(Update: the IC's Indianapolis Southern Railroad also built the Shuffle Creek Trestle to get across the hills of Southern Indiana from Effingham, IL to Indianapolis, IN.)
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| John Troxler posted Had some fun on the Indiana Rail Road line and CSX south of Sullivan, IN Saturday 10/22/16. The Fall passenger special was a total surprise! Eric Powell, your RR is the best! John Eagan Hard to believe that creek (Richland Creek) is responsible for that big valley! Wilma Chestnut I was told they didn't run passenger trains over the trestle....I would love a chance to do that. Wonder when it will go again? [They run at least one passenger train a year --- The Santa Clause Train.] |
Tony Acton posted two photos with the comment: "Pictures of the trestle at Tulip, Indiana. (I believe)."
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| Mitch Carl posted Fall is definitely my favorite season. This is one of my shots from this morning's day trip to southern Indiana. Tulip Trestle, Southern Indiana. |
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| Mitch Carl posted Here is the back-end view showing the caboose on the train I posted on Friday |
Tim Shanahan shared Aaron Southern posting two photos with the comment: "The Tulip Trestle. Was one of the longest trestle “viaduct” in the country and ranked 3rd world wide. Bridge # X75-6 is 2,307’ long and 157’tall. Many men lost their lives building this massive structure. And was paid roughly $.0.30 an hour. Construction started in 1905 and was completed in 1906! She is still in service today. In Greene County Indiana."
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Mitch Carl posted two photos with the comment: "Tulip Trestle, Indiana. Tulip Trestle is the world’s third-longest railroad viaduct and the longest rail trestle in the USA."
Videos:
Only Indiana posted five photos with the comment:
It was the longest trestle in the US when built, 1905-06, but several longer ones were built since then.
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Known as Richland Creek Viaduct or Tulip Trestle.
It was built in 1906 and is still in use by the Indiana Southern Railroad.
It is the third longest bridge of its type in the world. Its dimensions are one-half mile long, 2,307 feet to be precise, and it stands 157 feet off the ground at its tallest point.
The viaduct consists of seventeen 75-foot deck-plate girder spans, alternating with eighteen 40-foot girder tower spans. The viaduct also consists of two 50-foot spans at the west end and two 60-foot and two 45-foot spans at the east end. The weight of all that plus the weight of the track itself, is approximately 2,895 tons.
The cost of this massive project was about $246,504. A Chicago bridge engineer estimated that to build a bridge the same size today would cost around $10,000 per foot or $20 million.
To construct a bridge the size of the viaduct, a massive coordinated effort had to be organized. The first item that was needed was money. The viaduct was first owned by Indiana Southern Railroad, and Illinois Central Gulf, another railroad company, secretly financed it. Mainly immigrant Italian laborers constructed it.
The steel workers were paid 30 cents an hour and common laborers were paid only 15 cents an hour. Frank Hunt, who was a subcontractor, was reported to have hired 50 teams to work on the railroad. The teams were paid $3.50 per day and the drivers were paid $1.50 per day. This was considered to be above-average wages. However, men and horses were in such demand for this mammoth project that the supply of both became quite low.
Several companies did the rest of the work. The Collier Bridge Company did the concrete work, and the American Bridge Company made the steel frame which was later put together by Strobel Steel Construction Company. In charge of overall construction was Archibald Stuart Baldwin.
[Tom Hall via Bridge Hunter]
Videos:
- Railfan video of a train crossing (very slowly) (5:43)
- A view from the cab (2:58)
- Drone (7:32)
- Another Drove video (4:20) (source) (YouTube version)
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| Robert Brummett posted Tulip Trestle, Photograph taken in late 1978 or early 1979. |
For more than 100 years, the Tulip Trestle has spanned more than a large portion of Greene County - it has spanned the generations.
It is one of the most unique structures in the state of Indiana.
"You just sit and watch. Where else are you going to see this?" said Kevin Nemeth.
Constructed in 1906, and named after the nearby community of Tulip, the trestle spans 2,300 feet and stands 157 feet high. Four freight trains still use the bridge each day. If your timing is just right, you may even get to see one pass by.
"Well, if you ever have anything on your mind and you get in the middle of that, it is not on your mind anymore," Nemeth said.
That is why people come - to forget what bothers them and to remember what inspired them, like the 1504. It was the last steam train to pass the trestle and is memorialized in the new Tulip Trestle Observation deck.
The locals say it's a viaduct, but the railroad calls it a trestle.
"It's a trestle and it's a viaduct both, because a viaduct is a structure that crosses water," Historian Larry Shute said. "Here you go, small creek, a lot of span, so either one is correct."
The Trestle has maintained it's mystic for over a hundred years.
"Probably its location more than anything. It is out in the middle of the sticks," Shute said. But people seem to find their way out here and many are making a return trip.
"A lot of people in Indiana never knew this existed. I don't think it gets enough attention," Nemeth said.
