CN/GM&O Bridgeport Tower

(Satellite, the tower is now gone.)

This was the tower that controlled the GM&O Bridge over the South Fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River.

Chuck Sperlak posted four photos with the comment: "ICG's Bridgeport Tower December 1986."

Joseph Tuch Santucci: I was up there a couple of times while we’re were sitting being held there for seemingly ever. When a train rolled across the bridge, the tower up there shook like hell.

Chuck Sperlak: Joseph Tuch Santucci It sure did! If I remember correctly, there was 90 stairs to get to the top!!

Darren K Hill: Thanks for posting. I shoved the last train into IMX in December 2004.

Chuck Sperlak: First photo is looking east. I walked to the end of the of the structure to take this photo. Second photo is looking west where the GM&O splits from the ATSF/IC. Third and fourth are obviously interior photos.

Joseph Tuch Santucci: Chuck Sperlak in the days before they reconfigured the place. There was a page of instructions in the timetable about dealing with the place and all the signals. And it had those puzzle switches.

Howie Castellucio: I believe it's demise after it closed was it burnt down and then removed.

Some said 90 steps. Yes I believe it!

It was easy going up.....down well....

Richard Fiedler shared

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Dennis DeBruler commented on Chuck's post
Back when the tower was still on the bridge. "1. GENERAL VIEW OF BRIDGE, LOOKING NORTH; AT THE TOP OF THE PHOTOGRAPH ARE THE STEEL STRINGERS OF THE I-55 BRIDGE CROSSING THE SOUTH FORK OF THE SOUTH BRANCH OF THE CHICAGO RIVER - Chicago & Alton Railroad Bridge, Spanning South Branch of Chicago River, Chicago, Cook County, IL" https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il0670.photos.037289p/ Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/tCQUH1fHCHtjCbgC7

Craig Holmberg commented on Chuck's post
1976 track profile

Gustav and Dora Railroad Guns, the largest ever used in combat

I wonder what the scale is for this model.

SlashGear, Image by Paul Hermans via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0
"THE BIGGEST GUN EVER USED IN COMBAT: GERMANY'S SCHWERER GUSTAV"
It was designed to defeat the Maginot Line and had the requirements to "bust through walls made of three feet of layered steel or 23 feet of reinforced concrete....The entire rig was over 150 feet long, 40 feet tall, and weighed nearly 1,500 tons. The barrel alone was 100 feet long and had a 31-inch-wide bore that fired two different 80cm (800mm) caliber shells measuring over 2.5 feet wide and 12.5 feet long. The five-ton high explosive round carried over 1,500 pounds of explosives, made an impact crater almost 30 feet wide and 30 feet deep and could hit a target downrange nearly 30 miles away. The heavier seven-ton armor-piercing round contained just over 550 pounds of explosives and had an effective target range of around 23 miles. Given the size of the shells, it could only fire 14 projectiles a day....Gustav cost an estimated 10 million German Marks to build, was used twice, and fired less than 100 rounds. While it was the biggest gun used in combat, it was not the biggest gun ever built. That claim to fame lies with "Little David," a 36-inch (914 mm) cannon built by the U.S. Army to use against Japanese bunkers. Fortunately, the Japanese surrendered before it was ever needed."

WeAreTheMighty
"The Schwerer Gustav and its sister gun Dora were the two largest artillery pieces every constructed in terms of overall weight (1350 tonnes) and weight of projectiles (15,700 pounds), while it’s 800mm rounds are the largest ever fired in combat. The guns also had a range of over 24 miles. The guns were originally designed to be deployed against the French Maginot Line though the Blitzkrieg rendered that mission obsolete. Instead, the guns were deployed to the Eastern Front against the Soviet Union. The Schwerer Gustav entered combat during the German siege of Sevastopol in June 1942. The gun was manned by a crew of over 1400 men, 250 to assemble the weapon, two anti-aircraft battalions to protect it, and the rest to load and fire the weapon. Dora was set up to be deployed against Stalingrad, though it cannot be confirmed whether it fired against its target or not. Both guns remained on the Eastern Front but were not used in combat again. They were destroyed in Germany to avoid capture by the advancing allied armies."

The Steam Channel posted
Peter Shaw’s 1/6 scale Scratchbuilt Dora.

