1857-1963 B&O #18, #19 (Silver Run) and #20 Tunnels west of Cairo, WV

#18: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Satellite?) daylighted

#19: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Satellite)

#20: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Satellite) daylighted

This B&O route is now the North Bend Rail Trail.

#18 Tunnel

This must have been a short tunnel because the topo map doesn't show it, Bridge Hunter has the wrong location, and I could not find a cut (daylighted tunnel) on the satellite map between Tunnel #19 and Tunnel #17.

#19 Tunnel

Mike Tewkesbury posted two photos with the comment:

The Silver Run Tunnel (#19), west of Cairo WV, built 1853-55 for the B&O Railroad. For many years crews and operators alike reported seeing the specter of a dark haired woman wearing a white dress roaming along the railroad tracks at Silver Run. Legend has it that she frequented the right of way on the blackest of nights searching for her lost lover from long ago. In its day, there was no location as remote as the outpost of Silver Run. It was said that the operators, who manned the station during the dead of night, felt as though they were the last people on earth.

Now part of the North Bend Rail Trail

[This was posted on Halloween, Oct 31, 2025.] 

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Because of the severity of the error in the topo map below, it is nice to have this confirmation of the tunnel number.

Greg Snprone, Oct 2024

Tom Neville, Jul 2025

This lighting clearly shows the brick lining.

Sara R, May 2023

#20 Tunnel

One side of the cut is still bare so this daylighted tunnel was easy to spot.

Satellite

And this corresponds with the tunnel marked on the left side of this map excerpt. The route around Silver Run Station is wrong, and thus Tunnel #19 is not shown. The tunnel on the right hand of the excerpt in Tunnel #17. I included it to show that there is no Tunnel 18 marked between #17 and #19.

1907/07 Harrisville Quad @ 62,500

1855+56+69+72+1910-72 Polk Street SUC Bridge on South Branch

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

SUC = Strauss Underneath Counterweight

Image via BridgeHunter
"Built 1910 to replace 1872 swing bridge; removed 1972"

The Polk Street Bridge is in the raised position in this photo. Obscured by the smoke on the left was the Pennsy Freight House, the tall building north of Polk Street was the Marshal Field River Warehouse and the buildings on the right are more freight houses.

History's Mirror posted
[I'm not copying the description because it is an example of AI gone wrong. Basically, if a statement is not a platitude, it is wrong. The dredge is in the old channel, not the new one. And "Polk and Taylor Streets" implies an intersection, but they are parallel streets. The photo below shows that the photo was taken from Taylor, and we are looking at Polk Street Bridge.
But it is a great photo of the freight houses and of Polk Street Bridge.]
Franklin Campbell shared
Dennis DeBruler: The dredge is digging in the old channel, not creating the new one. But this is a terrific photo of Polk Street Bridge.

This photo confirms that the train shed that we see in the above photo was for the Grand Central Terminal. And because it includes the Pennsy freight house, I could confirm the streets as Taylor looking at Polk.

B&O C&O Grand Central, Chicago Terminal 1890-1971. posted via Dennis DeBruler

[Taylor Street is at the bottom and Polk Street is the next one upstream.]

We are look West because that is the Marshal Field River Warehouse on the right.

DN-0056536, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago History Museum via BridgeHunter

ForgottenChicago
The first swing bridge was built in 1869. That one was destroyed by the 1871 fire so a second swing bridge was built in 1872. The trunnion bridge was built in 1910, and it was designed by Joseph Strauss. The Marshall Field River Warehouse was built in 1904.The postal service acquired the warehouse in 1974 and removed it 20 years later to make room for their new post office.

Chicagology

King Iron Bridge Co., 1874 Catalog via Chicagology
The 1872 bridge was a tubular wrought iron swing bridge.

1895 Dunn's Bridge over Kankakee River in Porter County, IN

(Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Street View, May 2024

The river was running high in May 2024. Here it is lower.

Street View, Oct 2022

PorterCountyParks

"The origin of Dunn's Bridge County Park has become the stuff of legend. Most historians agree that the bridge was built by a farmer named J.D. Dunn, whose property was bisected by the Kankakee River. But beyond that, the facts are a bit murky. Some say the bridge was built in the mid-1890s using steel beams salvaged from the 1893 Colombian Worlds Fair in Chicago. Others contend the bridge was built using pieces of the original Ferris Wheel, which premiered at the fair and was dismantled after the 1904 Worlds Fair. 

"Porter County Parks and Recreation purchased the 180-foot-long bridge and surrounding three acres in 1994, and undertook the award-winning restoration that helped land the bridge on the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge offers the only designated public access to the Kankakee River in Porter County, allowing fishermen and paddlers to launch their boat here and enjoy the beautify natural surroundings. Those who enjoy fishing can cast for walleye, bass, crappie, bluegill and Northern Pike, among others. In 2016, the Kankakee River was designated a national water trail."

