Hello everyone! Once again it is time to 'move' the Diner. For the month of October we will be visiting our favourite railway bridges all over the world.
We had lots of contributors during September and we saw quite a variety of train stations, some massive and some rather petite. I'm sure we will see a wide variety of bridges in October. Remember, "size doesn't matter"!
Welcome to:
By the way, if your post ends up on the top of the page this month, it is perfectly acceptable to hand out Halloween candy!!
At the beginning of each month we pay respect to the diner guests that have passed on with a memorial.
On to the bridges!!!
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I would like to start the Diner with my favourite bridge, the Little Current swing bridge.
From Wikipedia:
Construction of the bridge was started by the Algoma Eastern Railway with the abutments and piers being built in 1912 and the bridge structure being erected in 1913. The Algoma Eastern Railway began operating trains across the bridge to the community of Little Current in October 1913. The Algoma Eastern Railway was leased by Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in March 1930 and control of the bridge passed at this time to the CPR.
Due to navigable waters protection legislation, the CPR policy was to leave the bridge's swing span in the open position at all times for marine traffic, except when a train needed to cross.
In 1946, the CPR and the provincial Ministry of Transportation came to an agreement that saw the bridge modified to permit road vehicle traffic in addition to rail traffic. As a result, operation of the swing span saw the span left in the closed position to permit both rail and road vehicle traffic to cross, although a CPR employee was stationed at the bridge to open the swing span should it be required for marine traffic.
Rail service to Little Current and Manitoulin Island was abandoned by CPR in the 1980s; the end of tracks then being located at a ship-loading facility in Turner on the Goat Island side of the bridge. As a result, CPR transferred ownership of the bridge to the Ministry of Transportation and it has been used exclusively by road vehicle traffic ever since. CPR subsequently abandoned rail service from Espanola to Turner in the 1990s and removed the tracks, leaving only the railway bed and bridge structures such as the Little Current Swing Bridge as a reminder of Manitoulin Island's rail transportation heritage.
Currently, operation of the swing span strongly favours highway traffic, as it stays in the closed position so that road vehicles can use it except for the first fifteen minutes of each daylight hour during the spring, summer and fall when it opens to permit marine traffic to pass. At night in the spring, summer, and fall as well as when the shipping channel is closed to marine traffic during the winter, the swing span remains in the closed position at all times. Originally powered by a gasoline engine, the mechanism for the swing span was upgraded by the Ministry of Transportation to an electric motor in 2003. Due to the single vehicle lane, each end of the bridge is equipped with traffic signals (7 lights northbound and 2 lights southbound); the signals on the Little Current abutment being the only installation of traffic signals on Manitoulin Island. From mid-October to early May when the ferry MS Chi-Cheemaun is not in operation to carry passengers from the Bruce Peninsula, the bridge is the only road link to Manitoulin Island.
The bridge has been designated an Ontario Heritage site.[2] Studies for a replacement began in 2018,[2] as the bridge's mechanics have been failing and its steel deteriorating.[1] The preferred option, announced in 2021, will see a new two-lane swing bridge built just west of the existing bridge.[
I have been across the bridge many times and under it a couple of times too!
Thanks for opening the diner Dave.
I was not a very good host last month, but the depots still were nice to see. Thank you to everyone that shared pictures.
Here is to a happy October... and soon it will be Halloween!
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190I was not a very good host last month,
Hi Kevin,
I respectfully disagree! I don't think that being the host requires you to post something every day. The Diner got lots of interesting posts in September so you did something right!
Here is another bridge in Ontario. It is located at the entrance to Hamilton Harbour on the western end of Lake Ontario.
Good Evening,
Dave, thanks for moving the Diner. I enjoyed the post about the bridge to Little Current. I've been on that bridge a few times but the last time was 25 years ago or so. First time was in 1978 but I don't remember the tracks.
Nothing new here, still summer like weather with temps in low '70s. Sure could use some rain.
TF, where are you? Hope you are ok.
