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
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?
-Kevin
Living the dream.
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
Here is another bridge in Ontario. It is located at the entrance to Hamilton Harbour on the western end of Lake Ontario.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
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!
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!
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!
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!!