The Canalside Rail Trail Bridge (also known as the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (Turners Falls Branch) Bridge) is a former
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (Turner Falls Branch) rail bridge across the
Connecticut River between
Deerfield and
Montague,
Massachusetts
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. The bridge (Massachusetts numbers: D06033/M28019) is on the Massachusetts Historic Bridge Inventory as a "Historic Metal Truss Bridge", currently the sixth oldest metal
truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...
on the state-wide historic registry. The
Canalside Rail Trail
The Canalside Rail Trail is a trail, partially on old railroad beds, from East Deerfield to Turners Falls in Montague, Massachusetts, USA. A short portion of the trail runs along town streets, but the majority is on a paved trail from which mot ...
, completed in Spring 2008, incorporates this bridge.
History and construction of the bridge
Originally built in 1880 by Keystone Bridge Co.,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
, two of its three spans were knocked off their piers by the floating
Montague City Covered Bridge during the 1936 flood.
Subsequently, those spans were rebuilt and replaced in 1936 by the Phoenix Bridge Company,
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
Phoenixville is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northwest of Philadelphia at the junction of French Creek and the Schuylkill River. It is in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The population is 18,616 ...
. The remaining span of the original bridge is the oldest surviving span across the Connecticut River. The older span is a
Whipple truss design. The newer spans use a modified
Warren truss
Warren Errol Truss, (born 8 October 1948) is a former Australian politician who served as the 16th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development in the Abbott Government and the Turnbull Governm ...
design (vertical truss members are added to the traditional form of a Warren truss).
The bridge was refurbished in 2006 to be part of the new
Canalside Rail Trail
The Canalside Rail Trail is a trail, partially on old railroad beds, from East Deerfield to Turners Falls in Montague, Massachusetts, USA. A short portion of the trail runs along town streets, but the majority is on a paved trail from which mot ...
. However, though the bridge can now be used, the refurbishing is not complete as of July 2007. The western
pier
Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century.">England.html" ;"title="Brighton, England">Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th ...
has some stones out of place and some stones fallen off. There is currently work going on to fix this issue.
Image gallery
Image:IMG 3960 looking along the newly refurbished bridge.jpg, Looking west along the length of the bridge from the eastern end, you can see the newly constructed wooden bridge deck and the safety railings.
Image:IMG 3963 Phoenix Bridge Co. plate.jpg, This image shows the plate bolted to the western end of the first of the "new" spans put up in 1936.
Image:IMG 3971 Keystone Bridge Co plate.jpg, This image shows the plate put up by the Keystone Bridge Company on the one span of the bridge which is circa 1880.
Image:IMG 3978 bridge piers.jpg, This image shows the bridge piers, including some of the lesser damage sustained by the western pier.
Image:IMG 3980 temp road.jpg, Here is the temporary road being built so that repairs can be made to the western pier.
Image:IMG 3986 underside of the bridge.jpg, Underside of the rail bridge, showing the main deck supports
Image:IMG 3948 New York, New Hampshire, and Hartford rail bridge.jpg, The oldest span of the three, from the north
See also
*
List of crossings of the Connecticut River
This is a list of bridges and other crossings of the Connecticut River from its mouth at Long Island Sound upstream to its source at the Connecticut Lakes. The list includes current road and rail crossings, as well as ferries carrying a state hig ...
Notes
References
External links
University of New Hampshire Library topographical image circa 1894
{{Connecticut River
Bridges completed in 1880
Bridges in Franklin County, Massachusetts
Bridges over the Connecticut River
Montague, Massachusetts
Pedestrian bridges in Massachusetts
Rail trail bridges in the United States
Railroad bridges in Massachusetts
Iron bridges in the United States
Pratt truss bridges in the United States
Warren truss bridges in the United States