The Moodna Viaduct is an iron railroad
trestle spanning
Moodna Creek
Moodna Creek is a small tributary of the Hudson River that drains eastern Orange County, New York. At 15.5 miles (25 km)Nolan, J. Kelly; April 2004; ; Hudson Basin River Watch; retrieved June 29, 2007. in length from its source at ...
and its valley at the north end of
Schunemunk Mountain
Schunemunk Mountain (also spelled Schunnemunk) is the highest mountain in Orange County, New York. The summit is located in the town of Blooming Grove, with other portions in Cornwall and Woodbury. The community of Mountain Lodge Park is bu ...
in
Cornwall, New York, near the village of
Salisbury Mills.
Significance
The bridge was constructed between 1906 and 1909 by the
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Er ...
as part of its
Graham Line freight bypass, and was opened for service in January 1909. The trestle spans the valley for 3,200 feet (975 m) and is 193 feet (59 m) high at its highest point, making it the second-highest and -longest railroad trestle east of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...
(after the 1889 Poughkeepsie Bridge of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, which is long and high). Apart from the valley below, the viaduct crosses two roads (Otterkill Rd. and Orrs Mills Rd.), the Moodna Creek, and the Erie Railroad's now-abandoned
Newburgh Branch
The Erie Railroad Newburgh Branch is a mostly abandoned branch line that travels across the center of Orange County, New York. It survives as the CSX Vails Gate Spur between Newburgh and Vails Gate, but is abandoned between Vails Gate and the end ...
. The open design of the trestle was used to reduce
wind resistance and is a major reason why the trestle is still in service today.
Current use
The
viaduct carries
Metro-North
Metro-North Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, is a suburban commuter rail service run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a public authority of the U.S. state of New York and under contract with the Connectic ...
's
Port Jervis commuter line and
Norfolk Southern
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31, ...
freight trains. The Metro-North
Salisbury Mills–Cornwall station sits near the north end of the viaduct. In summer 2007,
timber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...
replacement on the viaduct caused delays on the line due to slow orders placed on it, and required that service be halted during weekend days. Repairs were made to several of the concrete piers in October 2009, but traffic remained uninterrupted.
It is also a tourist attraction for the small town of Salisbury Mills. Two major roads cross under it, the major one is Orange County Route 94. The viaduct creates a spectacular landscape when viewed from the corner of Orrs Mills Road and Jackson Avenue outside of town, frequently photographed during fall foliage season.
The Moodna Viaduct appears as a prominent feature in the 2007 film ''
Michael Clayton
''Michael Clayton'' is a 2007 American legal thriller film written and directed by Tony Gilroy in his feature directorial debut and starring George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, and Sydney Pollack. Clooney plays lawyer Michael Clayton ...
'' and in the 2020 film ''
The Half of It
''The Half of It'' is a 2020 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Alice Wu. It stars Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, and Alexxis Lemire, with Enrique Murciano, Wolfgang Novogratz, Catherine Curtin, Becky Ann Baker, an ...
''.
Gallery
Image:Moodna_viaduct_across.jpg, View point across the length of the Moodna Viaduct from one of the ends.
Image:View from Moodna Viaduct.jpg, View from Moodna Viaduct looking east.
Image:Jack Boucher, photographer, April 1971. GENERAL VIEW OF BRIDGE. - Erie Railway, Moodna Creek Viaduct HAER NY,36-SALMI.V,1-1 (cut).jpg, View of the Moodna Viaduct in 1971.
See also
*
*
List of Erie Railroad structures documented by the Historic American Engineering Record
References
External links
*
*. Video taken from a train crossing the viaduct.
*. Video taken August 2007 showing the span.
*{{YouTube, bCadDj_B7_0, Moodna Viaduct Filmed with a UAV . Drone footage of the Moodna Viaduct.
Railroad bridges in New York (state)
Tourist attractions in Orange County, New York
Cornwall, New York
Bridges completed in 1909
Erie Railroad bridges
Historic American Engineering Record in New York (state)
Metro-North Railroad
Norfolk Southern Railway bridges
Trestle bridges in the United States
Iron bridges in the United States
Bridges in Orange County, New York