Schuylkill Arsenal Railroad Bridge is a wrought iron, two-track, deck truss swing bridge across the Schuylkill River between the University City and Grays Ferry neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1] It was built in 1885–86 by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Today, its swing span has been fixed shut, and the electrical catenary de-energized.
Schuylkill Arsenal Railroad Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Schuylkill Arsenal Railroad Bridge, looking east from upstream | |
| Coordinates | 39°56′36″N 75°11′30″W / 39.94333°N 75.19167°W |
| Carries | CSX Harrisburg Subdivision |
| Crosses | CSX tracks, Schuylkill River, Schuylkill Expressway |
| Locale | Grays Ferry neighborhood, eastern approach, University City neighborhood (western approach) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Other name(s) | Arsenal Railroad Bridge, Arsenal Bridge |
| Owner | CSX Transportation |
| Preceded by | 1862 single track |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | deck truss spans |
| Material | Wrought iron |
| Total length | 832 feet |
| Longest span | 192 feet |
| No. of spans | 9 |
| Piers in water | 3 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | open |
| Location | |
 | |
The bridge is named for the Schuylkill Arsenal, which operated from 1799 to 1926 near the bridge's eastern approaches.[2] Its western approach runs past the University of Pennsylvania's Meiklejohn Stadium.[3]
In January 2014, a CSX train carrying crude oil derailed on the bridge.[4]
Original bridge
editThe 1886 bridge replaced the original Arsenal Bridge, which was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1861 and put in operation on January 27, 1862,[5] as part of the Delaware Extension. It carried a single track over three wrought-iron spans on stone piers and a central center-pivot swing span.[6]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Messer, David W. (2000). Triumph III: Philadelphia Terminal, 1838–2000. Barnard, Roberts and Co. pp. 293–294. ISBN 978-0-934118-25-5.
- ^ "historical lewis and clark vasco at l3-lewisandclark.com". Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- ^ "Meiklejohn Stadium". University of Pennsylvania. 2004-07-01. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
- ^ Bunch, Will (January 21, 2014). "Crude-oil tankers go off the rails above Schuylkill". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
- ^ Triumph III: Philadelphia Terminal, 1838–2000. p. 286.
- ^ Triumph III: Philadelphia Terminal, 1838–2000. p. 293.