Alan Ashworth: This gun was bigger the both Annie and Bertha. It operated two sets of tracks. The one in the picture is 1/6 scale that is same scale as the old GIJoes 12'' ones. Dora was the name of the wife of the president of Krupp.

Ingmar Frans Sandberg: It's as second world war cannon, it was used on the coast l line for invasion, it was big enough to put a battleship on the bottom of the ocean, to bad for the Germans they built most of them on the wrong locations.

Brian S. Franchise: The actual gun was two stories high. A shell from that was taking out whole towns. But it took too much manpower, was visible from the air from enemy planes, and could only fire 4-6 shells a day, so they got rid of it.

Steven Anderson: It was an impractical weapon as it also had to disassembled to move it.

[I think some of the commenters mistook this gun for Gustav.]

This was a smaller gun, but still pretty big.

reddit
the_howling_cow provides the caption on the original Signal Corps photo:
"Mammoth 274-mm railroad gun Captured in the U.S. Seventh Army advance near Rentwertshausen easily holds these 22 men lined up on the barrel. Although of an 1887 French design, the gun packs a powerful wallop. April 10, 1945."

Wikipedia, Public Domain released by Allocer
"Schwerer Gustav (black) compared to an OTR-21 Tochka SRBM launcher (red) (which launches projectiles of similar size and range) with human figures for scale"

Mott Street Bridge over Sawkill Creek at Milford, PA

(Satellite)

It is always nice to see when a community decides to not let a truss bridge rot away.

Metrotrails posted two photos with the comment:

Then and Now Series: Historic Mott Street Bridge in Milford Pennsylvania built in 1902-03 by the Penn Bridge Company. Both scenes are taken on our hikes, a decade apart in 2013 and 2023.

The Pratt Through Truss bridge carried vehicular traffic until 1988, when it was deemed unsafe for all but pedestrian traffic. It remained open to pedestrians until 2006, when even that was closed.

The forlorn old bridge continued to be used anyway, as the chain link fences kept getting cut. 

It was decided that the bridge should be preserved, and serve as a safe pedestrian gateway to the trails in Milford Glen and the Cliff Park section of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. It reopened in early 2020.

Tom Bohner: Very cool!! Where exactly is it??

Metrotrails shared

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Dennis DeBruler replied to Tom's question
 https://www.google.com/maps/@41.3186643,-74.8021779,112m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu

1868+1913+2023 Harpersfield Covered Bridge over, and Dam on, Grand River in Harpersfield, OH

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)

The original two covered spans were built in 1868. In 1913, one of the spans was replaced by a truss because the span was destroyed by a flood. "This metal truss span is among the earlier rivet-connected through truss bridges in Ohio." [HistoricBridges] I think pin-connected trusses were the design technique before riveted gusset plates were developed.

 

Street View, Oct 2021

 

Bridgespotting posted

The most unusual bridge in Ashtabula County is Harpersfield, crossing the Grand River. Consisting of two spans and more than 200 feet long, the bridge was the longest covered bridge in the state prior to the construction of Smolen-Gulf in 2008. The most unusual feature is the result of a flood on the Grand River in 1913, which cut a new channel on one end of the covered bridge. The covered bridge was not damaged, but a new section of bridge needed to be added to create a longer bridge. This section, an additional 140 feet long, is a steel through-truss span that joins to the wooden span in the middle of the river, creating a hybrid wood/steel crossing. I understand the bridge was restored again in 2023, so it may look different now.

More than any other bridge in the county, the Harpersfield Bridge has been made into an accessible tourist attraction. The bridge is in a county Metropark with plenty of parking, and the Covered Bridge Shoppe at the eastern end sells bridge-related items, art, crafts, and snacks. Both the steel and wooden spans have a pedestrian sidewalk, and there are even several love padlocks attached to a metal component on the wooden railing. There is an Ohio Historical Marker plaque at the western end and multiple plaques inside the covered span. These include a National Register of Historic Places plaque and the Century Bridge plaque.

Chapter 3 of my book, Bridgespotting Part 2: A Guide to Even More Bridges that Connect People, Places, and Times, includes a description of a tour of all 19 covered bridges in Ashtabula County. There are also photos of most of the bridges posted onto [www.bridgespotting.com](http://www.bridgespotting.com/).

