Bird's eye view of Rockville Bridge near Harrisburg Pa....

[dwil89]

A couple of us decided to hike up to a scenic overlook of the NS Rockville Bridge on Easter Sunday. The result is shown here: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=141429

[blhanel]

Fantastic shot, David![8D][bow][tup][wow]

[fifedog]

Easter Sunday railfanning? So, was this your version of the SERMON ON THE MOUNT?[(-D]

[dwil89]

QUOTE: Originally posted by fifedog

Easter Sunday railfanning? So, was this your version of the SERMON ON THE MOUNT?[(-D]

I guess that would be another way of looking at it....

[spbed]

That was one terrific shot IMHO. Thanks[:p]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dwil89

A couple of us decided to hike up to a scenic overlook of the NS Rockville Bridge on Easter Sunday. The result is shown here: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=141429

[dwil89]

It was about a mile and a half hike in on an old footpath that runs along the top of the Mountain....A road leads up to the top of the mountain, where then one has to hike about a mile to a mile and a half to get to the overlook.The shot requires positioning oneself on a steep slope about 40 yards down from the summit....

[motor]

In 1995 I watched a long TOFC train head westbound over the Rockville Bridge - from underneath on the east shore, right there on US 22/322. I was headed to Penn State and I saw the train and pulled over to watch.

motor

[dwil89]

QUOTE: Originally posted by motor

In 1995 I watched a long TOFC train head westbound over the Rockville Bridge - from underneath on the east shore, right there on US 22/322. I was headed to Penn State and I saw the train and pulled over to watch.

motor

Yes, and 4 Lane 22/322 is out of view below the bottom of the pic.....The road visible near the shoreline is Front Street.

[Anonymous]

The Bridge pilons off to the right of the new Bridge,where did that Bridge go?
Allan.

[Anonymous]

To the opposite, i.e., the west shore of the
Susquehanna. [:)]

Dave

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSFrailfan

The Bridge pilons off to the right of the new Bridge,where did that Bridge go?
Allan.

[dwil89]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSFrailfan

The Bridge pilons off to the right of the new Bridge,where did that Bridge go?
Allan.

The original bridge was a single track wooden structure, replaced by an iron double track bridge, The third bridge was completed in 1902 and is what you see today..those pilons or piers were from the previous structure.

[dwil89]

Here is an old pic from the late 1800's of the old Iron Bridge on those very supports you mention. http://www.explorepahistory.com/displayimage.php?imgId=1605

[Modelcar]

Dave, you created a great shot of the famous bridge....and a comment on the pylons to the right side of the bridge....From the history of that area I believe those are left over from the bridge under construction that would have carried Vanderbuilts South Penn RR over the Susquehanna. The railroad was never finished. Construction stopped in 1885. In general, the original portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was built along and near it's surveyed route 50 plus years later.

[dwil89]

Here is a link to a site with pics of the Bridge and river during a major flood in 2004 as a result of flooding rains from a series of tropical storms that affected Pennsylvania http://jim-frizzell.com/prr_rockville_flood_2004.htm

[Modelcar]

...Well, I must be off by about a mile or so....Your pic of the old bridge shows that one was finished. Do you know which way the one I speak of would be Dave...North or south...?

[dwil89]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

Dave, you created a great shot of the famous bridge....and a comment on the pylons to the right side of the bridge....From the history of that area I believe those are left over from the bridge under construction that would have carried Vanderbuilts South Penn RR over the Susquehanna. The railroad was never finished. Construction stopped in 1885. In general, the original portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was built along and near it's surveyed route 50 plus years later.

Modelcar....You might have been typing your note while I was posting the answer to the pylons question....the pylons were from the earlier Rockville Bridges...The one you see today is the third Rockville Bridge...There are also pylons in the river further North toward Dauphin, where you can see a miniature Statue of Liberty sitting on one of them..those might be what you are thinking of...

[Modelcar]

Dave....Looking at some of the 2004 photos the bridge appears to have 2 tracks and you recent photo seems to show 3 tracks.....Comment...?

[Modelcar]

....And yes your answer came up posted while I was typing the South Penn info and question....Thanks. Sure is a bunch of great photos of the massive bridge.

[dwil89]

It has three tracks on either end but narrows to two in the center....

[Modelcar]

...Yes, I see that now....Telephoto shot made it look different. {The one in RailPictures looking down straight across the bridge}.

[dwil89]

Actually, on the zoom shots from the Flood pics showing trains coming onto the West end of the bridge, the center and right hand tracks are Mainline, the track curving lo the left is heading for Enola Yard...

