Thinking about buying a bascule bridge. (see link below.)
http://www.discounttrainsonline.com/Walthers-Building-Bascule-Bridge/item933-3070.html
Because it’s single track compaired to The Swing bridge Walthers makes(see link below.)
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-3088
I model the midwest so my Q is where in the midwest is there a Bascule bridge? I’ve seen many swing bridges around, but no bascule bridge.
Hey thanks for the info. Too bad they don’t make a swing or lift bridge in single track.
Or the bascule bridge in double track! I’m also modeling the CB&Q in the Midwest (1969). I looked into different ways to make the Walthers bascule bridge double track, and decided the “easiest” way was to just buy a second one and combine the two somehow to make a single, double track bridge.
But there’s no bascules in NE.
There is a bascule type bridge among other types of swing and lift bridges over the Cuyahoga river in the “Flats” of Cleveland, Ohio; Which qualifies as a mid-western city.
Oh, sorry. You’re modeling the Q. Then Chicago is your best bet. A bascule bridge means the waterway is navigable, and it is not practical to raise the right of way.
Still looking for a lift bridge…
Come to Louisville, KY and you can see at least one! The old PRR, now
L&I has one across the Ohio River.
The funny thing about it is the tows on the river have the right of way over
trains. So most of the time, the bridge is in the up position.
C W…Can you tell us what railroad bridge that is visible to the left of the interstate 65 south bridge one can see…? If I remember correctly, it for sure is abandoned and does not even have approaches to the ends anymore. I went under it some years ago in a boat and looking up at it, it is huge in size. Too bad that can’t be put to some good use. I assume it is still there as it’s been a few years now since we’ve been that way…
Thought I’d weigh in on the Chicago bascule bridges.
Most of those are highway bridges. The railroad bascule bridges I can think of are all frozen in place…either permanently up or down. There’s one “four-pack” over the Sanitary Canal that I would have loved to see working…four nearly identical double-track bridges, alternate pairs of which are “hinged” to opposite sides of the canal.
The bascule bridge nearest the Loop was active until recent times, until the former CNW line under the Merchandise Mart (and out to Navy Pier at one time) lost its last customers. South of the Loop are a pair of classic bascules, one of which (St. Charles Air Line) is permanently down, one (B&O) permanently up. The C&NW bascule bridge on their North Line hasn’t moved in a long time. Those are the major ones I can think of. A B&O bascule bridge over the Calumet River was taken out by a freighter in the 1980s. There are a few operating lift bridges, and a number of frozen swing bridges for Chicago railroads.
At the risk of getting in trouble with Kalmbach, Railroad Model Craftsman had a three-part series on the movable railroad bridges around Chicago a couple of years ago…I learned a lot from it.
Carl
(who’s been over and/or under nearly all of them!)
The bridge visable from I-65 is the old Big 4 bridge,and the city is attempting to buy
it and convert in to a pedestrian crossing over the river.
The old PRR (Conrail) bridge, now L&I;is visable from I-64, near lock and dam.
…That would be good if it is put to use. It seems like such a waste, being such a massive structure and I thought perhaps some day they would simply dynamite it down.
In the Chicago area, there are also some operating bascule bridges over the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal. They are difficult to see because they are sandwiched between Inland Steel and what’s left of LTV Steel (formerly Youngstown Sheet & Tube). There is another bascule for the EJ&E Whiting Branch near Standard Oil but it is usually in the raised position.
The CTA operates on the upper level of the Lake Street and Wells Street double-leaf bascules over the Chicago River.
which comment goes double for the truly huge Poughkeepsie Bridge over the Hudson on the old line from southern New England to Maybrook. Of course, there rails to trails would be better than nothing – but check out the map and think about what would happen to southern New England road traffic if New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetss DOTs could get together ([:D] oh yeah, right!) and set up and sponsor an Iron Highway operation similar to CN’s and CP’s operations in the Montreal - Hamilton - Windsor corridor operating from Maybrook to, say, Framingham or Worcester.[:)]
I can dream, can’t I?
A comment on the statement that towboats have the right of way over trains, that’s why the bridge is left open most of the time"
As a tugboat captain, I can tell you that towboats do not have the right of way over trains. First off, the bridges are left open because there is usually alot more towboat traffic than train traffic. Leaving them in the up position means less wear and tear on the bridge mechanisum.
Bascule bridges usually break when they are in the down position which would block all river traffic.
Bascule bridges close faster than they open.
If a train is coming, usually the towboat has to slow or stop till the train is clear. there are times when a tow is close to the bridge that the tender will call the train and have them slow to allow the tow to clear the bridge.
Many train bridges are unmanned now days. They operate automatically. There are lights on the fenders of the bridge that flash red to let towboats know that a train is coming, and there is usually a VHF radio broadcast on channels 16/09 that the bridge will closing and how soon it will be closing.
Conclusion: Trains normally have the right of way. Only when a towboat is too close to stop or in the span does it have the right of way.
Tows can take a very long time to stop. A typical tow can wieght 20,000 tons or much more. A fair tide(current behind you) can increase stopping distance for a tow of up to 20 miles. Downbowned with a strong fair tide and a large tow the train will usually wait on the tow to clear.
A large tug will have the horse power of approxiamately two locomotives. 2000 to 4000 hp. Only the largest of the river towboats will have more than 6000.