Destroyed Monon Page Bridge over Grand Calumet River

(Bridge Hunter, Historic Bridges, Satellite (the illegal scrapping has been cleaned up and only the abutments remain))

Patrick McBriarty's Forgotten Chicago posting  includes more information on this bridge after it discusses the Alton bridge that uses the same rare Page Bascule design.

Morton Tucker posted
The Monon drawbridge over the Grand Calumet River in Hammond, Indiana from WAY back. I found this one as part of an American Bridge advertisement in a trade magazine from 1910 while doing some more NW Indiana milk train book research. I should note that this was when the river was still used for navigation, which only had a few years to go, hence the bridge still being operated at this time.
Tim Shanahan shared
Edward Kwiatkowsk shared

Jason Nanista: I’ve seen folks wonder if the lift machinery and operators building was ever built on this bridge as it went 99% of its existence without it. This very much answers that question.

Tim Shanahan shared

Larry Candilas commented on Morton's post
Just before it was stolen

Morton Tucker commented on his post
Another view from Tim Serbin at Hammond Indiana Memories FB page of the same pic I posted over there today.

 

Dennis DeBruler commented on Jason's comment on Edward's share
Indeed, I've read that the lift machinery was never built because navigation was abandoned before they got to that part. In the comments, Morton provides more proof that it was built.

Locomotive Jordan posted
April 1981, we find a Family Lines frieght train crossing the Calumet River in Hammond, IN. Photo was taken by the late Mark Stanek, it is out of my collection.— with Jason Jordan in Hammond, IN.
Tim Shnahan shared

Photo from www.monon.org

The existing bridge to the east is the NS/N&W/NKP + Erie + C&O bridge. (I had assumed that the Erie and C&O shared this bridge since all three go to the C&WI at the State Line Junction. But I learned that the Erie+C&O used the NKP bridge.

Birds-Eye View

Birds-Eye View

Pete Fileca posted
Monon in Hammond
Dennis DeBruler It is hard to believe that someone thought that river would become navigable. This was one of two Page designed movable bridges in the USA, and four in the world. Since someone then decided the river would not become navigable, Monon did not have to build the tower and machinery for the bridge. Thus we can clearly see the heavy curved member that contained the rack on the inside edge. The idiot that scrapped the bridge destroyed an example of one of the rarest bridge designs in the world.
https://www.google.com/.../@41.6256703,-87.../data=!3m1!1e3
Dennis DeBruler Now the CN/GM&O bridge over the South Fork (Bubbly Creek) is the only one left in the USA.
https://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2015/04/gm-page-bascule-bridge-over-bubbly-creek.html
[The comments on this post taught me about Michigan Central's Sohl Avenue Bridge.]

Pete Fileca posted
[Given the thick, curved member on the end, this looks like the Page span of the Monon bridge.]

Pete commented on his post

Mike Breski commented on Pete's post

Pete Fileca posted
Mike Breski Good angle looks like the river got filled in around where the base for the swing is. Had this mxied up with the NS swing bridge but still thinking the silt accumulated around the abutments.
Bob Lalich The river filled itself in. The construction of Gary Works in the early 1900s altered the flow of the river. Pollution was dumped into the river by most of the factories on the river and Indiana Harbor Canal.
Jerry Stack Hard to believe that the river was once navigable!

Someone started illegally scrapping this bridge, thus removing one of the four Page Bascule designs ever built. Chicago has the only operating Page Bascule in the world. Both Bridge Hunter and Historic Bridges have a lot to say about this destruction. The link in the caption below provides a news report.

The Blackhawk Railway Historical Society posted
Hammond bridge dismantler identified, investigation continues
Bill Grenchik The metal is contaminated ? What a joke.
David Daruszka No, during the demolition they dropped ties into the river with the possibility of creosote contaminating the water, The sediment in this portion of the river is also polluted. Dropping the bridge into the river and then pulling it out disturbed the sediment which then traveled downstream.
Richard Fiedler Lead paint and creosote. Once they enter the water it can enter aquatic life. Also can harm whomever is torching the Bridge. Nowadays when repainting a Bridge all scrapings and sandblasting sediment is vacuumed up and treated as hazardous waste due to lead.
Michael Young Bill this area has been a Superfund site since the 80's. The USACE has been trying to clean it up since then. Very nasty stuff to deal with. Lots of heavy metals & chemicals from local industrial sites.
[So dropping ties and steel into the river stirred up some nasty sediment. That is probably worse than creosote and lead. The Chicago Tribune was not allowed to dredge the Chicago River by their new printing plant because it would stir up the pollutants in the river bottom. They had planned on dredging the river so that they could continuine to recieve newsprint by Great Lake boats.]

