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BeltfedOne t1_irk7nf8 wrote

And a beautiful picture. Thank you!

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ocdrod t1_irkbt07 wrote

Where's this at? I'm south of PGH and feel like this might be somewhere around me but have never had an aerial view, so unsure of that.

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andrewhy t1_irkgw1w wrote

How'd you get up so high?

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amdtrains t1_irmeazu wrote

It was originally built for the Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railroad in the early 1930s. Then in the early 1960s it became part of the N & W system and was the highest bridge on the whole system.

In 1990 the railroad was sold to the Wheeling & Lake Erie (W&LE) who owns it now. This bridge is unique in the fact there is a 0 to 0 curve entirely on the bridge.

This bridge would normally be instantly viewed as long and tall, except for the enormous PA-43 Bridge that today passes directly over this railroad bridge as PA-43 crosses the Mingo Creek valley. This is a high level railroad bridge. Traditionally composed, it addresses the need for a railroad to cross a valley in the manner of tall steel bents (towers) that support plate girder spans. The bents have a trussed design that gives the bridge an attractive geometry. This geometry is what is so lacking in the PA-43 Bridge that obstructs the view of this historic bridge.

According to an article in Modern Steel Construction, The PA-43 Bridge supposedly was recognized as supposedly having been designed to be "in harmony" with the surrounding landscape because of its "repetition of coherent, structurally efficient forms to blend in with the surrounding forest." The massive, solid concrete piers of this bridge actually block the view of both historic bridge and forest, yet still manage to look top-heavy and unstable. The harsh lines of the concrete do not blend in with a forest. In contrast, the open trussed design of the historic bridge with their complex geometry compliments the complex geometry of a tree and its branches, and the open design does not obstruct the view of the forest. Without even trying, the railroad bridge manages to have more substantial aesthetic value than the highway bridge.

If interested here is the current W&LE line map: https://www.wlerwy.com/railway-map/

Sources: https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=pennsylvania/mingocreekrr/

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RogueNation554 t1_irorbyo wrote

lets not forget about the Kinzua bridge which is i think one of the 8th Wonders of the world but this Bridge ive never seen it or heard of it till now but bcuz of Reddit awesome

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Professional_Fun_664 t1_irl7rbd wrote

That can't still be in use, is it? Some trains are 15-18,000 tons. Doesn't seem strong enough for modern trains.

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SophiaofPrussia t1_irl0267 wrote

I’ve run across this bridge >!in Red Dead Redemption 2!<!

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Hib3rnian t1_irki5kw wrote

Is it the Bessemer Steel Bridge? It looks like it and maybe that's not the full name

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murphysics_ t1_irkkxar wrote

Photo looks to be taken from the Joe Montana bridge.

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Equivalent_Alps_8321 t1_irliluv wrote

Really annoying sub rule lol. where is it?

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heili t1_irn6pib wrote

It's under the Joe Montana bridge on 43 near Ginger Hill.

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eatdafishy t1_irl67kv wrote

Therse a bridge like this near me

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gwhh t1_iro1xp0 wrote

They still using that?

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Bengalkatz t1_irnkyjd wrote

Wow beautiful and terrifying

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merklegroot t1_irnm1js wrote

My grandmother claimed to have walked across that bridge when she was a child.

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Darks1de69 t1_iro02qn wrote

What the fuck is a character?

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Plane_Vanilla_3879 t1_iroj5r9 wrote

Wonder what the house value is for that house nearly under the bridge

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