Well said Jim. Now we gotta get YOU up here to see it! HA!
Dan
CNW 6000 I've already heard much wailing and gnashing of teeth among people watching the bridge being replaced. I see nothing wrong with a little change here and there...but that's me.
I've already heard much wailing and gnashing of teeth among people watching the bridge being replaced. I see nothing wrong with a little change here and there...but that's me.
As of today, trains are being told to cross the bridge at 40 mph, a 15 mph increase in timetable speed over the old bridge.
Went over new bridge today by train (dont ask how). Blink and you miss it. So much for history and style. In the old days you knew when you were going over a bridge,
NICE JOB, DAN!
As have i mentioned before, I used to run all over that area picking up and delivering freight. ( Many years back.)
You've showed us a fascinating story of how that bridge replacement has gone on there. It is quite an area of manufacturing and food producers. Those rail lines were all over the place back then.
Thank You for sharing this photo story with us.
Well kids...the process is "almost done". The bridge is in and working as intended and the only things left to do are to finish removing the few sections of piling remaining, torch the old center section up (sad, but hey - it's life) and then clean up the barges/equipment/sites. I also noticed that the old incandescent signal lamps on the bridge are gone...they are LEDs and there is a light (lunar "L" indicated "Locked") for the bridge. The lamp was there before the project but I never saw it lit.
FWIW I plan on doing a video slideshow (uploaded to Flickr/YouTube) once I have all the pictures/sequences I want...or need...but I have NOT posted all of the shots I have to the web.
Here's a few shots though.
Old bridge closed:
Old bridge open:
Old bridge with train:
New bridge closed:
New bridge open:
New bridge with train (very first one across):
Here's a link to my set of pictures of the bridge project.http://flic.kr/s/aHsjwwo36U
Enjoy.
I had been keeping a fairly constant watch over the last couple (feels like more!) days on the bridge. Here's what I wrote in several emails over the last day or so to some folks I promised an update. It was not dull in the least.
"6 PM Update"Work continues with excavator mounted jackhammers to demolish the old center span pilings/supports. The piling is around 4' in diameter and appears to be 1.5" steel jacketed, rebar and I-beam reinforced concrete. These things are not giving way easily and the contractors have been working on them with diamond blade saws, CAT-mounted tools, and at least two divers since this morning.
"Midnight Update"The new center span was moved from the shore cradle where it was assembled and floated nearly in place. I say nearly because the bridge suddenly started tipping off kilter up to 15 degrees or so high on the end away from the counterweights. Folks started to shout and run to get away from the bridge in case it tipped into the river. The bridge then hit a piling and came to rest with some of the end under the counterweight partially underwater.
More ballast was added to the lift end (away from the weight) and it was brought back level and tied into place. Currently a damage check is being done on all structure and gear assemblies as well as the piling that was hit and the barge/cribbing.
Scary stuff. The piling that was tough to remove is being left in place for now so the bridge can be installed.
"530 AM Update"Lots can happen in almost 5 hours.
mudchicken Whipple with a little of Warren & Haupt thrown in?
Whipple with a little of Warren & Haupt thrown in?
In a copy of the original design for the 1899 bridge I saw a reference to "Whipple's Design" but nothing said "Haupt". Doesn't mean it didn't happen though.
CShaveRR It's a shame that the old trusses couldn't have been floated somewhere and repurposed as a fixed span for a bike trail or some such. It's too late, of course, for the other trusses that were in the bridge...and that design (Whipple?), more than any other, says C&NW!
It's a shame that the old trusses couldn't have been floated somewhere and repurposed as a fixed span for a bike trail or some such. It's too late, of course, for the other trusses that were in the bridge...and that design (Whipple?), more than any other, says C&NW!
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
lenzfamily Are the original trusses being put into place in the new construction? Charilie Chilliwack, BC
Are the original trusses being put into place in the new construction?
Charilie
Chilliwack, BC
We're about 15.5 hours into the 36 hour work window to replace the center span. The old center span was floated out last night/early this morning at around 0300 and the new center span is slated to be in place around 2100 tonight. Trains are "supposed" to be able to roll on the new bridge by around noon on Wed 8/21. Pics later as I get them uploaded and processed.
(sigh) if only I had had a good or even merely adequate camera -- and the willingness to take plenty of pictures -- back when I was a student in Oshkosh 1970-74. My handful of Kodak Brownie camera shots are all that I have. There was a lot to see in Oshkosh back then -- including the last months of C&NW passenger service. You would be very entertained if only I had the shots of what I could see every day!
Even when I had a 35mm SLR I was far too parsimonious with my picture taking back. Digtal photography has brought about an era of almost excessive documentation, but assuming that a way can be made to keep the images available as technology changes, we are living in a golden age of documentation and not just of railroads either.
