Nostalgia & History > ATD: A Bygone Scene From a Vanished Vantage - 1987

This photo is a view of the east side of the K&I Bridge over the Ohio River taken on July 26, 1987 looking west, or down stream, from the McAlpine Locks site in Louisville, KY.

In January 1982, the Southern Railway acquired the K&I Terminal Railroad that included ownership of the K&I Bridge. Shortly after the Norfolk Southern merger in June 1982, repainting of the bridge (changing the color from black to silver) was undertaken at the rate of one span per year starting from the north, Indiana, side. However, the painting project was not completed. Work progressed no further than shown in my photo.

When I took this photo, the McAlpine Locks consisted of three separate lock sets. The farthest, or main set was then the largest and newest having been completed in the early 1960s. Its maximum capacity is a fifteen barge tow. The middle set was the smallest; it was not capable of handling a tow of any size. The nearest set was the same width but half the length of the newest set. Before the newest lock set was opened, they would double lock the larger tows; a very interesting operation to watch. In 2009, a project to replace the two small locks with another the size of the largest lock set was completed.
The site where I took my photo is no longer open to the public.

ALLEN



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/11/22 19:45 by krm152.

One of my favorite railroad items - bridges.
Interesting story on the painting of this one.
Gary

I always wondered why that bridge was different colors when I lived in Floyds Knobs, just up the hill on the Indiana side from here.

Fascinating story to go with the photo.
Bob