Tuesday, February 28, 2017

1909 CSX/B&O Bridge over Susquehanna River at Perryville, MD

(Bridge HunterHistoric BridgesHAERSatellite)

"Built 1907-09 by Baltimore & Ohio RR as double-track bridge and opened January 6, 1910, later single-tracked." [BridgeHunter-history]

"This bridge crosses the Susquehanna River between Havre De Grace and Perryville, MD. Although it crosses Garrett Island in the middle, it is a continuous bridge consisting of 38 spans.
The west side of the river has a 500+ foot through Pennsylvania truss and 8 230 foot deck truss spans. The east side has a 500+ foot deck Pennsylvania truss, a 400 foot through Pennsylvania truss, and 2 230 foot deck truss spans. The spans over the island were originally girder spans, much shorter than the others." [BridgeHunter-description]

I used the "wwPA" label even though this bridge is in Maryland because the Susquehanna River is primarily in Pennsylvania.

Jack Stoner posted
MW [Maintenance of Way] season approaches as CSX moves rail east over the Susquehanna River Bridge at Perryville, MD February 18, 2017. Hot move also, (apparently), because the DS had an Intermodal "In the Hole" at Aiken waiting for this action and a CSX manifest to go east before cutting the westbound "Hotshot" loose. Hmmmmmm?
[It is interesting that a rail train would have priority over an intermodal train. The more I see of CSX, the lower my opinion of them becomes. Rail is something they should have been able to plan well in advance. If there was an emergency like a washout, they would probably be shipping "snaptrack" instead of continuous ribbon rail.]

HAER MD,13-HAV,4--3
[The west channel is in the foreground, then Garret Island and then the east channel is in the background.]

Street View, west channel looking upstream

Is the bedrock a lot deeper in the middle of this channel? That is the only reason I can think of to have a non-navigation span that is longer than the navigation span. The deck truss seems tall enough that it could have been a through truss and provided a really wide navigation channel.
Street View, east channel looking upstream

Even stranger, much of the space under the navigation span is unusable because there is land just downstream!
3D Satellite

The Historical Society of Harford County Inc posted
PHOTO FRIDAY!
  Pictured this week is of the B & O Susquehanna Bridge 1900's
If you would like to submit a feature for an upcoming Photo Friday, email us at photos@harfordhistory.org. To learn more about membership or ways you can support the Historical Society of Harford County, click here: https://www.harfordhistory.org/support-us/
Jim Kelling shared
B&O bridge over the Susquehanna River in Maryland.

Taylor Rush posted
Soaring eighty-five feet [26m] above the Susquehanna River is a Baltimore & Ohio eight-car passenger train lead by a P-7 "Pacific" type. I can't quite make out the number on the locomotive, but I think it is number 5302, the "Thomas Jefferson" which was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, construction number 59883, in 1927. This massive steel bridge was the longest on the Baltimore & Ohio at 6,109 feet [1.8km], and was opened for traffic on January 6, 1910. Originally double-tracked, in 1960 the second track was removed; but the bridge still carries trains today and is now part of the Philadelphia Division of CSX Transportation. This photo was taken from the western end of the bridge at Havre de Grace, Maryland.
Taylor Rush shared
Taylor Rush shared
Jamie Kamihachi: To be clear the shore you see in the distance is Garrett Island and not the Hartford County side of the Susquehanna River. You actually can’t see the full length of the bridge in the picture. M

Perryville Railroad Museum posted
A Chessie System Geep takes a local freight eastward over the Susquehanna Bridge at West Aikin, Maryland in October 1977. A.S. Walton photo.
Perryville Railroad Museum shared

Jack Stoner posted
Sometimes the train is far from the subject of the image; or, well it's just there. Not a Professional Engineer by trade, still I have always been awed by the massive loading and long spans of railway bridges. Star of the show here is the B&O Susquehanna River Bridge, Perryville, MD, (completed 1910); in my opinion, a huge work of art in steel & stone. Coming east off of Garrett Island in the transition from Deck Girder to Pratt Deck Truss, CSX 6157/6236 ply the now single track 107 year old structure. Minutes later I photographed two GEVO's at the same location, sorry GE fans, seeing as engineering works of art are on display here; the Geeps win out.

Jack Stoner posted
I always liked this unglamorous, gritty, workaday, waterfront image at the east end of the B&O Susquehanna River Bridge at Perryville, MD; so I did it again today - sorry to bore everyone......

Jack Stoner posted
A heavy eastbound CSX manifest treads the 107 year old B&O Susquehanna River Bridge Perryville, MD 2/18/17.
Jack seems to be inconsistent about the use of Havre de Grace vs. Perryville for this bridge that goes between the two towns.

Jack Stoner posted
CSX train Q219 rumbles east across the 6109 foot, (longest on the B&O system), Susquehanna River Bridge at Havre de Grace, MD. and is about to cross over Garrett Island named for B&O President John W. Garrett who was instrumental in the B&O crossing of the Susquehanna River. After previously using trackage rights on the parallel PW&B bridge, (Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore), a (PRR) affiliate; the B&O originally bridged the river on this same site in 1886, the present structure opened in 1910, is double tracked and capable of a much heavier loading. Photo 3/5/17

Jack Stoner posted
CSX train Q219 rumbles east across the B&O Susquehanna River Bridge at Havre de Grace, MD on a cold and blustery March 5, 2017. At 6109 feet, this structure was the longest continuous bridge span on the B&O system. Opened in 1910, this bridge replaced the original (1886) viaduct at the same site.
Jack Stoner posted
At 6109 feet, the Susquehanna River Bridge was the longest on the B&O system; completed in 1910 on the same alignment as the original 1886 structure, it originally carried 2 tracks. With the B&O's single tracking of the Philadelphia Sub Division after discontinuance of passenger service here; the viaduct now bares 1 track. Eastbound CSX Intermodal rumbles across a frigid Susquehanna River at Perryville, MD January 31, 2015.