Going to LHS tomorrow to pick up a display case I ordered last winter. I then have to decide which Hudson goes in it.
CN Charlie
I just found out Home Depot store #8444 is right here in town.
It is a little bit further away than the one that I work at, but maybe I should transfer.
I wonder how many railfans work there and walk through the doors every day with a smile on their faces?
THANK YOU for setting up the Diner in "Bridge Country" Dave
I do so hope it brings TF out of hiding, and maybe Ken, too if that's not asking too much. I hope everyone is doing well these days. Dave (UK) please check in with a status report
I see Space Mouse has returned to the forum Glad to see him back!
I'll start off with a local vertical lift bridge known to railroaders as "Bridge One", known to boaters as the Iron Curtain.
NYC_1956-swing-bridge by Edmund, on Flickr
Here it is under construction in 1956, same year I was built. The swing bridge had a gantlet so all traffic on the NYC Chicago - New York main line was necked down to one usable track. The PRR had trackage rights over this bridge, too.
— and in later years:
Stack Train at Drawbridge by Craig Sanders, on Flickr
It crosses the Cuyahoga River on the south shore of Lake Erie here. Back in May of 1974 the bridge was up but a train, Penn Central OV-8 passed the restricting signals and rammed the counterweight killing the engineer and fireman.
I was there just a few hours after the accident. One of those things I'll never forget.
October already!
Cheers, Ed
NON-Model Railroad warning...
I am so impressed with this figure, I wish I could paint like this.
The armor is painted with non-metallic paints, just shades of gray. I have tried this, but never had it look good.
Here is another Canadian bridge. This one is in Lethbridge, Alberta. It is one mile long:
For some reason I find this bridge to be very relaxing to look at:
Good morning .
David North Brit ..... We are concerned about you. Preying you are recovering from Covid.
Everybody ... Thanks for participating in the September Diner. There were very many intersting stations posted.
Dave : ..... Thanks for starting the October Diner. I like the bridge photos you posted. The last one has rusty rails, and so it had not had trains running on it for a while before the photo was taken.
Ed ..... Thanks for posting your intersting bridge photos.
Everybody ...... Have a nice Friday and I hope the new month is good to each of you.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
I just received an email from Rapido that my X-31 boxcars are on hand and ready to ship. They say they will begin fullfillment very soon.
Although I am not sure why, I am very excited about finally receiving these freight cars. I pre-ordered them over 18 months ago, and that seems like a very long time to wait for a handful of boxcars.
My intention is to use all three of these as representatives of Sheldon's ATLANTIC CENTRAL on my layout.
Tulip Trestle, Viaduct, AKA Richland Creek Viaduct in southern Indiana. Still the longest railroad viaduct in the USA. I have seen it several times and its size is impressive from the ground.
https://youtu.be/iRFyX_oFIDY
(I'd like to embed the video and not the link!)
And it would seem that you can certainly hear the locomotive sounds from quite a distance, unless the sound is enhanced.
https://youtu.be/7umeB5pD1C8?t=168
- Douglas
DoughlessI'd like to embed the video and not the link!
Happy Days! Ed
Good morning from a sunny Pacific Rim.
Well, we turned on the furnace today, not sure it will get much use as it is still pretty warm out. That'll change I'm sure.
The wife was leaving early and the phone rang seconds after she left and she said tree removal required. So much for my second cup of coffee. I usually go out and drive over the tree, it breaks into bits and I just push the bits out of the way. This tree was in good shape and did not fall to pieces when I drove over it so a little tow was in order. At least I didn't have to go get the chainsaw. I was back with my coffee in short order.
Bridges is a great topic for the month, stations was a success with lots of participation and I bet this month will do just as well.
I am going to the football game with the kid tonight, it has been a long time since we have done that. We are playing Winnipeg (my hometown) Usually, we attend quite a few hockey, soccer, and football games each year. It will be nice to get back to it. He is well connected and gets all his tickets to sporting events for free which makes it even better. The drive back out from Vancouver seems to be getting a little longer as the years pass. He lives in town now, so I drop him off and do it alone. We use to have the best conversations on those trips.
