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Unusual Bridge

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  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Unusual Bridge
Posted by BigDaddy on Monday, September 24, 2018 10:55 PM

The Baltimore chapter of the National Railway Historical Society posted this photo on Facebook.  It looks like a streetcar converted into a bridge or walkway.

A prototype for everything.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    March 2002
  • From: Milwaukee WI (Fox Point)
  • 11,439 posts
Posted by dknelson on Tuesday, September 25, 2018 10:11 AM

Interesting and unusual to say the least!  A bit of internet sluething comes up with some potential information about what we are seeing here.  The "Belt Line" was the name for Washington DC's Capitol, North O Street and South Washington Railway.  It became the Belt Railway formally in 1893.  This was the street railway in the horse car era that served amoung other places the national mall (the bottom of the car in the photo refers to the Washington Monument, Capitol, and National Museum (Smithsonian, I assume)).

According to the source I found, the owners attempted to convert from horse cars to compressed air motors at the direction of Congress, which failed and sent them into receivership.  Only in 1899 did it become electric, under new ownership.  Thanks, Congress!  So what we are seeing here is very likely either a horse car or compressed air car (whatever they look like) made surplus and likely cheap by the conversion to electricity.  It looks like it is out in the countryside and is bridging a small stream or culvert (?) to get from the building to the rails (it looks like rail) without getting wet.  A sort of combined bridge and waiting room.

I have seen old flatcars and old gondolas become bridges, including on college campuses and some ranches or farms.  And I have seen old boxcars and reefers used as farm buildings, and old buses and trolley cars used as sheds or out buildings.  But not as covered bridges!  The old Tyco and/or AHM two axle trolley cars could be the starting point for an odd bit of kitbashing - but copy the photo so you can  silence any doubters.

Dave Nelson 

 

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Tuesday, September 25, 2018 10:20 AM

You wouldn't believe this one either

http://www.shorpy.com/node/6760

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    January 2014
  • 1,500 posts
Posted by ROBERT PETRICK on Tuesday, September 25, 2018 10:25 AM

There was a restaurant chain back in the 70s that used three or four vintage dining cars assembled together like dominos as their dining parlors. The restaurant was called Victoria Station. I think they went out of business about ten years ago.

Robert

LINK to SNSR Blog


  • Member since
    March 2011
  • 1,950 posts
Posted by NVSRR on Wednesday, September 26, 2018 6:44 AM

Some place i have a photo of a boxcar from SP  with the ends cut off and doors removed used as a bridge over a wash.  Looked like a 60'  

 

Wolfie

A pessimist sees a dark tunnel

An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel

A realist sees a frieght train

An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space

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