Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Crossings bridge - Harpers Ferry, MD
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member saopaulo1
N 39° 19.450 W 077° 43.580
18S E 264985 N 4356295
This railway bridge crosses the Potomac River. It crosses from West Virginia to Maryland. It's part of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Crossings.
Waymark Code: WM6FJY
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 05/26/2009
Views: 15
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"The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Crossings at the Potomac River are a set of railroad bridges that span the Potomac River between Maryland Heights, Maryland and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia in the United States. Two bridges comprise the current crossing. The more recent bridge is a deck plate girder bridge dating to 1930-31 which curves across the river, carrying the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad main line to Martinsburg, West Virginia. The older bridge is a steel Pratt truss and plate girder bridge dating to 1893, carrying the B&O Valley line toward Winchester, Virginia along the Shenandoah River. A tunnel was built at the same time as the 1893 bridge to carry the tracks through Maryland Heights and to eliminate a sharp curve. The western end of the tunnel was widened in conjunction with the construction of the second bridge to allow the broadest possible curve across the river.

Just downstream of the 1893 bridge, almost at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, are the ruins of two previous bridges on the same alignment. The newer of the bridges was a Bollman truss bridge that carried rail and highway traffic from 1870 until 1936, when it was swept away by a flood. The Valley line section of the Y-shaped bridge dated to 1851, and was one of the earliest Bollman trusses in existence. The remainder of the bridge was destroyed in the Civil War, to be replaced by temporary structures. Its predecessor, built in 1824, was designed by Benjamin H. Latrobe was a timber covered bridge, with the Y-leg to Winchester added in 1839. An earlier road bridge had been built in 1824, replacing Harper's Ferry, which had operated since 1747." (visit link)
Length of Span:
770 FT

Parking Coordinates:: Not Listed

Date Built: Not listed

www: Not listed
Visit Instructions:
Log your find with a picture of the bridge with yourself or your GPS in the foreground. This shot does not have to be taken "on" the bridge. The shot should show the "truss" structure of the bridge as well.
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Recent Visits/Logs:
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bluesnote visited Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Crossings bridge - Harpers Ferry, MD 07/11/2021 bluesnote visited it
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FBBHaegar visited Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Crossings bridge - Harpers Ferry, MD 07/24/2009 FBBHaegar visited it
saopaulo1 visited Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Crossings bridge - Harpers Ferry, MD 05/30/2009 saopaulo1 visited it
JL_HSTRE visited Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Crossings bridge - Harpers Ferry, MD 05/23/2009 JL_HSTRE visited it
MountainWoods visited Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Crossings bridge - Harpers Ferry, MD 09/03/1998 MountainWoods visited it

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