1886 Collapsed/Trail/Railroad Spey Viaduct at Garmouth, UK

(Historic Bridges; Satellite)

 

0:58 drone video in BBC
"The bridge spans 350ft (107m) over the River Spey, regarded as the fastest flowing river in Scotland."
[One of the two columns in the pier has disappeared. It looks like the trusses themselves have remained intact.]

Facebook Reel
[The URL is a paywall.]

UrbanRealm
"The sudden collapse of a 140 year old viaduct in Moray has been attributed to scour action by engineers conducting an emergency inspection."
"Moray Council engineers have now assessed the Garmouth Viaduct and on initial inspection can confirm the collapse appears to be due to scour. At the time of the last scour report, by a specialist contractor in 2023, there was no evidence of scour. It appears that over the last year the river flow path has changed, which may have contributed to a change of impact on the piers."
"The River Spey is known for its shifting flows, moving from below the main span arch before the 19th century bridge was completed."

One can see the landscars of a lot of river meandering, including a rather recent one in terms of geological time.

Satellite

Street View, Nov 2025

Pawel A, Nov 2023

 Robert Forsythe added
The great viaduct on the former GNoSR route across the Spey at Garmouth. Today has come the news that the end spans have been very severely damaged. This was our visit in 1996.
 Mark Watson shared
A cycle route across the mouth of the Spey is now closed. The wrought iron trusses, built in 1883-1886, are on iron caissons filled with concrete were sunk to bedrock at between 25 and 75 feet depths, (ref Paxton and Shipway, both now dead, Civil Engineering Heritage- Scotland, Highlands and Islands, 2007)

Jenn Blunstone, Oct 2024

HistoricBridges
This 950' (290m) long bridge has a main span of 350' (107m) and six approach spans.
"This bridge is noted for its amazing 350 foot clear span, which while not record-breaking, was nevertheless a notable achievement for a clear-span truss at this period in history. The impressive appearance of this bridge is enhanced by its heavy truss members, which are contrasted by the graceful curve of the bowstring design."
"Structure Type: Metal Rivet-Connected Bowstring Through Truss, Fixed and Approach Spans: Metal Rivet-Connected Howe Pony Truss"

safe_image for SPEY VIADUCT: A LOOK INTO ITS HISTORY AFTER THE RECENT COLLAPSE

Facebook Video

BPRR/BR&P Cascade Park Trestle over Cattaraugus Creek near Springville, NY

(Satellite)

BPRR = Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad

The Buffalo Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway Company posted
Postcard from my collection

Scott Mehalko: https://www.buffalorising.com/2023/12/reimagined-high-trestle-cascade-bridge-part-of-statewide-greenway-network-is-one-step-closer-to-reality/

The Buffalo Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway Company posted
A 2-6-6-2 Mallet heads up a block of hopper cars on Cascade Viaduct in the 1920’s.

BuffaloRising
Cascade Park Bridge aerial photo

BuffaloRising
Photo simulation of improved High Cascades Bridge

The roads have moved a lot, but the railroad route has remained fixed.

1941 Ellicottville Quad @ 62,500 and 1954 Springville Quad @ 24,000

1940+1992 Oliver Lock & Dam on Black Warrior River at Tuscaloosa, AL

1940: (Satellite)

1992: (Satellite)

tavm, “Oliver Lock and Dam,” Tuscaloosa Area Virtual Museum, accessed December 14, 2025, https://tavm.omeka.net/items/show/566.
"The William Bacon Oliver Lock and Dam is located in Tuscaloosa on the Black Warrior River. Completed in 1940, it was named after U. S. Representative William Oliver. The dam forms Lake Oliver, and was the first modern dam to be built on the Black Warrior. It replaced and covered the first three locks built on the river, which were completed in 1895."

I presume that the 1940 lock is on the right and the 1992 lock is on the left.

Satellite

Today's lock and dam was constructed during 1987-92. [HAER_data]

The lock is a standard 110' x 600' with a lift of 49'. The dam is 1,200' long with a 800' long spillway. [ydr]

HAER ALA,63-TUSLO,29--1
VIEW OF WARRIOR RIVER, OLIVER LOCK AND DAM, LOOKING TOWARD NORTHPORT. - William Baker Oliver Lock & Dam, Spans Warrior River between Tuscaloosa & Northport, Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County, AL

VIEW OF WARRIOR RIVER, OLIVER LOCK AND DAM LOOKING NORTHEAST, LURLEEN WALLACE BRIDGE IN BACKGROUND, GULF MOBILE & OHIO RAILROAD BRIDGE IN FRONT OF LURLEEN WALLACE BRIDGE, NORTHPORT LEFT SIDE, TUSCALOOSA RIGHT SIDE, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN RIGHT BACKGROUND. 

