Thursday, October 31, 2024

Floating Instrument Platform (R/P FLIP)


I Love Warships posted
Floating Instrument Platform (R/P FLIP) during the "flipping process."
The craft could literally flip from a horizontal to a vertical position while at sea. FLIP was flipped into the vertical position by flooding its long aft section with seawater. Only its “four-story” bow section remained above the water. To return the vessel to a horizontal position, high-pressure air blew the water out of the submerged section.
FLIP was used for studies of wave motion, marine biology, internal waves, sound waves, and other phenomena. The vessel has accommodation for four people and can carry enough supplies to last for about two weeks.
In the vertical position, the research laboratories, living quarters, and engine room were above the water. Two diesel engines supply electrical power for air conditioning and other miscellaneous electrical equipment. Two waterfront tubes permit the crew to descend to 150 feet below the water.
Out of service since August 2023.
Mack Hollowpoint: June 22, 1962-Aug, 2023. Now went for scrap.
Christoph Manhardt: Best: I hope nobody had his nap when they flipped... 😉
Peter Franks: Christoph Manhardt The bunks are gimbaled - it wouldn't have made a difference!
Kai Schwarz: Erica Jones When it wasn't at sea it was kept at the Scripps Oceanography docks just inside San Diego harbor by Pt. Loma. [I looked on a satellite, but could not find it.]


The Marine Buff posted
The Research Vessel FLIP (Floating Instrument Platform) is an extraordinary oceanographic research vessel known for its unique capability to flip from a horizontal to a vertical position. This innovative design was created to provide a stable platform for scientific research in the open ocean, where wave motion can significantly interfere with delicate measurements.
RV FLIP is 108 meters long, with its transformation achieved by flooding ballast tanks at one end, causing it to sink while the other end rises, eventually positioning the vessel vertically. This process takes about 30 minutes, with most of the motion happening in a rapid 90-second span. In its vertical position, only about 17 meters of the vessel remain above water, resembling a giant buoy. This design allows FLIP to withstand significant wave heights and remain remarkably stable, essential for precise oceanographic measurements.
The vessel was constructed in 1962 by the Gunderson Brothers Engineering Company and is operated by the Marine Physical Laboratory at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Its primary function is to facilitate research in various fields, including acoustic studies, meteorology, physical oceanography, and marine biology. FLIP does not have its own propulsion system and must be towed to its research locations.
Inside, FLIP is equipped with laboratories, living quarters, and workspaces designed to function in both horizontal and vertical orientations. This includes reorienting fixtures like beds and toilets, which flip to accommodate the change in position. The vessel can support a crew of five and up to eleven scientists on missions lasting up to a month without resupply.
FLIP's ability to provide a stable platform in rough sea conditions has made it invaluable for studying phenomena such as internal waves, air-sea interactions, and the propagation of sound underwater. The vessel has contributed to numerous scientific discoveries, including understanding how distant storms generate ocean swells and measuring fine-scale currents and wind patterns near the sea surface.
Overall, RV FLIP's innovative design and operational success have made it a cornerstone in oceanographic research, enabling scientists to conduct precise and groundbreaking studies in challenging marine environments.

The Marine Buffs posted
When the FLIP (Floating Instrument Platform) ship transitions from a horizontal to a vertical position,What happens to crew and accomodation??The ship is designed to allow for this transformation, with many features configured to function in both orientations. In the horizontal position, the FLIP operates like a conventional ship with decks and accommodation spaces laid out normally. However, when it flips to a vertical position, the following changes occur: - Decks and Bulkheads: What were horizontal decks become vertical bulkheads, and vice versa. This means the floors and walls essentially swap roles. - Fixtures and Furniture: Many fixtures, including doors, sinks, and toilets, are mounted on swivels or are designed to function in both orientations. For example, doors might be on the floor, and sinks and toilets have dual mountings to be usable when the ship is vertical. - Interior Layout: The interior layout appears unusual with features like portholes on the ceiling and overhead lights positioned to work in both configurations. As the ship tilts, items that were once oriented horizontally are now vertical. - Crew Accommodation: During the flipping process, the crew stands on deck wearing lifejackets. They must adjust to moving between levels that have now become vertical rather than horizontal. Bunks, tables, and other furnishings are designed to pivot, ensuring they remain usable and safe in both orientations. These adaptations make the FLIP a unique and highly specialized research platform, capable of providing a stable environment for scientific research regardless of the sea state.

