Skip to main content

Tunkhannock Viaduct

Image
By
No matter who you are, or when it was, the first time you see the 100 year old Tunkhannock Viaduct, you are completely amazed.  The reinforced concrete arch bridge - which towers 240 feet over the Tunkhannock Creek and town of Nicholson below - magnificently rises over the valley, but at the same time carries an artistic grace from an era gone by.

The 2,375 foot long bridge was the key part of a 39.6 mile relocation of the then Delaware, Lackawanna, & Western Railroad.  Construction of the viaduct began in May of 1912.  Concrete for the structure would be first poured in January of 1913.  The bridge - which consists of ten 180 foot arches and two 100' partially filled abutment arches - was dedicated on November 6, 1915.  The bridge piers were sunk to bedrock, which in some cases was as much as 138 feet below ground.  To build the viaduct, it took 1,140 tons of steel and 167,000 cubic tons of concrete. (1)
 
The bridge - which at the time was described by some as "The Eighth Wonder of the World" - greatly improved rail travel in the area.  Passenger rail times were reduced by 20 minutes while freight trains saw more than hour taken off their time schedules.  The entire relocation, known as the Clarks Summit - Halstead Cutoff, trimmed off 3.6 miles on the DL&W's Hoboken to Buffalo line, eliminated seven circles of curves, reduced the maximum curve from six degrees to three, lowered the eastbound ruling grade from 1.23 percent to 0.68 percent, and also eliminated numerous at-grade crossings. (2)
 
One of the biggest compliments about the viaduct came from the author, Theodore Dreiser, in his book Hoosier Holiday.  He wrote, "a thing colossal and impressive - those arches! How really beautiful they were. How symmetrically planned! And the smaller arches above, how delicate and lightsomely graceful! It is odd to stand in the presence of so great a thing in the making and realize that you are looking at one of the true wonders of the world." (3)
 
Today, trains that are part of the Canadian Pacific and Norfolk Southern ride over the viaduct.  It is still a vital part of the northeast rail system.  The town of Nicholson holds a bridge day every year in September to celebrate the bridge.

Heading north on US 11, the Tunkhannock Viaduct comes into view.  On the south end of the viaduct, there is a small park off of US 11 which provides for great views of the Tunkhannock Viaduct.


A closer view of the concrete arches on the viaduct's north end.
 
The Tunkhannock Viaduct towers over the US 11 highway bridge.

Closer detail of one of the twelve viaduct arches.

The intricate detail of the bridge has withstood over 100 years of wear and tear.

 
One of the arches proclaims 'Lackawanna RR'.

Sources & Links:

  • (1) American Society of Civil Engineers. "Tunkhannock Viaduct." http://www.asce.org/history/brdg_thannock.swf (March 31, 2007)
  • (2) Tomaine, Bob. "Title Unknown." Susquehanna Life. (March 31, 2007)
  • (3) JMF Computer Services. "Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct." http://www.northeastpennsylvania.com/NicholsonViaduct.htm (April 1, 2007)
    • Labels:

    Comments

    Post a Comment

    Popular posts from this blog

    Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

    By
    In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...
    4 comments
    Read more

    Massena Center Suspension Bridge

    By
    The Massena Center Bridge, also known as the Holton D. Robinson Bridge, has had quite the tumultuous history. Situated on the Grasse River just east of Massena, New York in the hamlet of Massena Center, the Massena Center Bridge is a reminder of the efforts the community has made in order to connect over the river. The first and only other known bridge to be built at Massena Center was built in 1832, but that bridge was never long for this world. During the spring of 1833, the Grasse River dammed itself due to an ice dam, flooded and lifted the bridge off its foundation, destroying the bridge in the process.  The floods were frequent in the river during the spring, often backing up the river from Hogansburg and past Massena Center, but not to nearby Massena. After the first bridge disappeared, local residents had to resort to traveling seven miles west to Massena to cross the next closest bridge, and that was no easy task for a horse and buggy. However, it was many decades befo...
    Post a Comment
    Read more

    The Dead Man's Curve of Interstate 90 and Innerbelt Freeway in Cleveland

    By
    "Dead Man's Curve" refers to the transition ramp Interstate 90 takes between Cleveland Memorial Shoreway onto the Innerbelt Freeway in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.  Said curve includes a sharp transition between the two freeways which is known for a high rate of accidents.  Currently the curve (not officially named) has a 35 MPH advisory speed and numerous safety features intended to mitigate crashes.  When the Interstate System was first conceived during 1956, Interstate 90 was intended to use the entirety Cleveland Memorial Shoreway and connect to the Northwest Freeway through Lakewood.  The Innerbelt Freeway was initially planned as the northernmost segment of Interstate 71.  The extension of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west of Edgewater Park was never constructed which led to Interstate 90 being routed through the Innerbelt Freeway.   Part 1; the history of Cleveland's Innerbelt Freeway and Deadman's Curve The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signe...
    Post a Comment
    Read more