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BM - Connecticut River Bridge

Cheshire County, New Hampshire, and Windham County, Vermont

Photo 

Looking west from Hinsdale NH

Photo taken by Steve LaBonte in November 2016

License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)

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BH Photo #370560

Map 

Description 

Original crossing built in the late 19th century by the Ashuelot Railroad connecting the Connecticut River main to Keene, NH. Replaced around 1927 with a deck plate girder structure after the original deck truss bridge suffered from pier scouring. Further scouring led the bridge to shift in 1970, forcing the little remaining Ashuelot traffic to be routed via Brattleboro. The girders were removed ca. 1982 when the B&M was folded into Guilford. Continued scouring led one of the piers to crash into the river in 1997 or 98 (based on aerials), where it remains lying on its side. As of 2015 one of the remaining piers is listing as well. Some time back PBS ran a program where divers found the wreckage of both the 1870 structure and the toppled pier of the 1927 bridge.

Facts 

Overview
Lost Bridge over Connecticut River on Former Boston and Maine Railroad
Location
Cheshire County, New Hampshire, and Windham County, Vermont
Status
Removed but not replaced
History
Built 1927; Closed 1970; Removed ca. 1982
Railroad
- Boston & Maine Railroad (B&M; BM)
Design
7 span Deck plate girder
Approximate latitude, longitude
+42.73731, -72.46237   (decimal degrees)
42°44'14" N, 72°27'45" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
18/707722/4734766 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Northfield
Inventory number
BH 56314 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

Boston & Maine Railroad (353)
Built 1927 (763)
Built during 1920s (9,010)
Cheshire County, New Hampshire (61)
Connecticut River (77)
Deck girder (4,766)
Girder (8,493)
Lost (19,643)
Lost 1982 (85)
 Lost during 1980s (1,090)
New Hampshire (587)
Owned by railroad (10,320)
Plate girder (6,517)
Railroad (13,687)
State line crossing (750)
Vermont (558)
Windham County, Vermont (71)

Update Log 

  • November 22, 2016: New photo from Steve LaBonte
  • January 14, 2015: Updated by Ian Martin: Added historical details
  • May 22, 2013: Updated by Luke Harden: Added categories "Connecticut River", "Boston & Maine Railroad", "Railroad"
  • May 22, 2013: Added by K. A. Erickson

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Sources 

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