Hi there, I am looking for interesting bridges like the Old Vicksburg Bridge, the Thebes Bridge, the Forest City Bridge, the Huey P. Long Bridge (New Orleans), the Pigtail Bridges (Iron Mountain Road), the Keystone Wye. I you know of an interesting bridge please let me know. Preferably truss bridges or similar such as a metal arch, trestle, etc.
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
I have always wanted to ride over The Firth of Fourth bridge...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth_Bridge
In the U. S. Hell Gate Bridge on the New Haven has always been one of my favorites—along with this one:
Regards, Ed
You have to include swing bridges in your search! The Little Current swing bridge on the Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada is one of the most iconic. It is well over 100 years old and is still working. Alas the trains stopped crossing it several years ago but the yachts must still get through. Cudos to the men who designed and built it! It is very seldom down for maintenance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKqK_zPvmFc
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
The single ended swing bridges in Chicago. Or the paulsboro nj a frame swing bridge.
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
cascadenorthernrr Hi there, I am looking for interesting bridges like the Old Vicksburg Bridge, the Thebes Bridge, the Forest City Bridge, the Huey P. Long Bridge (New Orleans), the Pigtail Bridges (Iron Mountain Road), the Keystone Wye. I you know of an interesting bridge please let me know. Preferably truss bridges or similar such as a metal arch, trestle, etc.
I don't pay that much attention to those type of bridges since any one of them would require asomething from a 2 car garage to a basketball court to model in HO scale. The Huey P. Long Bridge is 22,000 ft long (including approaches) so it would take 252 actual feet to model.
I prefer to look for the smaller bridges that might actually be modelable. A good source is the HABS-HAER site. They have thousands of pictures and frequently drawings, of all types of structures and bridges.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Well that's where modelers license and selective compression comes in! And also I am not looking for bridges to model just interesting bridges!
One of my favorites is the one over I-80 at Auburn CA:
Note in particular the steel trestlework at the far end. Now compare it to this earlier view at the same location:
Lemme see, now: Some Microengineering towers and girders and maybe a Walthers steel truss???????? To make it a wee bit more interesting, I'll note that the track on the bridge is curved.
Another of my faves (foreground) (at Lyle, WA)--the curious water level rise is account of a new dam:
Ed
Wow very interesting!
NVSRR The single ended swing bridges in Chicago. Or the paulsboro nj a frame swing bridge.
Cleveland, OH also has a swing bridge (Center Street), which is down in The Flats, along the Cuyahoga River:
There's a number of lift bridges, as well, which can be viewed at this website.
And Pittsburgh, PA has a number of fascinating and unique bridges along the Allegheny worth investigating...
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Lift bridges are nice, but for some reason I think early large steel truss bridges with all the braces and beams are like a beautiful work of art! Also I think large steel and timber trusses and trestles are beautiful!
Anyone else have any interesting bridges?
I like the traditional steel bridge.
Type in Railroad Steel Bridge on Google. You will find hundreds of images. I usually save the photos I like to pictures on Mozilla Firefox.
Thanks! Bridges are like works of art they need to be preserved not demolished!
And here is yet another bridge!
And another!
I was on Wikipedia reading about the song "The River of Dreams" by Billy Joel (I'm a huge fan!) anyway in the music video Joel is seen on a railroad truss bridge wearing a suit and sunglasses with a group of men in the same attire singing the song well I know what bridge it is now! It's the Providence & Worcester Railroad Bridge!
Here are some more bridges!
Steven:
That second bridge looks like the designer has shares in the steel company. That thing is massive!!!
Yes it is!
For a reasonable size interesting bridge, Google Amtrak Pelham Bay Bridge.
It's a double track Scherzer rolling lift bridge spanning a rather narrow channel used by pleasure craft and small commercial vessels. The special interest feature is that the track is under catenary, and the power lines are carried above the bridge, spanning between a pair of really tall transmission towers.
This century old bridge is supposedly scheduled to be replaced by a high level fixed bridge, but I was unable to find any details about the project. A high level bridge with reasonable grades would require about three miles of embankments and viaduct, since the approach tracks are only 20 feet above the high tide line and the new bridge would have to clear the tall-masted sailing craft that dock at the up-river marina. On one hand, this is part of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, the bridge opens an average of 10 times a day and, when open, puts a major hitch in Acela's giddyup. On the other hand, the high bridge would cost about three million dollars per foot of above-channel span, assuming that it will be built within the initially estimated budget. (Note that the channel is 100 feet wide, but he budget covers the entire project.)
I once got a tour of this bridge, and had a teen-ager's dream of modeling it. Unfortunately, I don't have any navigable water on my layout, or anywhere in its master plan.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Steven,
Some Youtube video's of working model railroad bridges. My favorite is the Calumet lift bridge here in Chgo: Also some You can make.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y6QkJmYNzo
Take Care!
Frank
Thanks!
Tulip Trestle near Bloomfield, Indiana on the Indiana Railroad.
Thanks.
I found another interesting bridge!
And here are some more!
It is not possible to save most historic bridges. In the US they go through a rigorous documentation procedure that can take a couple years, the end result being that a record and photographs are retained in Washington, DC. This includes plans if they exist.
We dont even have enough money to maintain structures still in use, so maintaining obsolete bridges is not possible save for a very few specially significant bridges.
John
A civil engineer
Then in that case we need to focus on documenting them as much as possible!
The Hurricane Gulch Bridge on the Alaska Railroad. 296' over the river on the mainline, originally built in 1921 and still in use, trains are limited to 5mph while traveling over the bridge.
Rick Jesionowski
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!