Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Hometown Trestle over Little Schuylkill River

(no Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

River Rail Photo posted
Hometown Hero At Hometown Trestle. With its restoration essentially complete and a few smaller test runs under its belt, the Reading and Northern Railroad - Passenger decided put RBMN T-1 2102 (4-8-4) to the real test. Not having operated from 1991 until this month, the engine was solo on the assignment to move 50 coal hoppers from North Reading, Pa to Jim Thorpe, PA and back to Tamaqua, PA on Tuesday, April 26, 2022. Just a few miles from ending its day, the train is seen crossing the Hometown Trestle in Hometown, PA. The 50 empty coal hoppers were determined to be approximately the same weight as the planned 18 car consists that this local fan favorite engine will pull in the very near future. A word from the wise: expect crowds onboard and along the route.

Dave Blaze Rail Photography posted
Hometown High
For this week's Steam Sunday here's a fresh one taken just last weekend of the one and only Reading and Northern 2102 on the famed Hometown High Bridge.  I have shot steam here twice prior but never got sun, so decided to give it another try.  Not sure if it was the sage smudging my gf insisted on the night before to ward off the negative energy after a horrible Friday, but whatever it was it sure did work because I finally scored with perfect light and even some early fall color.  Quite the Hometown High indeed! 
They are leading a 14 car train up from North Reading to historic Jim Thorpe across the most spectacular location along the route, the famous Hometown High Bridge, a more than 1000 ft [305m] long steel trestle that stands 168 [51m] (or 161 or 157 depending on where you look!) feet above the Little Schuylkill River at its highest point.  This is MP 107.3 on modern day RBMN's Reading Division mainline, though historically this was the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Nesquehoning Branch. 
A little history of the line courtesy of Rush Township's home page: 
The Nesquehoning Valley Railroad Company, part of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, built a 17-mile rail spur from Mauch Chunk (modern-day Jim Thorpe) to Tamanend that was finished in 1870. It connected with rail lines that were leased and operated by the Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron Company near Tamanend. This major freight and passenger rail interchange was at the small village of Haucks, which no longer exists today but was near the current Air Products facility near Quakake. Throughout the late 1800s, there were railroad interchanges in Haucks, Tamanend, and Quakake. On March 23, 1871, the Nesquehoning-Tamanend line became part of the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ), which leased many LC&N assets on that date. 
Millions of tons of anthracite coal and freight would pass over that rail line in the early 1870s, and the demand for anthracite coal reached historic heights. In 1874, a financial panic led to a downturn in anthracite demand that would last several years. The CNJ, which had continued to rack up debts as it leased other anthracite assets across Eastern Pennsylvania, could not meet its financial obligations. The company continued to operate until the 1920s, at which point the United States Supreme Court ordered CNJ and other railroads that owned coal companies to divest (that is, to separate the coal companies from the railroad companies) because their joint operations violated the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and the Hepburn Act. By 1921, the Central Railroad of New Jersey was out of the coal business – and railroad traffic on Rush Township railbeds continued to decline. 
The Nesquehoning-Tamanend line features the railroad “High Bridge,” which spans the Little Schuylkill River at a height of 157 feet. The bridge is cited in historical documents dating back to at least the early 1880s. The bridge, formally called the Hometown Trestle, is 981 feet long. The original bridge was a massive wooden structure, but it was rebuilt out of steel in 1931. 
As for 2102, the stout 4-8-4 was built in the Reading Company's own shops in 1945 and from the railroad's corporate website here is a bit of history: 
The company, using parts from a former 76-foot Class I-10sa Consolidation 1923 Baldwin locomotive, created a fleet of 30 middleweight engines in the T-1 series. The goal of building these locomotives was to be able to haul both freight and passenger traffic along the rails. 
The original Baldwin-built I-10 class, which were large 2-8-0 locomotives, would become the T-1 class, converted to much larger 4-8-4 engines by redesigning and lengthening the Boiler and replacing the Frame and Wheels with brand new parts. Baldwin supplied the parts, but the rebuilding was done in the Reading Railroad’s own Shops right in Reading, PA. 
Rush Township, Pennsylvania
Saturday September 5, 2024

rbmnrr_home via Dennis DeBruler
 
Adam Elmquist, Apr 2022

I included the Reading Railroad in this excerpt because I thought it was interesting how they used Pine Creek to climb out of the Little Schuylkill River Valley. They were already in the valley because they used the river to get past Locust Mountain.
1954/64 Delano and 1947/64 Tamaqua Quads @ 24,000

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

1936,1997 Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport, OR

(archive site was down; Historic Bridges; HAERSatellite, 1,003 photos)

The bridge is 3,261' (994m, 0.6 miles) long with a main span of 600' (183m). It has 22 approach spans. [HistoricBridges]

 
HAER ORE,21-NEWPO,1--1
1. Elevation from west - Yaquina Bay Bridge, Spans Yaquina Bay at Oregon Coast Highway, Newport, Lincoln County, OR

HAER ORE,21-NEWPO,1--3
3. Oblique view of main span from southeast
 
"Significance: Yaquina Bay Bridge is an excellent example of the work of Conde B.
McCullough, Oregon State Bridge Engineer from 1919 to 1946. It is one of
five multi-span arch bridges designed by McCullough for the Oregon Coast
Highway." [HAER_data]

Street View, Jul 2022

StatManStudios, Mar 2021

HAER ORE,21-NEWPO,1--14, cropped
14. Elevation from west

HistoricBridges
Nathan describes the different types of span designs used in this bridge.
 