I hope David is not suffering too bad with covid, not hearing from him worries me. Also, I don't think TF was vaccinated and he has gone silent as well. I hope we hear from them soon, radio silence is always concerning.
Well, lots to do today so better get at it.
All the best to all.
Vancouver 1898.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Good evening Diners. A strong tea please, Janie.
Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts and prayers. They have been a great comfort to me.
As you know i have come down with Covid. I got it really bad. I collapsed at home and was unconscious for a short while. I was rushed to hospital and had to have a number of tests etc.
Last night I was allowed home, but must take things at an easy pace to pull myself better.
I shall look in and follow the thread of bridges. Some lovely ones already. Hopefully I will contribute shortly.
Once again thank you all for the concern.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
NorthBritLast night I was allowed home, but must take things at an easy pace to pull myself better.
Hi David,
I'm glad to hear that you are back home and on the mend. We were all worried about you. Covid is nasty stuff as you have just discovered!
Dianne and I went for Covid tests last Tuesday because we had been feeling rather ill. Thankfully they were negative but we are still not feeling 100%.
Please take it easy while you recover.
The Cisco bridges over the Fraser river in British Columbia are very interesting. The CP and CN lines each switch to the opposite bank of the river. I believe that they actually share the tracks now. One is used for eastbound trains and the other for westbound.
Click to enlarge:
The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando turns 50 today!
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I'm very glad to hear your news, David! It sounds like a good idea to take things at an easy pace. I'm so glad you let us know how things are going. Hope your wife was able to get along fine while you were at the hospital.
York1 John
SeeYou190The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando turns 50 today!
Geez make me feel old. I was at FIT in Melbourne when it was announced that Walt was buying up land. Back then there were 2 lane roads toward Orlando, straight as a string, for miles, bordered by swamp land. We would see swamp boats and people fishing. and hardly any traffic.
Yeehaw Junction was hardly recognizable as a town. It was so insignificant the the Air Force dropped chemical weapons there in 1968!
https://tinyurl.com/yjwntwkn
The father of the doctor quoted in the article was my allergist. Small world.
David glad you are home. Losing consciousness gets attention. Less dramatic and less painful than Richard Pryor's method of attracting attention.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Howdy ....
It's a quiet day here.
David North Brit. ... I am very glad you are home and recovering from Covid. Please keep us informed when you can. Get plent of rest and sleep.
Kevin .... It is remarkable that Disney World is now 50 years old. I recall seeing a Disney TV program at the time, and they showed construction videos.
Henry .... Interesting. Maybe, that's part of history we don't like thinking about.
Ed .... That bridge in Indiana is very nice.
Brent .... Thanks for posting the Cisco bridges. They certainly are impressive.
....
Here is the bridge I posted last month with Big Boy 4014 crossing the Mississippi River from southeast Missouri to southern Illinois. It is located at Thebes, IL.
The multi-span bridge was built in 1905, and it is nearly 4,000 feet long. It was used by SSW (Cotton Belt) and Missouri Pacific. Now, it is a Union Pacific bridge.
While waiting for the special train, we saw a freight train of over 100 cars. it had three locomotives. One in front. One in the middle. One at the end.
We also saw a barge tow. It had 15 barges with each being about 200 feet long. The large tow boat had three big diesel engines.
Finally, the Big Boy special train came over the bridge. As you can see, the massive bridge makes the train look smaller than it is.
Everybody: ..... have a good day.
Good morning, diners. Bacon, eggs, and coffee, Brunhilda.
I was going to finish my kitchen project today, but as usual, plans change. We are now heading out of town to babysit. Let's see, which would I rather do? Climb into the kitchen sink cabinet on my aching back, or go visit grandchildren? Hmmm.... that's a real difficult choice.
Dave, Ed, Douglas, Brent, Garry, thanks for the bridge photos.
Henry, that's a strange story of the bio weapons tests!
