East Shoreham Covered Railroad Bridge

East Shoreham Covered Railroad Bridge - Vermont

Also known as the Richville Covered Bridge, the East Shoreham Covered Railroad Bridge in Shoreham, Vermont is one of just eight covered railroad bridges still in existence in the United States. The 108 foot long covered bridge was built in 1897 utilizing a Howe truss design and construction, crossing the Richville Pond on the Lemon Fair River and was part the former Addison Branch of the Rutland Railroad. The bridge features a clear span of 94 feet, 6 inches with a 21 foot high truss from the top of the upper chord to the bottom of the lower chord and a width of 14 feet between the trusses.

In 1870 the Addison County Railroad was chartered to build a line connecting the Rutland Railroad at Leicester Junction, Vermont, with the Delaware & Hudson Railroad at Ticonderoga, New York, a distance stretching at 15.6 miles. The line was laid out from Leicester Junction westward through the towns of Whiting, Shoreham and Orwell and then across Lake Champlain on a floating railroad bridge to Ticonderoga. In the southeast corner of Shoreham, the line crossed the Lemon Fair River, at a community known as Richville (formerly known as Rich's Mills). A bridge was built here to cross the Lemon Fair River in the autumn of 1871.

The date of construction of the present covered railroad bridge at East Shoreham is not conclusive as documented in known records. While the Addison County Railroad was building timber Howe truss bridges on the line in 1871, most modern sources state that the East Shoreham Covered Railroad Bridge was built in 1897. The East Shoreham Covered Railroad Bridge carried trains until 1951, when the Rutland Railroad decided to abandon the line due to a lack of traffic. In 1972, the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation took possession of the covered bridge in order to preserve it, especially with few remaining examples of railroad covered bridges. Restoration of the bridge happened in the fall of 1983 at a cost of $35,014, with work being done to reinforce the abutments, constructing a new deck constructed and replacing the roof and siding. The railroad tracks have been removed and replaced with a plank walkway for pedestrian and snowmobile traffic.

How to Get There:

Sources and Links:
Vermont Covered Bridge Society - East Shoreham Railroad Covered Bridge
The Travels of Tug 44 - East Shoreham Railroad Covered Bridge
Historic Structures - Shoreham Covered Railroad Bridge, Shoreham Vermont
Bridgehunter.com - East Shoreham Covered Railroad Bridge
Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce - Covered Bridge Tour Northern Route
Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development - Historic Bridges

Comments

The 1915-era Teilman Bridge (the only known Concrete Pony Truss Bridge in California)

The Teilman Bridge is a semi-abandoned structure over Fresno Slough west of Burrell siding near the intersection of Elkhorn Avenue and Elkhorn Grade. This structure is the only known Concrete Pony Truss Bridge constructed in California and was designed by Ingvart Teilman. Teilman's Bridge would open in late 1915 when the Elkhorn Grade was the primary road between Fresno and Coalinga. The structure would be replaced in 1991 but was left standing as it carries pipelines over Fresno Slough. Part 1; the history of the Teilman Bridge In the early Twentieth Century the most direct highway between Fresno and Coalinga followed the Elkhorn Grade. The Elkhorn Grade began at Fresno Slough a short distance west of Burrell siding. From Fresno Slough the Elkhorn Grade followed a generally southwestern course through San Joaquin Valley into the Kettleman Hills towards Coalinga. The Elkhorn Grade can be seen on the 1914 C.F. Weber map of Fresno Coun...

The Dummy Lights of New York

A relic of the early days of motoring, dummy lights were traffic lights that were placed in the middle of a street intersection. In those early days, traffic shuffled through busy intersections with the help of a police officer who stood on top of a pedestal. As technology improved and electric traffic signals became commonplace, they were also originally positioned on a platform at the center of the intersection. Those traffic signals became known as " dummy lights " and were common until traffic lights were moved onto wires and poles that crossed above the intersection. In New York State, only a handful of these dummy lights exist. The dummy lights are found in the Hudson Valley towns of Beacon and Croton-on-Hudson, plus there is an ongoing tug of war in Canajoharie in the Mohawk Valley, where their dummy light has been knocked down and replaced a few times. The dummy light in Canajoharie is currently...

Prunedale Road (Monterey County)

Prunedale Road is a short 2.6-mile-long frontage corridor of US Route 101 in the namesake Monterey County community of Prunedale. Prior to 1932 US Route 101 bypassed Prunedale in favor of the San Juan Grade to the east. Prunedale Road along with nearby Moro Road served as an alternative connecting highway between Salinas and San Juan Bautista. Following the realignment of US Route 101 onto the Prunedale Cutoff the former through route along Prunedale Road would be rendered as a western frontage. Part 1; the history of Prunedale Road Prunedale Road is located in and is named after the Monterey County community of Prunedale. Said community was founded near the junction of San Migeul Canyon, Langley Canyon and Echo Valley. Watsonville settler Charles Langley (namesake of Langley Canyon) was one of the prominent early community settlers. The Prunedale Post Office would open for the first time in 1894 but would close by 1908. Early agricu...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog