Sunday, March 3, 2019

Lost/NS/NYC 215' Bridge over Aban/Penn(Panhandle)

(Bridge Hunter; Satellite)

I've wondered why they built such a massive bridge to simply cross another railroad. This photo gives us some insight. In addition to crossing a double track on an acute angle, it also crosses a siding and a code line. Looking at a 1951 aerial photo, it appears there was at least one industrial lead on the south side of the mainline as well. In fact, Matt McClure in a comment below indicates that it used to be six tracks wide.
Wayne Hudak posted
The dying days of the Pennsy's Panhandle route at Hartsdale (Schererville IN) in 1978. Looking SE under the Egyptian Line bridge. The Egyptian bridge has now been replaced by a fill.
Yetemar-Kenyell Cross I wonder how they came up with "Egyptian" of all names, lol. What a great shot.
Phil Boldman Named after the express passenger train that ran from the teens in till it quit in the 50s.
Michael Kerner The line ended in Cairo, Il it also passes thru Karnak and there is also Lake Egypt down that end of Illinois.
Wayne Hudak The line ran all the way south to the little Egypt area of southern Illinois. Cairo, Thebes, Memphis to name several. Thus the line was nicknamed the Egyptian line. I remember railroaders in the area of my photo called it the Danville Secondary.
Phil Boldman Yes it was redesignated when the territory was split up. Danville secondary ran from mp. 6.3 north of highland tower to wyton tower Danville. Then it went by another name from Danville to Paris.
Michael Kerner Terre Haute crews always referred to it as the Cairo line.
Matt McClure commented on the second photo of a Nick Muellman post
Summer 2014 just before the rails were pulled. The next shot (below) is from today with the bridge filled in.
[We must be facing Northwest because we can see the concrete bridge of US-41 in the background.]
Matt McClure commented on the second photo of a Nick Muellman post
Once six tracks wide (sidings). My 1968 Encyclopedia Britannica set came down this line via REA.

Wayne Hudak posted
A Conrail freight heads south on the former NYC "Egyptian" line at Schererville Indiana in 1979. Bridge is over the former PRR's "Panhandle" route and has since been razed with the void now filled in with earth. The northbound main is now out of commission by this date. As far as I remember, Conrail workers I talked to then called the route the "Danville Secondary".
Dale Burkhalter Went across that bridge many times. For years we had a 10 MPH speed restriction on it.
[There are a lot of (informative) comments on this post. If you have a Facebook login, please click the "posted" link.]
Matt McClure commented on Wayne's post
Labor Day weekend 2014 with a southbound NS train in almost the exact same place. Shot by me. The bridge would be gone in 14 months.

Wayne Hudak commented on a post
Both bridges now gone. Photo ©1978
Matt McClure posted some photos with the comment:
Ex-PRR line through Schererville, Indiana near the Hartsdale Junction. Tracks were there in 2013, but gone by fall of 2014. NS had hoped for years that new traffic would materialize, but it never did. Even the truss bridge for the ex-NYC line is now gone having been removed in November 2015.
1
Former Michigan Central truss bridge over the PRR line through Schererville. The ex-PRR was six tracks wide for all the freight at one time. NS gave the line time, but the decline of industry in NW Indiana worked against recovery. Passenger trains here headed toward Indianapolis or Anderson via Logansport.

2
Timing was perfect (after an hour wait) for a SW (WB) train on ex-NYC. The bridge was removed over a long weekend in November, 2015 and this is now filled with dirt.
Matt McClure From my Flickr page.

Wayne Hudak commented on a Nick Muellman share
Some historian from Hammond posted this some time ago. An aerial shot of the Rt41 bridge, also showing the RR bridge, 1949.
[The bridge in the left-middle of the photos is this one. The left foreground is Hartsdale Junction.]




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