Columbia Railroad Bridge, also known as "Columbia Bridge", is a 1920 concrete

arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, that carries CSX Trenton Subdivision rail lines over the

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania. The river was improved by navigations into the Schuylkill Canal, and several of its tributaries drain major parts of Pennsylvania's Coal Region. It f ...

. Located in Fairmount Park, upstream of the Pennsylvania Railroad Connecting Bridge, it is the third railroad bridge at the site. Near its east

abutment An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end which provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...

are the Schuylkill Grandstand (for viewing rowing regattas) and the '' John B. Kelly'' statue.

First bridge

The first bridge at this location was an 1834

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

white pine ''Pinus'', the pines, is a genus of approximately 111 extant tree and shrub species. The genus is currently split into two subgenera: subgenus ''Pinus'' (hard pines), and subgenus ''Strobus'' (soft pines). Each of the subgenera have been further ...

and seven spans. It was built by the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

for the Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad, which connected Philadelphia and Columbia in Lancaster County. An

inclined plane An inclined plane, also known as a ramp, is a flat supporting surface tilted at an angle from the vertical direction, with one end higher than the other, used as an aid for raising or lowering a load. The inclined plane is one of the six clas ...

on the bridge's west side drew the railway cars up Belmont Hill by cable. In 1851, the

Philadelphia and Reading Railway The Reading Company ( ) was a Philadelphia-headquartered railroad that provided passenger and commercial rail transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states that operated from 1924 until its 1976 acquisition by Conrail. Commonly called ...

bought the bridge from the state. File:56 William England - Columbia Railway Bridge. Philadelphia.jpg, The first Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad Bridge in 1859. File:View of the Inclined Plan near Philadelphia 1838.jpg, "View from the Inclined Plane" (1838). The first Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad Bridge is visible at the bottom of the hill. File:Schuylkill river.jpeg, Schuylkill River map (1872).

Second bridge

The second bridge was erected in 1886 by the

to carry increasingly heavy freight traffic. It was a two-track, wrought-iron

Pratt truss A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

bridge that served until 1920. File:2nd Columbia Railroad Bridge circa 1917.jpg, Second Columbia Railroad Bridge (circa 1917).

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. File:Schuylkill River in Fairmount Park..JPG, From upstream. File:2010 Dad Vail Day 2-32.jpg, 2010

Dad Vail Regatta The Dad Vail Regatta is the largest regular intercollegiate rowing event in the United States, drawing over a hundred colleges and universities from North America. The regatta has been held annually on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pennsyl ...

. File:Schuylkill Grandstand.JPG, Schuylkill Grandstand. File:JB Kelly rowing Kelly Dr 1.JPG, ''John B. Kelly'' statue.

References

{{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Columbia Railroad Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream =

Strawberry Mansion Bridge The Strawberry Mansion Bridge is a steel arch truss bridge across the Schuylkill River in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1896–1897 by the Phoenix Iron Company in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, under private ownersh ...

, upstream signs = , downstream = Pennsylvania Railroad, Connecting Railway Bridge , downstream signs = Bridges in Philadelphia Bridges completed in 1920 Bridges over the Schuylkill River Railroad bridges in Pennsylvania Deck arch bridges in the United States CSX Transportation bridges Concrete bridges in Pennsylvania

First bridge

Second bridge

Current bridge

See also

References