Southern Railway Bridges

nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Thu Nov 3 23:05:07 EST 2005


Two more bridges on the CNO&TP may take honors for being the highest on the
NS system. First, the Kentucky River bridge north of Danville. I don't
recall it's exact height (in excess of 200') but it'd probably make Wells
Viaduct look small by comparison. Another contender, although single track,
would be the New River Bridge in Tennessee.

Allen Evans
Federal Way, WA



>From: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org

>Reply-To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

>To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org

>Subject: Southern Railway Bridges

>Date: Thu, 03 Nov 2005 21:08:31 -0500

>

>Since Southern Railway wins the contest as to who has the longest bridges

>on today's Norfolk Southern, let's go for the record on bridge height as

>well.

>I don't know about it being the highest, but let's consider Wells Viaduct

>on

>the Southern located two miles south of Toccoa, Ga. and a few miles north

>of Gainesville. This is a doubletrack bridge 1,400 feet long over the

>North Fork of the Broad River. This steel bridge rests on 10 reinforced

>concrete

>piers, some of which are 200 feet high above water level. The closest

>competition I can think of is that location on the CNO&TP in Kentucky

>where the Southern came out of a tunnel and crossed the Cumberland

>River. I think the tunnel has been daylighted and a new bridge built

>since that famous photo of 1941 was made with the A-B-B-A consist of

>F Units leading a freight train out of the tunnel and across the bridge.

>The fireman leaning out of the cab in that photo went into the Marines

>and was killed serving his country during World War Two. Bill Sellers.

>

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