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Amtrak over the Whirlpool Bridge

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  • Member since
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Amtrak over the Whirlpool Bridge
Posted by theduda271 on Saturday, July 19, 2008 10:19 AM

I was in Niagara Falls a few weeks ago and caught Amtrak crossing into the US from Canada. Photo:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=243203&nseq=0

I believe I read somewhere that CN would stop allowing Amtrak to use the bridgedue to low ridership and thus no maintenance could be performed.   Anyone know  more?

 

 

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Posted by gardendance on Sunday, July 20, 2008 1:45 PM

That's interesting. I was in Niagara Falls NY July 5 and saw a VIA train back onto the bridge, then pull forward. I'm assuming there was a switching issue that cased this.

If the bridge is good enough to handle a train halfway across and back I'm guessing it should also handle a train all the way across, but I'm just a layman. Maybe VIA would do something else once it, or whoever operates the bridge (CN CP Niagara Falls Bridge Commission?) evicts AMTRAK and stops doing whatever maintenance they're doing now.

Does anybody else use the bridge? Is there another one between Ft Erie and Buffalo? Other than that are there any other railroad bridges or tunnels over the border between Montreal and Detroit? That's a long way to go with only 2 bridges, soon to be 1 if what you read is true.

Patrick Boylan

Free yacht rides, 27' sailboat, zip code 19114 Delaware River, get great Delair bridge photos from the river. Send me a private message

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Posted by alphas on Monday, July 21, 2008 9:42 PM
I was in Niagra Falls, ON  summer of 2004 and there was what looked to me to be a permanent barracade on the top rail portion  of the Whirlpool Bridge so I assumed its rail use was over.  Obviously, I was wrong.

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