Canton Viaduct
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Canton Viaduct is a
blind arcade A blind arcade or blank arcade is an arcade (a series of arches) that has no actual openings and that is applied to the surface of a wall as a decorative element: i.e., the arches are not windows or openings but are part of the masonry face. It is ...
cavity wall A cavity wall is a type of wall that has a hollow center. They can be described as consisting of two "skins" separated by a hollow space (cavity). The skins typically are masonry, such as brick or cinder block. Masonry is an absorbent material ...
railroad
viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide v ...
in
Canton, Massachusetts Canton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,370 at the 2020 census. Canton is part of Greater Boston, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of downtown Boston. Hist ...
, built in 1834–35 for the
Boston and Providence Railroad The Boston and Providence Railroad was a railroad company in the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island which connected its namesake cities. It opened in two sections in 1834 and 1835 - one of the Rail transport in the United States, first rail ...
(B&P). At its completion, it was the longest () and tallest () railroad viaduct in the world; today, it is the last surviving viaduct of its kind. It has been in continuous service for years; it now carries high-speed passenger and freight rail service. It supports a train deck about above the
Canton River The Pearl River, also known by its Chinese name Zhujiang or Zhu Jiang in Mandarin pinyin or Chu Kiang and formerly often known as the , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name "Pearl River" is also often used as a catch-al ...
, the east branch (
tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
) of the
Neponset River The Neponset River is a river in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. Its headwaters are at the Neponset Reservoir in Foxborough, near Gillette Stadium. From there, the Neponset meanders generally northeast for about to its mouth at ...
. The
stream pool A stream pool, in hydrology, is a stretch of a river or stream in which the water depth is above average and the water velocity is below average. Formation A stream pool may be bedded with sediment or armoured with gravel, and in some cases th ...
passes through six semi-circular portals in the viaduct. The viaduct was the final link built for the B&P's then mainline between Boston, Massachusetts; and
Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
. Today, the viaduct serves
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's
Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, a ...
, as well as
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...
(MBTA)
Providence/Stoughton Line The Providence/Stoughton Line is an MBTA Commuter Rail service in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, primarily serving the southwestern suburbs of Boston. Most service runs entirely on the Northeast Corridor between South Station in Boston and Prov ...
commuter trains. It sits 0.3 miles (0.5 km) south of Canton Junction, at milepost 213.74, reckoned from
Pennsylvania Station Pennsylvania Station (often abbreviated Penn Station) is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to several of its grand passenger terminals. Several are still in active use by Amtrak and other transportation services; others have been ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, and at the MBTA's milepost 15.35, reckoned from
South Station South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station, is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan In ...
in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
.


Inception

The Canton Viaduct was erected in 1835 by the B&P, one of the first New England railroads, shortly after its 1831 founding. It was designed by a
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...
Officer and
West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
graduate - Captain William Gibbs McNeill. He was assisted by engineers, Major
George Washington Whistler George Washington Whistler (May 19, 1800 – April 7, 1849) was a prominent American civil engineer best known for building steam locomotives and railroads. He is credited with introducing the steam whistle to American locomotives. In 1842, Tsa ...
(McNeill's brother-in-law), Major General
Isaac Ridgeway Trimble Isaac Ridgeway Trimble (May 15, 1802 – January 2, 1888) was a United States Army officer, a civil engineer, a prominent railroad construction superintendent and executive, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He was born in Vir ...
and Genera
William Raymond Lee
McNeill and Whistler were the uncle and father of the artist James McNeill Whistler. The viaduct was built by the Dodd & Baldwin company from Pennsylvania; the firm was established by cousins Ira Dodd and Caleb Dodd Baldwin. Around this time, Russia was interested in building railroads. Tsar Nicholas I sent workmen to draw extensive diagrams of the Canton Viaduct. He later summoned Whistler to Russia as a consulting engineer to design the Moscow–Saint Petersburg Railway, on which two viaducts were modeled after the Canton Viaduct. A scale model viaduct of similar design is on display at the Oktyabrsky Railroad Museum in St. Petersburg.


Design and construction


Classification

This Canton Viaduct is the first and possibly only viaduct to use both a
blind arcade A blind arcade or blank arcade is an arcade (a series of arches) that has no actual openings and that is applied to the surface of a wall as a decorative element: i.e., the arches are not windows or openings but are part of the masonry face. It is ...
and
cavity wall A cavity wall is a type of wall that has a hollow center. They can be described as consisting of two "skins" separated by a hollow space (cavity). The skins typically are masonry, such as brick or cinder block. Masonry is an absorbent material ...
structure. Although the deck arches appear to extend through to other side, they do not; each deck arch is only four feet deep. The deck arches support the spandrels, deck (beyond the walls), coping and parapets; they are not tied to the longitudinal walls. The only arches that extend through to the other side are six river portals and two roadway portals. The '
buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (s ...
es' are also unique in that they extend through to the other side, so they are actually
transverse Transverse may refer to: *Transverse engine, an engine in which the crankshaft is oriented side-to-side relative to the wheels of the vehicle *Transverse flute, a flute that is held horizontally * Transverse force (or ''Euler force''), the tangen ...
walls.


Materials

The Canton Viaduct contained 14,483 cubic feet (15,800
perches Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Percif ...
) of granite, which weighs approximately prior to its concrete redecking in 1993. Each stone has a
Mason's mark A mason's mark is an engraved symbol often found on dressed stone in buildings and other public structures. In stonemasonry Regulations issued in Scotland in 1598 by James VI's Master of Works, William Schaw, stated that on admission to the guil ...
to identify who cut the stone. Each course is 22" - 24" high and laid in a pattern closely resembling a
Flemish bond Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and Mortar (masonry), mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called ''Course (architecture), courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall. Bricks ...
. Exterior stone for the walls,
wing wall A wing wall (also "wingwall" or "wing-wall") is a smaller wall attached or next to a larger wall or structure. Bridges In a bridge, the wing walls are adjacent to the abutments and act as retaining walls. They are generally constructed of the same ...
abutment An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end which provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...
s, portals, deck arches, coping, parapets and the foundation stone are
riebeckite Riebeckite is a sodium-rich member of the amphibole group of silicate minerals, chemical formula Na2(Fe2+3Fe3+2)Si8O22(OH)2. It forms a solid solution series with magnesioriebeckite. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system, usually as long prisma ...
granite mined from Moyles
quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...
(a.k.a. Canton Viaduct Quarry) located on the westerly slope of Rattlesnake Hill in Sharon, Massachusetts; now part of
Borderland State Park Borderland State Park is an American history and nature preserve with public recreational features located in the towns of Easton and Sharon, Massachusetts. The state park encompasses surrounding the Ames Mansion, which was built in 1910. The ...
.


Location

The majority of the viaduct is over land (71%), while 29% is over water. In addition to the six river portals, one roadway portal was originally provided. The distance between the transverse walls at this section is wider than all the other sections of the viaduct. The overall length is with a one degree horizontal curve that creates two concentric arcs. This makes the west wall slightly shorter than the east wall producing a slight keystone shape in the cavities. Originally unnamed, it was referred to as "the stone bridge" and "the viaduct at Canton" before it was eventually named after the town. The
foundation Foundation may refer to: * Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization ** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S. ** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...
stone was laid on Sunday, April 20, 1834, with a Masonic
Builders' rites Builders' rites are ceremonies attendant on the laying of foundation stones, including ecclesiastical, masonic or other traditions connected with foundations or other aspects of construction. One such custom is that of placing a few coins, newspap ...
ceremony. Following to Masonic tradition, the foundation stone was located in the northeast corner of the structure.


Construction

The Canton Viaduct cost $93,000 to build ($ today). Construction took 15 months, 8 days from laying of the foundation stone on April 20, 1834, to completion on July 28, 1835. The first and last transverse walls (next to the wing wall abutments) are only 3 feet wide, all the other transverse walls are 5 feet, 6 inches wide. The wing wall abutments are 25 feet wide where they meet the viaduct; they are curved and stepped and were excavated by
William Otis William Smith Otis (September 20, 1813 – November 13, 1839) was an American inventor of the steam shovel. Otis received a patent for his creation on February 24, 1839. In 1839 William Smith Otis, civil engineer of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ...
using his first
steam shovel A steam shovel is a large steam-powered excavating machine designed for lifting and moving material such as rock and soil. It is the earliest type of power shovel or excavator. Steam shovels played a major role in public works in the 19th and e ...
. From the top of the wing walls to midway down, the stones are of 2' wide; from midway down to the bottom of the wing walls the stones are 4' wide. The
coping Coping refers to conscious strategies used to reduce unpleasant emotions. Coping strategies can be cognitions or behaviours and can be individual or social. Theories of coping Hundreds of coping strategies have been proposed in an attempt to ...
is supported by 42 segmental deck
arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...
es (21 on each side) that span the tops of 22 transverse walls beyond the longitudinal walls. The longitudinal walls are five feet thick with a four-foot gap between them joined with occasional tie stones. More construction details are available in the original
specifications A specification often refers to a set of documented requirements to be satisfied by a material, design, product, or service. A specification is often a type of technical standard. There are different types of technical or engineering specificati ...
. When the viaduct had a single set of tracks, the rails were placed directly over the longitudinal walls as the cavity's width is less than
standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
. When the viaduct was double tracked in 1860, the inside rails were placed directly over the longitudinal walls and the outside rails were supported by the deck arches. The viaduct was "substantially complete" in June 1835 from various accounts of horse-drawn cars passing over it during that time. The viaduct was built before the advent of construction safety equipment such as hard hats and
fall arrest Fall arrest is the form of fall protection which involves the safe stopping of a person already falling. It is one of several forms of fall protection, forms which also include fall guarding (general protection that prevents persons from enter ...
devices. Surprisingly, no deaths were recorded during the construction, but deaths have occurred at the viaduct since completion; mainly from people crossing it while trains passed in opposite directions. Charlie, the old white horse who had hauled the empty railcars back to Sharon, Massachusetts (4 miles), was placed upon the flat car and hauled across the viaduct by the workers, thus becoming the first "passenger" to cross the structure. A June 6, 1835,
article Article often refers to: * Article (grammar), a grammatical element used to indicate definiteness or indefiniteness * Article (publishing), a piece of nonfictional prose that is an independent part of a publication Article may also refer to: G ...
in the ''
Providence Journal ''The Providence Journal'', colloquially known as the ''ProJo'', is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, Rhode Island, and is the largest newspaper in Rhode Island. The newspaper was first published in 1829. The newspape ...
'' describes it. As reported by the ''Boston Advertiser'' and the ''Providence Journal'', "Whistler" was the first engine to pass over the entire length of the road. Aside from seasonal vegetation control and occasional graffiti removal, the viaduct requires no regular maintenance other than periodic bridge inspections from Amtrak.


Dedication Stone

The
capstone CAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) is a lunar orbiter that will test and verify the calculated orbital stability planned for the Lunar Gateway space station. The spacecraft is a 12- ...
was laid in the south end of the west
parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...
. This stone sat atop the Dedication Stone and it was the last stone to be laid in the viaduct. The Dedication Stone is actually two stones now held together with two iron straps on each end. The overall dimensions are approximately 60" long × 36" high × 18" wide, and it weighs approximately 3,780 lbs. The Dedication Stone was originally topped with a 63" long × 8" high × 24" wide capstone with double
bevel A bevelled edge (UK) or beveled edge (US) is an edge of a structure that is not perpendicular to the faces of the piece. The words bevel and chamfer overlap in usage; in general usage they are often interchanged, while in technical usage they ...
ed edges, creating an irregular hexagonal profile. Due to its breaking in 1860, the Dedication Stone is about 1" shorter today than its original height. The damage obscured two directors' names, W. W. Woolsey and P. T. Jackson. Woolsey was also a Director of the Boston & Providence Railroad & Transportation Co.
B&P RR&T Co.
in Rhode Island (incorporated May 10, 1834) which owned the Rhode Island portion of the Boston and Providence rail line. The B&P RR&T Co. merged with the B&P on June 1, 1853.


