Shared RR & auto bridges?

[CP GREEN]

I know of a bridge in Snowden, MT that carried both GN railroad and vehicle traffic over the Missouri River. My father and I came across this bridge while trying to get to a good spot for some photos of GN trains and were very surprised to see that it had rails with wooden planks for vehicles and found out that it was once an idea for GN to find an alternate route to the northwest called, I believe the Montana Midland, but never came to fruition. Rails were used as a branch line only as my dad parked his 65 chevy on the bridge as I shot a picture of it.

[Victrola1]

Since Nov. 6, (2008) however, the bridge has been subject to an 8-ton weight
limit, which affects about 10 percent of bridge traffic, BNSF
spokesman Steven Forsberg said.

That weight limit and the fact that the bridge will sooner or later no
longer be fit to carry vehicle traffic, has caused Fort Madison
political and business leaders to once again begin talking about the
prospect of replacing the bridge.  

http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Misc/misc.transport.road/2009-01/msg01330.html

[blue streak 1]

The steel bridge in Portland Oregon as mentioned before is probably the most used.  It is a lift bridge that is double track UP or Portland terminal.  It is above the Willamette river.     The track has very little freeboard so the track portion is lifted frequently independent of the roadway above.  The roadway with the track can be lifted as well when big ships go through. ( estimate 60 ft or more.   Only observed the road lifted once during the Portland Rose festival when ships of US navy and other countries dock  just up river of bridge.

As well the tracks of the Portland light rail are on the roadway level.  So both heavy rail, light rail, and autos all on very busy bridge.

[cefinkjr]

The Smithfield Street Bridge in Pittsburgh, PA (http://pghbridges.com/pittsburghW/0584-4476/smithfield.htm) carried Pittsburgh Railways tracks and, at various times, 2 or 3 lanes of auto traffic.  It could actually be considered two parallel bridges that shared one set of trusses.

I just examined it closely with Google Earth (40°26'6.04"N  80° 0'7.16"W) and it no longer has the Pittsburgh Railways (now PAT) tracks. 

If you check Google Earth with Rail turned on (why wouldn't you have Rail turned on?), you'll see the tunnel to South Hills Junction due south of the Smithfield Street Bridge.  Streetcars once came out of that tunnel to immediately cross Carson Street and then the Smithfield Street Bridge.  It was always a thrill to ride a trolley down the 6% grade in the tunnel and hope you stopped before crossing Carson Street.  I have heard that a trolley didn't stop on one occasion but I don't know any details.

[RogParish]

While not a bridge, cars and trains share a mile-long tunnel which is the only land access to Whittier, Alaska. Stoplights block vehicular traffic when a train is using it.

[MidlandMike]

On the Reading & Blue Mountain, north of Jim Thorpe, PA, the line crosses the Lehigh River on what was originally a double track bridge.  The line is now single track, and the other side of the bridge has been converted to a bike path.

[Overmod]

BaltACD

samfp1943

It was named after a Mr. James Harahan, a President of the I.C. Railroad killed an accident while it was under  construction.

Image cannot be hot linked.  It looks like the Presidents private car was rear ended by a following train. 

I believe you can download a PDF of the New York Times coverage of the accident here.

 It says Harahan and several others were in an office car that was telescoped by a following train {train names are in the article).  Their train had made a mandatory water stop (due to inclement weather conditions) and had been delayed by a freight making a similar stop in front of them.  Flagman apparently went out the prescribed distance, but the following train's crew couldn't get stopped in time.  They tried; only half the office car was physically telescoped, and the people riding in the front were not injured beyond bruises and being shaken up.

Note the mentioned similarity with the accident that killed the Southern's Spencer in 1906.

[Kevin C. Smith]

Sacramento, CA's "I" Street uses the upper deck of UP's former Espee swing bridge across the Sacramento River.

[Paul of Covington]

CSSHEGEWISCH

Minor correction, NOPB is owned directly by the City of New Orleans and interchanges with all of the Class One roads serving New Orleans.

   Agree.  (http://www.nopb.com/)

   The Huey P. Long bridge, as sampf said, was pretty scary, but it has recently been expanded from two narrow lanes each way to three wide lanes with shoulders.   I haven't driven it since the upgrade.

   The O.K. Allen bridge in Baton Rouge is basically a smaller version of the Huey P.   It's not nearly as tall and has a single track as well as Hwy 190.

[BaltACD]

wanswheel

samfp1943

It was named after a Mr. James Harahan, a President of the I.C. Railroad killed an accident while it was under  construction.

