Rating:
8 votes

TLE&W - Maumee River Bridge

Wood County, Ohio, and Lucas County, Ohio

Photos 

Cloverleaf Bridge looking North

The Toledo, Lake Erie & Western Railway Photo

BH Photo #221393

Map 

Street View 

Description 

Once carried trains traveling from Toledo to St. Louis via Delphos, Kokomo, Frankfort, and Charleston.

Facts 

Overview
Through truss bridge over Maumee River, Wabash and Erie Canal, and US 24(as of 2009) on Toledo, Lake Erie, and Western Railroad(formerly Toledo St. Louis and Western aka Cloverleaf, Nickel Plate Road, Norfolk and Western Railway) in Grand Rapids
Location
Grand Rapids, Wood County, Ohio, and Lucas County, Ohio
Status
Closed to all traffic
Future prospects
I believe this bridge hasn't been used by the tourist line railroad for many years despite having equipment located in Grand Rapids where the tracks now end. Their website http://www.tlew.org/index.htm has listed construction near the bridge as the reason for it not being used, but that reason is suspect to me. They run tourist trains down from Waterville to just East of the bridge site currently. Update Dec 2011-Railroad is trying to raise funds to finish culvert and pay for tie replacement on bridge as well as inspection to reopen the line to regular trains. Currently only motorcars are allowed across. Check out their website at http://www.tlew.org/bridge.html to donate to this cause.
History
Built 1916, Rail line abandoned late 70's-early 80's.
Railroads
- New York, Chicago, & St. Louis Railroad (NKP)
- Norfolk & Western Railway (N&W)
- Toledo, Lake Erie & Western Railway (TLE&W)
- Toledo, St. Louis & Western Railroad (TStL&W)
Design
Warren through truss
Dimensions
Total length: 900.0 ft.
Recognition
Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
Also called
TStL&W - Maumee River Bridge
NKP - Maumee River Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+41.40928, -83.86770   (decimal degrees)
41°24'33" N, 83°52'04" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
17/260307/4588161 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Grand Rapids
Inventory number
BH 43089 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

Built 1916 (670)
Built during 1910s (9,364)
Closed (2,596)
Grand Rapids, Ohio (1)
Have street view (25,818)
Lucas County, Ohio (66)
NR-eligible (4,021)
New York, Chicago, & St. Louis Railroad (75)
Norfolk & Western Railway (460)
Ohio (3,205)
 Owned by railroad (11,505)
Railroad (14,685)
Through truss (14,300)
Toledo, Lake Erie & Western Railway (1)
Toledo, St. Louis & Western Railroad (8)
Total length 500-1000 feet (2,721)
Truss (31,580)
Warren through truss (1,571)
Warren truss (6,331)
Wood County, Ohio (57)

Update Log 

  • September 16, 2013: Updated by Luke Harden: Added categories "Norfolk & Western Railway", "Toledo, Lake Erie & Western Railway"
  • December 4, 2011: Updated by James Norwood: added restoration funding info and build date year.
  • November 7, 2011: New Street View added by Daniel Hopkins
  • November 5, 2011: New photos from Brian McKee
  • April 1, 2010: Updated by Joshua Collins: added google street view
  • July 30, 2009: Added by James Norwood

Sources 

  • James Norwood
  • Joshua Collins - Bigjc1979 [at] aol [dot] com
  • Brian McKee - bjmckee51 [at] yahoo [dot] com
  • Daniel Hopkins - chimera [at] clovermail [dot] net
  • Toledo Lake Erie and Western site for this bridge - Help donate to save this bridge and get it reopened
  • 1960 view along US 24 - M. McCarter Photo looking West at Bridge from old US 24 along the old Canal with Nickel Plate Road Alco unit heading to Grand Rapids.
  • Historicbridges.org - by Nathan Holth
  • Luke
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Comments 

Nickel Plate Road Cloverleaf division Maumee River bridge
Posted July 4, 2010, by Evan

This bridge is still used by motorcars for the Apple butter Festival to transport people. Hopefully in the future the TLE&W will run trains across the bridge. But, the bridge is still used by motorcars a few times a month for MOW.