7:17 video @ 0:00

1931 Vilas/1840 Tucker Toll Covered/1785 Hale's Bridges over Connecticut River at Bellows Falls, VT

1785 Hale's: (Archived Bridge Hunter)
1840 Tucker Toll Covered: (Archived Bridge Hunter)
1931 Vilas: (Archived Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

This gorge now gets just the water that is not diverted to a canal and powerhouse.

Lost New England posted
The Connecticut River flows for more than 400 miles through New England, and the valley was an important transportation corridor for early European settlers. However, there were no bridges across any part of the river until 1785, when a bridge opened here on this site, connecting Bellows Falls, Vermont and North Walpole, New Hampshire. 
This was an ideal location for a bridge, since the river passes through a narrow gorge with a large rocky outcropping in the middle of the river, making it relatively easy to construct a two-span bridge here. The first bridge was uncovered, which left its deck and structure exposed to the elements, so in 1840 it was replaced by a covered bridge, which is shown in the first photo around 1900. 
Known as the Tucker Toll Bridge, this covered bridge stood here for 90 years, until it was replaced in 1930 by the present concrete arch bridge. However, this bridge has been closed since 2009 because of structural problems, and it is not scheduled to be rebuilt until 2028. Historic image courtesy of the Rockingham Free Public Library.

Keene Public Library Flickr via BridgeHunter_1840
Connecticut River High Water in Bellows Falls Vermont

The stone-arch railroad bridge in the background is also impressive.
Street View, Aug 2013

Photo via BridgeHunter_1931

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Green Street Bridge over Inland Rail in Wangaratta, Victoria, AU, Crane Lift

(Satellite)

0:37 timelapse video @ 0:07
Last month [Sep 2024], construction contractor McConnell Dowell successfully lifted the 200+ tonne Green Street bridge superstructure into place. 🛠️
Located in Wangaratta, Victoria along our Beveridge to Albury section of Inland Rail, this work in replacing the bridge and lowering the tracks underneath will allow double stacked freight trains to use the line. 🚆
Learn more about our progress in Victoria: https://inlandrail.info/4fiqJSF

I picked the above screenshot because it shows the whole crane. This screenshot is the beginning of a segment that is interesting because you can see the mast tilt backwards.
@ 0:20

The grain elevator in the background just left of the bridge in the 0:07 screenshot confirms that I found the correct location.
Street View, Nov 2019

1970,2010 High Trestle Trail/Milwaukee Bridge over Des Moines River near Madrid, IA

(Archived Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite, 1,590 photos)

UP abandoned this former Milwaukee Road trestle because it still has the former-C&NW and former-CGW trestles across the Des Moines River.

Iowa Road Trip posted
Morning fog at the High Trestle Trail Bridge between Madrid and Woodward, Iowa.  Photo: Brian Abeling / Iowa Road Trip
Details on the High Trestle Trail Bridge: https://iowaroadtrip.net/the-one-bike-ride-that-every.../
Greg Beat: Former Milwaukee Railway bridge location over Des Moines River.
Located NW of Saylorville Lake (NW of Des Moines).
Union Pacific assisted Boone county and organizers in establishing “rail to trail” conversion.
[The post contains a couple of videos taken on the bridge.]

I noticed several photos taken from the same advantage point as the above photo. That is because they turned the bridge abutment of the original steel trestle into a lookout platform.
Street View, May 2017

John Tieden commented on the "Iowa Road Trip" post
Even nicer at night

Rob Nachazel commented on the "Iowa Road Trip" post
October of 2003 before the UP removed the girders. My photo.

Street View, Sep 2021
 
Megan Jurrens, Jun 2024
Written by Dylan VanAntwerp
Construction of the massive Madrid Trestle commenced in the early 1970s at taxpayer expense as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Saylorville Reservoir project. The bridge was designed to replace an older steel trestle that was just to the north of the current bridge. This older bridge had steel supports and concrete footing pads and was not designed for the higher water levels that would come from damning the Des Moines River downstream. The new bridge was a modern DPG bridge with concrete piers designed to accommodate the higher water levels envisaged from creation of the new lake. The bridge was completed ca. 1973, at which point the older bridge was demolished, except for the western concrete abutment that was left in place.
This is the new bridge in which UP used the deck girders that were bought by the US taxpayers.
It looks like the rail bridge was built with concrete girders.
Jason Clements, Nov 2023, cropped

The portals pay homage to the coal seams that were mined in this area.
Trail View, Aug 2023

Robert Wagner, Jun 2015, cropped

IowaRoadTrip
"BBC ranked the High Trestle Trail Bridge as one of the eight best footbridges in the world."