Charlie, I hope you can post a photo of your new display case.
Kevin, that's a great paint job on the game piece. Disneyworld is one of our favorite places. We spent a week there in 1978 for our honeymoon. At that time, the Magic Kingdom was the only attraction. Over the years, we've been back, with the last time this past March. At our age, I'm not sure if we will make it back again, but it remains a favorite of ours.
David, continued prayers for your complete recovery.
For all other diners, I hope you are doing well and can check in every-so-often.
A good chunk of my life was lived in New Orleans, where my favorite bridge is located -- The Huey Long Bridge.
In the 1930s, it was built with a double train track in the middle, and two 9 foot wide traffic lanes on each side of the tracks -- with no shoulders. Driving that bridge was truly a white-knuckle experience.
The bridge has a clearance over the river of 150 feet. The rail bridge is about four miles long, and the road bridge is about 1½ miles long.
Several years back, a 1½ billion dollar expansion of the bridge was completed. Two more car traffic lanes were added to each side and a shoulder was added. No more white knuckles.
I will try to find some photos of Big Boy crossing the Huey Long bridge several months ago.
Welcome back, David! Make sure all the little people on your layout get masks!
I've heard here that sometimes hospitals here don't actually treat Covid patients. Did they treat you with anything? I hope you didn't end up on a respirator.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Sometimes you spill just a little too much ballast over the ties:
Sand Patch Pigs by Doug Lilly, on Flickr
Hate it when that happens!
This looks like a scene somewhere in Switzerland but it is actually the old Erie Railroad in Lanesboro, Pa.:
180529_29_lanesboro by lmyers83, on Flickr
Today I went to the Great Berea Train Show in NE Ohio. Not too bad of a turnout. Maybe a third of the dealers were absent and the crowd was about half of what it was in 2019.
Have a good evening, folks — Ed
Good evening all.
Had a great time at the football game with the kid last night. We lost, but it was to Winnipeg my home town so I was not too bummed. It was weird being in the stadium, I would say there was fewer than ten thousand people there. It holds 55000 and I have been there when it's been sold out and rockin.
The highway was empty for the drive back, it was a dark eery feeling. Spent $80.00 on food and drink (prime rib) that required extra bike time today but was worth every crank of the pedals. I also did some house cleaning today to try and help the boss out, that is something I rarely do.
We have this bridge just outside of Vancouver that is a little different. It crosses the Fraser River and can be approached from the North or South.
When it was first built cars/wagons/people also could cross up above.
Good to see you back David, I have been doing a lot of reading about covid and fit people and even those in the very best of shape (athletically) are told to take it very easy if they have had covid. Upon reading what I read I would not have to be told twice to rest and take it really easy even though I am very fit and it would go against my nature.
I have a nice bottle of CabMerlot waiting for me. So must be on my way.
You don't Shay? Used to load the ferries in and around Vancouver up until 1965.
Just a RBF tonight Flo. Thanks.
David - Glad you are back home, rest up and get better!
Ed - Glad to hear the Great Berea show seemed successful, I was a bit busy today helping finish the layout room - Trim is up, now only things left are door frame and door, and prime and paint the walls. Then the new layout can begin!
Not sure I would have gone anyways though, with the Asthma making me high-risk, I'm not sure I would want to be around a large amount of people yet, and while Berea isn't terribly far from NW PA, it's also not a quick dash over and back.
It is usually on my "attend this" list though, so glad that it had decent turnout.
Maybe if things look a bit better risk-wise I can shoot for Kirkland in the spring...
Everyone - Thanks to all for the awesome bridge pics so far. I will have to search for my pics of Kinzua Bridge.... Pre-Tornado damage that is.
Hope all are well, best wishes to those who are not, and hope all enjoy the evening!
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
Happy Sunday everyone. I am enjoying the eggs and toast Chloe just brought to me.
Just a quick check in... I am going to spend some time going through everything the postman dropped off yesterday while I was at work.
I will be back later.