Accident photo, 1912 Railway Age Gazette article, Casey Jones' connection

http://www.kinmundyhistoricalsociety.org/album/images/200%20-%2016%20Train%20Wreck_jpg.jpg

 

Image cannot be hot linked.  It looks like the Presidents private car was rear ended by a following train.

[wanswheel]

samfp1943

It was named after a Mr. James Harahan, a President of the I.C. Railroad killed an accident while it was under  construction.

http://www.kinmundyhistoricalsociety.org/Photo%20Archives/Trains/Trains.htm

1912 Railway Age Gazette article

http://books.google.com/books?id=YAUjAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA142&dq=%22instant+death+of+j+t+harahan%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=KC60U6mxGpKSqgaXp4CoBQ&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22instant%20death%20of%20j%20t%20harahan%22&f=true

Casey Jones' connection

http://www.watervalley.net/users/caseyjones/kinmundy.htm

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Minor correction, NOPB is owned directly by the City of New Orleans and interchanges with all of the Class One roads serving New Orleans.

[dknelson]

tree68

Didn't (or doesn't) the Fort Madison bridge over the Mississippi carry both?

 

Yes, with autos above and trains below.  Moreover while there is no toll to go from Illinois to Iowa, there is a toll on the reverse trip and the sign in Iowa indicates that the toll is to cross the BNSF bridge - which makes me wonder if they own the bridge and pocket the tolls.

 

Dave Nelson

[Overmod]

samfp1943

Pickin' 'Nits"  ! 

Yeah, slip of the finger with that bridge name!  Particularly ironic as I've corrected people on the spelling before...  ;-}

Are you sure those Harahan roadways were built single-lane?  My sources indicate they were 14' width; the as-built double-lane roadways on the Huey P. Long bridge (built in the '30s when cars were substantially wider than in 1917) were only 4' wider...

Frisco bridge was started 1888, finished in '92.  But it's single track, and the girder understructure doesn't show any signs that double track was ever actually used, even at much lighter train weight.  You may be confused because the bridge was built wide enough to allow two-way vehicular traffic on the deck when a train was not present... making it look as if at one time it were double-track.

[samfp1943]

Deggesty

I always understood that the Huey P. Long Bridge was used by the SP and the T&P (now BNSF and UP), especially since I rode over it on the Louisiana Eagle and the Sunset Limited. I was unaware that the IC used it also; does the CN have switching service on the west side of the Mississippi there?

It is quite interesting to traverse the bridge when riding a train, particularly as it curves back and forth.

Johnny:  

            Admittedly, it has been many years since I was in NOLA, and traveled across the "High Rise' [ H.P.L. Bridge].  I had crossed it on a number of occasions, while driving OTR Trucks.  Having been on that bridge crawling in traffic and having a train cross was a mind boggling experience :( viberations, motion, etc.). 

     The NO Public Belt Railroad, as I understand it,  is an ownership composite of all the rail lines, and political entities in the area there.      I think you are correct that SP was a major force in the group that  owned and planned for its construction( in 1930's).       I can recall seeing power on the bridge from ( back then) SP, and IC also on the longer trains.  The Belt's on power, I only saw with  much smaller consists, and only a couple of times..   I would rely on someone who lives there locally to correct me.  I visited there pretty regularly in the 1970s/1980s  as I had family that lived in Jefferson.

 

[rcdrye]

The Huey P. Long Bridge (near New Orleans, there is also one near Baton Rouge) is owned by New Orleans Public Belt, so it's quite possible any of CSX, NS, UP, BNSF and CN could operate trains there, usually involving the ex-SP Avondale yard.

[Deggesty]

I always understood that the Huey P. Long Bridge was used by the SP and the T&P (now BNSF and UP), especially since I rode over it on the Louisiana Eagle and the Sunset Limited. I was unaware that the IC used it also; does the CN have switching service on the west side of the Mississippi there?

It is quite interesting to traverse the bridge when riding a train, particularly as it curves back and forth.

[samfp1943]

Overmod

As a 'half' an answer -- the Hanrahan Bridge across the Mississippi at Memphis had car lanes that were taken out of service -- but are being restored as part of a bike and foot trail project.

Pickin' 'Nits"  ! 

      The Bridge Mentioned " Hanrahan" Bridge is actually the Harahan Bridge, built around about 1914/16 at Memphis over the Mississippi River... [ It was named after a Mr. James Harahan, a President of the I.C. Railroad killed an accident while it was under  construction.}   It was jointly owned by political entities on both sides of the river: Crittenden Cnty, Ark, and Memphis, Tn.  I carried  Missouri Pacific RR, and had two  roadways, both one lane roads outboard on either side of it( rails in the center of the bridge structure.

