Bridge Near Pittsburgh, PA

[SALfan]

There is a huge RR bridge right next to I-76 (PA Toll Road) near Pittsburgh, PA, which still has a sign on it saying "Bessemer", I assume for the Bessemer & Lake Erie.  Which RR owns/uses the bridge now?  When was it built?  Any info you can give (also corrections) would be appreciated.

[csxengineer98]

 the B&LE is who uses it..and i think it was the CP that bought the B&LE..so CP owns it now...

csx engineer 

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

Just to be certain we're thinking of the same bridge here:

Is this the bridge over the Allegheny River, parallel to the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76) bridge over the same, each about 2,200 ft. long & 100+/- ft. high, about 300 ft. to the east of the Turnpike bridge ? 

 On the north bank is another railroad, Freeport Rd. / Rowe St., near Cheswick and Harwick, and PA Route 28 Exit 11 - Harmar for Route 910, Oakmont, and Harmarville, at Turnpike Interchange 48 for the Allegheny Valley, New Kensington, and Pittsburgh.  On the south bank is another railroad, a couple of golf courses (Oakmont Country Club and Oakmont East Golf Course, which are separated by the Turnpike and the bridge railroad R-O-Ws), Route 908 (Hulton Rd. / Coxcomb Hill Rd.), and Oakmont.

This ought to be enough to find it on an Internet mapping/ aerial photo application.

- Paul North.

- Paul North.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

Here's a link to a really good photo, and an index of photos of it:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=236888&nseq=1

http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?city=Harmarville&country=Pennsylvania,%20USA

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

csxengineer98

  the B&LE is who uses it..and i think it was the CP that bought the B&LE..so CP owns it now...

csx engineer 

Here're some more links to a couple more good photos of this bridge:

Aerial: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=44033&nseq=24

"Bessemer" sign - under the cab of the 2nd diesel:

 http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=236814&nseq=5  and,

under the 3rd hopper car:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=112278&nseq=16

By the way, one of the photographers says the B&LE was bought by CN, not CP, and that - without researching it - seems more correct to me.

- Paul North.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

OK, last post on this, I promise !

Built 1918 - it's "Historic American Engineering Record" (U.S. National Park Service) HAER No. Pa-508.  

Here are 2 links to more info about it than I'd ever want to know (I think):

http://pghbridges.com/articles/haer/blerr_PA508/blerr_HAER508.htm

and on the "Bridges and Tunnels of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania" website:  

http://pghbridges.com/newkenW/0599-4487/blear.htm

Enjoy !

- Paul North.

[SALfan]

Paul_D_North_Jr

Here's a link to a really good photo, and an index of photos of it:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=236888&nseq=1

http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?city=Harmarville&country=Pennsylvania,%20USA

This is the one!  Many thanks to all who replied.  I've made a couple of trips to a spot south of Youngstown, OH, and passed by this bridge.

[trainfan1221]

Okay, now I won't rest until I see this thing.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

trainfan1221

Okay, now I won't rest until I see this thing.

Well, only since you asked . . .

Here's a link to a fairly recent - June 15, 2007 - website that has some very useful advice & warnings about locations for viewing this bridge:

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM1PC7

On it is a link to the following webpage by Carsten S. Lundsten about the B&LE:

http://www.lundsten.dk/railfan_pa/ble/index.html

He has a link to the "Unofficial B&LE Message Board", which has a huge "Bessemer" logo in bvlack & white that may be like the one on the Turnpike bridge as first noted above:

http://members3.boardhost.com/Bessemer/

See also the Wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessemer_%26_Lake_Erie_Railroad

Finally, both sources indicate that CN bought the Bessemer in May 2004 (the 10th, according to one).  It was previously spun-off by U.S. Steel to its Transstar subsidiary (if I recall correctly), and then sold to Great Lakes Transportation in 2001.

Hope this is helpful & informative - try a Google search if you want more.

- Paul North.

 

[trainfan1221]

You know Paul,  sometimes i just don't think you have enough information about that railroad!