Michael Dye posted

A photo, looking North, taken from a floodlight tower in the Erie's Hammond yard, in JUN 1957. The single Monon track to the left with the Erie's main and yard leads to the right. I believe that is Douglas Street in the foreground. [Actually, it is Clinton Street back when it still went across the tracks.]

Nice view of the layout of the Monon and Erie/NKP Calumet bridges, in the far background.

Photo taken by my late Grandfather, C.L. Coates, Signal Gang foreman, Erie Signal Gang 33.

Joe Usselman posted
The bottle train passing Hohman tower in 2011. The tower would be torn down a couple months later.
Craig Cloud The vacant area north of tracks former EL, Monon. Just out of photo is NS ex NW nee NKP.Joe Usselman Yep, and that's the bridge in the background some guy from whiting tried to steal.Dennis DeBruler Jack Morgan In the right background peaking out behind some trees. Monon's over the Grand Calumet River: http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/.../destroyed-monon...
Joe Usselman http://www.chicagotribune.com/.../ct-ptb-hammond-railroad...

Michael Dye posted
NKP 763, at 'ED' drawbridge. Hammond, FEB57.
[Monon's bridge is on the left.]

Michael Dye posted
RR East view of 'ED' drawbridge, Grand Calumet River. Hammond, FEB57.
David Decker Read an article, about the guy that stole the old Monon bridge. I believe that he is serving time, for theft, presently.
[Monon's bridge is in the background.]

Provided from NWI (source)
The remnants of Hammond's Monon Bridge lie on the approach to the Grand Calumet River in this image taken in May 2015 by Hammond Department of Environmental Management officials.
[Kenneth Morrison got enough steel before being caught to receive $18,000 from an Illinois scrapyard.]

rypn

Never Mind Stealing Rail--Now They're Stealing BRIDGES!

As a general rule, scrappers have to be paid to take down a steel bridge over water due to costs being more than the value of the steel as salvage. The economics for a bootlegger, who isn't burdened by the cost of removing the timber portions (the article said creosoted timbers were left floating), nor worried about lead poisoning his employees by using cutting torches on lead based paint on steel may make it marginally profitable. I wonder if this bridge was only partially dismantled when the cutter discovered his costs exceeded his revenue. Alex Huff

As a general rule, scrappers have to be paid to take down a steel bridge over water due to costs being more than the value of the steel as salvage. The economics for a bootlegger, who isn't burdened by the cost of removing the timber portions (the article said creosoted timbers were left floating), nor worried about lead poisoning his employees by using cutting torches on lead based paint on steel may make it marginally profitable. I wonder if this bridge was only partially dismantled when the cutter discovered his costs exceeded his revenue.
Alex Huff

safe_image for Historic Indiana Bridge “Stolen” One Pound at a Time
[If you scroll down, there is a Maya 17, 2021 update.
"Morrison was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment, 2 years supervised release, and order to pay over $54,000 in restitution to the City of Hammond."]

OrangeBeanIndiana

OrangeBeanIndiana

Bill Molony posted another article: Court records: Whiting man accused of dismantling Monon Bridge faces federal charges
Josh Freeman Yeah thanks to this moron Hammond, Whiting and East Chicago outlawed collecting junk. Hammond Police have gone as far as arresting people digging through garbage cans for aluminum cans, and it's all because this guy had to ruin it for everybody. Well One Bad Apple spoils the bunch they say.


INDIANA MAN ACCUSED OF STEALING, SELLING RAILROAD BRIDGE


Document: Whiting man illegally dismantled Hammond bridge, faces federal charges  He was destroying this rare bridge design for over a year before someone noticed and put a stop order on it. By that time he would have also stirred up the polluted sediment in the river bottom as he let timbers and steel fall into the river.

I'm not going to read this because the topic is too depressing. I include it for completeness. Hammond railroad bridge theft trial hinges on question of ownership  (source)

UPDATE: Scrap metal dealer found guilty of stealing historic railroad bridge  (source)

Scrap metal dealer who stole bridge continues push to overturn his conviction It strikes me that if the dealer has enough money to pay the lawyer and court fees, then he didn't need the money from the bridge's scrap metal.

1882 Aban/Erie Bridges over Kinzua Creek near Mt. Jewett, PA

(Bridge Hunter, Old Bridge Hunter, no Historic Bridges, Satellite, State Park Web Site, DNCR Flickr Album)

I've seen so many photos of this bridge, I can't believe I have yet to write about it. But I could not find a blog posting for it. So here is one.

