Cool Railroad Bridges

[Chessie8638]

Goat Creek (Canyon) trestle on the old SD&AE (San Diego and Arizona Eastern) now "owned" by the Carrizo Gorge Railway:

Amazing curved wood trestle in the middle of the desert. Also happens to be the biggest wood trestle in the world.



On Google Maps: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=32%C2%B04 ... 2&t=h&z=18

Short Documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ryHquaDpl4

More wood trestles hugging a mountain side: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/e ... _gorge.jpg

[arizonachris]

Wow! That is one amazing trestle bridge! San Diego, eh? About a 2 hour drive for me.

[TDHenderson]

I always thougth the Harahan Bridge at Memphis was pretty cool.

http://www.stevecox.com/harahan/

Trevor

[Chessie8638]

Here's is a close up of the wood trestles hugging the ridge line I posted above:

[PapaXpress]

Here's is a close up of the wood trestles hugging the ridge line I posted above:

I though this was suppose to be about trains, not mountain goats.

[Chock]

This is the one that runs through my home town, which at the time it was built, in 1840, was the largest viaduct in the world. It remains one of the largest brick structures in the world at 1,792 feet long and 111 feet tall, with eleven million bricks in it apparently. There are four tracks across it, spanning the River Mersey and a large portion of the town:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockport_Viaduct

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Stockport_Viaduct.jpg

...and this is a model of the same bridge, which I'm currently in the process of making for Railworks:



Al

[johnmckenzie]

Ah, I've been over - and under - that one quite a few times in my life.

I agree with Kali, I still think that the Forth bridge is the most impressive I've ever seen. The nice people at Just Trains are currently building the route for it too!

[Chacal]

Quebec City’s Cantilever Bridge
http://www.ameriquefrancaise.org/en/art ... ridge.html

[ca2kjet]

First time posting, been lurking for a while... my "Cool Railroad Bridge" choice is based more on it's 'cool' history factor and it's local to me. The Canton Viaduct (Canton, MA). It's the oldest bridge of its type in the world and the only one still around like it... and it was once the tallest and longest railroad bridge ever built. And on top of that, it's STILL in heavy use and I remember the first time riding over it... in a train you feel really high and the tracks lean outward making the train feel as though you'll fall right off the bridge, it's crazy!

[arizonachris]

Chacal, that is an awesome bridge.

As for you, John, I'm not gonna ask what you were doing under the bridge.

[Chessie8638]

Interesting this hasn't been posted yet:

Nicholson (Tunkhannock) Viaduct (Steamtown Excursion on bridge): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... iaduct.JPG

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvgBEy_z7CA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz8SN-c_2QY

[micaelcorleone]

Do you remeber the trestle/bridge in "Unstoppable"? The one where it nearly came to the big explosion? - That was also a cool one.
I wonder if it exists in reality?

[arizonachris]

Do you remeber the trestle/bridge in "Unstoppable"? The one where it nearly came to the big explosion? - That was also a cool one.
I wonder if it exists in reality?

Yes, it does exist. Town is not called Stanton Pennsylvania tho. I'll have to look on Wikipedia. That was the only place that Tony Scott (producer) used CGI in that film, was on that elevated curve. Those fuel tanks were fake as well. I'll have a look around later. Time for work. (BTW, that has to be my fave movie, watched it at least 15 times now)

OK, just a quick shot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unstoppabl ... 10_film%29

[Chessie8638]

Bellaire, OH is the location of that bridge: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Bellaire, ... s&t=h&z=17


Here's the wiki on it. It's registered on the national list of historic places: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_%26_O_Railroad_Viaduct

[Rich_S]

Railroad bridges come in just about every shape and size, bridging the smallest streams to the largest canyons. Here is one of my personal home town favorites. This bridge now also exists in Model forum on Thomas Bontempo's P&LE route.

Here are a few shots of the prototype:

West side looking East


East side looking West


When this bridge was constructed between 1908 and 1910, the Army Corps of Engineers required any new bridges across the Ohio River at this point have a 700' unobstructed channel. The P&LE's Ohio River Crossing has a 769' unobstructed channel.


The P&LE's Ohio River Crossing was load tested before opening in 1910 with a total weight of 5,684,300 lbs. The bridge passed this load test with flying colors :)


My photos don't really do this massively impressive bridge justice. For me this bridge speaks volumes in regards to how the industrialist of the early 20th century felt about their future. This bridge was up to the task when the USA entered WWII. During this era the P&LE out hauled every other class one railroad in the United States (tonnage wise), earning the railroad the nickname "The Little Giant"

Regards,