B&O Railroad Bridge
Encyclopedia
B&O Railroad Bridge is a 1910 swing bridge
in the Grays Ferry neighborhood in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
that carries CSX Philadelphia Subdivision rail lines over the Schuylkill River
. It is located upstream from the Passyunk Avenue Bridge
. It is also known as CSXT's Schuylkill River Bridge.
's extension to Philadelphia (now the CSX Philadelphia Sub). The original bridge was a four-span iron through truss bridge
with a center swing span for the passage of river traffic. The B&O replaced it with the current bridge, a three-span through truss bridge with center swing span, in 1910. The rebuilding was done by the American Bridge Company
. During the process, a tugboat passing the bridge grounded on the riverbank and had to be freed by a B&O locomotive. The bridge was struck by the tugboat Radnor, hauling a barge loaded with oleum
, on March 12, 1924.
The bridge was originally protected by a mechanical interlocking, which was revised in 1914. It was replaced in 1946 with an electrical interlocking, which also controlled the nearby junction with the Reading Company
at Eastwick
.
, then owner of the bridge, did engineering studies of the swing bridge mechanisms, and determined that extensive rehabilitation was needed. However, the project was placed on hold for decades, and, despite associated FRA
violations and operational difficulties, was not revived by successor CSX Transportation
until late 2003. Completion was planned for May, 2004. There were issues with rail traffic, controlled by CSX, and river traffic, with the US Coast Guard concerned with the fact that during construction the bridge cannot be opened.
The rehabilitation was completed on time in May 2004, including extensive work on the miter rails, which are mechanisms allowing for disconnecting the steel rails when the bridge is opened, and reconnecting the rails when the bridge is returned to rail traffic.
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
in the Grays Ferry neighborhood in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
that carries CSX Philadelphia Subdivision rail lines over the Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
. It is located upstream from the Passyunk Avenue Bridge
Passyunk Avenue Bridge
The Passyunk Avenue Bridge is a double leaf bascule bridge spanning the Schuylkill River between the Grays Ferry section of Philadelphia and Southwest Philadelphia.The current bridge was completed in 1983...
. It is also known as CSXT's Schuylkill River Bridge.
Construction and history
The original bridge at this site was opened on July 11, 1886, when freight service began on the Baltimore and Ohio RailroadBaltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
's extension to Philadelphia (now the CSX Philadelphia Sub). The original bridge was a four-span iron through truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
with a center swing span for the passage of river traffic. The B&O replaced it with the current bridge, a three-span through truss bridge with center swing span, in 1910. The rebuilding was done by the American Bridge Company
American Bridge Company
The American Bridge Company is a privately held civil engineering firm specializing in the construction and renovation of bridges and other large civil engineering projects, founded in 1900, and headquartered in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh.-Products and industry positioning:The...
. During the process, a tugboat passing the bridge grounded on the riverbank and had to be freed by a B&O locomotive. The bridge was struck by the tugboat Radnor, hauling a barge loaded with oleum
Oleum
Oleum , or fuming sulfuric acid refers to a solution of various compositions of sulfur trioxide in sulfuric acid or sometimes more specifically to disulfuric acid ....
, on March 12, 1924.
The bridge was originally protected by a mechanical interlocking, which was revised in 1914. It was replaced in 1946 with an electrical interlocking, which also controlled the nearby junction with the Reading Company
Reading Company
The Reading Company , usually called the Reading Railroad, officially the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states...
at Eastwick
Eastwick, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Eastwick is a neighborhood in the Southwest section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the southwesternmost neighborhood in the city, bordering Philadelphia International Airport and the city line with Delaware County, Pennsylvania at Cobbs Creek and Darby Creek. The Elmwood Park...
.
Modern rehabilitation
In 1977, the Chessie SystemChessie System
Chessie System, Inc. was a holding company that owned the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway , the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad , the Western Maryland Railway , and several smaller carriers. It was incorporated in Virginia on February 26, 1973, and it acquired the C&O on June 15...
, then owner of the bridge, did engineering studies of the swing bridge mechanisms, and determined that extensive rehabilitation was needed. However, the project was placed on hold for decades, and, despite associated FRA
Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation. The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966...
violations and operational difficulties, was not revived by successor CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
until late 2003. Completion was planned for May, 2004. There were issues with rail traffic, controlled by CSX, and river traffic, with the US Coast Guard concerned with the fact that during construction the bridge cannot be opened.
The rehabilitation was completed on time in May 2004, including extensive work on the miter rails, which are mechanisms allowing for disconnecting the steel rails when the bridge is opened, and reconnecting the rails when the bridge is returned to rail traffic.