Photo from HAER PA,42-MOJEW.V,1--13 from pa0576

𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘀𝘆𝗹𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮 posted
Kinzua Bridge • Bradford, PA • circa early 1900s!

Jason Barto posted
Built from steel manufactured in Phoenixville, PA.

This must have been the original iron bridge.

Bridges Now and Then posted
From the Science Photo Library-"Caption Kinzua Bridge. 1883 engraving of the Kinzua Bridge, or Kinzua Viaduct, Pennsylvania, USA. The Kinzua Bridge was a railroad trestle that spanned Kinzua Creek. Prior to its collapse in 2003 at the hands of a tornado, the bridge was 92 metres tall and 625 metres long. It was originally built from iron in 1882 and held the record as the tallest railroad bridge in the World for two years. In 1900 it was dismantled and simultaneously rebuilt out of steel so that it could accommodate heavier trains."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinzua_Bridge

Tom Huntoon commented on a Facebook Reel via Dennis DeBruler
This was the Kushequa Railroad. It went down the valley and under the Kinzua Bridge.

Tourism Insights posted
Once billed as the #eighthwonder of the World, a historic Pennsylvania rail bridge has been converted into a #pedestrianwalkway and viewing platform for the state park below.
The #kinzuabridge , named after the valley it crosses, was commissioned in 1882 by the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railway to transport coal. It was built by Phoenix Iron Works, with 1,408 tons of wrought iron and a crew of 40 men. The project took only 94 days to complete and was the largest bridge ever attempted at the time.
 Holly Dzemyan, environmental educator at Kinzua Bridge State Park in McKean County, said the bridge has been a beloved attraction since its start. “When it was finished in 1882, it was the tallest and longest railroad bridge in the entire world,” Dzemyan said. “People called it an engineering marvel. Some people called this the Eighth Wonder of the World.”
Read more at https://www.centredaily.com/.../tra.../article277429713.html

 

Ron Reed posted
Knox Kane & Kinzua Bridge.
Tim Shanahan shared

UncoveringPA (For my reference: 11 PA State Parks for History Lovers (oil, old iron furnace, bridges))

Robert McCloud posted (source)
A birds eye view of Kinzua bridge today.
Frederick Rice Holley Is this the one with the glass deck?
Robert McCloud yes

Bill Rogerson posted
The Kinzua Bridge or the Kinzua Viaduct was a railroad trestle that spanned Kinzua Creek in McKean County in the state of Pennsylvania. The bridge was 301 feet (92 m) tall and 2,052 feet (625 m) long. Most of its structure collapsed during a tornado in 2003.
Adam John You can still walk on the remaining part.

Tim Beamer posted
The Kinzua bridge when it was all still there, with an excursion train crossing. Probably back in the 80’s, scanned from my grandparents photos.

The bridge was completed in 1882 by the New York, Lake Erie & Western Coal & Railroad Company to connect the rich coal mines of Elk County with the Pennsy in Bradford. When completed, it was the longest and tallest bridge in the world until it lost its title in 1885. It saved building, and operating, 8 miles of difficult terrain. "The bridge itself only took 94 days to complete, an engineering feat in itself, and was over 300 feet high and 2,500 feet long." But it was built with iron, so it was rebuilt in 1900 with steel to accommodate the growth of locomotives and freight car weights. In 1959 it was sold to a demolition contractor, but the president thought it was worthy of preservation and sold it to the state of Pennsylvania. It was closed in 2002 because serious structural flaws were discovered. While making repairs, on July 21, 2003, an F1 tornado destroyed 11 of the bridge's 20 towers. What remains is still an impressive 600' bridge that stands 225' feet above the valley. In 2011 the state opened it as a skywalk. They decided to leave the destroyed towers as a testament to the power of nature. There is a trail that takes you down into the valley with three levels of observation areas. [UncoveringPA] I read that the towers failed because the bridge was being repaired. If it had been intact, it probably would have survived a F1.