Railroad track

During the 1993 deck renovation, two 18-inch-deep troughs were discovered recessed into the granite deck stones running the entire length of the viaduct and spaced at
standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
width ( inches). The troughs contained longitudinal baulks and were part of the original construction. The baulks supported the rails without the need for transoms as the gauge was maintained by the longitudinal troughs. This is the only known instance of transomless baulks recessed in granite slabs; the original tracks before and after the viaduct used baulks making the B&P originally a baulk railroad. A 1910 photo taken atop the viaduct shows dirt between the cross ties and tracks, so this material may have been used before traditional gravel ballast. Baulks were used to support strap rails or bridge rail. These early rails would have been replaced with flanged T-rails by 1840. These photosCanton Historical Society: Canton Junction
/ref> show baulks at Canton Junction in 1871. An 1829 report from the Massachusetts Board of Directors of
Internal Improvements Internal improvements is the term used historically in the United States for public works from the end of the American Revolution through much of the 19th century, mainly for the creation of a transportation infrastructure: roads, turnpikes, canal ...
describes how the railroad from Boston to Providence was to be built. The report states, "It consists of one pair of tracks composed of long blocks of granite, about one foot square, resting upon a foundation wall extending to the depth of ' below the surface of the ground, and 2' wide at the bottom". The report also calls for using horse-drawn wagons and carriages at 3 MPH on the rail line, not steam locomotives.


Construction sequence

The Canton Viaduct was constructed in the following sequence: ;Planning *Design and specifications ;Preconstruction *Site preparation, mobilization, surveying, excavation (using timber piling), river diversion (using
cofferdam A cofferdam is an enclosure built within a body of water to allow the enclosed area to be pumped out. This pumping creates a dry working environment so that the work can be carried out safely. Cofferdams are commonly used for construction or re ...
s) ;Construction *Wing wall abutments - foundations and walls (using
scaffolding Scaffolding, also called scaffold or staging, is a temporary structure used to support a work crew and materials to aid in the construction, maintenance and repair of buildings, bridges and all other man-made structures. Scaffolds are widely use ...
) *Temporary train platforms and embankment staircases at abutments *Walls: **Foundations - the Foundation Stone was the first stone to be laid on April 20, 1834 (northeast corner) with Masonic
Builders' rites Builders' rites are ceremonies attendant on the laying of foundation stones, including ecclesiastical, masonic or other traditions connected with foundations or other aspects of construction. One such custom is that of placing a few coins, newspap ...
ceremony **Walls and portals (using
falsework Falsework consists of temporary structures used in construction to support a permanent structure until its construction is sufficiently advanced to support itself. For arches, this is specifically called centering. Falsework includes temporary su ...
) **Deck arches (using falsework) **
Spandrel A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame; between the tops of two adjacent arches or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fill ...
s **Cavity slabs **Deck slabs (with longitudinal troughs) and coping **Parapets - the capstone was the final stone to be laid at the southwest end with Masonic ceremony ;Post Construction *Track installation - baulks, rail and ballast - the first "passenger" was Charlie, the workhorse *Site cleanup and demobilization *Opening ceremony - July 28, 1835. The first train, "Whistler" passed over the Canton Viaduct at approximately 5:00 PM local
solar time Solar time is a calculation of the passage of time based on the position of the Sun in the sky. The fundamental unit of solar time is the day, based on the synodic rotation period. Two types of solar time are apparent solar time (sundial ti ...
.


