![]() 38 eases over Kinzua viaduct (after stopping to let squeamish passengers disembark), the sensation is more akin to ballooning than railroading.” This sensation is largely produced because the bridge, 301 feet above the ground, had no high guardrails, a feature that distinguishes Kinzua from most highway bridges, according to Behrman. ![]() In a May 1998 New York Times article entitled “Steaming Through Pennsylvania,” Dan Behrman describes what one of these train rides was like, saying, “When No. The excursion trains enabled brave passengers to traverse the viaduct long after it stopped being used for its original purpose of hauling material. In 1970, the area around the Kinzua Bridge opened as a state park. Either way, the overall construction was still looked highly upon, and was added to the National Register of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks in 1977. Many engineers disagree as to what approach should have been taken. There has been much research done and calculations as to whether or not these were beneficial features to include. Second, all transverse diagonal bracing was omitted on the reconstructed bridge. First, the tops of the two battered post of each bent are brought closer together than with most viaducts, forming a near isosceles triangle as opposed to a quadrilateral one. The ASCE identifies two significant changes that distinguish the Kinzua Bridge, or viaduct, from other related structures. The Kinzua Bridge is seen here in its original form before the reconstruction. per square inch, while the elastic limit of the steel used is between 33,000 and 35,000 lbs.” The bridge’s reconstruction took approximately 120 men about four months to complete. As the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) noted, “The maximum stress in the towers from the supposed combination of loading does not exceed 14,000 lbs. Wind was also taken into account, as engineers placed the fixed ends of the lower legs in the north side, the direction in which the wind typically comes from at that location. One improvement was the implementation of building techniques such as sliding plates and free moving spans, which reduce the stress of braking trains upon the bridge. A large portion of it collapsed, rendering the bridge impassible.įrom the day the bridge opened, in 1882, it was hailed as “the eighth wonder of the world.” During the bridge’s reconstruction in 1900 many changes and adaptations were made. In 2003, the bridge was struck by a tornado. After decades of use, the bridge would be uncrossed until from 1959 until 1987, when the Knox and Kane Railroad began running excursion trains for tourists. The bridge was rebuilt using steel, and reopened for use on September 25, 1900. The introduction of larger and heavier locomotives made it necessary to strengthen the bridge. ![]() After the tornado, the Kinzua Bridge gives new meaning to the phrase "Bridge to Nowhere."
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