Published prior to 1923 in the United States, full resolution

Published prior to 1923 in the United States, full resolution

safe_image for The Kinzua Bridge

Jean Inconneau posted photos with the comment:

The Kinzua Bridge or the Kinzua Viaduct was a railroad trestle that spanned Kinzua Creek in McKean County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The bridge was 301 feet (92 m) tall and 2,052 feet (625 m) long. Most of its structure collapsed during a tornado in 2003.
The bridge was originally built from wrought iron in 1882 and was billed as the "Eighth Wonder of the World", holding the record as the tallest railroad bridge in the world for two years. In 1900, the bridge was dismantled and simultaneously rebuilt out of steel to allow it to accommodate heavier trains. It stayed in commercial service until 1959 and was sold to the Government of Pennsylvania in 1963, becoming the centerpiece of a state park. Restoration of the bridge began in 2002, but before it was finished, a tornado struck the bridge in 2003, causing a large portion of the bridge to collapse. Corroded anchor bolts holding the bridge to its foundations failed, contributing to the collapse.
Before its collapse, the Kinzua Bridge was ranked as the fourth-tallest railway bridge in the United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1982.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinzua_Bridge

The first photo was of a plaque that had the text: "Originally begun in 1881 for the New York, Lake Erie & Western Railroad to ship coal, lumber, and oil, it was once the world's highest and longest rail viaduct. Rebuilt in 1900 to carry heavier loads, it was in service until 1959. Kinzua Bridge State Park was created here in 1963. In 2003 an F-1 tornado partially destroyed the viduct. Remaining towers were restored and the skywalk constructed in 2011. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission 2011"

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Francis Otterbein posted

Kinzua Viaduct, McKean County, Mt Jewett, PA

The New York, Lake Erie, and Western Railroad (NYLE&W) built the original bridge to a span of 2,053 feet long, 301.ft. high, and a spread of 103 feet. The work on the stone piers began in September 8, 1881 Erection of the ironwork began on April 10, 1882 and in 94 working days the 40 man crew had completed the highest and longest railroad bridge ever built.

In May of 1900, the Erie Railroad Company decided it was necessary to rebuild out of steel the entire structure to accommodate more weight of the heavier freight trains. Train traffic resumed crossing the Kinzua Valley over the new viaduct on September 25, 1900.

BradfordEra (source)
The photo of the bridge with the train on it was reportedly taken during Grant's trip to Kinzua. It comes from "McKean: The Governor's County" by Rufus Barrett Stone (1926)
Photo provided by McKean County Historical Society

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Francis Otterbein posted

Kinzua Viaduct, McKean County, Mt Jewett, PA

The New York, Lake Erie, and Western Railroad (NYLE&W) had contracted The Phoenixville Bridge Works Company to build the original bridge to a span of 2,053 feet long, 301.ft. high, and a spread of 103 feet. The work on the stone piers began in September 8, 1881 when the cornerstone was placed and took six months to complete. Erection of the ironwork began on April 10, 1882 and in 94 working days the 40 man crew had completed the highest and longest railroad bridge ever built, the Kinzua Bridge. The bridge is located in McKean County, Mt. Jewett, PA.

In May of 1900, after only eighteen years of use, The Erie Railroad Company decided it was necessary to rebuild the entire structure to accommodate more weight of the heavier freight trains. The construction of the new viaduct was directed by C.W. Bucholz the chief engineer of the Erie and was carried out by the Elmira Bridge Company. On May 14, 1900, traffic was stopped from crossing the bridge and the reconstruction began May 24, 1900. Train traffic resumed crossing the Kinzua Valley over the new viaduct on September 25, 1900.

The first diesel train crossed the viaduct in April of 1949. Three of the last five trains that crossed the bridge, to include the very last train in Oct. of 1959, were B&O trains. The Erie Railroad sold the bridge to a salvage company on June 21, 1959 and commercial service ended. The bridge was reopened for one day, October 20, 1959, when a wreck on the nearby Baltimore and Ohio Railroad forced B&O trains to be rerouted across the bridge. No train traffic crossed the bridge from Oct. 1959 till July 1987. The Kinzua Bridge was made a state park on August 12, 1963 when the bridge was sold by the salvage company to the state of Pennsylvania. The park officially opened in 1970 and the first passenger train to cross the Viaduct since 1959 was Engine #38 a 1923 2-8-0 Baldwin steam locomotive, on August of 1987 from the Kane & Knox Railroad.

In 1986 The Knox, Kane, Kinzua Railroad was formed and they offered excursion rides from Marienville to and across the Kinzua State Park Bridge until July 21, 2003 when a F1 tornado destroyed Eleven of the twenty towers that supported the bridge. The Kinzua Viaduct is believed to have been the fourth highest viaduct on the North American continent.

Following the stabilization of the existing six viaduct towers, the viaduct was re-opened as a pedestrian walkway with an overlook at the end featuring stunning views of the Kinzua Gorge in 2011.

(Photo and information by Jim on Flickr)

P.S. In February 2002, engineers decided the structure needed a full-scale inspection and in June, excursion trains were barred from the bridge. As the inspection continued, engineers found that sections of steel were rusted through. In August, the bridge was closed to all traffic, including pedestrians.

