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ERIE - Cuyahoga River Bridge (1911)

Cuyahoga County, Ohio

Photos 

Photo taken by RealStill.com

License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)

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View this photo at realstill.com

BH Photo #511143

Map 

Street View 

Video 

Cuyahoga (1978)

You can see this bridge right away in the documentary.

neorsdccr

Play video on YouTube

Description 

The Bridge Erie Railroad was built in 1911 and was destroyed in 1985. This concrete counterweight is spaced extending above roadway of tracks,When I was 12 years old in 1985 before it's removal I explored this huge abandoned bascule bridge and this is the first type of heel trunnion bascule bridge with the counterweight above the tracks with two equal towers on both sides of the span which operates the span and the counterweight the bascule bridge has 2 of 75 horsepower ac motors to decelerate the span open and close. Gasoline oil motor engine is provided is installed in the stationary inclosure on the trunnion. See Scientific American Supplement on Electrically Operated Bascule Bridges.

Facts 

Overview
Lost bridge over Cuyahoga River on Former Erie RR line (2 tracks)
Location
Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Status
It was removed in 1985
History
Built 1911; Removed 1985
Builders
- American Railway Engineering
- Maintenance of Way Association
- Pennsylvania Steel Co. of Steelton, Pennsylvania
- Strauss Bascule Bridge Co. of Chicago, Illinois
Railroads
- Conrail (CR)
- Erie Lackawanna Railroad (EL)
- Erie Railroad (ERIE)
Design
Warren through truss Strauss Heel Trunnion this bascule bridge was also built by the Pennsylvania Steel Co with two towers on both ends of the span one operates the counterweight and the other operates the bascule span. The concrete counterweight is spaced above the roadway of tracks when the span is raised the counterweight doesn't lower instead the counterweight lowers a little halfway.
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 180.0 ft.
Also called
ERIE - Bridge #19 Conrail
Approximate latitude, longitude
+41.48482, -81.67785   (decimal degrees)
41°29'05" N, 81°40'40" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
17/443411/4592801 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Cleveland South
Inventory number
BH 57488 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

American Railway Engineering (1)
Bascule (1,096)
Built 1911 (824)
Built during 1910s (10,014)
Cleveland, Ohio (128)
Conrail (1,714)
Cuyahoga County, Ohio (227)
Cuyahoga River (71)
Erie Lackawanna Railroad (437)
Erie Railroad (307)
Have street view (29,148)
Lost (29,036)
Lost 1985 (156)
Lost during 1980s (1,545)
Machinery Bascule Span (11)
 Maintenance of Way Association (1)
Movable (3,136)
Ohio (4,290)
Owned by railroad (13,564)
Pennsylvania Steel Co. (165)
Railroad (16,512)
Riveted (2,565)
Span length 175-250 feet (2,074)
Strauss Bascule Bridge Co. (178)
Strauss Heel Trunnion Bascule (54)
Through truss (17,174)
Truss (35,919)
Warren through truss (1,710)
Warren truss (7,038)

Update Log 

  • November 8, 2021: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • November 2, 2021: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • November 1, 2021: New photos from Douglas Butler
  • August 21, 2021: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • June 12, 2021: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • May 29, 2021: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • April 19, 2020: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • March 3, 2020: New photos from Douglas Butler
  • January 27, 2020: New photos from Douglas Butler
  • December 6, 2019: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • October 5, 2018: New photos from Douglas Butler
  • April 3, 2018: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • January 13, 2018: New video from Geoffrey Moreland
  • October 11, 2017: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • February 28, 2017: New photos from Douglas Butler
  • February 9, 2017: New photos from Douglas Butler
  • February 2, 2017: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • November 14, 2016: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • August 26, 2016: New photos from Douglas Butler
  • February 22, 2016: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • January 26, 2016: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • January 23, 2016: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • January 22, 2016: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • September 5, 2015: New Street View added by Douglas Butler
  • August 17, 2015: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • August 5, 2015: New photo from Luke
  • July 16, 2015: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • June 30, 2015: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • March 25, 2015: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • February 20, 2015: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • January 5, 2015: New photos from Douglas Butler
  • December 20, 2014: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • November 20, 2014: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • October 30, 2014: New photos from Douglas Butler
  • October 27, 2014: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • October 21, 2014: New photos from Douglas Butler
  • September 17, 2014: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • September 8, 2014: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • August 1, 2014: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • July 29, 2014: New photos from Douglas Butler
  • July 15, 2014: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • July 9, 2014: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • August 26, 2013: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • August 17, 2013: New photos from Douglas Butler
  • August 14, 2013: Updated by Don Morrison: Moved coordinates and generally cleaned up the listing.
  • August 12, 2013: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • August 9, 2013: Added by Douglas Butler

Related Bridges 

Sources 

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Comments 

Heel Trunnion Bascule Bridge
Posted August 10, 2013, by Don Morrison

I think might have been near W3rd & Jefferson and is #16 on the map on this page.

http://www.clevelandmemory.org/ebooks/bmc/bmcchap3.html

In that case the background bridge is Inner Belt I-90. (#14)

Abutments at 41.484783,-81.677837

"The Erie Railroad Bridge, a jackknife, is currently on the river replacement program. This crossing of the river is also one of the earliest, dating from 1850. The present bridge replaced an older swing bridge, the east pier of which is still in use. The bridge collapsed in the 1900's as a result of a train wreck. The present bridge is to be replaced by a single-track lift bridge, but the current bankrupt Erie Railroad, now in the hands of Conrail, and the closing of the Erie Ore dock make its replacement and uncertainty."

Heel Trunnion Bascule Bridge
Posted August 9, 2013, by K. A. Erickson

Douglas describes this bridge as in "Cleveland Ohio near Jefferson Street and West 3rd Street,"

If his drawing of this is accurate (see image link) I think it is more in the location I set it at with the Central Viaduct in background.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/94273918@N06/8588712083/in/set-...

Douglas has in recent months sought to place his images in a new location as his former online hosting service Multiply.com went under. His tripod site is more of less on its last legs.

A comment left there seven years ago reveals: "I will be able to say "I knew him when. . ." Douglas comes into the library to work on his art all the time. We're glad he likes it here!"