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

1888+1923,1998 Belle Island Bridges over Detroit River in Detroit, MI

1888: (Archived Bridge Hunter)

Street View, Sep 2022

Michigan Memories posted   HistoricBridges also has this photo.
Belle Isle Bridge in Detroit in 1911
Charles Long: AI generated photograph
De Ettra Perry: Charles Long YOU ARE WRONG. I have seen the same sort of pictures 40-plus years ago
Adrienne McKinney Jones: Charles Long no it isn’t. The original bridge burned down in 1915 and was replaced by the MacArthur bridge in 1923 that stands today.
Andy Brogowicz: It's definitely a real photograph. Ferry dock for rides around Belle Isle at the left. Vacant Electric Park auditorium extending over the river on the far right.
Charles Long: Andy Brogowicz Probably chatgpt don't believe everything you see on Facebook is real these days 🤡
Andy Brogowicz: I believe what I know to be true about the Belle Isle bridge approach in the early 1900s, as well as the photo's documentation: "The Detroit River circa 1911. 'View of Belle Isle Bridge, taken from East Jefferson Avenue and looking toward Belle Isle.' 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company." What I don't believe is uninformed nonsense posted by folks like you.
William Day: They used to have swimming contests off that bridge. Pay so many $ s and first one to shore was the winner takes all. Big difference nowadays.

HistoricBridges

"Destroyed by fire April 27, 1915" [BridgeHunter_1888]

Matt, May 2024

C Hanchey Flickr
Douglas MacArthur Bridge - Belle Isle Bridge (Detroit, Michigan)
Historic Douglas MacArthur Bridge over the Detroit River between Detroit and Belle Isle. The open spandrel arch bridge was built between 1917 and 1923 and was originally called the Belle Isle Bridge. In 1942 the bridge was renamed the Douglas MacArthur Bridge.
The bridge is part of the National Register of Historic Places Belle Isle Historic District (NHRP listing 74000999). Belle Isle was added to the Michigan State Register of Historic Sites in 1979.

HistoricBridges
[Nathan has extensive commentary on both of these bridges and the temporary bridge that was used until 1923.]

HistoricBridges
"The structure is the longest arch bridge in the state of Michigan."
Actually, this is not an arch bridge. Because of poor soil conditions, it is a very early example of an arch-shaped cantilever bridge. See HistoricBridges for details. This design avoids lateral forces on piers and abutments.

1884,1896+1945 MRL/Northern Pacific Bozeman Tunnel near Muir, MT

East Portal: (Satellite)
West Portal: (Satellite)

Steven J. Brown posted
Boeing 737 fuselage westbound on the Montana Rail Link entering the Bozeman Tunnel on Bozeman Pass at Muir, Montana - October 14, 2002.

1951/52 Bozeman Pass Quad @ 62,500

BozemanMagazine
The first train went through the 3,610' (1,100m, 0.7mile) long tunnel on Jan 20, 1884. The tunnel was originally lined with wood, but it burned in 1895. While trains used a temporary track over the mountain, "the walls were formed from rough concrete and the ceiling arch with thick brick." On Jul 28, 1945, NP switched the tracks to a new tunnel that was 18' (5.5m) wide and 24' (7.3m) tall.

Gallatin History Museum posted
Construction of the new Northern Pacific Railroad Muir Tunnel on Bozeman Pass, 1944.

Monday, October 28, 2024

1929 Rushford (Caneadea) Dam near Genesee River in NY

(Satellite)

Rushford Lake Dam posted
 
"The dam is 600 feet [183m] long and built into the solid rock of the banks. At the base the structure is forty-five feet [14m] wide; this width diminishes gradually going up towards the top." [AlleganyHistory_sinks]
 
AlleganyHistory_rescued
The dam is 125' (38m) high.

Rushford Lake Dam posted
With the dam nearly complete in the early spring of 1929, the penstocks are closed and Rushford Lake is born.

