Does anyone know if they are still using Manned Bridge Tenders on the Class 1 Roads or have they gone the way of everything else, electronically controlled by someone sitting thousands of miles away?
There are three locally controlled interlockings in the lower mainland, the Mission Bridge, Fraser River Bridge and the Pitt River Bridge all have Bridge Tenders…
I always wondered how to get a job as a Bridge Tender it looks like mighty easy work.
I have seen UP list bridge tender jobs on their website from time to time…
That makes sense, I suppose it is the railways bridge.
…Bridge Tenders seem to be in use in Florida yet just a few years ago…and on highways too…Example: Route 44 over St. Johns river in central Florida.
They still have them. CSX suffered a fatality by one last year in July at Mobile, AL for reasons yet to be determined. (Coast Guard found him after an extensive search)…
Still want the job Macguy?
…Yes, I’ve wondered about the safety of those jobs…At night and if the operator has to do any outside procedures, etc…That water is awful black at night.
Macguy,
You mentioned the lower mainland. What State or States?
The Amtrak bridge (former NYC line to Detroit) is manned. I believe Hicks in East Chicago is also manned.
ed
…CSX {Amtrak}, Sanford, Fl…St. Johns river…Pretty sure it is manned.
The swing bridge over the old Brazos River has to be closed for UP to service the Freeport docks. I watched an MOW guy drive up in a truck, start a small gasoline motor, swing the bridge shut, and lock each end (manually) when the train crossed, he reversed the process to leave the bridge open while the docks were switched. I’m sure that he returned to complete the process later. No fancy bridge tender here.
dd
He was talking about the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada-- the area from Hope to Vancouver .
- he mentioned the Mission Bridge – this is used by CN and CP – they often talk to the bridge tender on the road frequency of CP 161.475.
In college I knew someone whose dad was a bridge tender for the Gateway Western at Pearl, Il. I don’t know if the bridge is still manned or not.
South Branch Bridge in Chicago (south approach to Union Station) is manned. Calumet River draw on the former Conrail (PRR) main is manned during the shipping season.
Oh I forgot-Clagg Tower on the L & I in Louisville, Ky. It is manned, although not 24/7-as I remember. This bridge is the former PRR double track lift bridge across the Ohio River. Of course it is no longer double track, but is very impressive. Crossed it several times on Amtrak 850-851
I’m sure Bridge Tenders have more of a chance of getting killed driving to/from work than they do at work, statistically speaking.
That’s the one, the term is so common here, I suppose I forget that probably only British Columbians know the term. [B)]
Back in Grand Haven, Michigan, GTW used to require bridgetenders on two bridges. The one over the Grand Roiver was staffed 24/7; the one over the Spring Lake inlet only needed a bridgetender to allow the thrice-weekly local to get across (in one evening, out the next morning). Both bridges remained closed to boat traffic during January and February.
Talking with the bridgetender while waiting for the local freight to arrive was a nice, quite way to spend a couple of hours. I was allowed to “ride” it, but never to operate the controller handle, or to throw the levers that locked it in position or controlled the signals governing the bridge.
When the GTW was abandoned, the Spring Lake bridge was removed. The Grand River bridge was taken over by the C&O, which later converted it to control by the approaching train crews (one round trip per day, AFAIK).
I’d do it, need a game boy and some batteries, but i’d do it.
Adrianspeeder
There is a swing bridge on the CN line over the Trent Severn waterway that was operated by a tender. Whether it is still in operation I don’t know.