Waterway

Spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...
Dam at Neponset Street, also known as Canton Viaduct Falls, impounds Mill Pond. It is a
weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
or low head dam that is owned by the MBTA. The 16' high by 90' long granite dam was built in 1900; as of 2009, it averages annual discharge. Water power was supplied to nearby businesses via
water wheel A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with a number of blades or buckets ...
from the canal starting at the waterfall's enclosed
plunge pool A plunge pool (or plunge basin or waterfall lake) is a deep depression in a stream bed at the base of a waterfall or Shut-in (river), shut-in. It is created by the erosion, erosional forces of cascading water on the rocks at formation's base wher ...
and continuing about 200' under the Neponset St. bridge. There were also two channels located between the viaduct and the waterfall (one on each side) referred to as
sluice Sluice ( ) is a word for a channel controlled at its head by a movable gate which is called a sluice gate. A sluice gate is traditionally a wood or metal barrier sliding in grooves that are set in the sides of the waterway and can be considered ...
s,
headrace A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with a number of blades or buckets ...
s and
flume A flume is a human-made channel for water, in the form of an open declined gravity chute whose walls are raised above the surrounding terrain, in contrast to a trench or ditch. Flumes are not to be confused with aqueducts, which are built to tr ...
s in various maps. They were filled in sometime after 1937 (U.S. Army Corps of Engineer
National Inventory of Dams
No. MA03106).


Ownership

*1834–1888,
Boston & Providence Railroad The Boston and Providence Railroad was a railroad company in the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island which connected its namesake cities. It opened in two sections in 1834 and 1835 - one of the first rail lines in the United States - with a ...
Corp. *1888–1893,
Old Colony Railroad The Old Colony Railroad (OC) was a major railroad system, mainly covering southeastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island, which operated from 1845 to 1893. Old Colony trains ran from Boston to points such as Plymouth, Fall River, ...
Co. *1893–1969,
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of ...
Co. *1969–1973,
Penn Central Transportation Company The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania, New York Central and the ...
*1973–present,
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...


Critical infrastructure

*World War I - A detachment of the 9th Regiment National Guard arrived in April 1917 to guard the viaduct from sabotage, via sentry duty. *World War II - Canton's Civil Defense Corps and railroad employees guarded the viaduct against sabotage since the train line is part of the direct link between Boston and New York City. The structure is a critical transportation link between the two cities and had extra protection as a result. *War on Terrorism - Shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 the Canton Viaduct was guarded by various security entities until the U.S. threat level decreased. In a letter to Canton's Board of Selectmen on February 27, 2002, former Police Chief Peter Bright noted that
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is the agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that coordinates federal, state, local, and private resources throughout the Commonwealth during times of disasters and emergencies. It is headq ...
training for worst-case situations highlights the destruction of the Canton Viaduct for its disruption of the national railroad system; the Federal Government also considers the viaduct a high-risk target.


Recognition

*The Canton Viaduct was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1984. *The viaduct has been designated a
National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark __NOTOC__ The following is a list of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks as designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers since it began the program in 1964. The designation is granted to projects, structures, and sites in the United State ...
in 1998 by the
American Society of Civil Engineers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
.


Current status

In June 2004 the town of Canton developed a Master Plan that identifies what should be preserved and enhanced to meet evolving needs and improve the quality of life.


Gallery

image:Canton Viaduct Wing Wall.PNG, Canton Viaduct curved, stepped
wing wall A wing wall (also "wingwall" or "wing-wall") is a smaller wall attached or next to a larger wall or structure. Bridges In a bridge, the wing walls are adjacent to the abutments and act as retaining walls. They are generally constructed of the same ...
abutment An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end which provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...
at the north end, west side; the Dedication Stone can be seen (above) in its former location. File:Canton Viaduct Deck.JPG, Canton Viaduct
coping Coping refers to conscious strategies used to reduce unpleasant emotions. Coping strategies can be cognitions or behaviours and can be individual or social. Theories of coping Hundreds of coping strategies have been proposed in an attempt to ...
- A row of granite coping can be seen projecting 6" beyond the wall between the granite deck
arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...
es and the new concrete deck.


