Industrial History: 1877+1911 NS/CNO&TP/Sou/CS High Bridges over Kentucky River near Wilmore, KY

1877: (Bridge Hunter) A cantilevered truss

1911: (Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; HAER; Satellite)

To explain the title, Cincinnati built and owns the Cincinnati Southern route, but it now leases it to the Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Norfolk Southern.

The original bridge was opened by President Rutherford B. Hays in 1877. At that time, at 275' tall, it was the highest railroad bridge in the world. Gustav Lindenthal designed the 1911 replacement. The track of the new bridge was 33' above the 1877 track so that the new bridge could be built around the old one while the old one continued to carry traffic. It was double tracked in 1929. Until the 1950s there was a walkway on the west side of the bridge because excursion trips were run to the bridge until the 1930s. [Bogart]

In this photo, the new bridge has been opened but they have yet to remove the old truss.

Henri Charles shared
[1877 Bridge Hunter identifies this as "Louis Edward Nollau High Bridge Photographic Collection, University of Kentucky."]

transportation.ky.gov, p49

We can see one of the suspension bridge towers that Roebling started in 1851 for a different railroad. The Panic of 1857 terminated the construction of that bridge. When the original railroad resumed construction, they picked a different route that had a lower crossing of the Kentucky River. The CNO&TP acquired the charter for this route and finished a bridge. [Bogart] "It is the first cantilever bridge built on the American continent. The large twin towers were torn down in 1929." [Anonymous comment] The towers were removed when the bridge was double tracked. [Ed Hollowell comment]]

Elmer L. Foote Lantern Slide Collection, Lexington Public Library via 1877 Bridge Hunter

The longest (1125 feet) and highest (275 feet) cantilever bridge in the world when built in 1877. It was the highest bridge of any type in North America until 1888 when Young's High Bridge was built to 283 feet a few miles away. A new bridge was built around this bridge in 1910-11 which was 308 feet tall, surpassing Young's High Bridge. The 1877 bridge continued in use during construction of the new bridge around it and was only dissembled sometime after the 1911 bridge was in use. The Cincinnati Southern Railway was and still is owned by the city of Cincinnati. Contract cost for bridge was $390,000. Final cost of the bridge was $404,856.58. Cincinnati Southern Railway built and owns the bridge. Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific (CNTP) leased and continues to lease the line from Cincinnati Southern though CNTP is owned by Norfolk Southern (formally Southern).
[1877 Bridge Hunter]

Jim Pearson Photography posted

A southbound Norfolk Southern intermodal heads across High Bridge on November 8th, 2022, as it heads north across the Kentucky River on the NS CNO&TP First District at Highbridge, Kentucky.

According to Wikipedia: The High Bridge is a railroad bridge crossing the Kentucky River Palisades, that rises approximately 275 feet from the river below and connects Jessamine and Mercer counties in Kentucky. Formally dedicated in 1879, it is the first cantilever bridge constructed in the United States. It has a three-span continuous under-deck truss used by Norfolk Southern Railway to carry trains between Lexington and Danville. It has been designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

In 1851, the Lexington & Danville Railroad, with Julius Adams as chief engineer, retained John A. Roebling to build a railroad suspension bridge across the Kentucky River for a line connecting Lexington and Danville, Kentucky west of the intersection of the Dix and Kentucky rivers. In 1855, the company ran out of money and the project was resumed by Cincinnati Southern Railroad in 1873 following a proposal by C. Shaler Smith for a cantilever design using stone towers designed by John A. Roebling (who designed the Brooklyn Bridge).

The bridge was erected using a cantilever design with a three-span continuous under-deck truss and was opened in 1877 on the Cincinnati Southern Railway. It was 275 feet (84 m) tall and 1,125 feet (343 m) long: the tallest bridge above a navigable waterway in North America and the tallest railroad bridge in the world until the early 20th century. Construction was completed using 3,654,280 pounds of iron at a total cost of $404,373.31. In 1879 President Rutherford B. Hayes and Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman attended the dedication.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 120.

Kentucky Living Magazine posted
On this day in 1877, workers completed High Bridge, connecting Jessamine and Mercer Counties over the Kentucky River Palisades. It was the tallest bridge above a navigable waterway in North America (275 feet) and the tallest railroad bridge in the world until the early 20th century. The bridge was rebuilt in 1911 and is still used today by Norfolk Southern Railway to carry trains between Lexington and Danville. It has been designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
C Kent McKenzie shared
Norfolk-Southern...

Look at the base of the tower and you can see that the two cranes have started constructing the new tower around the old one. A concrete layer has been added to the cut stone pier.

Louis Edward Nollau F Series Photographic Print Collection, University of Kentucky via BridgeHunter-1877

They added temporary supports next to each tower to help balance the trusses while they were cantilevered during construction.

Louis Edward Nollau F Series Photographic Print Collection, University of Kentucky via 1877 Bridge Hunter

The deep truss allowed it to be built around the old truss. Note the engine under the traveler on the right to get a sense of scale.

Engineering Record, Vol. 62, 1910. Digitized By Google. from Historic Bridges

Elmer L. Foote Lantern Slide Collection, Lexington Public Library via 1877 Bridge Hunter

HAER KY,57-HIBR,1--1

Kentucky Colonels - National Headquarters posted (source)
In 1877, the first cantilever bridge in the United States was completed in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. This railroad bridge crosses the Kentucky River Palisades, connecting Jessamine and Mercer counties. A cantilever bridge is a bridge whose main elements are cantilevers (structures that are anchored at only one end while the other projects horizontally into space). #KyHistory
Kenny McLaughlin Also known as High Bridge, the oldest highest bridge in the US still used! I’ve sat in the middle of that bridge with two friends with our legs hanging over the side holding on for dear life while a train and many cars went over it at about 40 mph. That thing flexes and shakes while that train crosses it ! It’s so high you can’t imagine how it was built! Those were the days!
Bill Johnson That's actually the second bridge. In the early 1900s, the new bridge was built around the old bridge and the elevation was raised. Later, it was made a double track bridge.

Ben Childers, Nov 2017

Jim Pearson Photography posted

Union Pacific 4139 leads Norfolk Southern 196 across High Bridge on November 8th, 2022, as it heads north across the Kentucky River on the NS CNO&TP First District (Short Line).

After years of heavy railroad use, the bridge was rebuilt by Gustav Lindenthal in 1911. Lindenthal reinforced the foundations and rebuilt the bridge around the original structure. To keep railroad traffic flowing, the track deck was raised by 30 feet during construction and a temporary trestle was constructed.[6] In 1929, an additional set of tracks was built to accommodate increased railroad traffic and the original limestone towers were removed.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 110.

https://fineartamerica.com/.../union-pacific-4139-leads...
Peter Kirk: Surely the Garabit viaduct in France, built by Gustave Eiffel in 1882-1884, was a taller railroad bridge (407 ft) before the early 20th century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garabit_viaduct
I'll see if I can correct Wikipedia.
Randall Hampton shared

Russell Saunders posted three photos with the comment: "This is High Bridge crossing the Kentucky River near Wilmore. Very historic, it is an engineering marvel that still carries freight traffic."