Columbia Railroad Bridge

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Columbia Railroad Bridge

Columbia Railroad Bridge
Other name(s) Columbia Bridge
Carries CSX Trenton Subdivision
Crosses Kelly Drive, Schuylkill River, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
Locale Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Design Arch bridge
Material Concrete
Total length 755 feet
Width 56 feet
Number of spans 8
Opened 1920
Coordinates 39°59′08″N 75°12′13″W / 39.98556°N 75.20361°W / 39.98556; -75.20361Coordinates: 39°59′08″N 75°12′13″W / 39.98556°N 75.20361°W / 39.98556; -75.20361

Columbia Railroad Bridge, also known as "Columbia Bridge", is a 1920 concrete arch bridge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that carries CSX Trenton Subdivision rail lines over the Schuylkill River.[1] It is in Fairmount Park, upstream from the Pennsylvania Railroad Connecting Bridge.

First bridge

The first bridge at this location was an 1834 covered bridge[2] of white pine and seven spans. It was built by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad, which connected Philadelphia and Columbia in Lancaster County. An inclined plane on the bridge's west side drew the railway cars up Belmont Hill by cable. In 1851, the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad bought the bridge from the state.[1]

Second bridge

The second bridge was erected in 1886 by the Reading Railroad to carry increasingly heavy freight traffic. It was a two-track, wrought-iron Pratt truss bridge that served until 1920.[1]

Current bridge

The current bridge was completed in 1920 with two tracks. Two more were added in 1921, but now there are only two tracks on this bridge.[1]

Gallery

  • "From the Inclined Plane" (1838). The first Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad Bridge is visible at the bottom of the hill.

  • Schuylkill River map (1872).

  • Schuylkill Grandstand.

  • John B. Kelly statue.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Columbia Bridge (Sign). Under the bridge along West River Drive, near Montgomery Drive: Fairmount Park Commission. 07-01-2006.  Unknown parameter |distributor= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help);
  2. ↑ "View from the Inclined Plane, near Philadelphia". The Library Company of Philadelphia. World Digital Library. Retrieved 31 December 2013. 
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