Don Smith posted
Date: March 10, 1967
Location: Susquehanna River Bridge, Aiken MD
Photographer: John P Stroup
Film: Ektachrome Med Format
Bringing up the markers this week is B&O I12 2426 crossing the Susquehanna River Bridge in March of 67’. As you can see the bridge has been single tracked by this time though it does not detract from its immensity. This train is WB according to John’s notes. I am not surprised the brakeman has walked out to the porch to enjoy the fresh air and beauty of the river. 
The Susquehanna river bridge is the longest continuous bridge on the B&O system and was completed in 1910. If you would like to read more about its history, click here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSX_Susquehanna_River_Bridge
B&O I12 2426 was built in Keyser WV shops in 1941. It was repainted and refurbished in 1965. Yellow ends denote pool service.
Matthew Brandley: In csx ten year plan I read it is on the books to be replaced.
Ronald George: Been on that bridge many many times. Over the years. When it was 40 mph . I understand now it’s 25 mph. The good old CSX.
Butch Garrison: Walked that thing many times looking for circuit problems.......always the pucker factor working on bond repairs.....was better at night.....you couldn't see how far down the water was......
Bryan Russell shared
Dennis DeBruler shared

1 of 4 photos posted by Dereck Pentz
Captured these CSX freight trains traversing the Susquehanna River in Havre De Grace, MD on CSX’s Philadelphia subdivision over the weekend!!

It looks like the height is near the limit of a fireboat.
RAILROAD BRIDGES, TRESTLES, TUNNELS AND CUTS posted, Photo by Susquehanna Hose Co.
What happens when there's a fire on a railroad bridge crossing a river? The good news here is that it was put out and rail traffic has resumed. Hats off to all fire responders.
This was on the CSX bridge that crosses the Susquehanna River.
Walter Haner Good on the FD. Not everyone coulda put that out. That would have been a MAJOR loss for the NEC
Bruce A Phillips posted two photos with the comment: "The scenic highlight of the Philadelphia Subdivision is the Susquehanna River Bridge. Built 1907-10, over a mile long and a hundred foot drop to the water, not a favorite of the crews that crossed it. Photo from March 2, 2004."
Andy Reynolds: Why is it not a crew favorite? Height?
Jay Narvell: Andy Reynolds it’s 100 feet above the water. knowing that several train cars were blown off of it in a storm certainly doesn’t help.
1

2

Rick Smith commented on Bruce's post
That bridge is still in heavy use ─ it has to be.
As the post narrative states, it's part of the CSX Philadelphia Sub, which connects the Balto Terminal Sub with the Trenton (NJ) Sub. This was the route of the former B&O's "Royal Blue" passenger run that ended in 1958. My mom rode on this sub on her way to college at Cornell Univ. in 1950 and changed trains at Reading Terminal Phila. Therefore, she also rode across that bridge.
This actually is one of two similar Pennsylvania-type through-truss bridges along the same stretch across the Susky (Susquehanna River) at that point, where the entire bridge set consists of these two through-trusses ─ one on each side of Garrett Island in the middle of the river (for separate shipping channels) ─ several deck trusses, and an array of concrete-piers and deck plate-girders forming a trestle between the two through-trusses.
The view depicted in the main post is facing northeast (CSX eastbound), with the crew leaving Havre de Grace and heading across the westmost through-truss for Garrett Island. Once the movement traverses Garrett Island, it then will cross the second through-truss on its approach to Perryville.
While indeed the bridge set is scary (to me anyway), nevertheless it structurally is quite stout and beefy.
[photo - Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), Library of Congress]

Mike Morales commented on Bruce's post
Can someone tell me what’s the purpose of these rails located in the middle of the bridge?
Todd Dillon: Mike Morales guide rails in case of a derailment. They keep the derailed car aligned so that it doesn’t take out the bridge

David T. Mainey commented on Bruce's post
This 12-21-1957 photo taken from engine 1440 on Train 4 shows the second track. Perhaps some crews had concerns about the bridge, but in more than a dozen trips on the head end crossing the structure, I never heard any comment from any of them.
 
Mar 2018: ydr, Photo by Dan Lee
The tanker is one of four empty cars that fell off. And it was just floating along the dock.
"Though gusts of winds were impacting the entire region, officials would not commit to the notion that winds caused this accident, instead saying the derailment remains under investigation, the Sun reported." [And it is very hard to find the results of those investigations.]

Flickr photo of four bridges (Bill Neill shared)
Dennis DeBruler This is looking downstream along the west channel because I see the swing span of the other railroad in the left background.
https://bridgehunter.com/md/harford/bh52605/


River Rail Photo posted the last circus train crossing this bridge. It must be a drone shot because there are no skyscrapers on Garret Island.

River Rail Photo shared a couple of photos of a train with seven locomotives on the bridge.

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