Saturday, August 18, 2018

NS/Pennsy 1903 Port Perry Bridge over Monongahela River at Duquesne, PA

(Bridge Hunter, no Historic Bridges; pghbridges; HAER; see below for satellite)

The Pennsylvania Union (URR) Bridge is just downstream.

I see the north end of this route also quickly enters a tunnel.
3D Satellite

This bridge replaced an 1872 structure and reused the original piers. It is part of a route that allows through trains to bypass Pittsburgh. Port Perry was such an important railroad town of 3000 people that it no longer exists. Its land has been completely covered by the tracks of NS, CSX (B&O), and the Union Railroad. [pghbridges]
 
HAER PA,2-POPER,1--2
 
The following two diagrams are from page 22 of the USACE Jan 2004 Monongahela RiverNavigation Charts.
1
2
The purple box indicates that the USACE has progressed on their March 1999 plans quoted below but the bridge clearance has not been raised. Judging from Robert's photo, the span has not been replaced as of 2018.
The pool change associated with the Lower Mon Project will raise navigable waters in existing Pool 2 five (5) feet, thus reducing the vertical clearance of the bridge to 40.6 feet, making it 1.9 feet lower than the U.S. Coast Guard required vertical guide clearance of 42.5 feet....One option preferred by the Corps would replace span 7 (407-foot span between piers 7 and 8) over the navigation channel with a new span constructed of higher strength steel and a modified truss design to achieve the required vertical clearance without changing the rail grades. This option can be achieved through various plans to either rehabilitate or replace Piers 7 and 8 to handle the additional loads of the new span. [pghbridges, search for "1999"]
Jack D. Kuiphoff posted
CR, Conrail SD60M #5503, and SD50 #6717 with a westbound stack train, crossing the Monongahela River on the Port Perry bridge at, Duquesne, Pennsylvania. March 11, 1999. Jack D Kuiphoff © photo
Roger Riblett shared
Herb Wilson: of all the tracks shown in this photo...how many are still there and in use?
Jason Minier: Look up DJ's Trains on YouTube. He has several videos covering this spot, and also models it

Dennis DeBruler commented on Roger's post
At least both bridges still have all of their connections.
40°23'15.3"N 79°51'05.9"W

Robert S. Dorsett posted
Another Hot Metal bridge is Pennsylvania's Port Perry bridge. Built in 1903, carries Norfolk/ Southern R.R.

MP Rail Photography posted
NS 29G waits on the Port Perry Branch while a coal train passes on the Mon Line. The US Steel Edgar Thompson Works can be seen in the background. 
May 25, 2024
Pittsburgh, PA
Power: 
NS 4169 - AC44C6M
NS 1229 - SD70ACe
[The coal train is out-of-frame to the left going along the river.]
Dennis DeBruler: In addition to the NS/PRR Port Perry Bridge, the Pennsylvania Union RR (URR) Bridge, the Lock and Dam #2 and the Edgar Thomson (no p) Works, you captured the Grand View Golf Club. This photo helps me better appreciate the hills in the Pittsburgh area.

Mtnclimberjoe Rail Photography posted
Union Railroad and Norfolk Southern trains meet over the waters of the Monongahela River as they each cross their respective bridges [URR is the other one] out of Duquesne, Pennsylvania. Five MP15's from the Union Railroad's Job 66B are taking headroom as they drop cars into the railroad's yard, while Norfolk Southern intermodal train 260 uses the Port Perry Branch to get on the Pittsburgh Line and continue its trip east.
====Info====
6/8/2024
URR Mon Southern Branch
Duquesne, PA
URR Job 66B (Coke Empties/ Local; Clairton Coke Works - Clairton, PA to Dexter Yard - East Pittsburgh, PA)
URR 31 MP15DC Blt. 1977
URR 18 MP15DC Blt. 1975
URR 26 MP15DC Blt. 1976
URR 17 MP15DC Blt. 1975
URR 34 MP15DC Blt. 1977
NS Port Perry Branch
NS 260 (Intermodal; 47th Street Yard - Chicago, IL to GI8 - Harrisburg, PA)
NS 4454 AC44C6M Ex. NS 9273 C44-9W, NS 9273 C40-9W Blt. 1999
NS 9733 C44-9W Ex. NS 9733 C40-9W Blt. 2001

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