The Anacostia Railroad Bridge was constructed by the Baltimore and Potomac (B&P) Railroad, a competitor of the B&O Railroad, in 1872. The original 1872 bridge was replaced in 1972. The current bridge is a rusted, industrial-looking, low-profile structure that only sits about five feet above the water. The bridge provides a means for freight rail traffic to bypass the commuter-heavy rail traffic at Union Station. After crossing the Long Bridge into the city from Virginia, passenger trains veer north into Union Station, while freight trains can veer directly east, staying well south of the Capitol, and cross the Anacostia on the railroad bridge. Once northeast of Bladensburg, the rail lines from both Union Station and the Anacostia Railroad Bridge merge again, and proceed northeast to Baltimore and points northeast.An unusual feature of the bridge is a central lift section, which can be opened to allow passage of boats. There is no pedestrian access to the bridge, but it can be viewed and photographed from the boat ramp in Anacostia Park, on the southern shore of the river.I have recently published a new book, Bridges of Washington, DC: A History and Guide. The Anacostia Rail Bridge is not particularly attractive or accessible, but it does help transportation enthusiasts to understand the bigger picture of how the early railroads helped to build the city of Washington, DC.[Bob Dover post]
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| Street View, Jun 2022 |
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| W Brown, Mar 2017 |
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| Tim Evanson via BridgeHunter |
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| Darren Reynolds posted Conrails ( Ex-PRR) "Anacostia" tower Washington DC This tower is at the Junction of the CSX Capital Sub. It's still there as a bridge tenders Office for the Local Lift bridge ( Mostly in the summer) Photo by: Brad Taylor 2002 Tim Shanahan shared |
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| Richard Maguire commented on Darren's post Here is a photo of the tower I shot from the train, during one of my many trips from Potomac Yard. This was during the Chessie System era and prior to CSX. I am not sure of the exact date. |
The fence messed up the autofocus, but there appears to be a second story roof on the right side of this view. That is the location I selected for the satellite link at the top. However, that location is on the north side of the tracks. However, the bridge and yard tracks in Richard's photo implies the tower was on the south side of the tracks. But the only thing I saw there was the Benning Yard Office, which clearly looks different.
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| Bike View, Jun 2023 |
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