The Tulip Trestle is a great place to take pictures, but from afar. Remember, you can't get on the trestle, because trains use it everyday and it's on private property. During the Great Depression, some of the older residents of Solsberry remember workers on the train actually dropping ice cream treats off the bridge to the children waiting below.
(Source: Only in Indiana WTHR August 2015)
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| Andy Jenkins commented on the above posting |
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| Eric Wright commented on the above posting |
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| Eric Schluessier posted Richland Creek viaduct, aka Tulip Trestle, in the former IC Indianapolis line. Summer 1990. |
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| Mitch Carl posted |
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| Rick Morwick posted Tulip Trestle, Solsberry, Indiana. A half-mile long and 157 feet high. Was the longest in the U.S. and third-longest in the world when completed in 1906. Still one of the longest in the U.S. and is still in use today. Rick Morwick posted Tulip Trestle. Half-mile long, 157 feet high. Was the longest in the U.S. and third-longest in the world when it opened in 1906. Still in operation. Only a few of the 18 support towers are pictured (Solsberry, Indiana). |
Greene County Viaduct posted four photos with the comment:
Indiana Transportation History posted three images with the comment:
This location must be the proposed dam site. 3,600 acres must be big because looking at a satellite image, if the trestle is under a lot of water, then a lot of other land in the area would be drowned. Although a lot of that land is still sparsely populated.
I split an image posted by Greene County Viaduct Project Tulip Trestle Community Restoration Inc into a couple of parts to get better display resolution. (source)
Courtesy of Gary Howell.
See the bottom of Dave Honan's page for several photos of this trestle.
Just a day ago the area was flooded by the creek that winds under the huge structure. Coming down our driveway and down the road under the trestle the water was across the road in 3 places. Of course this isn't nearly the highest it's ever been. Usually it goes down fast.The skies do look pretty now.
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| Robert Holton posted Although it's a true ride through the boondocks of rural Indiana to find this trestle near Bloomfield, IN. it was worth the search. At one time it was the world's longest. Stephen-andCathie DalleyStephen-andCathie and 759 others joined RAILROAD BRIDGES, TRESTLES, TUNNELS AND CUTS within the last two weeks. Give them a warm welcome into your community! Are there 24" or 36" gauge rails in between the standard tracks? S.Dennis DeBruler Those are guard rails. If a car does derail, they are supposed to catch the wheels before the car goes over the edge. This is very common for bridges, not just this high one. |
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| Nick Hart posted
The Indiana Railroad ran a fall foilage special for employees yesterday from Indianapolis to a little west of Tulip, IN. It's seen here crossing the Shuffle Creek trestle with a GP38-2 at each end. After making our way through the muddy forest, battling thorn bushes, crossing creeks and maneuvering hills, we arrived at the location just in time.
October 13th, 2018
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| Dale Smith posted George C. Brunner Interesting how they marched the telegraph alongside on the valley floor rather than attaching it to the viaduct itself.Karen Neukam Could be they needed telegraph while the viaduct was being built. |
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| Jacob Leukhardt commented on Dale's post Still used daily. This was July 2018 |
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| Greene County Viaduct Project Tulip Trestle Community Restoration Inc posted Took this at 7:00 tonight. [3/22/2019]
The Tulip trestle, built by the Indianapolis Southern Railway in 1905 and 1906, is mentioned in this Indianapolis Star article of 5 January 1964. The headline says it all..."Use of 'Best Dam Site In State' Complicated By Railroad Trestle."
Yes, there was an attempt to build a reservoir in Greene County where this bridge is located. The article does state, however, that the trestle would still be above water level. But a LOT of work would need to be done to make sure the bridge stayed in place.
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| Seven Tracks Photography posted
“High Above the Viaduct”
Three long hours after we arrived here at the trestle, the faint sound of a horn was heard in the distance. The train was finally on the approach to Tulip Trestle. Led by a pair of SD9043MACs, Indiana Rail Road's SAHW (Senate Ave. Yard - Hiawatha Yard) rumbles over the top of the trestle just a little after 7 PM. The sun had been in and out all afternoon, but decided to go back in a little while before the train showed up. - 5/12/20
Hi-Res: https://flic.kr/p/2j26gip
Jackson Vandeventer shared Completed in 1906 for the Indianapolis Southern Railroad, and eventually the Illinois Central in 1911, the Tulip Viaduct (or trestle) is 157 feet tall and at the time it was built, was the largest railroad bridge in the world. Although it is now operated by the Indiana Railroad, it served for the Illinois Central/ICG from 1911 until 1986 when the ICG decided to downsize their operation. David Grounds Their was a Viaduct bridge built in 1902 in Pennsylvania that stands 300 ft tall but was only 2000 ft long. |
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Joseph Kelly Thompson Flickr 2018 PhotoINRD 3807 @ Tulip, Indiana
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Joseph Kelly Thompson Flickr 2018 PhotoINRD 3807 @ Tulip, Indiana
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Indiana Transportation History posted three images with the comment:
The Tulip trestle, built by the Indianapolis Southern Railway in 1905 and 1906, is mentioned in this Indianapolis Star article of 5 January 1964. The headline says it all..."Use of 'Best Dam Site In State' Complicated By Railroad Trestle."
