Showing posts with label rrEast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rrEast. Show all posts

Thursday, August 20, 2026

1965 NS/(CNJ+Lehigh Valley) and 1924 Hill to Hill Bridges over Lehigh River in Bethlehem, PA

Railroad: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)
Hill to Hill: (no Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; HAER; Satellite)

2017 photo by Royce and Bobette Haley via BridgeHunter_railroad
Looking East - Hill to Hill Bridge in background

A view of the railroad bridge from the road bridge.
Street View, Oct 2014

The steel girder span on the left is part of the railroad bridge. This shows that the Hill-to-Hill Bridge is a closed spandrel concrete arch bridge over the river. There are trusses at each end because there used to be a lot of tracks in this town.
Street View, Jul 2024

HistoricBridges_railroad
"This classic railroad truss bridge sits in the shadow of the large Hill-To-Hill Bridge. The plate girder section was rebuilt in 1965 by Bethlehem Steel Company. It is not known if Bethlehem constructed the original through truss main spans as well, nor when those original spans date to."

"Significance: The Hill-to-Hill Bridge was the first bridge to join the boroughs of the City of Bethlehem with a high-level structure eliminating all railroad grade crossings. The structure, constructed almost entirely of reinforced concrete, owed its unusual shape to the eight access ramp structures that fed traffic to the Main Bridge avoiding numerous railroad tracks." [HAER_data]

This overview shows that much of the bridge is a viaduct over the flood plain to avoid city congestion. 
HAER PA,48-BETH,17--1
1. Overall view - Hill-to-Hill Bridge, Spans Lehigh River at State Route 378, Bethlehem, Northampton County, PA

This view shows part of the viaduct that goes all the way to the ancient riverbank.
Street View, Aug 2023

E. Miller, Jan 2024

Metrotrails posted
A view from the Hill-to-Hill Bridge in Bethlehem Pennsylvania, with the rail bridge across the Lehigh River that connected the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Bethlehem Branch with the Central Railroad of New Jersey on the north side.
Metrotrails shared

ArchivedBridgeHunter_railroad indicates that the predecessor to NS was Reading. So, was Lehigh Valley a predecessor to Reading? The topo maps label the railroad south of the river as Lehigh Valley until it is labeled Conrail.
1957/60 Allentown Quad @ 62,500

Metrotrails posted
A view at one of the accesses to the Hill-to-Hill Bridge in Bethlehem Pennsylvania.
The current Hill to Hill Bridge was completed in 1924 to replace the aged covered bridge that was constantly in need of repairs. The new bridge is a symbol of the combining of the municipalities of Bethlehem and South Bethlehem to become the City of Bethlehem. Originally, Hill to Hill Bridge had about 11 points of access. Many were cut off with the development of Rt 378.
Bridges shared


Friday, September 26, 2025

Road and Railroad Bridges over Kennebec River in Norridgewock, ME

1928 Road: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter)
2011 Road: (Archived Bridge Hunter; no Bridge Hunter; Satellite)

According to a 1956 topo map, the railroad route was owned by Maine Central. ArchivedBridgeHunter_c1921 indicates that it is now owned by Springfield Terminal Railway (ST).

Bridges Now and Then posted
Rebuilding the old railroad bridge, Norridgewock, Maine, c. 1900. (Maine Historical Society)

The three piers with vegetation growing on them would have been for the 1870s truss bridge. The concrete piers would have been added for the c1921 bridge because the steel-girder spans are shorter.
Street View, May 2023

1925 Postcard

1928 road bridge:
Postcard via BridgeHunter_1928

Photo by MDOT via BridgeHunter_1928
[There are a lot of other demolition photos on that webpage.]

What surprised me is that the deck can evidently hold itself up without the arch.
Photo by MDOT via BridgeHunter_1928

They built a temporary bridge for the replacement project.
Street View, Aug 2009

It looks like a concrete tied-arch bridge. Note the railroad bridge in the right background. 
Street View, Sep 2011

Monday, September 15, 2025

1889 Hopkinton Covered Railroad Bridge over Contoocook River in Contoocook, NH

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; HAER; Satellite)

"Built 1889, Washed off abutments and restored 1936 & 1938; Abandoned 1962; Restored 1990; Major rehab 2003; Fire suppression and fire proofing 2009; Removal of center shelving 2017; Erosion control fixes, minor siding repairs, new staining 2019." [BridgeHunter]

"SIGNIFICANCE: "The Contoocook Railroad Bridge is one of eight surviving covered bridge in the United States. It is an excellent example of the double-web Town lattice truss used by the Boston & Maine Railroad in the late nineteenth century." [HAER_data]
They must have forgotten the adjective "railroad" in front of "covered bridge" because I have noted way more than eight covered bridges in the USA.

