(
Archived Bridge Hunter,
Bridge Hunter; could not find it in Historic Bridges,
Satellite,
Bird's Eye View)
New York is generally out of my turf, but I'm a sucker for Strauss railroad bridges.
Erie Canal Overview
Douglas Butler sketched what it would look like partially open.
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Rodney Baisley posted
William Boylin: The original New York Central line shared space on Main St. with pedestrians and vehicular traffic (the station is still there), crossed Tonawanda Creek right next to the Renaissance Bridge (concrete abbutments still there) and continued up Webster St. in North Tonawanda. In the 1800's, there was RR bridge at the spot of the current bascule bridge. It was for the " Peanut Line" which came from Canandaigua, which later was purchased by the NYC. A tad to the east of this was the Erie RR bridge
William Boylin: And further to the east of the Erie RR bridge was the "High Speed Line" bridge.
Brian R. Wroblewski shared
Signal station 57... |
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Brian R. Wroblewski commented on Rodney's post
That was officially "Signal Station 57" on the New York Central. It only lifted for tests & was never used again. |
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Diane Shaw posted, cropped
Bascom [bascule?] bridge Erie canal |
Thomas Trumeter
posted three photos with the comment: "
This railroad bridge spans Tonowanda Creek near Buffalo. Trying to figure out what appears to be a counter balance and what it does? One of the more unusual bridges I have ever seen."
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| Frank Garon shared Brian R. Wroblewski's photo |
Frank's comment:
Nice shot of one of the NYC Towers in Tonowanda/North Tonowanda NY. My guess is EL-2 but I could be wrong. Anybody know for sure and also when this one was closed?
Brian's comment:
Steel beams for the new (then) Rt. 384 bridge over the Erie Canal in Tonawanda being built during the 1950s'. In the background is the New York Central lift bridge & interlocking tower. This bridge still exists today, but the tower is long gone. It originally had steam power to lift it, but was only tested & never lifted for any vessel traffic.
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Lee Gorcheck posted
Erie canal buffalo ny...this one only drew back twice in it's lifetime--built in 1919..
Peter Benham: The lift mechanism was removed in a WWII scrap drive.
When it was planned, there was a possibility that an American link between Lakes Erie and Ontario was going to be necessary. |
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Lee Gorcheck posted
The 4th of july in buffalo ny... [Actually, Tonawanda, NY] |
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Jeff Picka posted
Counterweight to the New York Central (and possibly LV) bridge over the Erie Canal between Tonawanda and Noth Tonawanda NY. This bridge served local NYC trains from Buffalo to Niagara Falls, some Michigan Central trains from Detroit that went through Niagara Falls, and Lehigh Valley / Grand Trunk service from Toronto, Hamilton, and Niagara Falls to Depew, Sayre, Wilkes-Barre, Allentown, Bethlehem, and either Reading Terminal in Philadelphia or Penn Station in NYC. The bridge is locked down, and so a good part of the structure is dedicated to holding up this block of concrete.
[Lee Gorcheck added several photos of this bridge in the comments]
Joe Dockrill shared |
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Dennis DeBruler commented on Dan's comment
UP lowers it once a year and runs a hi-rail truck over it. This photo was posted by Mike Welch in 2015. The reason they do that is to maintain an active status for the RoW. I have not seen an explanation of why they maintain an active status since it is now a route to nowhere. |
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Bob Seemueller commented on Joe's share
CSX and Amtrak still use this portion of the Niagara Branch. |
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Albert McFadyen posted
The Maple Lead eastbound crossing from N. Tonawanda to Tonawanda over the Erie Canal on the former NYC Niagara Branch.
Albert McFadyen shared
Brian R. Wroblewski: Formerly Signal Station 57 in NYC parlance... |
Tim Shanahan
shared a post of four photos by Lee Gorcheck.
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Albert McFadyen posted
Amtrak train 64, the Maple Leaf, crossing the Erie Canal between N. Tonawanda and Tonawanda as it heads east to New Yor City over former NYC trackage.
Albert McFadyen shared |
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RR Trax Studios posted
Another Erie Canal crossing: A pair of CSX locos haul a short freight across the former New York Central RR's Niagara Branch at Tonawanda, N.Y., on 5/21/2023. The industrial spur in the foreground is the former NYC's 'Peanut Line' that also hosted Lehigh Valley trains on trackage rights. -TKK
Brian R. Wroblewski shared |
It looks like they may have had at least a couple of inches of clearance.