HistoricBridges

Bridges Now and Then posted, also HistoricBridges and PorterHistory
“Construction of Dunn's Bridge over the Kankakee River, year unknown.” (Meyer's The Story of Kankakee Township, 1979)

Glenn Lemenager: Anyone have any idea where that might have been?

Dennis DeBruler: Glenn Lemenager Still exists: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jmeR1Umbi6yfoEzM7 in Dunn's Bridge County Park, https://www.portercountyparks.org/dunns-bridge.

This is another of the five historical images that HistoricBridges has.

PorterHistory
Postcard image of auto race crossing Dunn's Bridge postmarked in 1915.

"Source: Collection of Steven R. Shook.

"It is probable that the bridge trusses did indeed originate from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, but more likely from one of the domed or barrel-arched structures that were dismantled after the exposition. One persistent theory is that the arches were obtained from the dismantled Administration Building from the World's Columbian Exposition."

PorterHistory

 Administration Building, World's Columbian Exposition in

Chicago, 1893. The arches used to construct the dome

of this building may have been used to construct Dunn's Bridge.

Source: Official Views of the World's Columbian Exposition, 1893, Plate 23.

1917,2010 Bridge of Lions over Matanzas River in St. Augustine, FL

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)

According to a Google Maps label, the lion statues are made with marble.

Street View, Jul 2024

Because of sailboat masts, the closed clearance becomes important. It is 18' (5.5m) with an additional 4' (1.2m) in the center. [WaterwayGuide]

Street View, Jul 2024

2012 photo by Pedro Rezende via ArchivedBridgeHunter
"Built 1927; reopened March 16, 2010, following a lengthy rehabilitation"

They built a temporary bridge with a lift span for use during the rehabilitation.

2006 photo by James Baughn via BridgeHunter

HistoricBridges
"To someone who has visited many historic movable bridges, one of the most interesting items on the bridge is the retention of fully functional historical style swing gates. The predecessors to the modern automatic gates found on bascule bridges, swing gates are rarely found on surviving historic bascule bridges, and those that do survive rarely operate. In the case of this bridge, the swing gates are fully operational and close when the bridge is raised, and include a bell that rings. Modern gates are also present further back which also operate during a bridge left and meet modern safety codes.
"During rehabilitation, an enormous temporary Bailey truss vertical lift bridge was erected to carry traffic on this important roadway. In its own way, this interesting adaptation of the infinitely adaptable Bailey truss is an interesting engineering feat in itself."

They not only built a temporary lift span, they built a lot of temporary piers and approach spans.

2007 comment by Brian and Jennifer Ross in ArchivedBridgeHunter

This confirms that they built new approaches and they removed many of the piers of the old bridge. About the only thing they kept were the bridge towers.

Google Earth, Jan 2008

John Merriam posted
Sunrise fishing at St Augustine's Bridge of Lions.  The Vilano Causeway is in the distance as well.— in St. Augustine, Florida.

1857-1963 B&O #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16 and #17 Tunnels east of Cairo, WV

11: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter returns 403; Satellite)

12: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Satellite)

13: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Satellite)

14: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Satellite) daylighted

15: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Satellite) daylighted

16: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Satellite) bypassed according to Cornwallis photos below

17: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Satellite) bypassed according to Mike below

This B&O route is now the North Bend Rail Trail.

Note the blue numbers along the B&O railroad.

1926/26 Harrisville Quad @ 62,500

#11 Tunnel

#11 has been daylighted, and I can't get a street view of the cut, so there are no photos for this one.

#12 Tunnel

Jon Henderson, Jan 2023

The number on top of the portal keeps sources consistent.

Jon Henderson, Jan 2023

Jon Henderson, Jan 2023

#13 (Bonds Creek) Tunnel

 353' is 108m.

Billy Green, Sep 2022

That is an impressive curve.

Jon Henderson, Jan 2023

Mike Flickr via ArchivedBridgeHunter_#13

This wasnt always a tranquil and peaceful setting as this image appears to be today. On May 31, 1956, the B&O westbound National Limited passenger train wrecked as it emerged from Tunnel #13 and the engine tumbled into Bonds Creek on the north side of the bridge. The engineer, Joseph C. Riley, and the fireman, Paul R. Hooten, were killed in the weck. Forty-five other persons on the train were injured, including members of the train crew, other railroad employees and 29 passengers.

The Bonds Creek Bridge and Tunnel sits about three miles east of Cairo West Virginia and is now part of the North Bend Rail Trail.