HAER ALA,63-TUSLO,29--3
VIEW OF OLIVER LOCK & DAM, TUSCALOOSA.

BlackWarriorRiver

John Earl posted three photos with the comment: "I took these aerials in September 1988. Can anyone tell me what I was photographing?"

Darrell Smith: In the first photo, it appears you were looking down on the downtown bridge and the railroad trestle and bridge with a large and tug boat headed up river, I believe. The second photo looks to be a view of the new Oliver lock under construction. The third photo looks to be a shot down river. Visible is a tug headed south under the downtown bridge. Beyond it is the railroad trestle and bridge and in the distance the new Oliver Lock under construction.

1

2

3

HAER ALA,63-TUSLO,27- via Dennis DeBruler
VIEW LOOKING NORTHEAST, WARRIOR RIVER, OLIVER LOCK IN RIGHT BACKGROUND, GULF MOBILE & OHIO BRIDGE IN MIDDLE GROUND, LURLEEN WALLACE BRIDGE IN FRONT OF GULF MOBILE & OHIO.

Michael Metz (MEMO on TOUR), Apr 2025

A textbook hydraulic jump:

John Earl, Jul 2023

Aaron Dean, Jan 2019

Hylebos (11th Street) (SOC) Bridges over Hylebos Creek in Tacoma, WA

Swing: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges)

1925: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter)

1939: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Satellite) closed to traffic in 2001; repaired and reopened June 1, 2012

Street View, Mar 2025

Bridges Now and Then posted
"The Hylebos Bridge (Tacoma, Washington) was still under construction in 1939 when it was hit by the steamer Point San Pablo. The span was knocked four to five feet out of alignment but bounced back all but 10 inches. No one was hurt and construction remained on schedule."  (Photo courtesy: Tacoma Public Library)

The 1925 was built by Strauss Bascule Bridge Co. [ArchivedBridgeHunter_1925]

BridgeHunter_1925
[It looks like a Strauss Overhead Counterweight Bridge (SOC).]

In 1925, a single-leaf bridge replaced a wooden drawbridge. But the Department of War declared the 84' (25.6m) horizontal clearance to be a hazard to navigation, and after some legal battle, the bridge was removed starting in Dec 1935. Funding a new bridge during the depression was a challenge, but the new one, which had a 150' [45.7m] horizontal clearance, started construction in 1937. [SouthSoundTalk]

The bridge was locked in the upright position in 2001 because a drive shaft broke. "The city could have replaced the broken part for about $50,000, says Breivik. But after examining the timber, steel, and concrete apparatus, the council members decided the bridge should either be abandoned or overhauled. In 2004 an arson fire on the east side damaged the bridge’s motors and steel. And scavengers have since made off with a lot of the machinery and metal parts for scrap." Repairs were finished in Oct 2011. [wsu]

wje
"Constructed in 1939, the Hylebos Waterway Bridge is a 217-foot [66m] long double leaf trunnion bascule bridge spanning the Hylebos Creek. The bridge was originally designed for an H15 load rating.
"A failed bascule leaf drive shaft left both bridge leafs permanently open....Three years later, the bridge sustained electrical and mechanical damage from a fire. Concerned about having too few evacuation routes in the event of an emergency, the City sought to repair and re-open the bridge. To do so, WJE was retained to assess the bridge’s current capacity and design strengthening repairs needed to achieve an HS20 load rating.

On Oct 12, 2023, a tugboat assisting an ATB allided with the bridge's already deteriorated fender system. The fender system had to be replaced with a cost of $2.43m, but the bridge evidently stayed open. [gcaptain, ProfessionalMariner]

NTSB_press_release
ATB Montlake/Sodo

NTSB_report
Olympic Scout

The bridge closed in Nov 2023 because of a "motor failure." The cost to replace the motor was $50,000. [TheNewsTribune]

The bridge closed on Jan 12, 2024, because of "cold temperatures." [CityOfTacoma]

The bridge closed Aug 21, 2024 because of "an equipment issue." [nwseaportalliance]

tacoma
Again, because of cold weather, the bridge closed Jan 17, 2025.

The bridge closed Aug 19, 2025, because of a "technical malfunction." [TheNewsTribune]

It reopened on Aug 25, 2025. [tacoma]

Has this one bridge had more closures in a few years than Chicago's several bridges have had in a few decades? Chicago probably has colder temperatures.

Aluminum Injection Molding (Die Casting)

Injection molds have been used for making plastic parts. For example, Milacron Injection Molds. Now they are being used to make aluminum parts.

Brian Olson posted
Tesla's Giga Press.  Very slick.  Apparently it's replacing some steel industry capacity with aluminum in the automotive industry.  For anyone who comes from a forging or extrusion background there's a lot that looks familiar.
They inject molten aluminum into a mold and that becomes the frame for a tesla. You end up with a complex thin wall casting. Much more efficient than using stamped sheet metal with welds as with traditional car making.

