Rating:
No votes cast

Nickel Plate-St. Mary's River Bridge (Northern)

Allen County, Indiana

Photos 

Photo courtesy of the Indiana State Department of Natural Resource, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology.

Enlarge

View more info about Indiana historic bridges from the SHAARD database

BH Photo #199553

Map 

Street View 

Description 

The Northern of two spans built by the Nickel Plate. This one was double-tracked and was predominately used for freight trains.

Facts 

Overview
Camelback through truss bridge over St Mary's River on Norfolk Southern Railway
Location
Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana
Status
Open to traffic
History
Built ca. 1895 by the Nickel Plate Railroad
Railroads
- New York, Chicago, & St. Louis Railroad (NKP)
- Norfolk & Western Railway (NW)
- Norfolk Southern Railway (NS)
Design
Seated upon cut stone abutments and wingwalls, this single-span pin-connected Camelback is divided into seven panels by verticals of reverse channels laced to one another. The heaviness of the structure is evident in the crafting of the channels and the cover plates used for the endposts and top chord. Heavy diagonals (reversed laced channels) pinned midway into the endposts stabilize the abutment panels which are of different size to adjust for off-setting the south truss by about 6' to the west. The use of cylindrical and die-forged eyebars as diagonals in the three center section panels is reversed in the opposite truss: Double die-forged eyebars are countered with cylindrical ones with turnbuckles (doubled in the most central panel). The top chord for each of the two side panels has a different slope. The typical and yet heavier double die-forged eyebars angle from the top pins downwards towards midspan, although the panel close to the center section also has an adjustable counter. The heavy girder floor beams are riveted to the vertical above the lower chord. They, in turn, have heavy girder stringers riveted to the floor beams.
The bridge carries double tracks
Also called
N&W - St. Mary's River Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+41.07932, -85.15375   (decimal degrees)
41°04'46" N, 85°09'14" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
16/655089/4549204 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Fort Wayne West
Inventory number
BH 48806 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

19th Century (7,669)
Allen County, Indiana (103)
Built 1895 (277)
Built during 1890s (3,006)
Camelback truss (378)
Fort Wayne, Indiana (34)
Have street view (27,131)
Indiana (4,946)
New York, Chicago, & St. Louis Railroad (114)
 Norfolk & Western Railway (567)
Norfolk Southern Railway (1,963)
Open (40,041)
Owned by railroad (12,593)
Pin-connected (3,943)
Railroad (15,664)
Through truss (15,282)
Truss (33,134)

Update Log 

  • June 17, 2020: Updated by Luke: Removed railroad from builder box
  • May 12, 2020: Updated by Tony Dillon: Added and modified information
  • April 17, 2020: New Street View added by Geoff Hubbs
  • August 24, 2016: New photos from Steve Conro
  • August 10, 2012: Updated by J.P.: Added categories "Norfolk & Western Railroad", "Railroad"
  • December 17, 2011: Updated by J.P.: Added category "Pin-connected"
  • May 22, 2011: Added by J.P.

Related Bridges 

Sources 

  • J.P. - wildcatjon2000 [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Steve Conro - sconro [at] yahoo [dot] com
  • Geoff Hubbs
  • Tony Dillon - spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com
  • Luke

Comments 

Post a comment here