Tower: (Satellite, not only is the tower gone, but so is the track on the eastern connection.)
Bridge: (Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; pghbridges; B&T; 3D Satellite)
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| STEAM ENGINES Worldwide posted Pennsylvania Railroad Steam Engine crossing the Brilliant Branch Bridge - Pittsburgh - Photo by Charles ‘Teenie’ Harris - Carnegie Museum of Art |
The Water & Sewer Authority land used to have an elegant power plant. A different power plant was standing there in this Flickr Photo.
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| Image via BridgeHunter via eBook, p259 Fig. 115b. -- Through Pin-connected Parker Truss Bridge over Allegheny River at Aspinwall, Pa., Brilliant Cut-off, Pennsylvania R. R. |
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| 1 of 3 posted by Bridges & Tunnels The Brilliant Branch Railroad Bridge was constructed for the Brilliant Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and featured a 1,200-foot-long Warren truss bridge across the Allegheny River between Pittsburgh and Aspinwall, Pennsylvania. The Brilliant Branch, also referred to as the Brilliant Cut-Off, was constructed by the PRR as a cut-off to avoid the busy Union Station and its yards downtown and as the final component of a railroad beltway around Pittsburgh. The bridge opened to traffic in 1904. In the wake of the collapse of Penn Central (PRR’s successor) and in the midst of the U.S. Railway Association’s controversial $7.3 billion railroad revitalization plan, it was proposed to reroute 25 to 35 through freight trains from the Fort Wayne Bridge in downtown to the Brilliant Branch river crossing. But it was feared that it would cause congestion because of the steeper grades and sharper curves at the wye in Aspinwall. Instead, the Brilliant Branch was abandoned, only to be revived in 1995 for the Allegheny Valley Railroad (AVRR). The line has only been minimally used since 2019 after the loss of AVRR's only customer north of the Allegheny River crossing. ▶︎ Check out more photos and a history of this unique crossing at |
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| Mainline Photography, Sep 2022 |
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| CarloadExpress |
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| Ivan Safyan Abrams Flickr There were 10-15 locomotives in this "light engine" move across PC's ex-PRR Brilliant Bridge, probably bound for Conway Yard some 30 miles west. That's UY tower just visible at the end of the bridge. 1975. |
Ivan's photo not only clearly shows the cut-stone construction of the piers, he documents that there was a junction tower in the wye on the west side. So once again, I fire up the wayback machine to find the location of the tower.
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| EarthExplorer: Apr 9, 1952 @ 23,600, AR1NZ0000020063 |
It is off the eastern connection soon after it forks off the bridge.
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| Digitally Zoomed |
Dave Kuntz posted four photos with the comment: "The Brilliant Branch Railroad Bridge in Aspinwall PA. One leg of the wye has the rails completely removed while the bridge itself rarely sees trains anymore. A "brilliant" park has been built in the center of the wye. Plans are underway to turn the entire bridge into a bike trail."
Jay Anthony: Was it ever double track or was the extra space “just in case”?
Ron Mele: Jay Anthony Both legs were built with double track. The west leg had double track well into the Conrail era. The east leg had a single track for as long as I can remember (early 60s). The second track must have been removed a long time ago. The remaining east leg track probably came out some time in the Penn-Central era or very Conrail.
James Ralston: Carload Express (specifically, Allegheny Valley Railroad) owns the Brilliant Bridge, and as of late 2023, still uses the spur tracks on the west split of the wye for car storage. (You can see the cars if you take the Highland Park Bridge northbound and take the Aspinwall exit; you can also see them on Google Maps satellite view.)
Given the upcoming redevelopment of the Sharpsburg waterfront from a former brownfield to commercial/housing/retail (1), I could very well see AVR abandoning the bridge. But if the city wants to rail-to-trail it, I'm not sure what they think they're going to do with the trail on the south end of the bridge, as the AVR line it connects to (the strip district / Oakmont / New Kensington line) is very much active…
Dan McNally: This bridge and the Brilliant line to Homewood are in the process of being purchased by Allegheny River Trails Park. It includes spurs going to 13th street in Sharpsburg, the water treatment plant and half way to Nadine road.
Tim Shanahan shared
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Dave Kuntz posted four photos with the comment:
This is a news update post as I continue to fix my drone. The Brilliant Branch Line in Pittsburgh, which I droned last summer, is now set to become a rail trail and the rails will be pulled up this spring. Go get your abandoned rails while they are still there! https://community.triblive.com/.../penn.../news/3717357...
Dave Kuntz: "In the coming months, Allegheny Valley Railroad will pull up track from its soon-to-be abandoned Brilliant Branch and use it along part of the Allegheny Subdivision, which follows the south bank of the Allegheny River from Pittsburgh’s Strip District to Arnold."
Chris Carlisle: Dave Kuntz I guess on the flip side we should be happy that the increased business on the Allegheny division is warranting a upgrade. They have been hauling some decent size sand trains up there for the past year.
Darren Reynolds posted four images with the comment:
The Pennsylvania Railroads"UY" towerAspinwall, Pennsylvania
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Darren Reynolds posted two images with the comment:
The Pennsylvania Railroads"Bridge" towerOil City, Pennsylvania
Samuel Walker: When I resided in Oil City in the 1990's I met the retired operator of the tower. His long time friend was my next door neighbor. He explained that the PRR operated the Titusville line as single direction south and the Warren line as single direction north.He told of a engineer who was notorious for running past the signal circuits for a stop signal. He had done so with a southbound freight from Buffalo from the Titusville line. Coming up the Allegheny River Valley northbound was fast freight to Buffalo from Pittsburgh. With the stop signal fouled, the southbound freight needed to reverse so that the northbound freight would not need to stop. He came up with the plan to have the southbound locomotives reverse and push off the fouled signal point as he south the northbound mile away done the Allegheny. River. This was in the 1950's before the Kinzua Dam was built. The combined noise of the northbound freight and the heavy, loud sound of the reversed diesels covered the action from the yardmaster at the opposite side of the Allegheny River where the Oil City yard was located. Saved the engineer from having been disciplined for running the circuit. Kept the Northbound on time and on schedule.
Ben Schiffer: Samuel Walker That’s a cool story. Hadn’t heard that one. I lived in OC much if my life left in the mid 80’s. My grandfather was an “Engineman” in Oil City from 1940-1976. Ran north up Salamanca Branch and South on the Chautauqua Branch. They called it “going around the world.”
Samuel Walker: Thanks. I had forgotten the phrase "going round the world." My neighbor had been a policeman i the 50's. Seems that a disturbed fellow bought some rope at a local hardware store. Asked what he was going to do with it, he replied, "Well, I think I will hang myself." He laughed. The clerk laughed. He went to the Petroleum Street bridge over the PRR tracks along the Allegheny River. He secured the rope and jumped. The engine crew of a northbound were unable to stop without hitting the swinging corpse.
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| Adam Klimchock Flickr UY Tower; Aspinwall, PA; January 1978 This behemoth of a tower is UY Tower at Aspinwall, PA on the Conemaugh Line. The four story tall structure stood in the middle of the wye on the Brilliant Branch. Apparently the tower was named for Guyasuta, a local Native American. Walkways are seen coming from the tower for the operator to access either leg of the wye should they need to. Sadly, as is expected, the tower is long gone, making it difficult to imagine that such a unique and imposing structure once stood there. UY Tower. Aspinwall, PA. January 1978. Photographer unknown. Adam Klimchock collection. |
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