Dan Heinrikson: Looks like an Injection molding machine but instead of plastic it’s aluminum? Very interesting anyone know the machine manufacturer who made this press?

Brian Olson: Dan Heinrikson IDRA in Italy.

This video not only shows how the press was made, but it also shows how a car is assembled.

17:32 video @ 3:08

Brian's comment above says they make the whole frame. I question that because closed die manufacturing can make only concave products. The video shows that the frame is still welded from parts. But the parts are bigger than what stamping could produce, so the amount of welding needed during assembly is reduced.

The above video tripped the YouTube algorithm, and I went down a rabbit hole and found this one that explains that the front and rear are each just one casting. This is the rear casting. That is not a concave part. I wonder how they do it. Does the die have movable parts?

17:53 video @ 1:45
Giga Castings with Sandy | Evolution of Tesla Bodies In White
Sandy and Cory discuss the evolution of Model 3 and Model Y bodies in white over the last five years. Sandy points out the massive advancements that have been made and encourages other OEMs to pursue similar efficiency and lean design.

This video identifies the press as a 9,000-ton, high-flow machine. I think this is IDRA's biggest so far. 

30:01 video @ 11:20
Sandy Tours IDRA Facilities | 9,000 Ton Giga Press
Sandy gets a tour of IDRA's Giga Press assembly facilities in Italy. Thank you to John and Fiore for the wonderful tour and insights into the future of aluminum die casting!

I also watched this 5:22 video, but it was a little too technical for me. I have noticed in these videos that they talk about fill times in terms of milliseconds.

The YouTube algorithm is doing its job. This provides more of the background that I need. But I still don't understand how they can make parts that aren't strictly concave.

14:32 video @ 3:24
How Does the Die Casting Process Work?

This is a casting for Volvo. It looks like this one does have two opposing concave surfaces.

13:24 Video @ 0:46
Why Tesla And Other EV Makers Are Betting Big On Gigacasting
Automakers are rushing to produce cheaper EVs and profitably. While the costs and challenges of improving batteries often hog the spotlight, automakers are also investing billions into new manufacturing methods that can change the way cars are made. One such method is gigacasting or megacasting - using high pressure molds to form molten aluminum into large parts. Electric car maker Tesla is credited with pioneering the method, but several rivals are making investments. CNBC spoke with experts including Volvo Cars' Chief Product and Strategy Officer, Erik Severinson, about the Swedish car maker’s plans in this area.

Whoops, I was wrong. This side of the rear is not concave with respect to the motion of the dies. Only the top surface is concave. But only the top die moves. This side would be in the fixed die, so it must have parts that go in and out as the movable die closes and opens. Casting instead of stamping allows the use of complex bracing to create strong parts with less thickness. Aluminum casting will probably significantly hurt the steel industry because a lot of the steel coils are now made for the auto industry. Can steel be injection molded?

@ 0:49

Original and Enlarged Erie Canal Lock #33 near St. Johnsville, NY

Original: (Satellite)

Enlarged: (Satellite)

Erie Canal Overview

ErieCanal, Courtesy of Terry Potoczny.
Matt Korono posted
St. Johnsville Erie Canal lock 33
[See Lock #23 for a restoration of the tender's hut and the wooden pier on the central divider.]

This is one of those topics where the more I researched it, the more I got confused because the sources contradict each other.

This is obviously an enlarged lock because it has two chambers and the southern chamber has been lengthened.

Satellite

This source puts the lock a little further west of the above satellite location near today's Stubborn Girl Farm.

ErieCanal_today

And this source indicates that there were locks in both locations.

1898/1954 Canajoharie Quad @ 62,500

If there were two locks here, then the one near the farm would be #33, and the one we can still see would be Lock #32.

But Lock #32 is west of Pittsford, NY.

So I conclude that the above Google map and topo map are wrong and that the one that we can see is #33.

This map resolved my confusion. The topo map shows both the original and the enlarged locks. The western lock is the original lock. And the label of "Enlarged Erie Canal Lock No. 33" on the Google Map in ErieCanal_today is incorrect. It should be labeled "original" instead of "enlarged"

ErieCanal_today
[I searched hmdb to try to find a higher resolution photo, but I was not successful.]

ErieCanal_today

Note the north wall of the extension of the south chamber.

"Only three other locks on the Enlarged Erie were lengthened at the head end owing to the amount of excavation necessary on that end." The lift is 6.031' [ErieCanal_today]

Satellite

ErieCanal_today, this webpage has many contemporary (2008) photos of the lock.
Looking West at the downstream end of the locks.