was named in honor of Alfred Holland Smith, the president of the New York Central Railroad who authorized the construction of this bridge as part of an extensive project known as the Castleton Cut-Off. He died in a horse-riding accident in Central Park in 1924, only a few months before completion of the bridge. He is sometimes confused with Alfred E. Smith, New York's governor at the time who was aboard that first train and christened the structure in honor of the other fallen Mr. Smith. 

This bridge is now the southernmost place a  train can cross the Hudson River (excepting NYNJ's barge service) and is used by all CSXT traffic heading into New England via the old B&A as well as any traffic direct to New York City via the historic NYC Main, now Amtrak and Metro North's Hudson Line and on a typical day 18 to 20 trains will cross.  The parallel structure beyond is Castleton-on-Hudson bridge opened in 1959 to carry the New York State Thruway's Berkshire extension connection to the Massachusetts Turnpike. 

Coeymans, New York

Friday Friday November, 2024

Tim Shanahan shared

Daniel Spitzer provided a photo in a comment in Bridge Hunter

Cris Carr posted four photos with the comment:

The Alfred H. Smith Memorial Bridge is a railroad bridge that spans the Hudson River between Selkirk NY and Castleton-On-Hudson NY. The bridge is the southern most point where rail traffic can cross the Hudson River.

The bridge is owned by CSX Corp and is named after Alfred Holland Smith who at one point was president of the New York Central Railroad.

The bridge was completed in 1924. The structure is a truss bridge design. It is 5,255ft in length and sits 139ft above the Hudson River. Running in parallel and directly to the north is the Castleton-On-Hudson Bridge which facilitates automobile traffic.

[Some comments point it it is the southernmost location were freight can cross the river. Passenger trains can use the North River Tunnels between NJ and Penn Station. And Amtrak uses it, but very rarely.]

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Caleb Lindquist posted two photos with the comment: "q424 passing over the hudson river via the alfred h smith crossing into schodack new york, him being a monster, a just under 14,000."

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Two of the three photos posted by Caleb Lindquist with the comment: "w083 passing over the alfred h smith memorial bridge in schodack/selkirk new york."

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Jack D. Kuiphoff shared a Flick link

(SEE & HEAR)----CR, Conrail #2916-1903-3112-3160-2830 with SBSE-6, crossing the Alfred H. Smith Memorial bridge, over the Hudson River at Selkirk, NY. 8-26-1978

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JwhHs8VoF4
[Below is the video, which I already had.]

Bill Rettberg Jr. posted
westbound crossing the Hudson River, heading for Selkirk yard, 1977

(new window)  Judging from this video, if the trains have enough operating horsepower, they cross the bridge at track speed.


(new window) This video catches cranes on barges. So perhaps New York DOT understands the value of maintaining its bridges.


This 5:53 railfan video calls it the Castleton Bridge.