Ed Lazzara posted
Hello All: I just joined this group. I have loved bridges my whole life. When I was a kid, they called me a "bridge nut". For my first post, here is one from my home state of Oregon: the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport.

Phil Block posted

Michael Chri, Jun 2023

1930 NS/Wabash Bridge over Vermilion River in Danville, IL

(Archived Bridge Hunter link is broke; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

MP Rail Photography posted
NS 251, the westbound TripleCrown Service, crosses over the Vermilion River in Danville, Illinois.
September 1, 2024
Danville, Illinois
Power:
NS 4330 - AC44C6M
MP Rail Photography shared

The BridgeHunter link is broke, so the best I have is the index information.
BridgeHunter_vermilion

And when you Google "ns bridge over vermilion river," you get information about a bridge in Ohio.


Monday, October 14, 2024

Broadway Rall-Bascule Bridge over Willamette River in Portland, OR

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; HAER; Satellite, 1,241 photos)

I remember a rall-bascule bridge in Portland, but I could not find any notes on it. I sure hope this is not a duplicate.

Boat View, May 2017

Boat View, May 2017

Street View, Jun 2024

Significance: The Broadway Bridge was the first bascule span built in Portland, and at the time constructed, was the longest bascule span in the United States. It was the last bridge built across the Willamette River by the city of Portland, before the county took over construction and maintenance of bridges across the Willamette River. The bridge was designed by Ralph Modjeski, one of America's premier bridge designers. The Broadway Bridge is significant in design for its Rall-type bascule span, which has leaves that are engineered to roll backward as they swing upward, giving greater horizontal clearance for river traffic. It is one of only a few Rall bascule spans in the United States. [HAER_data]
 
Bridges Now and Then posted
Portland, Oregon's, Broadway Bridge open for river traffic, c. 1918. (Portland Archives)

HAER ORE,26-PORT,9- (sheet 1 of 3)
[Unfortunately, the source has a rather low resolution.]

HAER ORE,26-PORT,9- (sheet 2 of 3)

HAER ORE,26-PORT,9- (sheet 3 of 3)

Sunday, October 13, 2024

1924 Pedestrian/US-81 Meridian Bridge over Missouri River at Yankton, SD

(Archived Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite, 309 photos)

Gavins Point Dam is just a little upstream from here. I did not see a lock in a satellite image, so the lift span must be a relic of the steamship days. And that explains why the span can be left down for pedestrian use.

"Built 1924; rehabilitated 1953; bypassed by Discovery Bridge in 2008." The 2,887' (280m) long bridge has a 250' (76m) lift span. [BridgeHunter]

Street View, Nov 2021

Robert Elder via BridgeHunter

Looking closer, there are no cables or counterweights left on the towers.
Street View, Nov 2021

DOT
This source specifies a length of 3,013' (918m).
When built, the lower deck carried a railroad. "It is today distinguished as the only vertical lift span in Nebraska and South Dakota."

Obviously, each deck carried a lane of traffic by 2008.
Street View, Oct 2008

BridgeHunter says the railroad was Milwaukee and Great Northern. Great Northern seems to be a mistake. And the Milwaukee no longer crossed the river by 1955. The railroad that terminated at Croton was C&NW.
1955/67 Sioux City Quad @ 250,000

Stuart Foster posted three photos with the comment: "The old US Hwy 81 bridge over the Missouri River at Yankton, SD. A double Decker that I have driven semi over several times. Southbound is a tight fit, northbound, on top, is a spooky ride."
1

2
3, cropped

Saturday, October 12, 2024

Trail/CGW overpasses for UP/C&NW and Grace Street in Lombard, IL

Grace: (Satellite)
UP/C&NW: (Satellite)

Rick Burn posted
Chicago Great Western westbound in January 1965 Grace Street Lombard IL

Dennis DeBruler commented on Rick's post
I wonder who paid for the new bridges for the Great Western Trail over Grace Street on the left and UP/C&NW on the right.
 https://maps.app.goo.gl/j7gAJmRJjPmHRiKN7
Mark Petersen: Dennis DeBruler You did as a taxpayer.

They put some sharp curves in the trail so that they could build shorter bridges.
Satellite

I got an old aerial photo to confirm that the CGW went straight over the C&NW. That is why the bridge in Rick's photo is so long for an overpass. I discovered that the route for St. Charles Road has been significantly changed.
1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Friday, October 11, 2024

Amtrak Bush River SUC Bridge at Perryman, MD

(Archived Bridge Hunter was broke, no Historic Bridges; Satellite, 61 photos)

 
Douglas Butler posted
This Railroad Bascule Bridge is a Strauss Type located in Perryman, MD crossing the Bush River used by Amtrak and Northeast Corridor source: Tidal Fish.
Douglas Butler: Dennis DeBruler This is a Strauss Underneath Counterweight Bascule Bridge with a curved rack.

Douglas commented on his post
The Bridge in the Lowered position

Douglas commented on his post
This is the Patent of this bridge