South Holston River Railroad Bridge
View from north of bridge, downriver. Holston Tunnel, shortest on the railroad is directly to the right at end of bridge.
Photo taken by Calvin Sneed in May 2008
BH Photo #116462
The railroads understand something too many public authorities don't: M A I N T E N A N C E.
Meanwhile, if you continue to cruise this site, you will find dozens of bridges that are far more than 100 years old that are still in service. (Like the Kate Shelly High Bridge in Boone County, Iowa. It has been carrying the Chicago & Northwestern and Union Pacific mainline across the Des Moines River since 1899. The photo is from HAER and is on the Kate Shelly page of this site.)
100 years old and still in service? Must be well built.
It was, indeed, well-built by the South and Western Railway, the predecessor to the Clinchfield. All the bridges on this line were originally built to carry heavy coal-laden coal cars, and were later strengthened to carry longer, heavier cars. When the demand for coal cut back in the 1950's and 60's, the heavier bridges were still in place and as a result, are now easier to upkeep (source: "Building the Clinchfield" by James Goforth)