Monday, January 2, 2023

1911 GAP Trail/Western Maryland Keystone Viaduct over B&O and Flaugherty Creek

(Bridge HunterHistoric BridgesSatellite)


Less than a mile west of here on this trail is the Bollman Bridge, which is an iron bridge that was fabricated in 1871. And a little further west of the Bollman Bridge is the Salisbury Viaduct, which is 1,900' long.

"The Keystone Viaduct was built in 1911 by the Western Maryland Railway as a key link in its expansion from Cumberland to Connellsville." (I need to research if this expansion was needed to make Western Maryland part of the Alphabet Route.) The viaduct is 910' long, and it is almost 100' above Flaugherty Creek. [GapTrail]
The truss span is 240' long. [HistoricBridges]

Stuff Thats Gone posted
Courtesy of Mark and Mike Nelson. Western Maryland railway crossing the keystone viaduct east of Meyersdale early 70s and recently. This section of the great Allegheny passage provides some of the most amazing views on its way to the big Savage Tunnel.

Dave Folan posted
From the Western Maryland forum. Keystone Viaduct, with a combination of a huge through truss, to jump over the B&O, and a long deck plate, to maintain grade. Couple big articulateds, eastbound.
Scott Gwynn posted
A pair of B&O helpers have just passed under Western Maryland's Keystone Viaduct as they shove a wartime freight on Sand Patch. A quintet of cabooses are on the rear of the train. Photo by my father.
 
Scott Gwynn posted
A B&O Mallet has eastbound coal in tow as it passes under the Western Maryland Keystone Viaduct on Sand Patch during the war. Photo by my father.
[The grade of B&O's western slope was not as bad as the eastern slope, but the coal trains were loaded when they were climbing the western slope.]

I wonder if this is the rear of the above coal train.
Scott Gwynn posted
A pair of B&O helpers shoving on a wartime freight have just passed under the Western Maryland's Keystone Viaduct on the climb up Sand Patch. Photo by my father.
 
Worldwide Railfan Productions posted
CSX Train ducks under the Keystone Viaduct
Passing under the former Western Maryland right of way, a CSX train continues its Eastbound Journey near Meyersdale, PA on the Sandpatch Grade.
 Location: Meyersdale, PA
 By: Brandon Fiume 
 Taken on: September 30, 2023
 
Worldwide Railfan Productions posted
CSX Under Keystone Viaduct
A CSX train passes underneath the former Western Maryland Railroad's Keystone Viaduct. The bridge is now part of the Great Allegheny Passage bike trail.
 Location: Meyersdale, PA
 By: Brandon Fiume 
 Taken on: February 10, 2024

GAPhsitory
PennDOT insisted that two piers be removed during rehabilitation so that they could straighten the Glade City Road. So three 80' spans were replaced by a 240' span. The rehabilitation work was done 2002-03. In 2009 the viaduct was raised 18" to allow double-stack trains to pass underneath. In addition for paying for the costs of raising the viaduct, CSX pad $25,000 to the GAP.

It is a bummer that no street view driver has gone on Glade City Road because that would have captured some nice views of the viaduct.

Wade Massie contributed to Google Maps, Jul 2006

And a couple of views of the other side of the bridge.

Ben Sutton Flickr via BridgeHunter
Western Maryland Keystone Viaduct Westbound

Jackson-Township historical preservation posted
B & O (Baltimore & Ohio) train near the community of Meyersdale, Somerset County in 1975.
Frederick L Leer: Overhead is the Keystone Viaduct of the Western Maryland Railroad. Train in photo is on the B&O/Chessie/now CSX. This location is east of Meyersdale on the road to Sand Patch.
Loren Pyle shared
Dennis DeBruler shared
The train is on a former B&O route. The truss is the Keystone Viaduct. It used to carry the Western Maryland Railroad, and it now carries the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) Rail Trail that runs from Pittsburgh to Cumberland MD.

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