Old Welland Canal in Ontario's Niagara peninsula. Bridges 15 (ex-NYC/TH&B) and 17 (Wabash Canada Air Line/CN) are both still used by the Port Colborne Harbour Railway while commercial navigation ceased after 1972 when the Welland Bypass was opened. The CPR's ex-NYC Montrose swing bridge on the Welland river between Welland and Niagara Falls has been stationary for even longer, but is still on an active industrial spur.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
This post (and my reply below) probably better belong in the "Ghost or Abandoned Lift Bridges over Rivers and Channels" thread here instead, at: http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/228224.aspx
Nevertheless, I believe the Montrose swing bridge is at these Lat. / Long. coords., just east of the Queen Elizabeth Way:
N 43 2.762' W 79 7.199'
I believe Bridge 17 - a lift bridge - is at about these coords.: N 42 56.959' W 79 14.991'
See: http://www.historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=truss/forksrr/
And Bridge 15 - a swing bridge - is at: N 42 58.614' W 79 15.354'
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welland_Canal,_Bridge_15
and http://www.historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=truss/wellandrr/
See also the photos and maps of the Trillium/ Port Colborne Railway at:
http://www.trilliumrailway.com/pchrmap.php
http://www.trilliumrailway.com/gallery.php
- Paul North.
Not a "ghost", but apparently still active are an unusual pair of 'opposing' (they face each other) bascule bridges at the northern end of the offset "Twin Flight Locks" at Lock No. 4 which carry the CN line over the Canal. This is in St. Catharines, just east of Merritton, at about these Lat./ Long. coords: N 43 8.263' W 79 11.533' Been a few years (like 20 ?!?) since I've seen them, though.
Must have hit the wrong button, I meant to post this as a reply to the "Ghost or abandoned Lift Bridges over Rivers and Channels" thread. Thank you for the information as well.
Paul:
I remember crossing the Welland Canal on our way home from my Uncle's cottage in Low Banks, Ont. in the early 1960's. I checked out some of your pictures. Brings back many fond memories.
Mr_Dave 1947
I'm a life-long Chicagoan, double-leaf bascule bridges (for autos, at least) are quite ordinary in this area. We even have four double-decked bridges of this type. Are they really that scarce in the rest of the world??
Paul_D_North_Jr Not a "ghost", but apparently still active are an unusual pair of 'opposing' (they face each other) bascule bridges at the northern end of the offset "Twin Flight Locks" at Lock No. 4 which carry the CN line over the Canal. This is in St. Catharines, just east of Merritton, at about these Lat./ Long. coords: N 43 8.263' W 79 11.533' Been a few years (like 20 ?!?) since I've seen them, though. - Paul North.
Paul
As a kid, my family would go Sunday afternoons in the summer to Niagara Falls an hour from where we lived just outside Hamilton Ontario. We would often stop at Lock 4 and talk with the ships crews as they were being locked through. This was in the days when security fencing of any kind was unheard of and many families like us went down to the Canal just to enjoy the day and meet new people. I personally met deckhands, ship's officers and the odd engineer or oiler who had a break at the time. We'd then go on to the Falls for a picnic.
On another note, my grandmother's grandfather, Charles Johnson, (she called him Grampa Johnson) was the Master Gardener/Landscaper for the 'old canal' when he first came to Canada from Glasgow in 1875 as a young man seeking his fortune. He left his family in Scotland for two years while he got established and brought them out in 1877. .They lived at 'Thorold Town' as it was then called and continued working for the Canal until the project was finished. As time went on he developed quite a landscaping and gardening business.
He also patented one of the first mechanized sod cutters to assist his his landscaping work as well as a Home Heating system (circulating hot water) retrofitted to a kitchen coal stove.
Busy Man.
Anyway, this thread brings back many memories, especially the sirens as the bridges were raised and lowered and the locking procedures commenced. When we went though the Panama Canal it was fascinating to hear it all done by bells overlaid by a remarkable traffic management and locking control system. The Miraflores Visitor Centre is hard to beat.
Sorry for the diversion....thread got me going....
Charlie
Chilliwack, BC
CSSHEGEWISCH I'm a life-long Chicagoan, double-leaf bascule bridges (for autos, at least) are quite ordinary in this area. We even have four double-decked bridges of this type. Are they really that scarce in the rest of the world??
The RR bridges Paul refereed to cross a pair of canals,and there is a pier between the bridges to support the ends of the draws. I've seen lots of double leaf highway draw bridges, but I can't imagine the locking mechanism supporting a train.
Two of the double-deck bridges to which I referred, Wells Street and Lake Street, carry the L on their upper level, but that is still appreciably lighter than a conventional train.
The best known double leaf bascule bridge is the one at the Soo Locks in Saulte Ste. Marie Michigan (at least I think the bridge is in Michigan...) still in use by CN (Soo/WC/Algoma Central) and CP.
rcdrye The best known double leaf bascule bridge is the one at the Soo Locks in Saulte Ste. Marie Michigan (at least I think the bridge is in Michigan...) still in use by CN (Soo/WC/Algoma Central) and CP.
Yes, the bascule span part of the bridge is on the Michigan side of the border. I have crossed the adjacent international highway bridge a dozen times,and have noted the vertical lift span part of the bridge, with its towers as high as the high level vehicle bridge, but missed the double leaf bascule bridge. Thanks for pointing it out. It differs significantly from the typical highway double leaf bascule bridge, in that it is like a truss bridge that comes together in the middle. Photos and explanation at the link:
http://www.historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=truss/internationalrail/
With respect to the double deck roadway/elevated railway bridge in Chicago that csshegewisch references, I suspect that the truss design gives the bridge the rigidity needed for the rail transit cars, although the discussion in the below link is not as clear as in the above link:
http://www.historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=truss/lake/
I am unsure about Wells, but the one at Lake defnitely supported rail on the lower as well as the upper, the Lake Street streetcar line.
daveklepper I am unsure about Wells, but the one at Lake defnitely supported rail on the lower as well as the upper, the Lake Street streetcar line.
Wells had the Lincoln Avenue CSL lines, as well as some reroutes. Both the Wells and Lake bridges were built with the leaves in the up position with trains running through the deck before the swing bridge was demolished. The Wells St. Bridge had large chunks of its trusses replaced last year. Both the Wells and Lake bridges are longer than normal Chicago River spans, as they span part of the basin where the North and South Branches of the Chicago River come together. Chicago River bridges were built as both through and deck trusses. The former Met elevated bridge between Jackson and Van Buren, really two bridges side by side, had a truss structure that arched up, and no road deck.
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