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Norfolk County, Massachusetts This is a list of properties and historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, other than those within the city of Quincy and the towns of Brookline and Milton. Norfolk County contains mo ...
*
List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Massachusetts __NOTOC__ This is a list of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Bridges References External links {{HAER list, structure=bridge *List *List Massachusetts Massachusetts ...
*
List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts This is a list of bridges and tunnels on the National Register of Historic Places in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. References {{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Bridges Massachusetts Bridges Bridges A bridg ...


Footnotes


Further reading

*Galvin, Edward, D. (1987).
A History Of Canton Junction
'. Brunswick: Sculpin Publications. *Fisher, Charles, E. (1917).
A Little Story Of The Boston And Providence Railroad Company
'. *Herrin, Dean, A. (2002). ''America Transformed: Engineering And Technology In The Nineteenth Century: Selections From The Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service''. Reston: American Society of Civil Engineers. *Cook, Richard, J. (1987). ''The Beauty Of Railroad Bridges: In North America - Then And Now''. San Marino: Golden West Books. *Cleary, Richard, L. (2007). ''Bridges''. W.W. Norton & Co. *Cramb, Ian. (2006), ''The Art Of The Stone Mason''. Chambersburg: Hood & Co. *Canton Bicentennial Historical Committee. (1997),

'. Canton: The Town of Canton *Comeau, George, T. (2009). ''Canton - Postcard History Series''. Mount Pleasant: Arcadia Publishing. *Cox, Terry. (2003). ''Collectible Stocks And Bonds From North American Railroads: Guide With Prices''. Arvada: TCox & Associates. *Boothroy, Stephen, J. (2002). ''Down At The Station: Rail Lines Of Southern New England In Early Postcards''. Cranberry Junction. *Jackson, Donald, C. (1988). ''Great American Bridges And Dams''. Wiley. *Barber, John, W. (1844). ''Historical Collections, Being A General Collection Of Interesting Facts, Traditions, Biographical Sketches, etc., Relating To The History And Antiquities Of Every Town In Massachusetts, With Geographical Descriptions, Illustrated By 200 Engravings''. Heritage Books. *DeLony, Eric. (1993). ''Landmark American Bridges.'' Little Brown and Company. *Middleton, William, D. (1999). ''Landmarks On The Iron Road: Two Centuries OF North American Railroad Engineering''. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. *Kirkland, Edward C. (1948).
Men, Cities And Transportation - A Study In New England History 1820–1900 Volumes I-II
'. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. *National Park Service. (1995). ''National Register Of Historic Places 1966 To 1994''. Wiley. *Solomon, Brian. (2008). ''North American Railroad Bridges''. Voyageur Press. *Adams, Charles, F. (1878). ''Railroads: Their Origin And Problems''. Ayer Co. Publishing. *Harlow, Alvin, F. (1946).
Steelways Of New England
'. New York: Creative Age Press, Inc. *Rogers, Robert. (1952). *Middleton, William D. "They're Still There: High Speed Rail's 1835 Underpinning," ''American Heritage of Invention and Technology,'' Spring 2001 Volume 16, Issue 4, pp 52–55 *Parry, Albert. (1938). ''Whistler's Father''. Foster Press.


External links

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USDOT The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States and ...
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USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...
GNIS The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...
Feature ID: * USNGS Permanent ID: MY0489 {{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Bridges completed in 1835 Blind arcade cavity wall bridges Railroad bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Bridges over the Neponset River Buildings and structures in Canton, Massachusetts Bridges in Norfolk County, Massachusetts CSX Transportation bridges Dams in Massachusetts Deck arch bridges in the United States Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks Landmarks in Canton, Massachusetts Masonic memorials MBTA Commuter Rail Monuments and memorials in Massachusetts New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad bridges Old Colony Railroad Penn Central Transportation Railroad bridges in Massachusetts Stone bridges in the United States Time capsules Viaducts in the United States Parks in Norfolk County, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Norfolk County, Massachusetts Articles containing video clips Concrete bridges in the United States Brick bridges in the United States