NS/SOU Bridge over Wabash River in Mt. Carmel, IL

(Bridge Hunter, Satellite)

20170107 7568c, downstream elevation

It is strange that the swing span is so close to the bank. If this was on the outer edge of a curve, it would make sense because that is where the channel would be deepest. But I checked the map, and the river is straight through here. Is it because the Patoka River dumping its water into the Wabash just upstream would create tricky currents that they wanted to stay away from?

Here is a sequence of shots I took on the upstream side starting with the flood wall for Mt. Carmel and then turning towards the east.

Then I moved closer to the bank of the Wabash to try to get a better upstream elevation shot. Black trusses against black trees just doesn't work very well.

Update:

John Hamilton posted
NS span across the Wabash River in Mt. Carmel, IL.
[I contributed the above photo with the comment: "Black trusses work better against green trees and with a strong sun. But I don't have that much control of when I'm in that area."]

Bill Stroud posted

The picture you see below was in Ties Magazine (Southern Railway System). Bridge construction on the Wabash Near Mt. Carmel in 1872. Note the 4-4-0 wood burning locomotive.

On an interesting note. The original bid for the entire line in Indiana was 3.8 million dollars in 1869. Which is about 90 million with inflation today.
Augusts Bradley was president when the Air Line was formed.
Isaac Munroe St. John was the civil engineer who decided the best route for the Air Line.
St. John originally planned the line to be 245 miles from St. Louis to New Albany. It ended up being 268 miles to New Albany.
He was off 23 miles. New Albany subscribed $300,000 and Louisville subscribed $500,000 in 1869. Dubois county pledged $53,000.
Why did Louisville and New Albany want this new railroad to be built? Answer: it was the coal in Dubois, Pike and Gibson County that had been discovered and explored.

Dave Durham posted two photos with the comment: "Mt. CARMEL,  Southern Railway Swing Bridge 1907 Ice jam, 1959 flood , Worldwide Elevation Map Finder."

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Jim Pearson Photography posted

NS 8173 leads loaded coal train across the Wabash River

I was about 14 degrees, with an even colder wind chill, as Norfolk Southern 8173 crossed over the Wabash River coming into Mt. Carmel, Illinois with load of coal for the Gibson Generating Station (Duke Energy) on February 13th, 2021 on the NS Southern West District.

Today was probably the coldest day I've flown my DJI Air 2 since I bought it last year and it handled the weather just fine. I did seem to notice that the flight time on the battery was less, but I expected that to be the case. Also, the gray color of the drone against the gray snowy skies is a little harder to keep track of in the air, but not flying it too far from my position helped!

Any of my drone friends ever use any of the orange props? If so does it help with visibility? What other things do you do to help with visibility? Strobe lights? If so, what do you recommend?

#trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #dronephotography #jimpearsonphotography

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.

Jim Pearson Photography

https://fineartamerica.com/.../ns-8173-leads-loaded-coal...

Mt. Carmel Illinois Police Department posted seven photos with the comment:

UPDATE 2:  Walnut Street has opened up.  Still,

 no traffic is permitted to go under the railroad bridge as crews work to secure the train. 

UPDATE:  No traffic will be permitted under the bridges. Law enforcement is present and enforcing this measure. The train engine is unstable and could have the train cars topple over. Norfolk crews are examining the train looking for a safe point to disconnect and reverse the train. This effort could take approximately 2 hours. 

The Mt. Carmel Police Department has been notified of a train derailment causing the Walnut Street crossing and the 2nd Street crossing to be blocked.  An employee of Norfolk Southern expects the crossings to be blocked for several hours so the public should consider alternate routes to travel to and from Indiana.  Please do not call MCPD for updates as we will notify the public as soon as we hear anything.  Norfolk has several employees en route to assist in the incident.  Again, do not call MCPD as we will notify you as information comes forward.  Thank you.

[So vehicles can use 3rd Street and some backroads to still get across the bridge?]

Ryan Scott posted

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Bradley Newman: What’s the yellow piece? I see it in different pictures but what is it?
Dean Leavens: Bradley Newman it's truck frames that bounced off of another train ahead of this one.
According to my uncle. His son's an engineer on it right now.

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Noah Emerson Chappell: The yellow part came off another train that was ahead of this train. this is a Mount for Vehicle Frame Railcars. This had to get lodged some how causing the Lead Locomotive to derail.

Digitally Zoomed

When the yellow frame shoved the locomotive off the rails, the locomotive shoved back because that vertical member is not only bent, the web is broken. It appears the locomotives were travelling from left to right.

This confirms that the locomotives were going from left to right. Fortunately, most of the locomotive weight came to a stop on the next truss. I wonder if the covered hopper cars on the damaged truss are full. I don't know why all the news reports keep saying no traffic is allowed under the bridge. There is no traffic under that bridge.

Screenshot

J.B. Rail Photo posted
The last flat car on eastbound Norfolk Southern 167 dropped a frame tie down on the ground and caused another train NS 125 to derail on a bridge in Mt Carmel, IL, which caused damage to the bridge. The line is plugged by this incident and is going to closed for about 3 weeks. This video is about 15 miles from where the tie down fell off onto the bridge.