Bill Medvec: This picture is old. The bridge has been completely renovated. Was closed for a long time. The dam is also new and had lamprey barriers installed.

 

Ginger Whitehead commented on the above post

Ginger Whitehead commented on the above post
It now has a walkway on both sides.

Mike Baker, Jun 2017

 

StarBeacon, Credit: Warren Dillaway/Star Beacon
"The project was awarded to Union Industrial Contractors, for a price of $6,057,260.50. One other company, Ruhlin, submitted a bid for $6,904,428.80. The estimated cost of the project was $5,625,000." The truss is now galvanized instead of painted.

Evidently, the covered bridge is now a fake. Only the covering is wood. I added the "bridgeGirderSteel" label to these notes. 

Street View, Oct 2023

The new dam replaced the drowning machine dam that we see in this photo. The stairstep design of the new dam avoids rolling water at the toe of the dam.

Monique, Jul 2021

Rogfast Tunnel, a 16-mile (26km) Tunnel between Randaberg and Bokn in Norway

(Satellite)

The current estimate for completion is 2033 at a cost of 1.6 billion pounds. The total coastal road project is estimated to cost 36 billion pounds.

telegraph
"Norway is building a four-lane undersea tunnel that is set to become the world’s longest and deepest."
[This web site erroneously has images of a floating tunnel.]

4:41 video @ 1:06

The exit tunnel loops around to climb to the surface with a reasonable grade. The roundabouts and the cross tunnel at the exit also allow traffic in both directions to share one tube in case there is a problem in the other tube.

4:41 video @ 3:07

Unfortunately, this is an example of how wrong internet-obtained information can be. As some comments point out, the illustration is wrong because they are not building a floating tunnel. It is being built through the bedrock. But other tunnels in this coastal road project do float.

Crazy For Facts posted

I-78 Holland Tunnel under Hudson River at New York, NY

West Portal: (Satellite)

Ventilation Shaft #1: (Satellite)

Ventilation Shaft #2: (Satellite)

East Portal Eastbound: (Satellite)

East Portal Westbound: (Satellite)

The History Girl posted, at Facebook resolution
October 12, 1920, construction began on the Holland Tunnel. The tunnel is one of the earliest examples of a mechanically ventilated design with 84 fans in four ventilation buildings which create a floor to ceiling air flow across the roadway at regular intervals. The tunnel consists of a pair of tubes, each providing two lanes. The north tube is 8,558 feet long while the south tube is slightly shorter at 8,371 feet. The tunnel was named after chief engineer Clifford M. Holland, the first chief engineer on the Hudson River Vehicular Tunnel Project. He died from a heart attack at age 41 (before the tunnel was completed), attributed in part to the stress of working on the tunnel.

Old New York City posted
Holland Tunnel 1937
Jim Griffin: "Cars at state line in Lincoln Tunnel. (Photo by Al Willard/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images). On December 22nd, 1937, the Lincoln Tunnel opened to the public for the first time." [No one else felt the photo was of the Lincoln Tunnel instead of the Holland Tunnel.]

When I first wrote these notes, I could not find the east portal. But when I was studying the NYC St. John's Freight Terminal, a topo map showed me the location of the portal.

1955/58 Jersey City Quad @ 24,000

18:07 YouTube video about the history of the tunnel

THEODORE TOO sunk while stored at Ontario/Heddle Shipyard

This incident taught me that the name of Heddle Shipyards has been changed to Ontario Shipyards.

Theodore Too sunk about 14:50 on Dec 17.

Dec 17, 8:38pm

Janey Anderson posted

Dec. 18, 2024 Theodore Too update: [How can she post a Dec 18 update on Dec 17? Is she clairvoyant?]

Divers on-site this morning assessing for hull damage and adjusting slings.

Crews are still working to get her ashore. No one aboard her at the time and in real good hands at Ontario Shipyards. 

Patti Kingswood: Where is Ontario Shipyards !?

Janey Anderson: Patti Kingswood you know it as Heddle, Port Weller.

[A lot of comments about whether Theodore Too is a him or her. All ships are feminine, but the Theodore Too character is masculine. ]

Alanna Hayter: Well Mr Blair McNeil, owner, that never happened when he was here in Halifax, doesn't Ontario take care of its ships?