Yes, there was an attempt to build a reservoir in Greene County where this bridge is located. The article does state, however, that the trestle would still be above water level. But a LOT of work would need to be done to make sure the bridge stayed in place.
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| Richard Koenig posted
Indiana Railroad Leaf Special
This is a special train, run by the Indiana Railroad, to coincide with the explosion of fall colors. This line is the former Illinois Central between Effingham and Indianapolis, nicknamed the Hi-Dry.
[Don’t ask me why I took pictures at this time of the year with black and white film, for I cannot recall. It may be due to the fact that I was a broke teenager and could not afford color slide film, which was significantly more expensive than this film, most likely Kodak Tri-X.]
I don’t have information on the passenger cars, but the EMD E-unit was built in 1961 as Milwaukee Road 36A. The location is the famous Tulip Trestle (alternately called the Solsberry Viaduct or Richland Creek Trestle). This is what passes for "famous" in southern Indiana anyway.
One image by Richard Koenig; probably taken in the fall of 1990.
Jason Lambert If I remember correctly, the lounge car American Ingenuity on the end was a former IC car.Richard Koenig From another viewer (in a different group), John Kittredge: "The car right behind the engine was a former Illinois central home built blunt end observation car. The car is now part of Cape Cod Central's Dinner Train on Cape Cod. Still has the Indiana Railroad logos in the divider glass." |
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| Richard Koenig posted ICG 1776 Solsberry Viaduct, northbound, image by Richard Koenig; taken February 2nd 1976.Charles McDonald That is one heck of a power mashup!! |
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| Richard Koenig posted
Northbound on the Hi-Dry
Here's a train headed for Indianapolis on the Illinois Central branch known as the Hi-Dry (Effingham, IL, to Indy). The train is crossing the locally famous Tulip Trestle (alternately known as the Solsberry Trestle or Richland Creek Viaduct).
One image by Richard Koenig; taken in the mid- to late-1970s.
Dennis DeBruler When I first saw reference to Hi-Dry, I wondered what was Low-Wet. I presume it was the PD&E branch that also went through Newton, IL.
Map posted by Roger Kujawa: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ILLRRHISTORYBUFFS/permalink/2886452728247541/ |
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| Dave Arganbright commented on Richard's post You should see it from top side! |
I split an image posted by Greene County Viaduct Project Tulip Trestle Community Restoration Inc into a couple of parts to get better display resolution. (source)
Courtesy of Gary Howell.
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| Jeffrey Hampton commented on Joe's share Had to drag a few sticks across the tulip several years ago. Lawrence Kozakewich At 3 mph or less to prevent sparking? |
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| William Wheelock posted IP-1 southbound on Tulip Trestle on April 6, 1977. We had several inches of snow earlier that morning but it had all melted by the late afternoon. [My first thought was that this must have been a drone shot. And then I noticed the date of 1977.] |
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| JP Sunseeker posted The Santa Train rolling across the Tulip Trestle on its way to Linton Indiana. Roger Baker shared Not sure if this has been shared here yet, but what a view! Tim Shanahan shared |
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| safe_image for 2,295 Foot Long Tulip Train Trestle Caught On Drone Video! |
See the bottom of Dave Honan's page for several photos of this trestle.
A post with at least three comments offering photos of this trestle.
TrainFantaics has video, pictures and info.
RG Edmonson catches an Indiana Rail Road double-stack intermodal with a couple of locomotives on the trestle. Indiana Rail Road built an intermodal yard in Indanapolis and arranged with Canadian National to operate intermodal trains from the Canadian west coast that interchange in Newton, IL.
Robert Day posted 12 photos.
More history and photos
It is nice to see someone catching some maintenance work around the piers and abutments.
Adams Ellas Flickr photo of the 2017 Santa Train crossing.
Video from the Santa Train crossing the trestle.
Video of a long intermodal crossing the trestle
TrainFantaics has video, pictures and info.
RG Edmonson catches an Indiana Rail Road double-stack intermodal with a couple of locomotives on the trestle. Indiana Rail Road built an intermodal yard in Indanapolis and arranged with Canadian National to operate intermodal trains from the Canadian west coast that interchange in Newton, IL.
Robert Day posted 12 photos.
More history and photos
It is nice to see someone catching some maintenance work around the piers and abutments.
Adams Ellas Flickr photo of the 2017 Santa Train crossing.
Video from the Santa Train crossing the trestle.
Video of a long intermodal crossing the trestle
1:31 video of a couple of SDP90MACs pulling a mixed freight that is mostly containers. The sound of a flat wheel seems to be amplified by the trestle.
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