Engineers determined that high winds could create lateral pressure on the bridge, shifting the center of gravity, increasing the weight on one side. Such an event could send the whole bridge crashing to the bottom of Kinzua Creek Valley. Beginning in February, 2003, repair work began to restore the Viaduct.

On Monday, July 21, 2003, at approximately 3:15 p.m., an F1 tornado with wind speeds up to 112 mph struck the side of the bridge. Eleven towers from the center of the bridge were torn from their concrete bases and thrown to the valley floor.

William Radell posted
I took this picture sometime in the 1990s at Kinzua Bridge State Park in Pennsylvania. I had the privilege of riding on the Knox, Kane, and Kinzua railroad over the structure. I haven't been back since the collapse.

 

Eric Wilson posted
Once the longest and highest railroad bridge in the world. The Kinzua Bridge in Pennsylvania. Built in 1882.
I got the chance to visit it, just before a tornado ripped part of it apart.

 

David Denenberg commented on Eric's post
One small correction. The structure pictured was built in 1900. The 1882 structure was not nearly as substantial.
Jamie Blair: I grew up in PA and live in Colorado now. Sort of surprising that the highest tresstle was in Pennsylvania.

Joe Portelli commented on William's post
Taken days after the collapse. I served on the PA Board of Inquiry investigating the incident.

Bob Sweigart posted two photos with the comment: "Kinzua Bridge in upstate Pa tornado took it down."

Bill Stephens That EF0 tornado hit in 2003

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Quentin Mong commented on Bob's posting
And this is way back in time when it was rebulit with stronger towers. {of course, not my photo}

Bill Rogerson posted
Mark Yost Before the twister

Tim Clint posted nine photos with the comment: "The Kinzua Railroad Bridge which was destroyed by a tornado in 2003. The Knox Kane Railroad ran a tourist train over the trestle. It was abandoned for commercial traffic in 1959. Located in Mt. Jewett, PA and when built was the highest and longest railroad bridge in the world."

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Album of the Designs of the Phoenix Bridge Company, 1885. Library of Congress

The Kinzua Bridge is seen here in its original form before the reconstruction.

Francis Otterbein posted

History of the Kinzua Bridge

https://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/…/fall-eighth-wonder-kinzu…

Gregory D. Pawelski posted three photos with the comment: "Kinzua Railroad Bridge near Mount Jewett, Pa. - Then, Then and Now."

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hagley, May 11 1937

Garry Arbogast posted four photos with the comment: "Four different photos of the original 1882 wrought-iron bridge.."

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Paul Jansson posted
Erie RR trestle at Kinzua, PA in 1961. Photo by Roger Jansson
David Schaper: Didn't they shut that down because the fire weakened the metal?
Brian Luna: David Schaper no. It was bypassed. It had a 5mph limit

 

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources posted

DCNR will be undertaking a rehabilitation of the Kinzua Bridge State Park Skywalk in The PA Wilds to ensure it can be enjoyed by visitors now and in the future.

During a structural safety inspection in 2023, it was determined that the Kinzua Bridge Skywalk remains safe but needs some maintenance to ensure its the longevity.

Details remain to be finalized; however, the skywalk is anticipated to close November 2024 through 2027 with periods open for fall foliage viewing during that time frame.

Learn more ➡ https://t.co/thmMLNUSMX.

Facebook Reel
When built, it was the highest and longest viaduct in the world. When it collapsed, it was the fourth tallest railroad bridge in the USA. 

This bridge is popular with Discovery Channel producers of engineering booboo shows. I think these three videos are different.

Discovery Channel 6:13 video

A 29:39 Video about the Fall of the Eighth Wonder of the World - Kinzua Viaduct

A 7:46 video

And a 4:43 video  This one seems to end abruptly.

C&EI Bridges over Grasshopper Creek near Buncombe, IL

Satellite

No Bridge Hunter

p. 83, Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad In Color by Edward M. DeRouin shows a steel trestle that uses trusses instead of the normal girders between the towers. The satellite image indicates it has been rebuilt using concrete piers. I can't tell if the spans used concrete or steel girders.

From the caption for the bridge photo:

Between Nielson and West Vienna the single track C&EI granted the CB&Q trackage rights on June 1, 1910. This action gave the CB&Q a route to Paducah, Kentucky and a link to Dixie. The two roads sharing a common right-of-way through the hilly forests of this part of Illinois make sense....1970.

We have already seen a major trestle bridge  near Shelbyville, IL to help mediate the valleys of Southern Illinois.