Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, Bridge at West Falls

Bridge in Pennsylvania, USA
40°00′23″N 75°11′33″W / 40.00639°N 75.19250°W / 40.00639; -75.19250 (Bridge at West Falls)CarriesCSX Trenton SubdivisionCrossesKelly Drive, Schuylkill River, and Martin Luther King Drive (formerly West River Drive)LocalePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, USACharacteristicsDesignArch bridgeMaterialStoneWidthtwo tracksLongest span92.8 feet (28.3 m)No. of spans9Piers in water6HistoryConstruction end1890LocationMap

The Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, Bridge at West Falls is a stone and iron plate girder bridge that is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It carries two CSX Trenton Subdivision tracks over Kelly Drive, Schuylkill River, and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive (formerly West River Drive).

History and notable features

This was built in 1890 by the Reading Railroad, and forms a "Y" junction with the adjacent Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, Schuylkill River Viaduct (1854).[1][2][3]

The bridge consists of an 80-foot (24 m) stone arch over Kelly Drive and eight plate-girder spans that follow a 6-degree curve.

See also

Gallery

  • Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Bridge, West Falls, looking upstream from Kelly Drive
    Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Bridge, West Falls, looking upstream from Kelly Drive

References

  1. ^ "The Nolan Brothers: Reading's Great Railroad and Bridge Building Firm." Reading, Pennsylvania: The Daily Times and Dispatch, November 16, 1891, p. 11 (subscription required).
  2. ^ "The Great Conewago Bridge." Lancaster, Pennsylvania: The New Era, October 1, 1892, p. 7 (subscription required).
  3. ^ "What M'Leod Did for the Reading." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 30, 1893, p. 7 (subscription required).

External links

Crossings of the Schuylkill River
Upstream
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, Schuylkill River Viaduct
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, Bridge at West Falls
Downstream
Strawberry Mansion Bridge