Firebird Carrie: Maybe the owner should sell him back to us where he can be properly taken care of instead of being neglected!

[The comments contain several photos of the tug during happier times.]

Jim Myers shared

I note this photo because it is the only view I have seen of the stern end.

John R Witt commented on Janey's post
Theodore Too on a better day - September 15 of this year as I passed 'him' while traversing the Welland Canal. Prayers that awesome little tug is back in the water and floating again soon!

Dec 18, 6:39am

Amy Daggett posted

𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗢𝗗𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗧𝗢𝗢 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗢 𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗬𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗦

At approximately 14:50, Theodore Too began taking on water. Yard personnel promptly responded,  securing lines, deploying a safety boom, and hooking up pumps. Everyone should be commended for their swift and professional response. Most importantly,  everyone acted safely- there were no injuries, and thanks to the team's efforts, there is no environmental pollution.

The vessel is now partially submerged but safely resting on the bottom. We have developed a refloating plan and will began work today to resolve the situation.

Lisa A. Brewer: Why was it in Ontario? It's a Nova Scotian boat...

Tim Shafley: Lisa A. Brewer Because it was sold to an Ontario guy ???

[It was moved in 2021.]

Brian Lugar: Andrew Cochrane, producer and owner of the Adventures of Theodore Tugboat series had this built in Dayspring Nova Scotia. It was well designed and built.

When the company went bankrupt, the assets were being sold and there was danger that the series and assets were heading to Japan. The then Mayor of Halifax formed a committee to look at ways to keep Theodore in the ‘Big Harbour’ (Halifax).

We were able to convince a local tour operator to take ownership with the assistance of the City and a contract with Halifax Port Authority (who charted the boat to greet cruise ships as they entered the harbour.

To put the then popularity of the series in perspective native Haligonian Denny Doherty (of the band Mamas and Papas) played the character of the Harbour Master. When Theodore was launched and brought to Halifax the docks were lined with parents and their children.

Sadly Theodore was not designed as a passenger carrying boat and it was difficult for the operator to generate much tourist passenger revenue.

Rebecca Ingalls: Brian Lugar by Snyder’s Shipyard in Daysprings 💞

Steve William Lindsey: Jeez. I wish the tug James Whalen had received a small portion of this outpouring of grief. Theodore Too deserves your sympathy. But so did the Whalen, soon to be scrapped.

Lance Aerial Media shared

Poor Theodore the Tugboat - taking on water with a smile.

Jim Myers shared

Comments on Amy's post

Becky Haag commented on Amy's post
Poor Theodore! I saw him in the Big Harbour with Bluenose many years ago and I love him. Toot toot!

At the Scene Photography posted two photos with the comment:

At the Scene with some news out of St. Catherines Theodore Too, the beloved 65-foot [20m] replica tugboat, has partially sunk at Port Weller Dry Docks in St. Catharines, Ontario, after taking on water while docked. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported. Owner Blair McKeil is already working on a refloating plan to restore the iconic vessel.¹

Theodore Too has a rich history, built in 2000 by Snyder's Shipyard in Nova Scotia as a promotional tool for the children's TV series "Theodore Tugboat". It went on to become an ambassador for clean-water strategies in Canada and advocate for marine industry careers. After 21 years in Halifax, it moved to its new home in Hamilton in 2021.

We caught up with Theodore in 2022

2nd photo FB

Krista Cook: The owner posted on the tugboats page it was due to a spring that busted and it started to leak.

Collin Downes: Since he's been adopted it looks like he's abused.

Sue Mollins-Hamilton: Collin Downes he was given up ‘for adoption’ because NS was neglecting him. Losing money for over five years before they sold him. 2016 they talked about selling, tried to make it work for five more years but locals certainly weren’t taking advantage of his presence by supporting the business.

[There are some more comments about him vs. her.]

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Three people used this image in comments on the above post and none of them credited the source.

I presume this is from the TV show for which it was built to promote.

Lorrie Gingras commented on the above post
Aww toot toot ..

Dec 18, 10:07am:

Q104 FM posted
Anna: Update on Theodore Too. He'll be craned out (stabilized and water already being pumped out) and pulled ashore. He didn't fully submerge. (Meme credit @evilpez4)

Dec 18, 10:12am:

Official Theodore Tugboat posted

Ahoy friends! 