John Kucko Digital posted
A Rising River—Drawdown Underway: Visitors to Letchworth State Park in Western New York these next few days will see an energized Genesee River flowing through the gorge. That’s because the annual drawdown of Rushford Lake in Allegany County began Monday and continues this week. The lake will be lowered about 40 feet as the water is sent to the Genesee River and ultimately Lake Ontario in Rochester. Top image I captured Sunday of Rushford Lake the day before the drawdown commenced. Bottom image I captured this morning above the Middle Falls at Letchworth as the Genesee River gauge in Portageville has increased about a foot since Monday. This is a gradual process, leaf peepers will notice impressive river flow at Letchworth through this weekend. Rushford Lake was created in 1929 as a means to regulate water flow along the Genesee River. Back in the day, water from this lake was re-directed to Rochester and was used for hydroelectric power, lighting the city and neighboring towns. 


1892 CSX/Western Maryland Bridge over Potomac River near Cherry Run, WV

(no Archived Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

I could not find a photo of the current bridge.

Metrotrails added
Historic image of the original 1892 Western Maryland Railway bridge over the Potomac River, built to connect with the Baltimore and Ohio before the Western Subdivision to Cumberland was completed in
1906.

The bridge is at the bottom of of this map excerpt.
1951/53 Cherry Run Quad @ 24,000

The bridge is near the upper-left corner of this excerpt. I presume orange is CSX.
OpenRailwayMap

Sunday, October 27, 2024

1880,1990s,2014 Houck Covered Bridge over Big Walnut Creek in Putnam County, IN

(Satellite, 151 photos)

PutnamParks
This 201' (61m) long bridge was bypassed in 2014 to allow pedestrian traffic on the bridge.

D, May 2022

Amy Dawn Whitlock, Aug 2019

Paul's Scanner posted
Putnam County Highway working hard to preserve a beautiful Covered Bridge. Houck CB in Putnam County.

JohnLobban, 1 of many photos in an album concerning the restoration
The siding from a recent preservation effort was falling off already.

1963+2020s US-212 Bridges Over Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park, WY

(Satellite)\

The new 1,285' (392m) long bridge is 175' (53m) high and is expected to cost $118m. The 1963 bridge was 604' (184m). It is on the only road in the park that is plowed for winter use. [MyBigHornBasin]

Yellowstone National Park posted three photos with the comment:
What’s up with all the construction in Yellowstone?
With over 4.5 million visits to the park each year, our park roads and facilities receive a lot of wear and tear. Additionally, our window to do most of the maintenance and improvements happens during a short summer season.
Currently, one of the largest infrastructure improvement projects happening in the park is the replacement of the Yellowstone River Bridge. Located on the Northeast Entrance Road near Tower Junction, the original bridge from 1963 will be replaced with a brand-new bridge on a new alignment. The new bridge will be 1,175 feet long and 162 feet high, stretching over the Yellowstone River below. We are also expanding the Yellowstone River Picnic Area and overlook parking areas. This huge project, funded by the #GreatAmericanOutdoorsAct, is slated to be finished sometime in 2026!
Our goal is to keep Yellowstone in good shape for you and future generations. Learn more about the variety of infrastructure improvement projects occurring throughout the park at: go.nps.gov/YELLinfrastructure
Kevin Buck: What's next, an interstate highway through YNP with exits at all the major attractions? Where should we build a Wal-Mart with a massive parking lot?
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2

3

Douglas Rogers commented on the above post
Earlier this summer. Very impressive !

Michell Tuck commented on the above post
Pretty impressive! Took this a few weeks ago [Sep 2024] during our visit.
Robert Wolff: Michell Tuck Seriously, a bridge pillar on the outside turn of the river. Hope the footing of that pillar are deep, deep, deep. It would have been wiser to put the new bridge right next to the old bridge.

According to the comments on the post, they plan is to remove the old bridge and highway. So what will the bison use to get across the river?
Caren Walker commented on the above post, cropped
Yesterday’s (10/7[2024]) action on the old bridge.

Caren's comment was a video and this is another screenshot, cropped

I wonder how much extra it cost to build a bluff-to-bluff bridge rather than continue to go down and hill and back up on the other side.
1986/86 Tower Junction Quad @ 24,000

The current bridge.
nps, NPS/Doug Madsen

usgs