Rating:
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CSX - Rowlesburg Bridge

Preston County, West Virginia

Photos 

Rowlesburg Bridge

The B&O built bridges on this site in 1851 and 1873, the last being this one circa 1910.

Photo taken by William E. Barrett, Photographer, 1974, for HAER.

View photos at Library of Congress

BH Photo #153602

Map 

Description 

The Rowlesburg Bridge is a typical example of an early 20th century riveted Warren Truss bridge. This bridge is the third on this site, the two previous being a Bollman Truss bridge (1870) and a Fink Truss bridge (1851).

Facts 

Overview
Warren through truss bridge over Cheat River on CSX Railroad
Location
Rowlesburg, Preston County, West Virginia
Status
Replaced by a new bridge
History
Built ca. 1910; lost to a washout in 1985
Builder
- Albert Fink of Lauterbach, Hesse, Germany
Railroads
- Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (BO)
- CSX Railroad (CSX)
- Chessie System Railroads (B&O/C&O/WM)
Design
Riveted Warren truss
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 160.8 ft.
Approximate latitude, longitude
+39.34834, -79.66632   (decimal degrees)
39°20'54" N, 79°39'59" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
17/614919/4356281 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Rowlesburg
Inventory number
BH 43965 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

Albert Fink (6)
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (479)
Built 1910 (1,173)
Built during 1910s (9,711)
CSX Railroad (1,676)
Chessie System Railroads (95)
Destroyed by flood (483)
Lost (25,257)
Lost 1985 (143)
Lost during 1980s (1,416)
 Owned by railroad (12,593)
Preston County, West Virginia (40)
Railroad (15,663)
Rowlesburg, West Virginia (2)
Span length 125-175 feet (4,242)
Through truss (15,278)
Truss (33,130)
Warren through truss (1,623)
Warren truss (6,618)
West Virginia (1,499)

Update Log 

  • December 7, 2019: New photo from Geoff Hubbs
  • October 16, 2016: New photo from Dave King
  • November 14, 2012: Updated by J.P.: Bridge has been replaced by a deck girder
  • January 30, 2010: Added by J.R. Manning

Related Bridges 

Sources 

  • J.R. Manning - thekitchenguy [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
  • HAER WV-13 - Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Rowelsburg Bridge, Spanning Cheat River, Rowelsburg vicinity, Preston County, WV
  • J.P. - wildcatjon2000 [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Dave King - DKinghawkfan [at] hotmail [dot] com
  • Geoff Hubbs
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Comments 

CSX Cheat River Bridge (Rowlesburg)
Posted April 27, 2014, by Gary Deavers (oprfairmont [at] hotmail [dot] com)

"Bridge 92" a two span (and two track) Warren Truss was washed out by November 1985 flood. Bridge replaced in three weeks by Chessie System, a single track deck girder bridge resting on steel pilings, which were encased in concrete in the following years. Bridge still in daily use on CSX.