I don’t want to alarm you but I had a mishap yesterday and took on some water while floating alongside a dock in the Ontario Shipyard in Port Weller. 

I am resting safely on my belly in the mud and my family in Ontario, has assembled a team of experts to carefully right and refloat me. They are working super hard to have me ship shape in time for the holidays. I will keep you posted on how things go!

At this time of year, when so many of my friends across the country are struggling, I want you to know how much I love you all and I wish you a heartfelt happy, healthy and toot-ally magical holiday. 

Toot Toot!

Theodore TOO

Heidi Schmidt shared

 

Dec 18, 1:10pm

ctvnews

 

Dec 19, 3:06pm

Helen Cooper posted

**UPDATE**

Theo is now afloat at Heddle Shipyard!

YAY🎉🎉🎉

Poor Theo 💔

Hope he’s out of the water soon

Bradley Moore commented on Helen's post, cropped

Michael Perks commented on Helen's post

Dec 19, 1:39pm:

Todd Melville posted

They be workin' on 'er.

Theodore's help 'as arrived

Official Theodore Tugboat posted

Ahoy there, friends!

Wow! After an eventful couple of days, I’m so happy to let you know I’m back afloat!

I’m so grateful for all the amazing friends who lent a helping hand to get me back upright—what a team effort!

A super-duper thank you to Olous Boag and his crew at Ontario Shipyards for their swift response and top-notch expertise during my refloat operation.

A big ol’ whistle-blow of thanks to the ASI Group’s dive team for their fast action and unwavering support.

A hearty salute to the Canadian Coast Guard's Urgent Response Team, led by Greg Yizhou Yang, for their expertise and equipment in keeping our waters safe and sound. 

And an extra special toot-toot out to Kevin Cameron of North American Marine—a true anchor of support—whose dedication made all the difference.

You’re all true marine heroes!

I am also so very grateful for all of the well wishes you have shared with me over the past two days. Your love and support mean the world to me - thank you from the bottom of my tugboat heart!

Remember to keep sharing your love and kindness with those around you—it makes the harbour shine even brighter!

Toot toot!

Theodore TOO

2 of 8 drone photos posted by Joseph Burd with the comment: "Theodore Too Tug above water once again, as I am sure most of you all know.  Theodore Too took on some damage on the stern of the tug possibly during the lifting of the little guy out of the canal.  Few updated photos from drone taken just now under advanced license with transport Canada flight plan approved."

Robert Hubbard: Poor little boat heard there putting him in dry dock. [I included the third photo to show that at least one of them is currently empty.]

Aaron Carpenter: Those whole bulwarks were rotten before it left NS - one of the major reasons it was not considered worth restoration to a certified tour boat.

Partial fiberglass over wood is not a good combination.

The bulwarks are sacrificial, but expensive.

But down underneath that area is the stern tube, also wooden, and that area is also very fragile.

They cracked it off a rock a few years befire it left NS and did a lot of damage

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b
[The boat is made with wood. Aaron's comment confirms that the covering was fiberglass. The shipyard workers are familiar with steel instead of wood. They should have used a spreader bar.]

c

Some background information

Theodore Too visited several locations on the Great Lakes in 2023.

Official Theodore Tugboat posted
Heelllooo Cleveland. The crew and I are at Oasis Marina until 4pm Tuesday Oct 3 before we start our sail back to Canada. Come on by to say Toot toot
[I recognize the bridge in the background. It is a pedestrian bridge.]

Just a couple hours after I wrote these notes, I came across a photo of Thomas the Tank Engine. He is the USA equivalent of Theodore Too.

Michael Constable, Jun 2023 via Dennis DeBruler

I learned about McKeil Marine when I researched Ontario Shipyard because I was only familiar with Heddle Shipyard. 

onshipyards_about

If anybody can restore the boat, it would be Blair McKeil in terms of both money and knowledge about tugboats. For example, McKeil Marine is the company that towed four bridges from the East Coast to Toronto.

Lorraine Mirrill posted via Dennis DeBruler

McKeil also has some big articulated-barge tugs.

Michaël Chase posted via Dennis DeBruler

And evidently some big freighters.

Port of Johnstown posted via Dennis DeBruler