Rating:
7 votes

Reading - Halls Station Bridge

Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

Photos 

Credit Jtl: West Elevation Of Bridge

Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record

View photos at Library of Congress

BH Photo #137399

Map 

Description 

The Reading-Halls Bridge is almost certainly the oldest all-metal truss bridge in active service in the United States, a lone survivor from the first series of all-metal trusses of any kind designed and constructed in the United States. This Howe pony through-truss bridge followed shortly after the construction in 1845 of the very first all-metal truss bridge, the West Manayunk Bridge, also designed by Osborne and built by the Reading Railroad.

-- Historic American Engineering Record

Facts 

Overview
Wrought and cast iron pony truss bridge over former Philadelphia & Reading RR on private drive
Location
Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
Status
In use for private road/drive
History
Built ca. 1846 on the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad; later relocated here to carry vehicular traffic
Builder
- Richard B. Osborne (Engineer)
Railroad
- Reading Railroad (RDG)
Design
Howe pony truss
Dimensions
Span length: 59.1 ft.
Total length: 59.1 ft.
Recognition
Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on January 17, 1980
Approximate latitude, longitude
+41.23576, -76.83249   (decimal degrees)
41°14'09" N, 76°49'57" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
18/346431/4566548 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Muncy
Inventory numbers
NRHP 80003571 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
BH 42366 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

19th Century (7,542)
Built during 1840s (192)
Cast iron (68)
HAER documented (1,106)
Howe pony truss (68)
Howe truss (555)
Lycoming County, Pennsylvania (74)
NR-listed (2,960)
Owned privately (1,708)
Pennsylvania (5,312)
 Pony truss (16,161)
Reading Railroad (197)
Relocated (883)
Richard B. Osborne (3)
Span length 50-75 feet (10,058)
Total length 50-75 feet (9,279)
Truss (32,710)
Unknown status (1,497)
Wrought Iron (393)

Update Log 

  • January 12, 2017: New photos from Dana and Kay Klein
  • January 9, 2012: Updated by Alexander D. Mitchell IV: Added Modern Photo
  • April 19, 2009: Added by James Baughn

Sources 

  • HAER PA-55 - Reading-Halls Station Bridge, U.S. Route 220, spanning railroad near Halls Station, Muncy vicinity, Lycoming County, PA
  • Alexander D. Mitchell IV
  • Wikipedia
  • Historicbridges.org - by Nathan Holth
  • HAER PA-55 - Reading-Halls Station Bridge, U.S. Route 220, spanning railroad near Halls Station, Muncy, Lycoming County, PA
  • Dana and Kay Klein
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Comments 

Reading-Halls Station Bridge
Posted January 12, 2017, by Dana and Kay Klein

Respectfully verified from roadway. This is private and since I did not have permission to access of course we didn't. From public roadway and with my dim eyesight this appears to be an absolute pontist treasure!