To explain the title, Cincinnati built and owns the Cincinnati Southern route, but it now leases it to the Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific (CNO&TP), which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Norfolk Southern.
The previous bridges, 1877+1911, are documented here.
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| OnlyInYourState, Wikimedia/Rsfinlayson "High Bridge opened as a part of the Cincinnati Southern Railway in 1877 and soared at a height of 275 feet and 1,125 feet long. Over a century later and the bridge continues to stand as one of the tallest and most impressive in Kentucky. "At the time it was built, High Bridge was the tallest bridge above a navigable waterway in North America and the tallest railroad bridge in the world until the early 1900s." 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... 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. |
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| 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. |
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| Jim Pearson Photography posted Norfolk Southern intermodal 28C heads northbound across High Bridge on June 8th, 2024, crossing the Kentucky River on the NS CNO&TP First District at Highbridge, Kentucky. [The rest of the description is similar to the one above.] |
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| Ben Childers, Jul 2020 |
Note the abandoned route that stayed close to the Kentucky River. It had a tunnel near the upper-right corner of this excerpt. On the left side we see L&D #7 and a ferry. I presume if residents of High Bridge now want to go south or west, they have to drive a either to US-27 or US-68.
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| 1952 Wilmore Quad @ 24,000 |
I knew that L&D #7 was part of the Kentucky River System, but I did not realize that there was such a large fleeting areas for barge.
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| This image has been moved to "1877+1911 NS/CNO&TP/Sou/CS" |
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| Marty Bernard posted 4. Southern Railroad Bridge across the Cumberland River in Kentucky. Blackhawk Films, Bill Howes collection. Stephen Williamson: I question the location of this. It sure looks like the high bridge crossing the Kentucky river. I could be mistaken. The Cumberland River bridge near Somerset, KY is a different structure. The lattice paneled piers lead me to believe this is high bridge near Wilmore, KY. Dennis DeBruler: Stephen Williamson I agree. That looks like the NS/Cincinnati Southern High Bridge over the Kentucky River. https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/kentucky/high-bridge-ky/ Marty Bernard shared |
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| Ben Childers, Nov 2017 |
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| 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). 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. 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."
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| John Hamilton posted High Bridge of Kentucky, southwest of Lexington, crossing the Kentucky River, NS line. Taken June 2018. |
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| Barry Delaney posted High Bridge, Kentucky on the C,NO&TP. 2/28/23 |
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| Mtnclimberjoe Rail Photography posted A pair of NS rebuilds, one from Wabtec and one from Progress Rail, lead Norfolk Southern manifest freight 376 as it heads north over High Bridge, crossing over the Kentucky River in High Bridge, Kentucky. Completed in 1877 by the Cincinnati Southern Railway and standing 275 feet tall, it was the tallest bridge above a navigable waterway in North America and the tallest railroad bridge in the world until the early 20th century. ====Info==== 6/5/2023 NS CNO&TP First District High Bridge, KY NS 376 (Manifest; Rockport, IN to Middletown, OH) NS 4644 AC44C6M Ex. NS 9511 C44-9W, NS 9511 C40-9W Blt. 2000 NS 1843 SD70ACC Ex. NS 2516 SD70 Blt. 1993 |
Try to find photos of the bridge reconstruction in ~1911. The new bridge was built around the old bridge, while the old bridge continued in use. The new deck height was about 30' higher, resulting in the very deep truss.
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