Thanks for posting this helpful series on the Oshkosh bridge project.
Dave Nelson
We're overdue for an update again...here's what the project looks like as of a couple days ago. I found a new perch to play with:
Flickr Link: http://flic.kr/p/e84Ykz
I should get more uploaded tonight.
Time for another update.
The mark where the rail will be cut on the north side:
A view of the barge and "lashings" that will raise the bridge up and float it out of position:
A closeup of the "anchor bolt" that hold's the north span to the shore:
The North span is gone:
The new spans are getting lined up:
The two halves are halfway home:
Finally in alignment (just not vertical):
Panorama 1
Panorama 2
UP Power brings a coal train north on the new section the next day.
A few more shots can be seen at this link ( http://flic.kr/s/aHsjwwo36U ) and all pictures should be clickable.
I am all for progress, and of course the new bridge should last a long time, but gosh, I really like the looks of the old railroad bridges, not real sure why other than they have the heavy industry look about them…ah well, progress…
Thanks for the efforts to bring that here, looking forward to the rest of it.
23 17 46 11
You're welcome Sam. I enjoy knowing what's going on in my little corner of the world - and sharing is fun too. This was all done in a 12 hour work window. There will be another 12 hour window for the North Span...then a 40 hour window for the center. That's supposed to happen in March 2013 if my source is right.
Dan ( CNW6000);
Thanks for the update! A project like that is quite a show to watch. You have to know there was plenty of organization and coordination in that project to put it together and bring in all those elements to accomplish traffic over the bridge in a relatively, short time span.
It took quite an effort to put together that photo album, and share it here. You deserve a "Tip O' The Kromer Cap" ! NICE JOB! And THANKS!
Time for an update.
Tuesday 9/4 the south span of the bridge was replaced. Here are some shots I got of the process.
One section of the new south side waits on a barge.
Another view:
The last train (M347) to cross the bridge before modifications approaches. One span and a temporary span (not polished) are already in place.
The south span is lifted and floats back.
Later that day, the south span can be seen behind and through the north span.
The south span by itself on the barges.
A view of the pieces of the south span, assembled and ready for trains.
A hint of the view to come.
The whole project area.
Enjoy. The north span is tentatively scheduled for replacement on Monday 9/10 says a source I have. Of course...there will be pictures.
Sam,
I've no idea on the cost, though I'm sure it's not cheap. I've put out some inquiries to see if I can find out about when the windows for span replacement will be. That will be interesting to see, and I'll try to do a before/after shot on those if I can.
Work started this morning at 7 and they may be pouring concrete on a new pillar today.
Thanks, Dan for the photos and update.
Although it is a smaller project, still it has similarities to the Burlington (IA) Swing Bridge replacement done by BNSF on the Mississippi River Bridge. It too was accomplished by establishing windows for Construction Operations. It was some thing on the order of $124 Million Bucks.
Thanks for the updated report and pictures. Looks like it is starting to get interesting.
Don
Update time. Admittedly...there hasn't been too many dramatic (to me anyway) changes as of yet. However, finally having time and remembering to take the pictures let me have these.
Some structural steel I-beams have been delivered onsite.
One of Kraemer's (contractor) barges with an almost-ready rebar frame for a new pillar.
A close up of the south pillars under the north span.
A close up of the north pillar's cofferdam under the north span.
The pillars under the south span appear to be "done".
More to come as I get it. To see my entire folder of pictures, click here:http://flic.kr/s/aHsjwwo36U
Enjoy...and more to come as I can and things happen.
From the information I have there will be three "windows" when traffic will be shut down:-One 12 hour window to replace the old south span with two new spans and a temporary track,-One 12 hour window to replace the old north span with two new spans and a temporary track,-One 40 hour window to replace the old center span with the new bascule lift section and the middle span.
Work is slated to be completed by May 2013.
Dan, does this mean the line will be shut while the old bridge is taken out and the new one put in or am I reading your post wrong?
Since I live in Appleton and get to Oshkosh quite often, this project is interesting to me. Thanks for your updates and pictures.
Thought I'd drag this up from the cellar...
The City of Oshkosh tossed a minor monkey wrench in the plans, or so I heard. The City wanted CN to do some serious and expensive reclamation and rehab work to the site of the RoW that was to be redone. The RR elected to do what I feel is an ambitious modification: build the new bridge in the same RoW as the old one. 16 pilings will be drilled, poured, built and then the new sections lifted/floated in after the old ones are floated/lifted out. I'll post pictures when I have something besides stuff hidden by fence and tarps.
Thanks!
I bumped into a Blended employee today who knows I like railroads, etc. She asked if I knew of their project...so I asked if I could have her email to send her a link to my folder of it on Flickr. I guess the company's "brass" got to see them too...
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