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NYC - Rondout Bridge

Ulster County, New York

Photos 

NYC Rondout Bridge

Scientific American Supplement, June 1884

View this photo at books.google.com

BH Photo #309337

Map 

Description 

Original crossing of Rondout Creek by the New York, West Shore & Buffalo Railway. Replaced in 1903-4 by the Wilbur Bridge, which is still in use today by CSX. The southernmost span was narrowed and installed on the Mahopac Branch in Goldens Bridge, NY, where it survives to this day.

From an 1891 report to the Board of Railroad Commissioners: "This bridge consists of three through spans, length 163 feet, 241 feet, and 264 feet respectively, center to center of end pins, and one deck span of 20 feet, five of 30 feet, six of 50 feet each and one of 60 feet, all double track. The spans rest at all points except the abutments, on iron towers, the highest of which are 139 feet from masonry to top of tower."

The through spans were Whipple trusses (9-, 11-, and 15-panels respectively), while the deck spans were riveted double-intersection lattices.

Facts 

Overview
Lost Triple Intersection Pratt & Whipple through truss bridge over Rondout Creek on NYC West Shore Line
Location
Kingston, Ulster County, New York
Status
Replaced by a new bridge
History
Built 1882
Builders
- Albert Lucius of New York City, New York (Engineer in charge of bridges, NYWS&B)
- Clarke, Reeves & Co. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Colonel Walter Kutte (engineer, North River Construction)
- E.L. Corthell (chief engineer, NYWS&B)
- Phoenix Iron Works of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
Railroads
- New York Central Railroad (NYC)
- New York, West Shore & Buffalo Railroad (NYWS&B)
- West Shore Railroad (WSH)
Design
(2)Triple-Intersection Pratt through trusses
Whipple through truss w/ Phoenix columns
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 264.0 ft.
Total length: 1,244.0 ft.
Deck width: 29.0 ft.
Approximate latitude, longitude
+41.91074, -73.99938   (decimal degrees)
41°54'39" N, 73°59'58" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
18/582985/4640350 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Kingston East
Elevation
150 ft. above sea level
Inventory number
BH 64327 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

19th Century (8,304)
Albert Lucius (6)
Built 1882 (153)
Built during 1880s (2,161)
Clarke, Reeves & Co. (21)
Colonel Walter Kutte (1)
Deck girder (6,298)
Deck truss (1,923)
Double-intersection Warren deck truss (96)
Double-intersection Warren truss (493)
E.L. Corthell (4)
Girder (11,159)
Kingston, New York (15)
Lost (28,364)
Lost 1903 (51)
Lost during 1900s (382)
New York (4,878)
 New York Central Railroad (994)
New York, West Shore & Buffalo Railroad (40)
Phoenix Columns (87)
Phoenix Iron Works (18)
Pin-connected (4,668)
Plate girder (8,714)
Railroad (16,443)
Replaced by new bridge (19,289)
Riveted (2,503)
Span length 250-500 feet (1,258)
Through truss (16,699)
Total length 1000-2500 feet (1,991)
Truss (35,365)
Ulster County, New York (144)
West Shore Railroad (24)
Whipple truss (462)
Wrought Iron (417)

Update Log 

  • June 24, 2021: New photo from Luke
  • December 1, 2020: Updated by Ian Martin: Added to description
  • November 27, 2019: New photo from David Shedlock
  • September 10, 2016: New photo from Dave King
  • November 30, 2014: Added by Ian Martin

Related Bridges 

Sources 

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Comments 

NYC - Rondout Bridge
Posted August 9, 2020, by Art S. (asuckewer [at] knite [dot] com)

:^)

BTW, there were more than two bridges with Triple Whipples ;^)

There was some really neat stuff out there. Too bad most of it is gone and forgotten.

Regards,

Art S.

NYC - Rondout Bridge
Posted August 8, 2020, by Tony Dillon (spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com)

I'm surprised it hadn't been noticed (or at least noted) before, but the larger two spans of this bridge were Triple-Intersection Pratt trusses. This is the first example I have seen besides the extant Laughery Creek Bridge.