Six of the photos
posted by Adam Rudnick.
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Neil Ferguson
posted two photos with the comment: "Buffalo's newest
pedestrian bridge has arrived on-site at Ralph Wilson Park near downtown Buffalo, NY. The pedestrian bridge was fabricated in Italy, then shipped across the Atlantic, up the Hudson, and along the full length of the Erie Canal. On Friday [Jul 19, 2024?] night it docked on the Erie Canal in Tonawanda, NY before making the final leg of the journey down the Niagara River on Saturday Morning."
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Robert Preskop
posted three photos with the comment: "Historic railroad bridge crossing the Erie Canal between the cities of North Tonawanda and Tonawanda New York."
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Tom Langmyer
posted four photos with the comment:
This through truss bascule lift bridge between North Tonawanda and the City of Towawanda over the Erie Canal was built in 1919 by the N.Y. Central Railroad.
At that time, the state had plans to rebuild all bridges along the canal to allow passage of boats and ships with masts.
The idea was dropped, however, because of projected huge costs. The bridge was raised only a few times for testing after it was built and was never raised after that.
Now owned by CSX, the old bridge continues to carry train traffic across the Erie Canal.
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Brian R. Wroblewski commented on Tom's post
This was "Signal Station 57" on the New York Central. It once had an interlocking control tower that has since been removed along with all the lift equipment that was stripped out. It's technically a "Single leaf, through truss, bascule style lift bridge". |
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| Frank Mariani commented on Tom's post The Erie Canal Bicentennial Committee of the Tonawandas will feature this bridge as a logo in 2025 and hopefully in future years. |
She says it was built in 1970 but that it looks older than that. She is correct about being older, according to BridgeHunter, it was built in 1918 when the Barge Canal was built. Maybe it was rehabilitated in 1970.
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| Same Reel |
I grew up along the canal and wondered if it was ever opened,especially observing the Erie Railroad Warren through-truss bridge upstream by a few hundred yards which was NOT a moveable span,and obviously having the same water level clearance as the NYC (now CSX)bridge.The Erie bridge was removed in the early 1980's after the line was abandoned in 1977 as a result of the creation of Conrail.In the early 1920's the New York Central railroad's main line from Buffalo to Niagara Falls ran alongside,and through,Main St. in the cities of Tonawanda and North Tonawanda,a very busy rail line with much "street-running" (as in streetcar operation),creating substantial hazards for pedestrian and vehicular traffic (the passenger depot in Tonawanda on this original line routing survives today restored as The Historical Society of the Tonawandas,and a cement pier from the original Erie Canal crossing still exists along the Webster Street bridge connecting the Tonawandas).Due to increasing rail traffic,the NYC relocated the mainline that not only consisted of the Erie Canal drawbridge,but several concrete arch spans with an elevated route supported by massive earthworks,in the City of Tonawanda.During the time of the rail relocation project,the State of New York was at the time actively planning to enlarge the Canal to accommodate ocean vessels. (The enlargement plan never became reality,but was revived briefly during the 1960's as "The All-American Canal",obviously a snub to Canada's Welland Canal).With the canal's expansion plan was very active at the time of NYC's relocation project,the railroad decided to make the new span over the Erie Canal a drawbridge suitable for all but the largest ships,as a pro-active measure to prevent the expense of later conversion,or reconstruction,as well as traffic delays and disruptions should the canal expansion ever became reality.
The drawbridge was only opened twice shortly after construction,and the backup gasoline engine (the primary power source was electric motors)was removed and became a casualty of one of many WW II scrap drives.
I last visited the bridge during the early 1990's and took many photos of some of the mechanisms that locked the moveable span (many shafts and gears).I deeply regret that I never visited the control or Bridgetenders house on top of the bridge,fearing arrest from treaspassing,although I believe that it was gutted long before,as it was a favorite hangout for kids and was heavily vandalized.I would love to see,if it ever exists,photos of the bridge when it was opened,as well as a shot of the span at night with all of its light fixtures,railings,etc. intact and functional.
It's now approaching a hundred years since it was built,and opened...span locks and rail joints long removed,hinge joints,bearings,gears,levers and shafts forever frozen from corrosion and non-usage,and no power plant to operate it.The railroad track it carries is solid,no provision to separate at the movable span separation points.This bridge will never open again.
[William E. Redemske comment on ArchivedBridgeHunter]
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