#14 Tunnel

We can see the cut that daylighted the mountain.

Street View, Sep 2025, looking West

#15 Tunnel

This cut is not as significant as the above. Looking at the topo map, there are fewer contour lines on this peninsula than the one that #14 went through.

Street View, Sep 2025, looking West

The road on the right doesn't look much wider than the trail on the left.

Street View, Sep 2025

2013 photo by Robert Elder via ArchivedBridgeHunter_#15
Foundation from the south side

#16 (Cornwallis according to Google Maps) Tunnel

Note the 1857 date carved near the top of the portal.

Robbie Scott, Dec 2024

#17 Tunnel

Mike Tewkesbury posted two photos with the comment: "Abandoned tunnel #17 of the Parkersburg Branch of the B&O Railroad, built with a timber interior in the 1850s, rebuilt using stone in the late 1860s and abandoned in 1963. The tunnel sits east of Cairo, West Virginia and retains its original clearance of 14 feet 2 inches. It was bypassed during the rebuilding of the branch line in 1963 along with two others (#3 and #22), also abandoned when the track was rerouted around them. Ten other tunnels were modified with their ceilings raised or floors lowered to add three feet to their clearance. (#21 collapsed during the Clearance Project, abandoned due to the unstability of the terrain,  and a new tunnel was constructed to replace it.) Nine other tunnels along the original line were daylighted and eliminated altogether."

Brian Freeman: Interesting that it’s written as a branch line, I thought the Parkersburg Line was part of the main to St. Louis?

Mike Tewkesbury: The St. Louis Line was the main route and the Parkersburg Branch connected Parkersburg WVa at the Ohio River to the main line at Grafton.

[So where was the St. Louis line? See B&O #3 and #4 Tunnels for more information about this B&O route.]

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2013 photo by Robert Elder via ArchivedBridgeHunter_#17
East Portal
Notice that the floor was never lowered in this tunnel.

1854-1963 B&O #3 and #4 Tunnels near Smithburg, WV

#3: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter returns 403; Satellite)

#4: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter returns 403; Satellite, Bridge Hunter's pin)

The North Bend Rail Trail uses Tunnel #4, but it goes south of Tunnel #3. That is, #3 is abandoned. Bridge Hunter has "Long Run Tunnel" in its title for #4, but its name is Sherwood. I agree with the following post that #3 is Long Run Tunnel.

Tunnel #3

Mike Tewkesbury posted three images with the comment: "The abandoned Trough Tunnel, known as Long Run or Tunnel Number 3 of the B&O Railroad, in Doddridge County WV, built in 1854 and bypassed in 1963. Other tunnels were either bypassed, daylighted or modified to add three feet of clearance to the tight tunnel heights. Tunnel 3 retains its original 14 feet 2 inches. Of the 21 tunnels along the 72 mile long Parkersburg Branch, eight were daylighted, floors were lowered in five, ceilings were raised in four, three were bypassed and another complete bore was made to replace Tunnel 21 that collapsed during reconstruction. All of this is now part of the North Bend Rail Trail, aka, Rails to Trails. A nice touch to this adventure is that an artist, unknown to me at the time, asked if he could use my photo so he could recreate it in a drawing. He did just that and, as a way of thanking me, sent me a half a dozen greeting cards featuring that very drawing. He didn't have to do that and I am very grateful. A pic of the amazing card is included."

[After they did all of that work in 1963, when was this route abandoned?]

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3

Tunnel #4

Photo by sparkyoffspring via ArchivedBridgeHunter_#4

This tunnel is dark because it is curved and long. The marker is at the west portal. The east portal is above the top of the Buckeye Creek.

Satellite

Correction, the curve is small enough that daylight can get through.

Andrew Debner, Jul 2023

846' is 258m.

Dana Rukse, Oct 202

It appears it is lined with cut stone instead of bricks.

Dana Rukse, Oct 2020

Both

1961/63 Smithburg Quad @ 24,000

Tunnel #3 is the one that is close to Long Run Road.

Satellite

I've studied the B&O quite a bit in New York. I also need to study the B&O routes in West Virginia. These tunnels are between West Union and Salem. So it appears the mainline to St. Louis is abandoned.

<update>

This was not the mainline to St. Louis, it was the Parkersburg Branch.]

Comments on a post by Mike Tewkesbury concerning Tunnel #17:

Brian Freeman: Interesting that it’s written as a branch line, I thought the Parkersburg Line was part of the main to St. Louis?

Mike Tewkesbury: The St. Louis Line was the main route and the Parkersburg Branch connected Parkersburg WVa at the Ohio River to the main line at Grafton.

[So where was the St. Louis line?]

</update>

rumsey