Street View, Oct 2023

It was stained about a year after this photo was taken.
Street View, Aug 2018

2015 photo by Mike Garland via BridgeHunter

Boston & Maine acquired the original Concord & Claremont Railroad in 1887.
2019 photo by Steve Lux via BridgeHunter

HAER NH-38
INTERIOR, LOOKING WEST. - Contoocook Railroad Bridge, Spanning Contoocook River at former Boston & Maine Railroad (originally Concord & Claremont Railroad), Hopkinton, Merrimack County, NH Photos from Survey HAER NH-38

HAER NH-38
Contoocook Bridge, Title Page - Contoocook Railroad Bridge, Spanning Contoocook River at former Boston & Maine Railroad (originally Concord & Claremont Railroad), Hopkinton, Merrimack County, NH Drawings from Survey HAER NH-38
[There are seven more diagrams.]

There are a couple of layers of trusses on both sides.
iisabelle Humphres, Apr 2023

Facebook Reel

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

1898+1902,2009Trail/St. J. & L.C. Bridges over Missisquoi River in Swanton, VT

2009: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)
1902: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Satellite) The West Milton Bridge provided the trusses for the trail bridge.

While studying the depot in Swanton, I learned about these bridges.

1898 History: "Built 1898; Bypassed 1968; Destroyed by arson in 1987" [BridgeHunter_1898]
Truss History: "Built 1902; dismantled & moved 2003; Reconstructed as pedestrian bridge in 2009" [BridgeHunter_2009]

Photo via SwantonHistoricalSociety

A truss bridge was moved here to replace the covered bridge, and it became the trailhead for the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail.
Street View, Jun 2012

Rock Chevalier, May 2025

Tiffany Miller, Jun 2019

Dawn Frazier, Aug 2018

 The trusses appear to be pin connected.
Jackie, Aug 2024

It appears that they covered the trusses on the inside as well. That is unusual.
Scanned by Robert Stephenson via BridgeHutner_2009

The trusses before they were moved from West Milton Bridge.
NRHP nomination photo from 1985 via BridgeHunter_1902

The pier of the West Milton Bridge still exists.
Street View, Nov 2023



Sunday, May 18, 2025

1907 NS/L&H, NS/CNJ and 1901 LV Bridges over Delaware River at Phillipsburg, NJ

From north to south:
L&H: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)
LV: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; HAER; Satellite, the pin is correct, but the photos are of the L&H bridge.)
Delaware Canal Diversion Dam: (Satellite)

Lehigh & Hudson Bridge


Thomas Dorman posted
Lehigh & Hudson River bridge over the Delaware River, 10 May 2025
[The Delaware River has joined the May 2025 Flood. The canal diversion dam on the Lehigh River that we see under the left span is almost covered. Below is a normal river level.]

lN10 Fit, Aug 2023

Street View, Aug 2024

HistoricBridges_L&H

One does not notice that the truss line is bent in the elevation views.
Loretta Killian via ArchivedBridgeHunter_L&H

Archived Panoramio via ArchivedBridgeHunter_L&H, Adam Elmquist

Archived Panoramio via ArchivedBridgeHunter_L&H, Adam Elmquist
.

Central New Jersey Bridge


Thomas Dorman posted
Central Railroad of New Jersey bridge over the Delaware River, 10 May 2025

Photo by Owl's Flight Photography via BridgeHunter_CNJ
The NS/CNJ bridge is on the right. The Aban/LV bridge is on the left, and the The NS/L&H bridge is in the right background.
[This is the only photo I could find with a good view of the CNJ pier so that you can compare the river level with Thomas' photo above.]

2020 Photo by Geoff Hubbs via BridgeHunter_CNJ
Span over Delaware Canal looking northwest
.

Lehigh Valley Bridge


The CNJ and L&H bridges are in the background.
1983 Photo by Doug Lily via BridgeHunter_LV

"Significance: This structure occupies the piers of the first railroad bridge to cross the Delaware River at Easton. It is also notable for its fish-belly deck trusses, an unusual variant of the Pratt design." [HAER_data]

This makes it obvious that it is a pin-connected truss.
2020 Photo by Geoff Hubbs via BridgeHunter_LV
Span over Delaware Canal looking northwest

HAER PA,48-EATO,14--1
1. Overview, from west bank of Delaware River, looking northeast. - Lehigh Valley Railroad, Delaware River Bridge, Spanning Delaware River, south of Lehigh River, Easton, Northampton County, PA

All of the Bridges


Halli Gudzinas Photog posted
~ Caught the morning train today after the snowstorm. (taken from the Free Bridge)

Street View