  Interestingly, in 2012/2013 there was to be a project to rebuild the former roadways back into a walking/bicycle paths on the old existing roadways.  This bridge carries the traffic for the Union Pacific RR into Memphis to terminate at the former MPRR Sargent Yard.

 

    Also over the Mississippi, at Memphis; The "Frisco" Bridge [ originally built for the KC&M RR ( originally built about 1980( ?) and opened about 1892 or 3 was a double tracked railroad span with a wooden decking for wagon traffic. In the Eastern abutment was a 'strong room' for  protection of the toll moneys collected from foot and wagon traffic.  The remnants of that room still exist in the Eastern Bridge abutment.  Currently it carries the BNSF over the Mississippi.

 

   The Huey P Long. Bridge at New Orleans still carries traffic of the Canadian National ( nee: ICRR) over the Mississippi River, on two tracks, while the automobile traffic is carried outboard of the railroad tracks, It can be a scary experience driving over this bridge, while a train is climbing over it ,as well.  

    The River Crossing for Hwy 190 at Baton Rouge is also a rail- highway bridge.   Two railroad tracks in the center of the span and roadways outboard. 

 

 

 

 

  

 

[blue streak 1]

Scariest combined bridge ?  At Vicksburg a few weeks before I-20 bridge over Mississippi river opened was on it when an IC ( ? ) train crossed.  My driver and every one else stopped because of shaking and swaying.  Immediately after I-20 opened the toll bridge was closed.  When heard a few years ago that the RR bridge at Vicksburg almost collapsed due to underscoring thought of that experience..

Note seem to remember 2 lane widths were each a maximum of 9 ft.'

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

zugmann

The road access bridge for Three Mile Island Nuclear south of Harrisburg, PA also carries a spur line there.  Tracks are buried in the pavement, street running style.

I've seen that at other power plants and some military bases in PA, NJ, DE, VA, and MD, but it's been too many years to recall exactly which ones right now. 

gardendance's recent post about his recent sailboat trip on that thread reminded me about the Ben Franklin Bridge between Philadelphia, PA and Camden, NJ - a suspension bridge with the PATCO lines on the outboard sides.  See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin_Bridge 

Out of service for about 25 years - and demolished several years ago - was the B&O's double-deck bridge over the Allegheny River at Foxburg, PA.  It was a truss bridge with trains on the top, cars and buggies on the lower level.  That line also had a switchback a little further east. See:

http://www.historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=truss/foxburg/ 

http://thebridgehunter.areavoices.com/files/2010/10/P1010058.jpg 

- Paul North. 

[NorthWest]

Ishmael

The MacArthur still carries railroad traffic but the upper deck, for motor vehicles, has been closed for many years. 

Based on satellite images, they are removing the upper deck.

The McKinley Bridge IT approach span on the Missouri side survives as a pedestrian walkway, with catenary masts intact.

[MidlandMike]

Also in St. Louis, the Eads bridge carries both light rail and road traffic on separate decks.

[Ishmael]

To those of you who mentioned the McKinley and MacArthur bridges in St. Louis: the McKinley was built by Illinois Terminal. Trains and motor vehicles shared the same deck. This bridge has now been updated and improved and is now strictly a motor vehicle bridge.

The MacArthur still carries railroad traffic but the upper deck, for motor vehicles, has been closed for many years. 

[wanswheel]

Randy Stahl

Wasn't the Arsenal bridge in Rock island shared at one time?

Arsenal Bridge is another name for Government Bridge on page 1 of this thread. The Rock Island Arsenal (or Arsenal Island) is the original Rock Island, which became known as Government's Island to distinguish it from Rock Island City, which was named after Rock Island County, which was named after the island in the river.

http://www.iowadot.gov/autotrails/bridges.aspx?Government%20Bridge

 

[zugmann]

The road access bridge for Three Mile Island Nuclear south of Harrisburg, PA also carries a spur line there.  Tracks are buried in the pavement, street running style.

[ndbprr]

There was on in St.Louis. I think it was the McKinley with both on the same deck. I followed a caboose to East St Louis in the 80s.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

The Williamsburg Bridge and Manhattan Bridge between Manhattan and Brooklyn carry NYCTA subway routes above the roadway.

[rcdrye]

And the Bay Bridge between Oakland and San Francisco was built with tracks and roadway on the lower level, roadway alone on the upper.

[Dakguy201]

The Meridian Highway Bridge at Yankton, SD, was designed to be used by trains on the lower level with autos above.  However, it was never used by a railroad, and in the early 1950's it was changed to one way traffic on each level.

[henry6]

Similarly the former Route 1 Bridge in Bath, ME used to carry the highway on one level and the railroad on another...it is a lift bridge still in use by the Maine Eastern RR while Rt 1 is carried across on a new bridge.