[Anonymous]

I found this website on the South Penn RR:

http://www.southpennrailroad.com/

Check the 1884 report.

Also,

http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/DAM/rg/rg29.htm

A few of the piers still exist and can be seen from
the Lemoyne (west) side of the river, directly
across from Harrisburg.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=138889

Dave

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

Dave, you created a great shot of the famous bridge....and a comment on the pylons to the right side of the bridge....From the history of that area I believe those are left over from the bridge under construction that would have carried Vanderbuilts South Penn RR over the Susquehanna. The railroad was never finished. Construction stopped in 1885. In general, the original portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was built along and near it's surveyed route 50 plus years later.

[Modelcar]

...I've been up the west side of the river there but it's been many years ago....Perhaps 25 or so years ago....Enjoyed my run up through that area....Believe on that trip we headed to Lock Haven to visit an uncle there in Flemington.

[dwil89]

What railroad went over the Bridge up near current day CPBANKS?the location where currently, there is a miniature Statue of Liberty on one of the piers... Was that Philadephia and Columbia???Northern Central???

[Anonymous]

Northern Central, Dave.

QUOTE: Originally posted by dwil89

What railroad went over the Bridge up near current day CPBANKS?the location where currently, there is a miniature Statue of Liberty on one of the piers... Was that Philadephia and Columbia???Northern Central???

[dwil89]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dsktc

Northern Central, Dave.

QUOTE: Originally posted by dwil89

What railroad went over the Bridge up near current day CPBANKS?the location where currently, there is a miniature Statue of Liberty on one of the piers... Was that Philadephia and Columbia???Northern Central???

Thanks...that Northern Central Bridge pylon location is a few miles North of the Rockville Bridge toward the Dauphin-Duncannon area.....The South Penn Railroad referred to was down the other direction, around the Harrisburg area....

[Modelcar]

Dave, it's been too long since I've been in the area but the South Penn RR ROW passed over the river in that area and I have seen pic's of still remaining pylons in place of that effort of building that bridge...{never finished}...of course from this point I can't be certain that is the one you are referring to.
The history of the South Penn has always held an interest to me and I've been to the remaining ROW locations at various places.
The web site of dsktc {above}, is an interesting one....Have been to some of the locations pictured in that site including the locations as it made it's way up to the Laurel Hill tunnel.

[southpennrailroad]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

Dave, you created a great shot of the famous bridge....and a comment on the pylons to the right side of the bridge....From the history of that area I believe those are left over from the bridge under construction that would have carried Vanderbuilts South Penn RR over the Susquehanna. The railroad was never finished. Construction stopped in 1885. In general, the original portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was built along and near it's surveyed route 50 plus years later.

[southpennrailroad]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

Dave, you created a great shot of the famous bridge....and a comment on the pylons to the right side of the bridge....From the history of that area I believe those are left over from the bridge under construction that would have carried Vanderbuilts South Penn RR over the Susquehanna. The railroad was never finished. Construction stopped in 1885. In general, the original portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was built along and near it's surveyed route 50 plus years later.

Dave I am the web master of the South Pennsylvania Railroad page. southpennrailroad.com Thanks for the view of the Vanderbilt bridge begun in 1883 and all the piers existed until the now Reading /CSX bridge was built. e-mail me for a panaramic view of this site which extends from the left Rockville to Reading bridge right. I have over 3,700 documents of the right of way which includes the culverts, cuts, fills, quarries, offices which one was located right in Harrisburg and was located at 125 Washington street just around the corner from the bridge piers.[:)] The research reveals that the turnpike only used 20 miles and the rest is still viewable. gotto: southpennrailroad.com for just a taste of the route including maps and more. Thanks Russ.

[southpennrailroad]

The South Pennsylvania Railroad was incomplete. However you might be interested in learning that they had done a survey just to the north of this PRR Rockville bridge. That aligment was called the Perry County alignment. It was to pass through Marysville traveling west into Fishing Creek Valley to eventually pass around ad through Landisburg, Shermandale and Germantown in te west sections of Perry County They wuld have built a tunnel just up the side of the Tuscarora Mountain west of Germantown to get them to passs into Horse Valley to Concord Gap on highway 75 and down the backside of the Tuscarora Mountain to reach Burnt Cabins. Tat is where the present grade is found to this day. This alignment would have eliminated the BLUE, KITTATINNY and the present TUSCARORA mountain tunnels. Thats your history lesson for this day.[2c]