Eastern Railroad Discussion > Bridge views

I just returned from a vacation that took me through Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee. I was able to see a couple of impressive railroad bridges: the bridge over the Mississippi at Thebes, Illinois, and the NS bridge over the Tennessee River at Chattanooga, also known as Tennbridge. Here are a few shots from each bridge. First three shots are at Thebes, where a westbound UP train rumbled across.

Kim Heusel

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At Tennbridge we caught a pair of trains, inlcuding a stacker apparently headed north to the CNO & TP. The sign is a notice to boaters and fishermen that the waters below the dam can be dangerous.

Kim Heusel



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/19 19:03 by KimHeusel.

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Thanks for sharing Kim.

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilpublications.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/19 19:18 by wabash2800.

I rarely even see a 89' Hi Cube auto parts boxcar anymore in an consist, so nice catch.

2 very impressive bridges! Wow, what ride it must be over them (as a crewman)...

Lance

santafe199 Wrote:
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> 2 very impressive bridges! Wow, what ride it must
> be over them (as a crewman)...
>
> Lance

I am amazed at the length of the main spans on the Thebes Bridge. It just does not seem like they could carry the load, but they do.

You can get a good view of Ten Bridge from the highway over the dam. However if you want to get a good look at the bridge and trains, you need someone else to drive <G>. Maybe get a railfan buddy and take turns.

ts1457 Wrote:
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> I am amazed at the length of the main spans on the
> Thebes Bridge. It just does not seem like they
> could carry the load, but they do.

Yes, they seem to do the job. It's a double-track bridge. The train I shot stopped while on the bridge waiting for an eastbound stack train, so the span is quite capable of handling two trains at the same time. Some additional info: The bridge was opened in April 1905. It's 3,959 feet long and its longest span is 651 feet.

Kim Heusel

KimHeusel Wrote:
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> Yes, they seem to do the job. It's a double-track
> bridge. The train I shot stopped while on the
> bridge waiting for an eastbound stack train, so
> the span is quite capable of handling two trains
> at the same time. Some additional info: The bridge
> was opened in April 1905. It's 3,959 feet long and
> its longest span is 651 feet.

Thanks for the additional information. I am far from being a mechanical engineer or bridge engineer, but I am fascinated by all of the truss arrangements in the Thebes Bridge. Makes me wonder that if a bridge engineer nowadays was charged with designing a replacement, what would it look like?